I was really curious to see what kind of atmosphere there would be in Chapel Hill for the Heels home opener. Butch Davis summed it up best. "I was beyond impressed and amazed. This was a just a great, great atmosphere. Our fans, not only being a packed sellout crowd, but the Old Well Walk, the entire day."
I had never seen a Well Walk in person until yesterday so I don't have anything to compare it to. But what I witnessed made me want to put on the pads and go play. Tar Heel fans, young and old, provided an electric alley for the players and coaches to travel. It was the perfect escort into their first game. "Our players, when they got to the locker room, they were geeked. They were like, wow. That¹s what college football should be like. I can¹t tell our fans thank you enough," Davis said.
From the opening kick through most of the 4th quarter, those silver seats at Kenan were not visible. They were filled with Tar Heel fans who came to witness the first steps of Butch Davis' restoration project. I was on the sidelines for the game and it was nice to look up at a filled stadium. The players certainly appreciated the support. Your opponent shouldn't dictate how large the crowd is. Fans should want to come see "their guys" and Tar Heel fans did.
It was interesting to watch Davis and his staff at work. The head coach was in command from pregame to the post. Players talked about not wanting to disappoint Butch Davis and he spoke of the trust that's needed between coaches and players. Sure it's just one game but there was a different feeling in Chapel Hill.
By no means does a win over James Madison mean the Heels are back. But it has them heading in the right direction with a purpose and it was noticed by their head coach. "These kids have a lot of pride. They got something they want to prove that Carolina can play football."
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