UNC Students Yawn as Duke Game Approaches

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UNC Students Yawn as Duke Game Approaches

By Sam Rosenthal

Nov 23, 2007

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When University of North Carolina students enjoyed their Thanksgiving dinners, their minds may have wandered ahead to Saturday’s football game against arch-nemesis Duke University. As with many rivalry games in college football, this game marks the end of each team’s season.

UNC students anxiously await this match-up against their bitter rivals. A win against Duke means more to these students than any other during the course of the season.
Not.

For Tar Heel students, this game seems less about beating Duke and more about not being beaten by Duke.

“Duke is just so bad at football,” UNC student Rachel Penny said, “that it’s not only that we don't want to lose to our rivals, but it’s truly an embarrassment to lose to them.”
Penny is the Vice Chair of Special Events for Tar Heel fan organization Carolina Fever and participates in the Carolina Athletic Association and its Born and Bred program. She makes it a point of pride to know as much about Chapel Hill sports as possible.

“The UNC-Duke rivalry extends beyond just sports. It’s a rivalry of the schools, of the fans, and obviously the athletic teams,” Penny said. “Football, in particular, I wouldn't say the rivalry is lost per se, but it's not the tradition it once was. For example, how many students know about the Victory Bell? We've had it for so long that people take it for granted that we could lose it if we lose to Duke.”

The Victory Bell, which Penny described as “the bell we have at all the games that we ring,” goes to whichever team wins this rivalry game each year – or, as News and Observer writer Ned Barnett put it after the 2005 game: “It went to the team that made the fewest dumbbell plays.”

And when you think of the Carolina-Duke rivalry, ineptitude comes to mind primarily regarding football, according to junior Drew Millette. “For a rivalry to be really good, it takes also for both teams to be really good, which UNC-Duke football really isn’t the case,” he said.

And Rachel Schneider, a member of the UNC gymnastics team, said, “There’s always a little bit of pride whenever you beat Duke, but I guess it’s not as much as other sports where the competition’s a lot closer.”

Gymnastics is not one of those other sports. “Duke does not have a gymnastics team,” Schneider said. “Our rivalry is with State.”

Many Tar Heel fans view the football rivalry in much the same way: Duke does not have a football team. Their rivalry is with N.C. State.

“Duke doesn’t really have a football team to speak of,” Millette said. “I think in general, the State-UNC football game has always been more of a tradition than the Duke-UNC football game because Duke has never really had a football program. State, on the other hand, has, so I always look forward to the State game a little bit more than the Duke game.”

Penny said that she views beating N.C. State as grounds for celebration, but beating Duke as cause for relief. “In years past, yes, I would expect to win, but when we're not doing as well I get worried,” she said.

This year, Penny worries because of the Tar Heels’ recent struggles. And although UNC has already won more games this season – three – than Duke has over the past two seasons combined – two. North Carolina almost lost to Duke in 2005 and 2006, and that barely passes the UNC students standards of acceptable outcomes.

In 2005, UNC squeaked past Duke, 24-21, and last year won by virtue of a blocked extra point, 45-44. If those outcomes occurred against State, Tar Heel fans would have been thrilled with victory alone.

But because they happened against Duke, many fans noted the narrow wins as evidence of how low UNC’s football program had sunk.

“A win’s a win … but it’s a game that you’re supposed to win, so if you lose, it’s definitely not good,” Millette said.

Comparing the football rivalry to other sports, Schneider said, “It doesn’t really seem like it’s the same kind of rivalry, since their football team is just so terrible … It’s obviously not as intense as the basketball rivalry, like any football rivalry.”

And that’s a big part of it – both of these universities view themselves as basketball schools, first and foremost.

Millette said it best: “There is no comparison. UNC-Duke basketball is one of the best rivalries in all of sports, let alone college sports. UNC-Duke football is more of a joke.”

UNC student Sam Rosenthal is a sports correspondent for WRAL

Most Recent Comments

the whole new jersey thing is played out...

I for one am pumped up for tommorrows game against unc. DUKE will give it their all and win or lose I am proud of them. I just hope that the people at DUKE will finally treat our football team with a little more respect. We will always struggle until changes are made. No matter who is coaching. GO DUKE! Lets send Coach Roof out with a win!

Dear DVS,

Maybe you didn't go to college, but this UNC-CH grad wouldn't have it any other way than to graduate from one of the best public universities in the nation. I'm pretty sure State grads don't have any regrets from graduating from their school (which I must say is pretty good itself). This has nothing to do with class or socioeconomic lines--this is about school pride. As for Dook, I don't think tarheel or pack fans want anything to do with the Durham campus of New Jersey Univ.

As far as football goes: HEELS all the way.

UNC-CH has nothing to play for tomorrow. Duke wins one for the coach.

"UNC student Sam Rosenthal is a sports correspondent for WRAL"

UNC-Chapel Hill students are always bitter that they did not get into or could afford to go to Duke. Exactly the same way that N.C. State students are bitter that they don't go to UNC-Chapel Hill. This is part of the reason why the rivalries are so important to the fans. War of the classes.

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