Pitt is not cursed against UNC. Just as Beamer’s Hokies weren’t cursed against Pitt. It may feel that way. it may have the fans (and perhaps some players) a bit spooked. Not the easiest thing to type when Pitt is 0-5 against the Tar Heels since coming into the ACC.

Yet, Pitt has never lost to them by more then 7 points. The last two years have come down to losing thanks to poor defense and a fumble. I suppose that is what contributes to the sense. It’s one thing to lose a bunch of times. And to be blown out in a few. But to always be within one score, but not get there. That can cause you to look for other reasons.

UNC is not as bad as they were last year, but they aren’t that good either. They got to avoid playing UCF last week because of the uncertainty surrounding Hurricane Florence, but no one is forgetting how they got destroyed by ECU two weeks ago.

UNC football is actively involved in helping the eastern part of North Carolina recover from Florence.

Bobby Hundley, a UNC athletics spokesperson, said 85 players will donate $15, the per diem each player would get after their game against Pitt on Saturday. Together they’ll donate $1,275.

“It’s kind of a grassroots effort of people thinking ‘What can I do to help?’” UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham said about the players. “I’m really proud of those guys for thinking that way.”

According to NCAA rules, a school can provide players a meal, or up to $15 in cash after each home and away game.

Fedora said former UNC linebacker Kevin Reddick, who played for the Tar Heels from 2009-12, called the program to ask if it could help donate and collect items for victims in his hometown of New Bern, a city that experienced substantial flooding from Florence.

The football program announced earlier this week that it was setting up a donation site on campus and would deliver collected goods to areas in need with its 18-wheel equipment truck. The truck will head to Lumberton on Friday.

Pitt is also bringing some relief supplies with them.

Along with footballs, helmets and shoulder pads, Pitt’s equipment truck will haul donated food and other items to help residents recover from the devastation of Hurricane Florence.

It started when Pitt communications coordinator Celeste Welsh reached out to Dave Roberts, operations manger of the Durham (N.C.) Food Bank, and asked how Pitt could help.

“He was elated to say the least,” Welsh said.

That conversation triggered an email from Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke to her staff, requesting items for a food drive.

They ended up collecting one pallet of bottled water, 13 boxes of food, paper goods, pet food, cleaning supplies and more than $400 in monetary donations. Pitt director of equipment services Derek Moos will deliver the goods directly to the Durham Food Bank on Friday morning, Welsh said.

Okay, I’m done saying nice things about UNC.

The Tar Heels will still be without 13 players suspended for selling team-issued sneakers. I have no energy to make fun of UNC or the NCAA for this being worthy of penalties, but the school has gotten off scott-free for years of sham classes. My feeling remains the same.

The NCAA is toothless by design. The schools want it that way. When they get in trouble, they make a show. Let their fans blame the NCAA. The NCAA takes the blows. The system remains fundamentally unchanged. Nothing changes until the money becomes big enough.

The UNC coach, Larry Fedora, is on something of a hot seat as he is already looking at consecutive dismal seasons. Coupled with his crazy talk from ACC Media Days. At the same time, I’m not so sure. Not because I think Fedora is that great a coach. I just don’t know if UNC cares enough to move like this; and I’m not sure they have many great candidates in mind.

Fedora was a very good hire for UNC at the time. Especially in light of their sanctions from Butch Davis. Heck, just before the whole thing appeared to collapse last year, he was signed to an extension after rumors swirled of strong interest from LSU. Speculation was rampant coming into 2017 that he could be a potential “homerun” hire for Ole Miss. It still amazes at times how quickly the perception of a coach can shift.

Looking back over the first couple games that UNC has played reveals very little. They were exceptionally sloppy in the Cal game with 4 turnovers. They had none against ECU, though. The offense was garbage against Cal, with two TDs late to make the final score appear respectable.

In the ECU game, they looked like they simply quit. The offense got yards, but little scoring.

The one thing that was common in both games were penalties. Lots of penalties. 13 for 124 in the Cal game, and then 7-65 against ECU. Pitt has more penalty yardage and total penalties than that to lead the ACC. But UNC has done this in only 2 games.