By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — When extremely tired college athletes are particularly winded they sometimes see colors.
That happened Thursday night for at least one offensive lineman when Carolina dominated time of possession with 29 third-quarter snaps in the Tar Heels’ 19–17 opening-game win at Minnesota.
“Guys were pretty winded,” Georgia transfer center Austin Blaske said after Tuesday’s practice as the Tar Heels (1–0) prepare for Saturday’s 3:30 home opener (ACC Network) against Charlotte (0–1). “And some guys even said they were seeing colors; they got so tired on one drive.”
The drive that led to a colorful outcome lasted 17 plays and netted the first of four Noah Burnette field goals.
Did Carolina blue come up, or was it another color? Blaske didn’t ask.
“I didn’t,” said Blaske, who played a team-high-tying 68 snaps. “I was just like, ‘Take your word for it, buddy. Let’s go.’ He could have been seeing a rainbow for all I know. I’m not sure.”
Blaske didn’t specify which lineman was seeing colors, but sophomore quarterback Conner Harrell seemed to suggest it was 6–7½, 340-pound redshirt sophomore right tackle Trevyon Green, who played 65 snaps.
It wasn’t the first time Harrell had heard a player say they were seeing colors.
“I’ve heard it like that before,” Harrell said. “I think we ran a long play, and we had a reverse, so they were running out at a screen. So, I think there were three plays in a row, and we were going fast, too. And then I heard big Trey. He’s like, ‘I’m tired; I’m tired.’ Those big guys out there — they need some rest sometimes. But yeah, I’ve heard something like that before.”
Blaske said that the important part for the offensive line was hanging in there while they stayed on the field for so long.
“Just got to fight through it. I applaud the guys for that, because they were really physically tough,” Blaske said.
There could be more long drives on Saturday against an opponent this week that may not present as much of a challenge as the Gophers. The big offensive linemen will just have to fight through the fatigue — and the possible colors they might see.
| Month/ date | Score/ time | Opponent | Record/ TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| September | |||
| 1 | L, 48–14 | vs. TCU | 0–1 |
| 6 | W, 20–3 | at Charlotte | 1–1 |
| 13 | W, 41–6 | vs. Richmond | 2–1 |
| 20 | L, 34–9 | at UCF | 2–2 |
| October | |||
| 4 | L, 38–10 | vs. Clemson | 2–3, 0–1 ACC |
| 17 (Fri.) | L, 21–18 | at California | 2–4, 0–2 |
| 25 | L, 17–16, OT | vs. No. 16 Virginia | 2–5, 0–3 |
| 31 (Fri.) | W, 27–10 | at Syracuse | 3–5, 1–3 |
| November | |||
| 8 | W, 20–15 | vs. Stanford | 4–5, 2–3 |
| 15 | L, 28–12 | at Wake Forest | 4–6, 2–4 |
| 22 | L, 32–25 | vs. Duke | 4–7, 2–5 |
| 29 | L, 42–19 | at N.C. State | 4–8, 2–6 |
Photo via @UNCFootball
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