But two of the Tar Heels' more prominent players will not be in uniform. Two-sport athletes Ronald Curry and Julius Peppers are not scheduled to play in the game. Curry has been working through much the spring, throwing passes and learning the new offensive system. But first-year coach John Bunting does not want Curry to take any hits until summer camp begins in August.
Football is a funny game.
All of us coaches call the same thing something different. So it takes a guy a little while. It's like learning a foreign language. Peppers, meanwhile, has spent much of spring drills watching from the sideline and resting after a stretch of play that began with summer football camp in August of 2000 and ended with a second-round loss to Penn State in the 2001 NCAA men's basketball tournament. Peppers led the nation in quarterback sacks last season with 15 and should be poised for another big year this fall.