But Davis is gone now. So one man's failure becomes another's opportunity. Enter Willie Parker, a redshirt freshman tailback. Torbush chose instead not to waste a year of eligibility on three games. The problem is that even if Parker lives up to all the hype, he is still only one man.
Few teams can live with just one tailback in today's game.
The players are too big, too strong and the action too fierce. Parker and Davis would have given the Tar Heels one of the better tailback tandems in the league. Without Davis, UNC is left to hope that one of the three incoming freshman runners has enough physical skills to make plays and enough brains and maturity to take care of his other obligations. But it looks like it is getting harder and harder for UNC's coaches to find enough guys who can excel on the field and stay out of trouble away from it.