COLLEGE PARK - Last year both Maryland and North Carolina enjoyed banner years under rookie coaches, Ralph Friedgen and John Bunting.

Both also have encountered their share of bumps in their sophomore seasons as the teams meet today at 1:30 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

While the Terrapins find themselves in the hunt for an Atlantic Coast Conference championship, they have been looking for answers, particularly on the offensive and defensive lines.

That said, Maryland (6-2, 2-1 ACC) still carries postseason hopes, unlike the Tar Heels, who left the bowl picture weeks ago.

How bad are the Tar Heels these days? Even Duke, with its 23-loss ACC streak, has been more competitive than North Carolina in games against common opponents (N.C. State, Virginia and Wake Forest).

Wake hadn't shut out an ACC opponent since 1978, until Carolina lost to the Demon Deacons last weekend, 31-0. In that loss, North Carolina (2-6, 0-4 ACC) had to move a fullback to defensive end. This came after two first-year freshmen declined the opportunity to play this year, preferring to preserve their four remaining years of eligibility.

So a program that won eight of its last 10 games in 2001 appears listless these days when competing against the fourth-strongest schedule in the country. Injuries have been the major culprit for the Tar Heels - defensive line starters Will Chapman and Eric Davis are out for the season, as is quarterback Darian Durant - as only eight players have started every game.

"Unfortunately, right now we're not as competitive as we'd like to be," said Bunting, who has only two returning defensive starters. "Certainly, we would like to be one of those teams, and we're not. I think we'll have a better chance next year to be one of those teams."

Meanwhile, Maryland seems rejuvenated in the midst of a five-game winning streak, using patsies like Eastern Michigan and Wofford to improve in time to log wins against the slightly escalated competition of West Virginia and Georgia Tech.

As with last year, the Terrapins' defense has done a good job of keeping opponents out of the end zone. The team ranks ninth in scoring defense at 15.4 points per game, and has yielded only 16 first-quarter points.

That has bought some time for the offense, whose passing game has picked up steam. Scott McBrien has thrown seven touchdowns against only one interception during the streak, and tailback Chris Downs has emerged in the absence of Bruce Perry, who finally played in his first game of the season last week but lasted just one play before straining his left shoulder.

The improvement comes at the right time for Maryland, which had an early-season loss to Florida State but still sits 1 1/2 games behind the Seminoles and North Carolina State in the ACC standings.

"This season has been shaping up exactly like it did last year," receiver Scooter Monroe said. "Hopefully, we'll keep winning, somebody will knock out Florida State and we'll have another ring on our finger."

NOTE: A representative from the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is expected to be in attendance today. The Dec. 31 bowl, played in Atlanta, gets the third choice among ACC teams, behind the Bowl Championship Series, which would get the league champion, and the Gator Bowl, which is played in Jacksonville, Fla., on Jan. 1.