Tony Grimes gives story behind waving goodbye to Miami

It’s become a bit of a classic move, waving goodbye to an away crowd or visiting team after besting them in a hotly-contested game. And Tony Grimes obliged farewell gesture with another on Saturday, bidding adieu to the Miami Hurricanes and fans after North Carolina sealed a 27-24 road win.

Grimes explained in the week after the game that when teammate DeAndre Boykins hauled in a game-sealing interception with eight seconds to play, he wanted to let Miami know it was game over — just in case they didn’t know.

“The defense was scrapping, the offense was making plays,” Grimes said, “then when Boykins got that pick at the end, it was just like ‘Game over.’ Now like, ‘We won. We’re going home with a dub.'”

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The Tar Heels had built a lead early in the game before the Hurricanes clawed backed throughout the second quarter. At halftime, North Carolina was nursing a 21-17 lead.

Two field goals had them ahead by a tenuous 10 points — then Miami cashed in a touchdown with just more than two minutes to play, making it a three-point contest. With the Hurricanes driving with a chance to win at the very end, Grimes reveled in the excitement when he saw his team had gotten it done.

“It was just an exciting game. And exciting game throughout the whole — from the first quarter to the end,” Grimes said.

Grimes isn’t ready to give up the Victory Bell to Duke

Grimes has no intentions of letting the Victory Bell, the annual trophy awarded in the Duke–North Carolina football rivalry game, leave Chapel Hill. The bell been in the Tar Heels’ possession since Grimes arrived as a true freshman in 2020, as UNC has claimed victories in the past three meetings.

With North Carolina preparing to travel to Durham this weekend for the annual matchup, the defensive back had a powerful message to both his teammates and the Blue Devils.

“That bell has been here for a while,” he said in a Tuesday press conference. “It’s been here as long as I’ve been here. The goal you want to see, we gotta beat Duke. The bell is important. I can’t personally watch that bell walk out this locker room.”

The Tar Heels hold a 62-41-4 all-time advantage in the series, and have won both the past two contests in blowouts. That includes a 38-7 victory in 2021 during which Grimes and the defense forced a pair of turnovers.

However, this year’s Duke team appears to have taken a step forward under first-year coach Mike Elko. The Blue Devils (4-2) have already surpassed their win total from a year ago, and also rank fourth in the ACC in both rushing yards (190.7) and a points allowed (19.6) per game.

Because of that, Tony Grimes knows keeping the Victory Bell will be a challenge.

“They’ve got athletes, one, and they’re playing as a team,” he said. “They can run the ball, they can pass the ball, but they’re going to run the ball. So it’s going to be very exciting to see how we play them and match up against them, but they’re talented, man. They’re not just a run-over team. They’re playing ball this year.”

Grimes leads North Carolina with five passes defended in addition to 17 tackles and a forced fumble this season. The Tar Heels will look for him to continue making an impact for the defense when they kick off against Duke at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.