Football Meets Rival N.C. State on Neutral Territory

June 21, 1999 | Football

By: UNC Athletic Communications

November 23, 1998

THE MATCHUP

North Carolina concludes regular-season play with a neutral site game against NC State in Charlotte's Ericsson Stadium on Saturday, November 21, at 1 p.m. The Tar Heels are 5-5 overall and 4-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Wolfpack is 7-3 and 5-2 in the ACC. o Carolina has won five of its last seven games after opening the season with three losses. The Tar Heels are coming off an impressive, 28-6 triumph over Duke.

Gametime is 1 p.m. at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. This is the first of two straight UNC-NC State games to be played in Charlotte. The game will be televised by ABC. Next year's game will be a Thursday night ESPN contest. o Even though last year's game was played in Raleigh, NC State is the designated home team in 1998.

This is the fourth time in school history Carolina has gone into the final game of the regular season with a 5-5 record. The Tar Heels won once and lost twice in those previous chances to finish with a winning record. The win came in 1995 at N.C. State (Carolina went on to beat Arkansas in the Carquest Bowl to finish 705). The losses came in 1985 and 1987 against Duke.

TAR HEELS & WOLFPACK
Carolina leads the alltime series against NC State, 57-24-6.

Carolina has won five consecutive games against the Wolfpack.The five-game streak is UNC's longest against the Pack since a seven-game run by the Tar Heels from 1979-85.

From 1988-91, Carolina scored a total of 25 points against NC State. In the last six years, UNC has scored at least 20 points in each game and averaged 31.3 points per contest. CAROLINA'S 1998 SCHEDULE
(5-5, 4-3 ACC)

Sept. 5 Miami (Ohio) L, 10-13

Sept. 19 at Stanford L, 34-37 Fox

Sept. 26 Georgia Tech L, 21-43 ESPN

Oct. 3 Clemson W, 21-14 ABC

Oct. 10 Pittsburgh W, 29-10

Oct. 24 at Wake Forest W, 38-31 JP

Oct. 31 at Florida State L, 13-39 ESPN

Nov. 7 Maryland W, 24-13 ESPN 2

Nov. 14 at Virginia L, 13-30 ABC

Nov. 21 at Duke W, 28-6 JP

Nov. 28 vs. N.C. State 1 p.m. ABC (Charlotte, N.C.)

Carolina Head Coach: Carl Torbush

Torbush's Record at Carolina: 6-5, 1st full year Torbush's Overall Record: 9-13, 2nd full year

NC State Head Coach: Mike O'Cain

O'Cain's Record at NC State: 35-32 (6th year) O'Cain's Overall Record: same

Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network
TV: ABC (Mark Jones, Spencer Tillman)
Series Record: UNC leads, 57-24-6
Last Meeting: Oct. 18, 1997; UNC 20, NCSU 7

LAST YEAR IN RALEIGH

UNC tailback Jonathan Linton rushed 34 times for 177 yards and a touchdown and Oscar Davenport completed 15 of 29 passes for 189 yards as Carolina handled the Pack, 20-7.

The Tar Heels gained 21 first downs and 429 total yards and held NC State to 10 first downs and 190 yards. o UNC tight end Alge Crumpler, out for the 1998 season with an injured knee, had six catches for 76 yards. o Brian Schmitz kicked a 51-yard field goal, the longest without a kicking tee in UNC history.

GAME IN CHARLOTTE

This will be Carolina's first regular-season game played at a neutral site since the 1993 win over Southern California. That game was played in Anaheim, Calif. Prior to the USC game, the last neutral site regular-season contest was Sept. 11, 1976, against Florida in Tampa, Fla.

Carolina has played 17 football games in Charlotte. The most recent one was Nov. 7, 1942, a 43-14 win over Davidson.

The Tar Heels have a 13-2-2 record in Charlotte. That includes a 10-1-2 record vs. Davidson, 1-0 vs. VPI, 1-0 vs. VMI, 1-0 vs. Wake Forest and 0-1 vs. Clemson.

WITH A WIN...

Carolina would finish the regular season with a 6-5 record.

Carolina would post a winning record in the regular season for the ninth consecutive year, matching the alltime UNC record set in 1905.

Carolina would qualify for postseason play for the ninth straight season. The Tar Heels did not go to bowls in 1990 and 1991, but have since played in six consecutive postseason contests. UNC has the eighth-longest current streak in the country for bowl game participation.

Carolina would finish the regular season with a winning record for the first time ever in a season in which it opened with three consecutive defeats.

Head coach Carl Torbush would become the first UNC first-year coach to post a winning record in the regular season since Tom Young in 1943 (nine coaches ago).

Carolina would sweep its in-state ACC rivals for the sixth consecutive season.

Carolina would post its 19th consecutive win over an in-state ACC opponent.

RECAPPING DUKE

Carolina defeated Duke, 28-6. It was the Tar Heels' nine straight win over the Blue Devils and the fifth in a row at Wallace Wade Stadium. It matched the longest win streak in the series by either school since Carolina beat Trinity/Duke nine straight times from 1984 to 1929.

Carolina won for the fifth consecutive time at Duke for the first time in the history of the rivalry.

It was the ninth straight time Carolina scored at least 24 points against the Blue Devils.

It was the first time in 1998 Carolina scored first and never trailed nor was tied.

It was the fourth time this year the Tar Heels scored in all four quarters (including Stanford, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest).

It was the first time Carolina this year held an opponent without an offensive touchdown.

The six points scored by Duke are the fewest scored against UNC this season.

Freshman Kory Bailey returned a punt 45 yards. That's the longest punt return this year by a Tar Heel. Freshman Bosley Allen also returned a punt 25 yards, the third-longest by a Tar Heel this year.

Carolina rushed for 170 yards, the third-highest total this year (222 vs. Maryland, 213 vs. Wake Forest).

Tailback Rufus Brown rushed 17 times for 83 yards and a touchdown. It was the second-highest rushing game for Brown as a Tar Heel. He had 143 yards vs. Wake Forest.

Wide receiver Na Brown had three receptions for 71 yards and two touchdowns. rown became the leading receiver in school history. He has 157 career catches, two more than Corey Holliday, who set the previous mark from 1988-93.

rown caught two touchdown passes in a game for the second time in his career. His other two TD-catch game was against Duke in 1997.

Defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban had three tackles for loses of five yards. Ekuban has 22 tackles for losses this year, equaling the school record set by William Fuller in 1981 and 1983 and Lawrence Taylor in 1980.

Carolina held Duke wide receivers Scottie Montgomery and Richmond Flowers to four combined catches. The duo came into the game ranked in the top five in the ACC in receptions with 104 combined catches. o Brian Schmitz averaged 46.6 yards on seven punts with a long kick of 57 yards. It was the 10th time in as many games Schmitz averaged 40-plus yards per kick and the ninth time he had at least one kick of 50 yards.

Fullback Deon Dyer scored on a 3-yard run. He leads the team with four rushing touchdowns this season. Dyer is tied with Kory Bailey for second on the team this year with five touchdowns.

TEAM NOTES

Carolina has committed 23 turnovers and forced 19. UNC has been intercepted nine times and lost 14 fumbles. The opposition has turned those turnovers into 71 points. - Stanford converted four turnovers for 20 points (two touchdowns and two field goals). - Georgia Tech cashed in two of four turnovers for 10 points (one touchdown and one field goal). - Clemson returned an interception for a score and converted a fumble deep in UNC territory into another touchdown. - Pittsburgh returned an interception for a touchdown that was called back because of a Panther penalty, but Pittsburgh scored a touchdown five plays later. - Wake Forest converted a second half interception and fumble into 14 points. - Florida State cashed in a pair of first-half fumbles into field goals. - Virginia recovered a fumble and followed with a field goal. - Duke recovered a fumble on a punt return and cashed in with a field goal.

Carolina has scored 27of 28 times it has had the ball in the red zone (20 and in). The Tar Heels have 16 touchdowns and 11 field goals when it has been in the red zone. The only failed attempt was at Virginia when Carolina advanced to the Cavalier 14-yard line, but a 36-yard field goal attempt by Josh McGee was blocked.

Carolina has converted seven of nine fourth down conversion chances.

Center Adam Metts became the fourth true freshman to play this year when he replaced starter Ryan Carfley for the final series at Florida State. Metts, quarterback Ronald Curry, defensive tackle Ryan Sims and wide receiver osley Allen are the four rookies to earn playing time this year.

NA BROWN

Had three receptions at Duke to become the alltime leading pass catcher in Carolina football history. Brown has 157 career catches, two more than Corey Holliday, who had 155 from 1989-93. o Brown has 2,003 receiving yards, the third-highest figure in school history. o Is the only player in Carolina history to have two 50-catch seasons. He had 55 receptions in 1997 and 52 in 1996.

He has 47 receptions this year and became the only Tar Heel to ever catch 40 or more passes in three different seasons. o Came into the season without a career reception longer than 40 yards. This year, he has touchdown catches of 69, 44, 44 and 41 yards and non-scoring catches for 50 and 47 yards. o Brown has 814 receiving yards this season. That is a career-high for the Reidsville, N.C., native and is the fourth-highest mark in school history. Octavus Barnes had 970 receiving yards in 1995, Corey Holliday had 867 yards in 1993 and Jimmy Jerome had 837 yards in 1974.

Came into the season with 110 receptions for 1,189 yards. He averaged 10.8 yards per catch. This season, he is averaging 17.3 yards per reception. That's 6.5 yards more per reception this season.

Has 13 career touchdown receptions. Brown is fourth at UNC in career touchdown catches behind Octavus Barnes (19), Art Wriner (18) and Mark Smith (14).

Gave Carolina a 7-0 lead over Duke with a 41-yard catch-and-run for a score in the opening quarter. That catch tied Holliday at 155 receptions. Broke the record on a 15-yard pass from Oscar Davenport in the third quarter. Later on that same drive, Davenport hit Brown for a 15-yard touchdown.

rown's two-touchdown catch game against Duke was his second career two-TD catch game. He also caught two scoring passes against Duke in 1997.

Caught seven passes for 142 yards and a touchdown and added a 48-yard touchdown run against Maryland. The 142 yards mark the second-highest receiving yardage figure in his career. Last year, he made nine receptions for 145 yards at Texas Christian. Brown tied the Maryland game at 7-7 when he got behind the defense for a 44-yard scoring pass from Ronald Curry. He gave Carolina the lead for good on Carolina's next play from scrimmage when he took a reverse 48 yards for a touchdown.

rown's rushing touchdown against Maryland was the 12th score of his career and his first by a play other than a pass reception. It was the longest rush by a Tar Heel since Leon Johnson's 67-yard dash against Clemson in 1996. It was the longest TD run by a Tar Heel since Curtis Johnson's 75-yarder against Wake Forest in 1993.

Has three 100-yard reception games this season and four in his career. The UNC single-season record for 100-yard receiving games is four by Octavus arnes in 1995.

Made six receptions for 88 yards at Florida State.

Had seven receptions for 111 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown, against Pittsburgh. The 44-yard score gave Carolina a 15-3 lead in the third quarter. o Caught six passes for 139 yards at Stanford. Had a 69-yard touchdown catch at Stanford. That is the longest reception in Brown's career and the 20th-longest in Carolina history. His previous longest catch was a 40-yard play against Duke in 1996 (from tailback Leon Johnson).

EBENEZER EKUBAN

Leads the team with 22 tackles for losses, including seven quarterback sacks. o Ekuban's 22 tackles for losses equal the highest single-season total in Carolina history. William Fuller and Lawrence Taylor share the record with Ekuban. Fuller had 22 in 1981 and 1983 and Taylor had 22 in 1980.

Has a team-high 22 tackles for losses of 97 yards and seven sacks for 69 yards.

Has been in double figures in tackles four times this year (16 vs. Clemson, 13 vs. Pittsburgh, 13 vs. Duke and 11 vs. Stanford).

Has recorded at least one tackle for a loss in nine of the first 10games this year. The only game he did not have a TFL was against Maryland when he played less than a half due to a sprained ankle.

Has at least two tackles for losses in seven of the first 10games this year.

Had 13 tackles, including three for losses, in the win at Duke.

Made seven primary tackles, including two for losses, and batted down a pass at Virginia.

Had 13 tackles, including two quarterback sacks for 25 yards and two more tackles for losses for four yards, against Pittsburgh. Tackled quarterback Matt Lytle in the end zone for a third-quarter safety.

Named the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his play against Clemson. He made 16 tackles, 12 of which were primary stops, including four for losses of 28 yards. He had two quarterback sacks for 25 yards, caused a fumble and blocked a field goal attempt.

Did not start and saw a very limited number of snaps in the first half only against Maryland. Did not play at all in the second half as he increased the irritation in his ankle sprain. Suffered the original ankle sprain late in the first half of the Florida State game on October 31st.

OSCAR DAVENPORT

Has completed 50 percent or better in all but one game he has played in this season (was 0 for 2 in just one series of action against Georgia Tech) and has completed 54.4 percent of his passes on the year.

Tossed a pair of touchdown passes at Duke to Na Brown. That was his second two-TD passing game of the season (also had two against Pittsburgh). The touchdown passes were his fourth and fifth of the season and 14th and 15th of his career.

Lost at Virginia as a starter for just the third time in his career (9-3 now as a starter after the win at Duke).

Started against Maryland and completed 12 of 20 passes for 113 yards. o Started against Pittsburgh and completed 13 of 20 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown. Threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Na Brown in the third quarter.

Completed 19 of 37 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns against Clemson. The 37 pass attempts were the second most in his career. The 19 pass completions were the fourth-highest total in his career.

The 234 yards against Clemson marked the third time in his career he had thrown for more than 200 yards in a game. Last year, he had a career-high 360 yards at Georgia Tech and 281 yards at Maryland.

Is eighth in school history in pass completions with 232, moving past Todd urnett (214 from 1988-91) in the Virginia game. Has completed 232 passes in 384 attempts, a percentage of .604. That is the highest percentage in school history for any player with at least 200 attempts.

RONALD CURRY

Rushed for 50 yards on eight carries and had one pass completion for 15 yards in the win at Duke.

Leads the Tar Heels with 1,322 total offense yards. That figure is a UNC single-season total offense record for freshman. The previous record was held by tailback Amos Lawrence, who had 1,231 yards in 1977. Curry leads the Tar Heels in total offense at 132.2 yards per game.

Leads the team in touchdown passes and is second on the team in rushing yards. He has completed 65 of 143 passes for 953 yards and six touchdowns.

In his three road starts (at Stanford, Wake Forest and Florida State), he was a combined 37 for 69 for 583 yards and four touchdowns.

He has a school freshman record 953passing yards. Mike Thomas held the previous UNC freshman record with 831 in 1992.

He holds the UNC freshman single-season record with 65completions. The previous record was 57 by Chuck Sharpe in 1978.

Has thrown for six touchdowns. That also is the UNC freshman single-season record. The previous mark was five by Sharpe in 1978.

Posted pass efficiency ratings better than 100.00 in three of the four games he has been the team's primary quarterback. He had a rating of 152.78 at Wake Forest, 144.50 at Stanford and 108.95 against Miami (Ohio).

Led the Tar Heels in rushing with 75 yards on eight carries against Maryland. He completed 4 for 8 for 80 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown to Na rown. Setup Deon Dyer's one-yard TD run in the fourth quarter with a highlight film, 28-yard dash to the Maryland 6-yard line.

Was 5 for 13 for 49 yards and one touchdown and rushed three times for 17 yards at Florida State. Set up Carolina's first field goal with an 11-yard scramble on 3rd-and-12 and engineered the Tar Heels' lone touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. Facing 4th-and-3 at the FSU 21, Curry miraculously escaped a sack and tossed a 16-yard completion to freshman Bosley Allen for a first down at the FSU 5. Three plays later, facing 3rd-and-goal from the 7, Curry found freshman Kory Bailey for a touchdown.

Completed 13 of 22 passes for 230 yards at Wake Forest. He threw one touchdown pass and was picked off once. In addition to a 32-yard touchdown to Kory ailey, he had a 70-yard completion to Bosley Allen and a 50-yard completion to Na Brown. The 70-yard completion is the longest by a UNC freshman quarterback. He held the previous record with a 69-yard TD toss to Na Brown at Stanford.

Suffered a pinched nerve in his left shoulder against Clemson. Played just two series against the Tigers due to the injury. He did not complete a pass in three attempts and rushed once for five yards.

Completed 19 of 34 passes for 304 yards, two touchdowns and one interception against Stanford. He also had a team-high 66 rushing yards on 13 carries. He was named the ACC Rookie of the Week for his play against the Cardinal.

Against Stanford, Curry threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to Na Brown and a 19-yard scoring pass to Kory Bailey and scored himself on an 8-yard run. The 69-yard pass cut Stanford's lead to 13-10, the 8-yard run in the fourth quarter evened the game at 27-27, and the 19-yard pass to Bailey tied the score at 34-34.

Set Carolina freshman records against Stanford for most total offense yards in a game (370), most passing yards in a game (304), most completions (19), most total offense plays (47) and longest touchdown pass (69 yards).

The 304 yards passing marked the 11th-highest figure in Carolina history by any player and is the 12th 300-yard passing game by a Tar Heel. (It was the third loss by Carolina in a game in which a player threw for 300 yards; all three losses were the three-lowest 300-yard figures).

The 370 yards of total offense marked the fourth-highest total offense figure in school history. The only three players with more total offense yards in a single game were: Mark Maye (420 yards vs. Georgia Tech, 1987), Gayle Bomar (416 yards vs. Wake Forest, 1968) and Chris Keldorf (374 yards vs. Texas Christian, 1997).

RUFUS BROWN

Leads the Tar Heels in rushing with 468 yards in 10 games. Averaging 4.0 yards per carry and has three rushing touchdowns. Has led the Tar Heels in rushing four of the last five games (against Wake Forest, Florida State, Virginia and Duke). o Rushed 17 times for 83 yards and a touchdown at Duke.

Carried 20 times for 64 yards at Florida State. Brown had a 15-yard run to set up UNC's second field goal and rushed four times for 22 yards on UNC's fourth-quarter, 13-play touchdown drive.

Rushed for 143 yards on 26 carries against Wake Forest. Brown came into the game with just 116 yards on 33 carries in the first five games. He scored on a 12-yard run and had a 46-yard run in the third quarter. Brown's 46-yard run was the longest by a Tar Heel since Leon Johnson's 50-yard run at Duke in 1996.

rown's 143 yards were the most by a Tar Heel since Jonathan Linton had 199 yards against Duke in the 1997 regular-season finale. It was the first 100-yard rushing game by a UNC freshman since Leon Johnson had 142 against Duke in 1993.

The 143 yards were the most by a UNC freshman since Leon Johnson had 147 against Ohio University in 1993.

Sprained his left medial collateral ligament in the August 15th scrimmage. Wore a knee brace through the Pittsburgh game. Played vs. Wake Forest for the first time without the brace and rushed for 143 yards. Sprained his right MCL in the third quarter against Maryland and did not return the rest of that game.

Made the biggest play of the Wake Forest game when he rushed for 25 yards for a first down in the fourth quarter. The play came on 3rd-and-25 from the UNC 13 and allowed the Tar Heels to keep alive a possession that consumed more than 6:00 off the clock. o Is the fourth-leading receiver on the team with 12 receptions for 87 yards.

DRE' BLY

Set the alltime ACC interceptions record at 18 when he picked off a Brian Kuklick pass at Wake Forest. Also matched his career-high with four pass breakups in that contest.

Added his 19th interception of his career late in the first half against Maryland.

Has broken up nine passes and intercepted three this year. Has 26 breakups and 19 INTs in his three-year career.

KORY BAILEY

Second on the team with five touchdowns (four by reception and one by kickoff return).

Holds the UNC single-season freshman record for touchdown receptions with four. Art Weiner and Octavus Barnes each had three TD catches as a freshman in 1946 and 1994, respectively.

Set the UNC freshman TD receptions record with a 12-yard grab against Florida State.

Has at least one catch in all 10games this year and has TD grabs against Stanford, Clemson, Wake Forest and FSU.

Caught a season-high seven passes for 31 yards in the win against Maryland and had seven recptions for 44 yards against Virginia.

Has 32 receptions for 323 yards this season. The UNC freshman record for receptions in a season is 37 by Randall Felton in 1989.

Leads the team in punt returns (13.1 average) and kickoff returns (30.2 average). Had a 45-yard punt return at Duke.

Made a sensational 32-yard touchdown catch on a deep post pattern against Wake Forest. Caught the Ronald Curry pass just as he collided with a Deacon defender, but he held on and darted into the end zone for the score.

Second on the team in all-purpose yardage with 795 and receptions with 32 for 323 yards.

Key performer in Carolina's win over Pittsburgh. Amassed 126 all-purpose yards against the Panthers. Had four catches for 47 yards, four punt returns for 31 yards and two kickoff returns for 42 yards. Set up Carolina's fourth-quarter touchdown that gave UNC a 22-10 lead with a 33-yard reception off a screen pass. The play came on a 3rd-and-5 situation and gave the Tar Heels 1st-and-goal at the Pittsburgh 2-yard line.

Caught a 20-yard TD pass from Oscar Davenport against Clemson. Had four receptions for 50 yards against the Tigers.

Moved into the starting lineup (in three wideout sets) after the season-ending injury to Jason Peace.

Made his first college catch against Miami and added two receptions for 22 yards against Stanford. With 3:20 to play in the fourth quarter, Bailey made a sensational, over-the-shoulder, 19-yard catch for a touchdown in the back left corner of the end zone. That catch, on a fourth-and-5 play, tied the game at 34-34.

Made a 45-yard catch against Georgia Tech to set up Carolina's first score. Went up between two defenders and with full extension came down with the catch.

Opened the second half against Georgia Tech with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The return tied the sixth-longest return in UNC history and was the first kickoff return by a Tar Heel in Kenan Stadium since Eric lount returned both a punt and a kickoff for scores against William and Mary in 1991.

Added a 57-yard kickoff return at Virginia.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Carolina has returned kickoffs for touchdowns in two games this year. It marks the first time in UNC history that the Tar Heels have returned at least two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same season. Tyrell Godwin had a 100-yard return at Stanford and Kory Bailey scored on a 95-yard return against Georgia Tech. Bailey also had a 57-yard return at Virginia.

Carolina leads the ACC in kickoff returns with an average of 24.2 yards per return. Tyrell Godwin has 12 returns for 334 yards, an average of 27.8 yards per return. That is the second-highest average in UNC single-season history.

Brian Schmitz has averaged at least 40 yards per punt in each of the 10 games and averaged at least 45 yards in six games.

Schmitz leads the ACC at 45.1 yards per kick.

Schmitz's average of 45.1 yards per punt is the third highest in UNC single-season history. The only higher averages are Harry Dunkle's 46.6 in 1939 and Bud Wallace's 45.6 in 1950.

If Schmitz averages 40 yards per punt against N.C. State, he would tie the UNC single-season record of most 40-yard games in a season. Scott McAlister averaged 40-plus yards in all 11 regular-season games in 1990.

Schmitz has punted 50 yards or longer on 21 of his 68 punts this year. He drilled a 56-yarder from his own 21-yard line with 1:35 to play in the fourth quarter at Wake Forest. One series earlier, he had a 43-yard kick from the back of his own end zone. He had a 60-yarder against Virginia.

Schmitz had four 50-yard plus kicks out of seven attempts at Florida State (53, 55, 54 and 51).

Josh McGee is 13 for 17 in field goals this season and 34 for 50 in his career (68.0 percent). The 34 field goals equal the fifth-most in UNC history. Clint Gwaltney holds the record with 43.

McGee has 13 field goals this year. That equals the sixth-most number of field goals in a season by a Tar Heel

McGee is 11th in Carolina history and fourth among place-kickers in career scoring with 198 points. Jeff Hayes, who kicked at UNC from 1978-81, is 10th overall and third among kickers with 205 points.

L.C. STEVENS

Had his best performance of the season at Virginia with five catches for 99 yards. All five of his receptions were in the first half. He had catches of 37, 19, 14, eight and 21 yards. All but one of the catches were for first downs.

He has eight receptions in the last two games. He had six in the previous six games combined.

Only three players in Carolina history have more receiving yardage than Stevens. He is fourth with 1,891 yards. Corey Holliday (2,447), Octavus arnes (2,398) and current teamate Na Brown (2,003) are the only UNC players with more receiving yards.

Stevens has 17 receptions this year. He is the eighth player in Tar Heel history to record 100 or more receptions in a career. He has 115 receptions in his career. That moved him into fifth place in UNC history behind Brown, Holliday, Johnson and Barnes.

Sprained his left knee in the fourth quarter at Stanford and did not play against Georgia Tech. Returned to action against Clemson and had three catches for 36 yards.

Caught four passes for 74 yards at Stanford, including a remarkable, 37-yard grab in the fourth quarter. Stevens made the catch despite being double-covered. The play began at Carolina's own 2-yard line with UNC trailing in the fourth quarter by seven points. The catch started a drive that ended with a game-tying touchdown pass by Ronald Curry to Kory Bailey.

BRANDON SPOON

Has 120 tackles, second on the team in tackles per game. He had a career-high 20 hits against Miami (Ohio) and led all UNC tacklers for the second straight game with 16 against Stanford. Spoon also had a team-high 12 primary stops against Georgia Tech.

Is second on the team in sacks with five for 37 yards.

Made 12 tackles, including two for losses and one quarterback sack, and recovered a fumble in the win over Maryland.

Had his first two-sack game against Clemson. He had a 5-yard sack in the first half and a 7-yard sack early in the fourth quarter. Spoon played three quarters against the Tigers with a broken nose.

KEITH NEWMAN