Football Gears Up for Maryland

June 21, 1999 | Football

By: UNC Athletic Communications

November 3, 1998

Football Weekly Media Notes
Game 9 vs. Maryland
Nov. 7, 1998

THE MATCHUP

North Carolina returns to Kenan Stadium for the final home game of the 1998 college football season as the Tar Heels take on the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, November 7th at Noon. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN 2.

Saturday is Homecoming on the UNC campus.

Carolina is 3-4 overall and 2-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Terps are 2-6 overall and 0-5 in the ACC.

Carolina is coming off a 39-13 loss at Florida State on October 31st in Tallahassee. The Terps lost to Georgia Tech, 31-14, in Baltimore.

The loss to Florida State ended a three-game winning streak by the Tar Heels. Carolina has won two straight at Kenan Stadium since dropping its first two games at home earlier this season.

Carolina has not lost three home games in one season since a 1-5 record in 1988 and 1989.

UNC-VIRGINIA TIME STILL TBA

Carolina and Virginia meet in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday, November 14th. The game will be at either 3:30 p.m. (ABC) or 5 p.m. (ESPN 2). ABC will announce which game it will televise on Monday, November 9th.

TAR HEELS & TERRAPINS

UNC leads the series, 34-26-1. Carolina is 7-1 against the Terrapins in the 1990s.

The Tar Heels have scored 30 or more points in eight of the last 11 games against Maryland and are averaging 35.6 points per game the last eight years.

Oscar Davenport made his first regular-season career start at quarterback at Maryland last year and completed 21 of 33 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns in the 40-14 victory.

Wide receiver L.C. Stevens made six catches for 167 yards and three touchdowns against the Terps in 1996 and had nine grabs for 114 yards and a score last fall.

Carolinas defense has allowed just 21 first downs by Maryland in the last two years (8 in 1996 and 13 in 1997).

Marylands last win in Kenan Stadium was in 1988.

LAST YEAR IN COLLEGE PARK

Oscar Davenport threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns to lead Carolina to a 40-14 win over Maryland on September 20, 1997. The Terps led 7-0, but the Tar Heels took a 14-7 lead at halftime on second-quarter touchdowns by Na Brown (14 yards from Davenport) and Jonathan Linton. The Tar Heels blew the game open with 19 unanswered points in the second half.

Carolina amassed 410 yards total offense and held the Terps to 187 yards.

L.C. Stevens had nine receptions for 114 yards, Na Brown had five catches for 51 yards and Jason Peace had five grabs for 105 yards.

Linebacker Brian Simmons recorded a safety when he sacked Maryland quarterback Brian Cummings in the end zone.

LAST TIME IN CHAPEL HILL

Carolina quarterback Chris Keldorf completed 25 of 35 passes for 340 yards and four touchdowns as Carolina won, 38-7, before an ESPN 2 audience.

L.C. Stevens tied the UNC single-game record with three touchdown catches, including a 76-yard score on the Tar Heels second play from scrimmage. Stevens also had TD catches of 25 and seven yards, all in the first half.

Na Brown had a career-high nine receptions for 86 yards.

Carolina had possession of the ball for 41:28.

UNC compiled 26 first downs and held Maryland to eight first downs.

RECAPPING FLORIDA STATE

Fifth-ranked Florida State passed for 346 yards en route to a 39-13 win over the Tar Heels on October 31st. FSU quarterback Chris Weinke completed 15 of 27 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns and tailback Travis Minor rushed for 76 yards and two scores.

Carolina battled back from a 16-3 halftime deficit and trailed 23-13 with just over 9:00 to play. The Seminoles converted a key 3rd-and-2 play with a 2-yard run by Minor and then broke the game open on the next play with a 56-yard touchdown pass to Peter Warrick.

The Tar Heels had 14 first downs and compiled 250 net yards, the most by UNC against Florida State since gaining 286 yards in a 31-18 loss in Tallahassee in 1994.

Carolina committed a season-low three penalties for 40 yards.

Punter Brian Schmitz continued his All-ACC type season as he averaged 49.3 yards on seven attempts.

For the first time in four seasons, Carolina did not allow the Seminoles to dominate the kicking game. In fact, Carolina set up its first score of the evening when Jomo Legins blocked a punt in FSU territory. That led to a Josh McGee field goal.

Carolinas defense held the Seminoles to 5 of 14 on third down conversion attempts.

UNC sacked Weinke four times. Senior defensive end Mike Pringley had two sacks for 19 yards, senior defensive tackle Marcus Dow had a 5-yard sack and senior end Ebenezer Ekuban dropped Weinke for a 7-yard loss.

Red-shirt freshman tailback Rufus Brown rushed 20 times for 64 yards. Over the last two games, Brown has rushed for 207 yards. Brown had a 15-yard run to set up UNCs second score of the game and rushed four times for 22 yards on UNCs fourth-quarter, 13-play touchdown drive.

Carolina rushed for 75 yards against the Seminoles (that figure includes the 33 yards lost on sacks). Last year, the Tar Heels had a school-record low 28 yards rushing against FSU.

Freshman quarterback Ronald Curry started, but both Curry and senior Oscar Davenport saw significant playing time against the Seminoles. Curry was 5 for 13 for 49 yards and one touchdown and rushed three times for 17 yards. Davenport completed 9 of 17 for 126 yards, but was sacked five times.

Curry set up Carolinas first score 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.

Senior cornerback Steve Fisher had a career-high seven pass breakups.

Senior linebacker Keith Newman played his finest game of the year. The Tampa, Fla., native had seven primary tackles among his 14 stops. Newman had two tackles for losses.

Defensive end Mike Pringley also played his finest game of the season. Pringley also had 14 tackles, two of which were quarterback sacks for 19 yards. It was Pringleys first two-sack game since he dropped Syracuses Donovan McNabb a couple of times in Carolinas road win against the Orangemen in 1996.

Defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban had three tackles for losses for 10 yards.

Carolinas defense dropped Florida State for negative yardage on 12 of the Seminoles 64 offensive snaps.

Wide receivers Na Brown and Kory Bailey combined for 10 receptions for 122 yards. Brown continued his chase on the alltime UNC receptions record with six catches for 88 yards. Bailey added four catches for 34 yards and a touchdown.

TEAM NOTES

Carolina has played five of the first seven games this year against teams the Tar Heels also played a year ago and have scored more points in 1998 in all five contests. UNCs repeat opponents thus far include: Stanford (28 in 1997, 34 in 1998), Georgia Tech (16 in 1997, 21 in 1998), Clemson (17 in 1997, 21 in 1998), Wake Forest (30 in 1997, 38 in 1998) and Florida State (3 in 1997, 13 in 1998).

Carolina has committed 18 turnovers and forced 14. UNC has been intercepted seven times and lost 11 fumbles. The opposition has turned those turnovers into 65 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.

Carolina and its opponents have both rushed for 788 yards this season.

Carolina has scored all 20 times it has had the ball in the red zone (20 and in). The Tar Heels have 12 touchdowns and eight field goals when it has been in the red zone.

Carolina has converted four of six fourth down conversion chances.

Carolina is fourth in the ACC in rushing defense, third-down conversion defense and quarterback sacks.

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 Bosley Allen are the four rookies to earn playing time this year.

Cam Holland, who started the first six games at center, underwent successful surgery on his right knee on October 29th. UNC doctors repaired the injuries Holland suffered in the win at Wake Forest. Holland had a dislocated knee cap and a small fracture on the inside of the knee cap.

RONALD CURRY

Leads the team in passing yards, completions and touchdowns and is second on the team in rushing yards. Has a pass efficiency rating of 110.27. He has completed 57 of 121 passes for 833 yards and five touchdowns.

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

Continues to lead the Tar Heels in total offense at 152.3 yards per game (1,066 yards). He needs just 166 total offense yards to break Amos Lawrences UNC freshman single-season record of 1231.

He has a school freshman record 833 passing yards. Mike Thomas held the previous UNC freshman record with 831 in 1992.

He has tied the UNC freshman single-season record with 57 completions, which is also held by Chuck Sharpe in 1978.

Has thrown for five touchdowns. That also equals the UNC freshman single-season record set by Chuck Sharpe in 1978.

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

Was 5 for 13 for 49 yards and one touchdown and rushed three times for 17 yards at Florida State. Set up Carolinas 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 Bailey, 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 Stanfords 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 323 yards in seven games. Averaging 4.1 yards per carry and has two rushing touchdowns. Has led the Tar Heels in rushing in each of the last two games.

Carried 20 times for 64 yards at Florida State. Over the last two games, Brown has rushed for 207 yards on 46 carries. Brown had a 15-yard run to set up UNCs second field goal and rushed four times for 22 yards on UNCs 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. Browns 46-yard run was the longest by a Tar Heel since Leon Johnsons 50-yard run at Duke in 1996.

The 143-yard game is the sixth-best by an ACC back this year.

Browns 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.

The 12-yard touchdown run by Rufus Brown was the longest TD run by a Tar Heel this year and the second-longest by a UNC player in 30 games. The only longer touchdown run by a Tar Heel since the start of the 1996 season was a 31-yard score by Deon Dyer against Virginia in 1997.

Is 10th in the ACC in rushing at 46.1 yards per game.

Sprained his left medial collateral ligament in the August 15th scrimmage. Wore a knee brace through the Pittsburgh game. Played last week for the first time without the brace and rushed for 143 yards.

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.

Is the fourth-leading receiver on the team with eight receptions for 92 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.

Has broken up seven passes and intercepted two this year. Has 24 breakups and 18 INTs in his three-year career.

KORY BAILEY

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

According to best available records, Bailey 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 seven games this year and has TD grabs against Stanford, Clemson, Wake Forest and FSU.

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 573 and receptions with 17 for 236 yards.

Key performer in Carolinas 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 Carolinas 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 Carolinas 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 Blount returned both a punt and a kickoff for scores against William and Mary in 1991.

NA BROWN

Is third in Carolina history in receptions with 142. The only UNC players with more catches are wide receiver Corey Holliday (155) and tailback Leon Johnson (151).

Needs 14 catches in the final four regular-season games (3.5 per game) to break the UNC career receptions record.

Brown has 1,700 receiving yards, the fifth-highest figure in school history. Art Weiner is fourth with 1,733 and teammate L.C. Stevens is third with 1,773.

Made six receptions for 88 yards at Florida State.

Had a season-high 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. It was the second 100-yard game for Brown this year and the third of his career.

Came into the season without a career reception longer than 40 yards and already has touchdown catches of 69 and 44 yards and a non-scoring catch for 50 yards.

Caught six passes for 71 yards against Clemson.

Caught six passes for 139 yards at Stanford. The 139 yards are the second-highest figure in his career. Last year, he made nine receptions for 145 yards at Texas Christian.

Had a 69-yard touchdown catch at Stanford. That is the longest reception in Browns 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 ACC in tackles for losses with 17 and is fourth in sacks with seven. Is ninth in the ACC in tackles per game with 9.6.

Over the last four weeks, has 39 tackles, a safety caused, a fumble caused and a blocked field goal. The 39 tackles include 12 tackles for losses, six of which were quarterback sacks.

Has a team-high 17 tackles for losses of 90 yards and seven sacks for 69 yards.

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.

Is third on the team in tackles and first among defensive linemen with 67.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Carolina leads the ACC and is fourth in the country in kickoff returns (26.7 yards per return with two touchdowns).

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.

Brian Schmitz has averaged at least 40 yards per punt in each of the first seven games and averaged at least 45 yards in four of the seven.

Schmitz leads the ACC at 45.5 yards per kick.

Schmitzs average of 45.5 yards per punt is the third highest in UNC single-season history. The only higher averages are Harry Dunkles 46.6 in 1939 and Bud Wallaces 45.6 in 1950.

Schmitz has punted 50 yards or longer on 18 of his 49 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.

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

Josh McGee is 10 for 11 in field goals this season and 31 for 44 in his career (70.5 percent).

McGee is in 12th place in Carolina history and fifth among place-kickers in career scoring with 181 points. Brooks Barwick, who kicked from 1981-83, is 11th with 188.

L.C. STEVENS

Only two players in Carolina history have more receiving yardage than Stevens. He is third with 1,773 yards. Corey Holliday (2,447) and Octavus Barnes (2,398) and are the only UNC players with more receiving yards.

Stevens has 12 receptions this year. He is the eighth player in Tar Heel history to record 100 or more receptions in a career. He has 107 receptions in his career. That ties Earl Winfield for fifth place in UNC history behind Holliday, Johnson, Brown 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 Carolinas 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

Leads the ACC in tackles per game with 13.3 hits per game. Has 93 tackles in the first seven contests. 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 four for 29 yards.

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.

TYRELL GODWIN

Tied the NCAA record and set the UNC record for longest kickoff return when he returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score against Stanford. Godwins return cut a 27-13 deficit in half with the return.

The previous longest kickoff return in UNC history was a 98-yarder by Delbert Powell vs. Wake Forest on Oct. 30, 1976. The 100-yard kickoff return was the first for a touchdown by a Tar Heel since Leon Johnson had a 94-yard return at Wake Forest in 1996.

Sprained the right medial collateral ligament (knee) returning a kickoff against Pittsburgh. He did not play against Wake Forest and Florida State.

OSCAR DAVENPORT

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. It was his third TD pass of the season and 12th of his career.

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.

Davenport is 7-2 as a starting quarterback at Carolina. The only losses are against Florida State in 1997 (when he was knocked out of action in the third quarter with a fracture/dislocation of his right ankle) and Miami in 1998 (when he injured his left knee on the fourth play of the game).

Is 11th in school history in pass completions with 194. Has completed 194 passes in 317 attempts, a percentage of .612. That is the highest percentage in school history for any player with at least 200 attempts. Danny Talbott is 10th in completions with 196.

ROOKIE AT QUARTERBACK

True freshman Ronald Curry made his first collegiate start at Stanford and has made subsequent starts against Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Florida State. Curry relieved an injured Oscar Davenport on the fifth play of Carolinas initial possession in the 1998 opener against Miami (Ohio). Curry completed 11 of 22 passes for 115 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions against the RedHawks. He tossed a four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Allen Mogridge late in the first half that gave Carolina a 10-0 advantage.

Curry became the first Tar Heel quarterback to play as a true freshman since Jason Stanicek and Mike Thomas both played as true freshmen in 1991. Thomas played in the season opener against Cincinnati and the fourth game against William and Mary, but injured his thumb against the Tribe. He sat out the rest of that season and received a medical red-shirt from the NCAA.

Currys start at Stanford was the first start at quarterback by a UNC true freshman since Staniceks start against the Blue Devils on Nov. 23, 1991.

BLY AMONG COLLEGE FOOTBALLS ELITE

Dre Bly is the only football player in Carolina football history and one of five in ACC history to earn first-team consensus All-America honors in two different seasons. Bly earned consensus honors in 1996 and 1997. The other ACC players to achieve that are Florida States linebacker Marvin Jones in 1991-92 (although FSU was not a member of the ACC in 1991), the Seminoles linebacker Derrick Brooks in 1993-94, Clemsons safety Terry Kinard in 1981-82 and N.C. State center Jim Richter in 1978-79.

Since 1950, only four players in all of Division I college football have earned consensus All-America honors three times. Bly could become the fifth player in the second half of the century to accomplish the feat. The four players to earn three-time consensus All-America honors since 1950 are UCLA linebacker Jerry Robinson, UCLA safety Kenny Easley, Pittsburgh defensive end Hugh Green and Georgia tailback Herschel Walker.

CAROLINA MAKES PERFECT TEAM

Sports Illustrated named Carolinas defensive tackles on its Perfect Team in its August 31, 1998 college football preview issue. Sports Illustrated listed one school at each position to form its perfect team. The criteria given was college performance over the past 10 years.

The other teams that comprised SIs Perfect Team include: Ohio State (tailbacks), Notre Dame (fullbacks), Washington State (quarterbacks), Florida (wide receivers), Washington (tight ends), Nebraska (offensive line), Florida State (defensive ends), Colorado (linebackers), Kansas State (cornerbacks) and UCLA (safeties).

CAREER STARTS

Senior wide receiver L.C. Stevens started 26 consecutive games over the last three seasons prior to not playing against Georgia Tech due to an injured left knee. Stevens has made 33 career starts (including bowl games). Stevens is the only current player on offense to have started every game in 1996 and 1997.

Wide receiver Na Brown now has the longest consecutive starts streak on offense with 19 games. Brown started all 12 games (including the Gator Bowl) last year and the first seven games in 1998. Brown also started the first eight games in 1996, and played in, but did not start, the final four games in 1996 due to a sprained ankle.

Cornerback Dre Bly is now the only Tar Heel who has started every game since the start of the 1996 season.

Defensively, the only players with career starts prior to this season are end Mike Pringley (now with 32 career starts), cornerback Dre Bly (31), tackle Russell Davis (24), linebacker Keith Newman (20) and safety Jomo Legins (11).

Among the players on the two-deep lineup there are five true freshmen (wide receiver Bosley Allen, quarterback Ronald Curry, defensive tackle Ryan Sims, center Adam Metts and tackle Isaac Morford) and eight red-shirt freshmen (tailback Rufus Brown, fullback Anthony Saunders, wide receiver Danny Davis, wide receiver Kory Bailey, linebacker Quincy Monk, cornerback Anthony Anderson, safety Billy-Dee Greenwood and cornerback Errol Hood).

Last year, four true freshmen played for UNC. They were kick returner Tyrell Godwin, linebackers Sedrick Hodge and Merceda Perry and tailback Domonique Williams.

INJURY REPORT

Russell Davis DT, starter Sprained Right Ankle (again) FSU game, Oct. 31 Probable for Maryland

Ebenezer Ekuban DE, starter Sprained Left Ankle FSU game, Oct. 31 Probable for Maryland

Sedrick Hodge LB, starter Sprained Left Shoulder FSU game, Oct. 31 Probable for Maryland

Ross McAllister DT, 2nd team Right Ankle Injury FSU game, Oct. 31 Questionable for Maryland

Joe Ellison OG, starter Fractured Left Fibula Clemson game, October 3 Has