TarHeelBlue Game Day 2000 Pittsburgh

Date: Saturday, November 4, 2000, Noon
Site: Three Rivers Stadium (artificial turf, capacity: 59,600)
Series Record vs. Pittsburgh: Carolina leads, 3-2
TV: ESPN2 - Dave Barnett (play-by-play), Bill Curry and Mike Golic (color analysts), Michele Tafoya (sideline)
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Radio Network, a division of Learfield Communications. Woody Durham (play-by-play), Mick Mixon (color) and Stephen Gates (sideline) provide the call. A live broadcast also is available on the University of North Carolina's official athletic website, TarHeelBlue.com
Websites: North Carolina (TarHeelBlue.com), Pittsburgh (pittsburghpanthers.com)
Injuries: LB Merceda Perry (fractured right ankle) out for season, P John Lafferty (mononucleosis) out, RB Rufus rown (shoulder) out, DB Anthony Anderson (shoulder) out.

Tar Heels Travel to Pittsburgh
Carolina steps out of conference play this weekend for a non-conference battle at Pittsburgh in Three Rivers Stadium on Saturday, November 4 at 6:30 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPN2.

Carolina has lost four consecutive games, including a 17-6 setback last week at Virginia in which the Tar Heels failed to score an offensive touchdown for the first time in 11 games. Saturday's game is the second straight road game for the Tar Heels who are 1-2 away from Kenan Stadium with a win over Wake Forest and losses at Florida State and Virginia.

Carolina, 3-5 overall, 1-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, must win its final three games to finish with a winning record for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons. A loss in any of the final three games and the Tar Heels will finish with a losing season for the second straight season, something that has not occurred since back-to-back 1-10 seasons in 1988 and 1989.

Carolina-Pittsburgh Series Notes
* This is the sixth meeting between the Tar Heels and the Panthers.
* The Panthers have won the previous two meetings in Pittsburgh and the Tar Heels have won all three games played in Chapel Hill.

* The 1982 UNC-Pitt game was played at Three Rivers Stadium in prime time on CBS. It was the network's first regular-season college football game in 19 years. Pittsburgh was preseason No. 1 in the nation and Carolina was No. 5. Dan Marino threw a 4-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to give the Panthers a 7-3 lead. Marino was 15 of 28 for 125 yards and four interceptions. Kelvin Bryant led the Tar Heels with 58 yards rushing and five receptions for 22 yards.
* UNC assistant head coach Donnie Thompson coached against the Tar Heels while at Pittsburgh in 1982. Thompson was an assistant at Pittsburgh from 1982-84.

Curry Misses Practice Due to Grandmother's Death
Quarterback Ronald Curry attended his grandmother's funeral on Monday, Oct. 30 and did not return to Chapel Hill in time for practice. Curry's grandmother, Mattie, passed away on the Tuesday prior to the Virginia game. Curry played against Virginia, but traveled to Hampton after the game with his family.

Total Offensive Yards Most Since 1995
* Carolina's offense is averaging 380.1 yards per game this season, the highest average since the 1995 season when the Tar Heels amassed 396.5 yards per game. Carolina averaged 367.5 in 1996, 378.9 in 1997, 328.7 in 1998 and 276.6 in 1999.
* Carolina has scored 20 or more points in all but two games this season (FSU - 14 pts., Virginia - 6 pts). The Tar Heels scored 35 points vs. Wake Forest, 30 vs. Tulsa, 28 vs. Georgia Tech, 24 vs. Clemson, 20 vs. Marshall and 20 vs. NC State.
* Carolina has gained at least 380 yards of offense in four of the last five games. The Tar Heels had 380 yards vs. Virginia, 403 yards vs. Clemson, 477 vs. Georgia Tech and 434 yards vs. Marshall.
* Carolina is averaging 15.3 yards per reception this season. That is UNC's highest average per catch since 1972 when the Tar Heels averaged 15.8 yards per reception (87 catches for 1,371 yards).

Fab Four Wide Receivers
* Overlooked in the Tar Heels 3-5 campaign has been the outstanding play of its wide receivers. One of the best quartet of receivers in the country, Kory Bailey, Bosley Allen, Sam Aiken and Jamal Jones have turned in some dazzling performances this season.
* Those four have combined to catch 92 passes for 1,569 yards (17.1 average) and eight touchdowns.
* Carolina receivers have caught 28 passes of at least 20 yards, including eight plays of 50 or more yards. Highlights include:
* Against Georgia Tech, Bailey caught a 78-yard touchdown pass from Ronald Curry that equaled the longest TD pass play in Kenan Stadium history. In that game Carolina also connected on pass plays of 54 yards to Allen and 50 yards to Jones.
* In the fourth quarter at Wake Forest, Allen had a 60-yard touchdown catch that sealed the Tar Heel victory. Against the Deacons, Carolina also had catches of 51 yards to Allen and 46 yards to Aiken.
* Jones made his first career catch a memorable one with a 55-yard touchdown reception vs. Tulsa in the season opener.
* Against Clemson, Curry connected with Jones and Aiken on two different 57-yard pass plays, setting up UNC touchdowns.
* Bailey's 129 yards receiving vs. Clemson were the most by a Tar Heel since Na Brown, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, had 142 yards vs. Maryland on Nov. 7, 1998. It was the second-most productive day for a UNC receiver vs. Clemson. L.C. Stevens had 169 yards vs. the Tigers in 1997.

Peppers Named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week
* Defensive end Julius Peppers earned his second ACC Player of the Week Award this season after his outstanding performance in the Tar Heels' 17-6 loss at Virginia. Peppers had nine solo tackles, including four sacks, two tackles for loss and one caused fumble.

Peppers The Sacks Keep Coming for Peppers
* A year after leading the Tar Heels with six sacks as a freshman, sophomore defensive end Julius Peppers is getting to the quarterback again in 2000. Peppers is leads the Tar Heels with 10 sacks. That ranks third in UNC single-season history behind only Lawrence Taylor's 16 sacks in 1980 and Greg Ellis' 12.5 sacks in 1996. Peppers is eighth in UNC single-season history with 17 tackles for loss.
* Peppers played one of the best games of his career at Virginia, sacking quarterback Dan Ellis four times for losses of 29 yards. He finished the game with nine solo tackles, including four sacks and two tackles for loss. On Virginia's first possession of the game, Peppers sacked Ellis for a loss of six yards and UVa punted three plays later. On UVa's next possession, Peppers forced a fumble with a 9-yard sack and UVa's drive resulted in a punt. In the third quarter, Peppers ended two Cavalier drives with two sacks of seven yards.
* Although he did not have a sack against Clemson, Peppers tied his career high with 10 tackles (six solo, four assists) and had one tackle for loss. He also had 10 tackles in 1999 vs. Wake Forest.
* Against NC State, Peppers had seven tackles, including six solo stops, one tackle for loss and one sack.
* Three of Peppers' eight tackles against FSU were for losses, including two sacks.
* Peppers scored his first collegiate touchdown when he scooped up a fumble and raced 12 yards to the end zone against Wake Forest. The touchdown gave Carolina a 17-14 lead, an advantage it would not relinquish in the 35-14 win over the Demon Deacons.
* The touchdown marked the first time Peppers had scored six points in a Carolina uniform since he had six against Tulsa. Actually, he didn't score against Tulsa on September 2nd, but he scored six against Tulsa in March in the NCAA South Regional championship basketball game. Peppers added eight rebounds in that contest as the Tar Heels won and advanced to the Final Four.
* Peppers added two quarterback sacks for 27 yards in the win at Wake Forest. He had a 10-yard and a 17-yard sack. In two career games against the Deacons, Peppers has sacked the quarterback six times. Peppers was named the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his play against Wake Forest.
* Peppers is a preseason candidate for the Bronko Nagurski Award, which is given to the National Defensive Player of the Year by the Charlotte Touchdown Club.

Sack Attack
* Carolina's defense has posted 39 sacks this season, just six shy of the school record of 45 established in 1990. Defensive end Julius Peppers leads the Tar Heels with 10 sacks, defensive tackle Ryan Sims has six and linebacker Sedrick Hodge has five. Carolina had just 20 sacks last year.

Curry On Pace For More Records
* Curry is on pace to shatter the Carolina single-season record for total yards per game. Currently, Curry is averaging 258.6 yards per game. Former quarterback Mike Thomas holds the UNC record with 226.3 yards per game in 1995. That season, Thomas had 2,489 total yards in 11 games. Curry is currently on pace to finish with 2,845 total yards.
* Curry is averaging 237.6 yards passing per game. He is on pace for 2,614 yards passing which would break the single-season passing record of 2,436 yards set by Mike Thomas in 1995.

Turnover Troubles
* Carolina has had difficulty this season causing turnovers and taking advantage of opponents' mistakes. The Tar Heels are 108th in the nation in turnover margin and have caused just six turnovers in eight games (three fumbles, three interceptions).
* Carolina has forced six turnovers and converted three into scores for a total of 17 points (two TDs, one FG). UNC opponents have forced 18 turnovers and converted nine into scores for a total of 54 points (seven TDs, two FG).

Parker Perks Up
* Red-shirt freshman Willie Parker had his best game as a Tar Heel at Virginia with 17 carries for 71 yards. He also caught two passes for 26 yards in the Tar Heels' 17-6 loss. Parker entered the 2000 season as the starting tailback, but has played sparingly since the home opener vs. Tulsa. Against Tulsa he did rush for two touchdowns, but had just 17 yards on 10 carrries.

Freshman Leads Tar Heels in Rushing...Again
* For the third straight season, a true freshman is leading the Tar Heels' running attack. Brandon Russell, a freshman from Decatur, Ga., has a team-high 378 yards on 122 carries. Russell became the first UNC freshman to start the first game of the season at tailback since Charlie Justice in 1946. In that game against Tulsa, he had 10 carries for 25 yards.
* Russell had 28 carries for 96 yards against NC State and scored his first career touchdown on a 2-yard run in the first quarter. Russell's 28 carries were the most by a Tar Heel tailback since Jonathan Linton had 37 carries against Duke in 1997.
* Russell rushed for 40 yards against Florida State, 79 yards against Marshall, a career-high 96 yards vs. NC State and 49 vs. Clemson.
* In 1998, freshman Rufus Brown led Carolina with 534 yards and in 1999 freshman Daniel Davis led the team with 303 yards.
* Durham, N.C., freshman Andre' Williams has been productive as well, carrying 26 times for 130 yards. He is third on the team in rushing behind Russell and fullback Anthony Saunders.

Curry Curry Among Carolina's Career Leaders
* Curry will be making his 18th career start when the Tar Heels travel to Pittsburgh and he will be playing in his 25th game overall. He has rushed 230 times for 813 career yards and seven touchdowns. He has completed 245 of 487 passes (.503) for 3,558 yards and has 18 touchdowns and 25 interceptions.
* The Hampton, Va., native is ninth all-time at UNC in completions with 245. Oscar Davenport (1995-98) is eighth with 251 completions. He is fifth in career total offense and fifth in career passing yardage. (see charts)
* Curry is 15th in the nation in total offense 258.6.

Hodge's Senior Season His Best Yet
* Senior linebacker Sedrick Hodge continues to improve with each game and he is having easily his best season as a Tar Heel. The 6-4, 235-pound Atlanta native is third on the team with five quarterback sacks for losses of 43 yards. Entering the 2000 season, Hodge had 3.5 sacks for his career.
* Against Clemson, Hodge chased down Woodrow Dantzler on third down early in the game to force a punt. On the Tigers' next possession, Hodge dropped Dantzler for a three-yard loss, forcing another punt. Later in the game with Clemson leading by seven, he teamed with cornerback Dexter Reid to stop Travis Zachery for a three-yard loss setting up another Tiger punt.
* Against NC State, Hodge had 10 tackles, including a sack for 19 yards. Hodge's sack came on third down and forced NC State to punt from its own 22-yard line. Carolina scored a field goal on the ensuing possession.
* Hodge registered three tackles for losses against Florida State, including two sacks, as part of his 11 total tackles. He also forced a fumble and was credited with a QB hurry.
* Against Wake Forest, Hodge forced a fumble that was recovered for a touchdown, had a 9-yard sack and had seven total tackles to help lead UNC to the win. He averaged nine tackles the last four games of the 1999 season and had six tackles in the opener against Tulsa.

Curry Sets Records in Georgia Tech Loss
* Ronald Curry established several school records in the Tar Heels' 42-28 loss to Georgia Tech on Oct. 2. The Hampton, Va., native completed 17 of 31 passes for 388 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 10 carries for 12 yards and finished the game with 400 total yards of offense. In the process he set the following school records:
* Most passing yards (388) by a UNC player at Kenan Stadium
* Most total yards (400) by a UNC player at Kenan Stadium
* Most passing yards in two consecutive games (680)
* Most total yards (712) in two consecutive games
* Most passing yards per attempt (12.5 yards per 31 attempts) in a single-game
* His 78-yard touchdown pass to Kory ailey was the longest by a Tar Heel in Kenan Stadium. It also equaled the longest touchdown pass by any player in Kenan Stadium (accomplished three times).

Looking at those numbers further, Curry's game was even more impressive when you consider the following:

* Curry's 388 yards passing are the third-highest single-game total in UNC history behind Chris Keldorf (415 vs. TCU, 1997) and Mark Maye (406 vs. Georgia Tech, 1987) and the third most by anyone at Kenan Stadium behind Duke's Dave Brown in 1989 and Maryland's Scott Milanovich in 1993.
* Curry's 400 total yards of offense were the third most ever at Carolina behind Mark Maye (Georgia Tech, 1987) and Gayle Bomar (Wake Forest, 1968). Curry completed his third consecutive game with at least 200 yards passing. He had 235 yards at FSU, 292 yards vs. Marshall and 388 vs. Georgia Tech. Prior to the Marshall game Curry had never thrown for more than 200 yards in two consecutive games.
* Curry completed four passes of 50-or-more yards against Georgia Tech, each to a different receiver. He completed a 50-yarder to Jamal Jones, a 54-yarder to Bosley Allen, a 59-yarder to Alge Crumpler for a touchdown and a 78-yarder to Kory Bailey for a touchdown.

Bailey Bailey Has Caught A Pass in 29-Straight Games
* Kory Bailey, a junior wideout from Durham, N.C., has caught a pass in every regular-season game (29) in his career. The only game in which he did not catch a pass was the 1998 Las Vegas owl.
* Bailey had a career-high 129 yards receiving in the Tar Heels' 38-24 loss to Clemson. Bailey caught several big passes in the game, including 31 and 41-yard receptions that each set up Carolina touchdowns.
* Bailey caught the longest touchdown pass by a Tar Heel in Kenan Stadium history with a 78-yard grab against Georgia Tech on Sept. 30. After catching the ball around the 10-yard line, Bailey pulled his right hamstring, but still was able to make it to the end zone for the score. He did not play the rest of the game and was thought to be sidelined for the NC State game. Bailey's recovery was quicker than expected and although he did not start against the Wolfpack, Bailey came off the bench to lead the Tar Heels with three catches for 47 yards, including a 21-yard catch on fourth down which kept a touchdown drive alive.
* Against Marshall, Bailey made six receptions for a then-career-high 101 yards. It was the first 100-yard receiving game of his career. Bailey had a 16-yard gain in the first quarter, a 30-yard catch-and-run to open the third quarter, a 25-yarder to start a drive later in the third quarter, a 4-yarder, a 10-yarder on 3rd-and-3 to keep a scoring drive alive, and the 16-yard touchdown catch. That reception came on a 3rd-and-10 play and gave UNC a 13-9 advantage.
* The Tar Heels leading receiver with 29 catches, Bailey has 511 yards receiving, is averaging 17.6 yards per catch and has scored two touchdowns. He came into the year with an average of 12.4 yards over his first two seasons.

Bailey Moves Up The Charts
* Wide Receiver Kory Bailey is 11th all-time at Carolina with 92 receptions. Jimmy Jerome (1972-74) is 10th with 93, Charlie Carr (1965-67) is ninth with 94 and Bob Lacey (1961-63) is eighth with 102.

Boz is Back
* All summer quarterback Ronald Curry raved about the progress receiver Bosley Allen was making returning from a serious knee injury he suffered in 1998. The Bradenton, Fla., native has in fact proven to be one of the top big-play threats in the ACC. Allen leads the Tar Heels in all-purpose yards with 754, an average of 94.3 per game.
* What makes Allen's performance even more remarkable is the fact he missed the entire 1999 season while rehabilitating a devastating knee injury. He tore all the anterior, posterior and lateral ligaments plus blood vessels and nerves in his left knee on a kickoff return against NC State on November 28, 1998. Doctors were not sure Allen would ever play football again, let alone return to action as a game-breaking speedster.
* Allen has been the target of three of Carolina's longest pass plays this season. He caught a 60-yard touchdown pass at Wake Forest, a 54-yard pass vs. Georgia Tech and a 51-yard pass at Wake Forest. He has made six catches of at least 24-yards this season, including a 49-yard touchdown catch that proved to be the winning margin in Carolina's 20-15 win over Marshall.
* Allen had two catches for 111 yards and one touchdown in Carolina's win at Wake Forest on Sept. 9. He also returned seven punts for 153 yards. That is 68 yards more than the Tar Heels had on punt returns in all 11 games last season.
* He is second on the team with 26 catches and is averaging 16.8 yards per catch.
* Allen leads the ACC in punt returns averaging 16.5 yards per return. He is also eighth in the league in all-purpose yardage with 113.8.

Tar Heels Finally Get Interceptions
* Carolina did not intercept a pass this year until the fifth game of the season against Georgia Tech when Errol Hood picked off George Godsey in the third quarter. It was the opponents' 158th pass attempt of the season. Cornerback Michael Waddell picked up UNC's second interception of the season two possessions later and had a 16-yard return. Dexter Reid recorded his first career interception and UNC's third of the season vs. NC State on Oct. 14.

Spoon Spoon Still Making Tackles
* Brandon Spoon, a fifth-year senior, elected to return to school after missing most of the 1999 campaign with a torn biceps muscle. He entered the 2000 season as the No. 3 rated inside linebacker by National Football Scouting, Inc. and is considered a potential first-round NFL Draft pick.
* Earlier this season, Brandon Spoon was named to the 2000 Butkus Award Watch List for the fourth consecutive season, a feat never before accomplished in the 16-year history of the award.
* A second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection in 1998, Spoon has 334.5 career tackles, including 24.5 for losses and 9.5 quarterback sacks. He leads the Tar Heels with 93 tackles this year.

Crumpler Makes Career Catch vs. Georgia Tech
* Senior tight end Alge Crumpler, a preseason All-America by the Sporting News and the No. 1 tight end in America by National Football Scouting, Inc., had five catches for 70 yards in the Tar Heels' loss at Virginia. Earlier this year vs. Marshall he also had five catches, just one short of his career high in a game.
* Crumpler caught a career-long 59-yard touchdown pass against Georgia Tech. Crumpler's previous career-long catch was a 36-yarder vs. TCU in 1997.
* A native of Wilmington, N.C., Crumpler earned first-team All-ACC honors in his first year back after missing the 1998 season with a knee injury. Last season, he had 20 receptions for 191 yards.
* Crumpler has 60 career receptions and five touchdowns. Arnold Franklin, who played for UNC from 1982-85, is the all-time leading receiver for tight ends at Carolina with 78 catches.

True Freshmen
* Three true freshmen played in the Tar Heels 30-9 victory over Tulsa. Brandon Russell started at tailback, Andre' Williams played on special teams and had two carries at tailback and Blake Ferguson punted three times in the second half.
* Linebacker Kitwana Jones made his first collegiate appearance in a special teams role at Wake Forest.
* Russell became the first Tar Heel to start the season at tailback since Charlie Justice in 1946. Russell had 10 carries for 25 yards. Russell also became the first freshman to start at any position, other than kicker or punter, since the 1989 season. That year, Bucky Brooks started at flanker, Julius Reese started at split end, Tommy Thigpen started at linebacker and Rondell Jones started at free safety. Punter Brian Schmitz started the first game of the season in 1996, kicking off against Clemson on Aug. 31.
* The Tar Heels have played 61 scholarship true freshmen in the 13 years Carl Torbush has been on the coaching staff (beginning in 1988). That is an average of 4.7 per season. Russell leads the Tar Heels in rushing through the first four games with 178 yards on 50 carries. He had a season-high 79 yards against Marshall.
* Williams is averaging 5.1 yards per carry, although he has just 26 rushing attempts.

Heels Seek 600 Victories
* Carolina's alltime record is 597-425-54. The Tar Heels are three wins shy of their 600th victory.