TarHeelBlue Game Recap: Tech Tops Heels, 28-21

Oct. 30, 2001

Game Week

Game Week 2001

QB Darian Durant threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns in Thursday's 28-21 loss at Georgia Tech.

Game One: Oklahoma Recap
Game Two: Maryland Recap
Game Three: Texas Recap
Game Four: FSU Recap
Game Five: NC State Recap
Game Six: ECU Recap
Game Seven: Virginia Recap
Game Eight: Clemson Recap

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Georgia Tech Tops Tar Heels, 28-21

Final Stats| Photo Gallery

By KEITH PARSONS
AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA (AP) - Julius Peppers was surprised Georgia Tech ran at will on North Carolina's defense.

Joe Burns wasn't.

Burns ran for a career-high 198 yards and a touchdown and the No. 23 Yellow Jackets held No. 22 North Carolina to 13 yards rushing in a 28-21 victory Thursday night.

"To be honest, I felt going into the game that we could run the ball with success against North Carolina," Burns said. "We certainly proved we could."

He broke his previous career high of 179 yards, set against Maryland in 1998. Burns' scoring run, a 51-yarder midway through the fourth quarter, gave the Yellow Jackets a 28-14 lead. He broke a tackle at the 20 and outran the defense for Georgia Tech's longest scoring play of the season.

Burns gained 40 yards on the final drive, running for three first downs and forcing the Tar Heels to use their final two time-outs. The Yellow Jackets converted 10 of 17 third-down attempts in the game, including five straight in the second half.

"They kind of picked us apart," said Peppers, North Carolina's dominating defensive end who was held to two tackles. "They were running where they wanted to. We didn't think that could ever happen."

George Godsey threw for 187 yards and a touchdown and ran for another as Georgia Tech (6-2, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) snapped the Tar Heels' five-game winning streak.

"I'm happy for the players because they've come under some undue criticism and really shouldn't have," Yellow Jackets coach George O'Leary said. "We've played together this year and sometimes they haven't played smart, but we've played to win."

North Carolina quarterback Darian Durant played the entire game for the first time this season and threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns. He had split time this season with Ronald Curry, but Curry sat out with a hamstring injury.

"That hurt," Durant said of the loss. "We haven't had this feeling in quite a while. We had big dreams for this year."

The Tar Heels (5-4, 4-2), who dropped 1{ games behind Maryland in the ACC, pulled within seven points on Durant's 21-yard scoring toss to Sam Aiken late in the fourth quarter.

North Carolina had averaged 166 yards rushing during its winning streak but never got on track, failing to gain yardage on any running play in the second quarter. Durant was the leading rusher, gain 12 yards on five carries.

"We want to run the ball, and we know we can most of the time," said Tar Heels coach John Bunting. "We had some troubles initially getting lined up and doing things the way we wanted, which caused our rhythm to be off."

Jonathan Smith caught eight passes for 82 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to give Georgia Tech a 7-0 lead. Durant's first scoring toss, a 30-yarder to Kory Bailey, tied the game at 7.

Luke Manget, who missed five field goals in the Yellow Jackets' last game, missed a 32-yarder in the second quarter, but added two field goals for a 13-7 halftime lead.

Manget has made 120 straight extra points, breaking the school record of 119 held by Scott Sisson. It's also an ACC record.

The Tar Heels took their only lead on a 15-yard scoring pass from Durant to Aiken early in the third quarter.

A look at TarHeelBlue.com's weekly football game coverage:

Carolina NewsStand: Follow what's being said in the newspapers seven days a week in Carolina NewsStand. Access the NewsStand from the button in the top left corner of TarHeelBlue.com.

Lee Pace's Extra Points: With Lee Pace's weekly Extra Points newsletter as part of the fall lineup, TarHeelBlue.com provides the most comprehensive football coverage anywhere. Available in its entirety each Monday morning throughout the season, Pace (UNC '79) combines good writing, quality information and a true passion for the game of college football in his weekly look at the Tar Heels.
* Preseason | August 27 | September 3 | September 10 | September 24 | October 1 | October 8 | October 15 | October 22
* Extra Points Special: The Bunting Era Dawns For Carolina

Extra Points Thursday: New to TarHeelBlue.com this fall, Lee Pace has expanded his weekly Extra Points newsletter into a Thursday edition which will include mid-week news and notes as well as answers to questions submitted by fans that week. Here's a look at Pace's latest edition of Extra Points Thursday.

Weekly Game Notes: Each Tuesday, UNC's Athletic Communications Office releases its weekly game notes package, chock full of notes, stats and eveything else you need to know about the Tar Heels as they prepare for their next foe. The UNC-Georgia Tech game notes are available by clicking here.

Adam Lucas Commentary: Adam Lucas, a life-long observer of UNC athletics and co-publisher of Basketball America, has joined the TarHeelBlue.com staff to provide his insights on the Tar Heels. Lucas is a regular at UNC football games and practices and will offer his own unique look at the Tar Heels throughout the season in weekly columns. For links to recent Adam Lucas columns, including his latest football piece, A Bowden Sweep, click here.

Coach Bunting Press Conference: Each Tuesday, TarHeelBlue.com will provide quotes from Coach Bunting's weekly press conference at the Kenan Football Center. This 30-minute question and answer session with the media allows Coach Bunting the opportunity to share his thoughts on the game from the weekend before as well as a preview of the week ahead. TarHeelBlue.com will bring you there with highlights from each press conference throughout the season. Here are some of Coach Bunting's comments from his October 30 press conference previewing Georgia Tech.

Inside Carolina Football with John unting: Woody Durham, the "Voice of the Tar Heels," is your host for Inside Carolina Football with John Bunting, a daily four-minute radio show which airs on radio stations across the state as well as on TarHeelBlue.com. Be sure to listen each morning throughout the football season to hear what Woody and Coach Bunting have to say.

Photo Galleries: TarHeelBlue.com will present comprehensive photo galleries from each game played this season in Kenan Stadium, as well as most road contests. If you didn't have the chance to catch the game in person, or if you were in the stands but want to relive all the action after the final whistle blows, check out TarHeelBlue.com's wide array of photos each Sunday.
* Oklahoma Photos: Action, Sideline.
* Maryland Photos: Sideline & Action.
* Texas Photos: Action, Sideline.
* Florida State Photos: Action, Pre-game/Post-game/Sideline
* NC State Photos: Action, Sideline
* East Carolina Photos: Sideline
* Virginia Photos: Action, Sideline
* Clemson Photos: Sideline

Car-O-Lines with Rick Brewer: Rick Brewer, Carolina's sports information director emeritus, is now in his 34th year with the UNC athletic department. Brewer contributes his unique look at Tar Heel athletics in his internet column, Car-O-Lines, while he's also a regular contributor to Carolina's football game-day programs. Throughout the fall, Brewer offers a historical perspective on Tar Heel football that only a UNC veteran of more than three decades can.

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