Carolina-Duke Football Game Notes

November 16, 2001 | Football

By: UNC Athletic Communications

UNC-Duke Game Notes (PDF Format)
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DUKE
at
NORTH CAROLINA

Date: Saturday, Nov. 17, 2001
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Site: Kenan Memorial Stadium (60,000, grass)
Series Record: Carolina leads, 49-34-4
Last Meeting: Carolina 59, Duke 21 on November 18, 2000, in Durham
Rankings: Neither team is ranked
TV: None
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), Wake Forest (wakeforestsports.com)
Injuries: SS DeFonte Coleman (left shoulder), DT Will Chapman (left knee) and WR Isaiah Robinson (right knee) are out for the season, WR Bosley Allen (sprained right ankle), WR Chesley Borders (sprained left ankle)

Setting The Scene
A week after losing its first home game of the season, North Carolina (5-5, 4-3 ACC) plays host to winless Duke (0-9, 0-6 ACC) on Saturday, Nov. 17 in a non-televised contest that kicks off at 1:30 p.m. The Tar Heels must win their remaining two games to have a winning season and become eligible for a postseason bowl berth. Carolina has not participated in postseason action since the 1998 Las Vegas Bowl.

Carolina has won 11 in a row over Duke - the longest winning streak in the series - and has not lost to the Blue Devils since a 41-0 setback in 1989. Carolina has scored 37.4 points per game in the 11-game win streak, winning by an average of 18.9 points per game.

Saturday's game is Carolina's final ACC contest this season. A win would give the Tar Heels a winning record in conference competition for the first time since the 1998 season. In 1998, Carolina also began the year with three consecutive losses before bouncing back to win seven of the last nine and earn a berth in the Las Vegas Bowl. oth teams are coached by a former letterwinner. Carolina head coach John Bunting (UNC '72) was 2-1 against Duke as a player. The Tar Heels lost 17-13 in Bunting's sophomore season, but won 59-34 as a junior. In his senior season, Bunting led a defense that completely shut down the Blue Devils, 38-0, giving Carolina its first undisputed ACC championship. Duke head coach Carl Franks was a three-year letterwinner at Duke from 1980-82.

Carolina is coming off a 32-31 loss to Wake Forest last week at Kenan Stadium. It was the Tar Heels' second consecutive loss after winning five straight. Duke was off last week, but in their most recent action, the Blue Devils lost to NC State, 55-31.

Carolina enters the game ranked second in the ACC and 21st overall in total defense. The Tar Heels are first in the conference and 14th in the country in pass efficiency defense. However, against the run, UNC has allowed an average of 229.5 yards rushing in each of the last two games.

North Carolina, Duke Series Notes

North Carolina and Duke will renew its rivalry for the 88th time on Saturday with the Tar Heels holding a 49-34-4 advantage.

In Carolina's 11-game win streak over Duke, the Tar Heels are averaging 37.4 points per game and have outscored Duke by an average of 18.9 points per game. In the five games played at Kenan Stadium since the 1991 season, Carolina has won by an average of 25 points.

Carolina has won the last three games over Duke by a combined score of 175-51.

In the most recent meeting at Kenan Stadium, Carolina defeated the Blue Devils, 38-0. Josh McGee set a UNC record with six field goals and the UNC defense shutout Duke for the first time since 1972.

A Carolina player has rushed for at least 100 yards in the Duke series 29 times. The most recent player to do so was Ronald Curry who had 105 yards in last season's 59-21 victory.

Carolina defensive tackles coach Rod Broadway was an assistant coach at Duke for 14 years from 1981-94 where he tutored the defensive line under coaches Red Wilson (two seasons), Steve Sloan (four), Steve Spurrier (three), Barry Wilson (four) and Fred Goldsmith (1).

Starters Kory Bailey (WR) and Andre' Williams (TB) both attended Northern Durham High School. Redshirt freshman quarterback Aaron Leak and freshman defensive back Ronnie Bryant both attended Durham's Riverside High School.

Tight end coach and recruiting coordinator Ken Browning was head coach and athletic director at Northern Durham High School where he posted a 178-35 record from 1976-93. He was twice named the state's high school Coach of the Year and he won the 1993 4-A state title and Shrine Bowl.

The winner of today's Carolina-Duke football game will receive three points in the Carlyle Cup competition between the two schools. The Carlyle Cup goes to the school with the most points at the end of the season. Points are awarded in a number of different sports. For more information on the Carlyle Cup go to TarHeelBlue.com.

Last Time: Carolina 59, Duke 21
Ronald Curry rushed for two scores and threw for two more and the Tar Heels scored an ACC record 52 points in the first half en route to a decisive 59-21 win over Duke last season at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Carolina scored a school record 35 points in the second quarter and broke the ACC record for points in a half, which was 50 by Wake Forest versus Virginia in 1975. Curry became only the third quarterback in UNC history, and the first since 1968, to rush for 100 yards and pass for 200 yards in the same game. Curry rushed for a career-high 105 yards and completed 18 of 24 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns.

Bosley Allen scored three touchdowns, including a 63-yard punt return and 16- and 13-yard receptions.

Carolina amassed 465 total yards, including a season-high 247 on the ground. The 59 points equalled the most ever by UNC in an ACC game.

Durant Continues To Impress
Redshirt freshman quarterback Darian Durant, who made his first career start at Georgia Tech, had one of the finest days passing for a UNC quarterback in the Tar Heels' loss to Wake Forest. Despite practicing just one day of practice due to the death of his stepmother, Durant was sharp against the Deacons, completing 24 of 32 passes for 361 yards and four touchdowns. Durant set UNC freshman records for completions, passing yards and touchdowns in the loss. It was fourth-best passing day ever at UNC and the first time a Tar Heel had thrown four touchdown passes since Chris Keldorf had four vs. Duke in 1997. Durant had 347 yards of total offense in the game, which is the eighth best single-game mark at UNC.

Durant now owns Carolina freshman records for touchdown passes (16), completions (124), passing yards (1,596) and total offense (1,716).

Durant's 16 touchdown passes equals the third-highest single-season total in UNC history. Chris Keldorf set the school record with 23 TD passes in 1996. Matt Kupec had 18 touchdown passes in 1979 and Scott Stankavage also had 16 in 1983.

Durant is second in the ACC and 11th in the nation in pass efficiency (151.74). Florida State redshirt freshman Chris Rix is the only freshman in the country with a better efficiency rating. Durant is second in the ACC behind Georgia Tech's George Godsey in completion percentage. Durant has completed 64.2 percent (124 of 193) of his attempts, while Godsey has completed 65.1 percent (185 of 284)

Durant has been named the ACC's Rookie of the Week four times this season. The most recent time was following his performance against Clemson when he was 11 of 11 for 93 yards and scored three touchdowns. The Florence, S.C., native also was named ACC Rookie of the Week after Carolina's wins against Florida State, NC State and East Carolina. Durant is a strong candidate for the ACC Rookie of the Year honor, which has not been won by a Tar Heel since Dre' Bly in 1996.

Durant Among ACC Freshman Leaders
Durant's 16 touchdown passes are the third-highest total by a freshman in ACC history. Philip Rivers of NC State had 25 TD passes as a freshman last season and Florida State redshirt quarterback Chris Rix has 24 this season. Durant also ranks fifth in the ACC record books for freshman single-season passing yardage (1,596) and freshman single-season total offense (1,716).

Wide Receivers Come Up Big
After struggling earlier this season, Carolina's wide receivers have made significant strides in recent weeks. After scoring no touchdowns in the first three games of the season, Carolina's top three receivers - Sam Aiken, Kory Bailey and Bosley Allen - scored 14 touchdowns in the next seven games. In addition, a UNC receiver has had at least 100 yards receiving in each of the last three games. Allen had back-to-back 100-yard games at Clemson and vs. Georgia Tech and Sam Aiken had 108 yards vs. Wake Forest.

Three Tar Heel receivers have made at least 30 receptions this season, including 35 by Sam Aiken, 35 by Kory Bailey and 34 by Bosley Allen. The last time Carolina had three receivers with at least 30 catches was in 1997.

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