TarHeelBlue Game Recap: Tar Heels Top SMU, 19-10, Earn Peach Bowl Bid

Game Week

Game Week 2001

Ronald Curry is one of 17 seniors who will be playing at Kenan Stadium for the final time on Saturday.

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Game 1: Oklahoma Recap
Game 2: Maryland Recap
Game 3: Texas Recap
Game 4: FSU Recap
Game 5: NC State Recap
Game 6: ECU Recap
Game 7: Virginia Recap
Game 8: Clemson Recap
Game 9: Georgia Tech Recap
Game 10: Wake Forest Recap
Game 11: Duke Recap

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TAR HEELS BEAT SMU, GET PEACH BOWL BID

Box Score | Quotes

By JOHN MARSHALL
Associated Press Writer

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Willie Parker ran for 82 yards and a touchdown as North Carolina earned a trip to the Peach Bowl in Atlanta with a 19-10 victory over Southern Methodist on Saturday.

North Carolina (7-5) accepted a bid to the Dec. 31 Peach Bowl during a postgame ceremony on the field. It is the Tar Heels' first bowl berth since beating San Diego 20-13 in the 1998 Las Vegas Bowl.

SMU (4-7) failed to reach the five-win mark for the 10th time in 13 seasons. Mike Cavan, who was fired on Nov. 19, finished 22-34 in five seasons with the Mustangs.

North Carolina won seven of nine after an 0-3 start, matching the biggest turnaround in school history, and had its 11th winning season in 12 years. The 1998 team finished 7-5 after an 0-3 start.

SMU struggled for most of the first half - 111 total yards - but needed just 27 seconds of the second to tie it at 7 after Kevin Knight fumbled the opening kickoff. SMU's Justin Williams recovered the ball at the North Carolina 12 and ShanDerrick Charles ran off left tackle for a touchdown on the next play.

The quick touchdown should have given SMU momentum, but it only seemed to snap North Carolina out of its first-half funk.

The Tar Heels managed just 118 total yards in the first half, but had 178 in the third quarter to build a 16-7 lead.

Steve Reed hit a 19-yard field goal to put the Tar Heels up 3, then Willie Parker followed with 2-yard touchdown run on an option with 55 seconds left.

Parker was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for an 'altered stride' after the touchdown - causing North Carolina coach John Bunting to throw his list of plays in the air - and Reed missed the 25-yard extra-point attempt. It was Reed's first miss in 67 career attempts.

SMU pulled to 16-10 on a 20-yard field goal by Jacob Crowley, but North Carolina answered with a 32-yard field goal by Reed on its next drive.

Chelsey Borders scored on a 43-yard pass from Ronald Curry in the first quarter after he slipped behind Kevin Garrett down the right sideline.

SMU reached the North Carolina 24 late in the second quarter, but backed out of field goal range after a holding penalty, a sack and an option that lost a yard. SMU had 111 total yards in the first half.

The game was originally set for Sept. 15, but was rescheduled after the terrorist attacks. It was North Carolina's first regular-season home game in December since 1961.

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 | November 5 | November 12 | November 19
* 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 week, UNC's Athletic Communications Office releases its 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-SMU 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, 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 Nov. 27 press conference previewing SMU.

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
* Georgia Tech Photos: Action
* Wake Forest Photos: Action & Sideline
* Duke Photos: Sideline, Action

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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TarHeelBlue Game Recap: Tar Heels Top SMU, 19-10, Earn Peach Bowl Bid

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