University of North Carolina Athletics
Postgame Notes
November 8, 2008 | Football
Nov. 8, 2008
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Final Stats |
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• With Saturday's victory to move to 7-2, Carolina is assured of a winning record for the first time since registering an 8-5 mark in 2001. Saturday's win also continued Carolina's best start since posting an 8-1 record through nine games in 1997 and moved head coach Butch Davis to 11-10 in his two seasons at Carolina.
• With a win today over No. 22 Georgia Tech, No. 19 North Carolina joined Texas and Maryland as the only teams in the nation with three victories over Associated Press Top 25 opponents this season. The Tar Heels also defeated No. 24 Connecticut and No. 23 Boston College at Kenan Stadium earlier this season to give UNC three wins over ranked teams at home for the first time in school history. Carolina last posted three victories against ranked teams in 1992. Alabama, Southern California, Vanderbilt and Texas Tech all have a chance to post their third win over a ranked opponent later today.
• The Tar Heels won for just the second time against Georgia Tech in 11 meetings since 1997. Carolina's only other win over this stretch was a 34-13 victory in 2004 in Chapel Hill. The Jackets had won three straight in the series.
• The seven points allowed by Carolina marked its fewest since a 7-0 loss to Georgia Tech in 2006.
• After being held without a catch in the first half, junior wide receiver Hakeem Nicks had three catches for 72 yards and a touchdown in the second half. His final catch gave him the UNC career receiving yardage record with 2,472 yards, surpassing the 2,447 yards compiled by Corey Holliday from 1989-93. Nicks' touchdown catch was the 17th of his career (third all-time at UNC) and his eighth this season, which is tied for second on the Tar Heel single-season list behind Marcus Wall (9 in 1994). Nicks has caught a pass in 22 straight games and 31 of his 32 games played. He has at least three catches in all nine games this season.
• Carolina recovered two fumbles and added its 18th interception to improve to plus-13 in turnover margin this season. The Tar Heels are plus-18 in turnovers in their seven wins.
• Senior safety Trimane Goddard recorded his sixth interception of the season, which is the most by a Tar Heel since Dre' Bly set the school record with 11 in 1996. Goddard's six picks are tied for fourth on the single-season list, and his 11 career interceptions are tied for fifth in UNC history.
• Sophomore tailback Ryan Houston rushed for a career-best 74 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries. He scored for the sixth straight game and leads the Tar Heels with seven rushing TDs on the season. Houston scored on runs of two and three yards in the third quarter, and all seven of his scores have come from inside three yards.
• Sophomore tailback Shaun Draughn rushed for 90 yards on just 17 carries to give him a team-high 489 yards this season. He has rushed for 90-plus yards in four of the last five games. Draughn also caught two passes for a career-best 18 yards and a team-high all-purpose yards on the afternoon.
• Behind Shaun Draughn and Ryan Houston, the Tar Heels rushed for a season-best 186 yards and a 4.4-yard per carry average.
• Sophomore quarterback T.J. Yates saw the field for the first time since the Virginia Tech game and went 1-for-3 for 28 yards. His lone completion went to Hakeem Nicks to set the UNC career receiving yardage record.
• Sophomore tight end Zack Pianalto, who was seeing his first action since the Notre Dame due to a right ankle sprain, scored his first career touchdown on an 8-yard pass from Cameron Sexton on the Tar Heels' opening drive. He missed the rest of the game with a left leg injury.
• Senior punter Terrence Brown, who entered the game with a 39.8-yard per punt average, punted six times for an average of 45.7 yards - nearly six yards longer than his average. Brown booted a pair of kicks over 50 yards, including a long of 52 in the fourth quarter.
• Senior linebacker Mark Paschal had a game-high 10 tackles for his fourth double-digit tackle game of the season.
• Freshman defensive end Michael McAdoo recorded his first career full sack in the third quarter when he brought down Jaybo Shaw for a 5-yard loss. McAdoo has 1.5 sacks on the season.
• Jonathan Dwyer's 85-yard TD run was the longest by an opponent in Carolina history and the third longest in Kenan Stadium history. The previous mark for the longest run by an opponent was 84 yards by Willie Joyner of Maryland in 1982.
• The Tar Heels wore navy blue jerseys for the first time since the early 1960s Saturday against Georgia Tech. Carolina sported navy blue pants earlier this season at Rutgers and at Virginia.
Players Mentioned
