University of North Carolina Athletics
Postgame Notes
August 30, 2008 | Football
Aug. 30, 2008
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• With Saturday's victory over McNeese State, the Tar Heels have won back-to-back season openers for the first time since 1996-97. Butch Davis improved to 2-0 in openers at Carolina, and the Tar Heels moved to 4-0 against Football Championship Subdivision teams in the last five years.
• Senior wide receiver Brandon Tate finished with a UNC single-game record 397 all-purpose yards, surpassing the 339 yards posted by tailback Derrick Fenner against Virginia in 1986. It is the second-most all-purpose yards in ACC history (Wake Forest's John Leach had 411 vs. Maryland in 1993).
• Leach set the ACC record with 51 plays (46 rushes, three receptions, one punt and one KO return). Tate had only 11 touches (three rushes, four receptions, three punt returns and one KO return).
• Tate had 93 receiving yards, 106 rushing yards, 142 punt return yards and 56 kick return yards.
• Tate is the first wide receiver to rush for 100 yards in a game in UNC history. He came into the game with 151 rushing yards in his first three seasons at UNC (20 in 2006, 131 in 2007).
• Tate set the UNC single-game record for highest average punt return (min. three) with 47.3 yards per return. The previous record was 41.7 by Charlie Justice vs. Georgia in 1948.
• Tate's 198 combined yards on punt and kickoff returns is the second-most in UNC history. He owns the record with 208 against Duke in 2006.
• En route to his record-setting performance, Tate posted his career long reception (57 yards), his career best punt return (82 yards) and matched his career long rush (54 yards). He scored two touchdowns - one via punt return and one via reception - and now has 13 TDs in his career.
• Tate put the Tar Heels on the board with his sixth career return touchdown in the first quarter (three punt, three kickoff). The 82-yard punt return was the longest of his career and matched the ninth longest in school history.
• Tate's go-ahead 57-yard touchdown reception from T.J. Yates in the third quarter was the sixth of his career. He finished with four catches for 93 yards on the night.
• Tate had three touches (all returns) in the first quarter for 176 yards (120 punt return, 56 kickoff return). He had four touches of more than 50 yards on the night.
• Junior Hakeem Nicks caught six passes for 110 yards and now has at least one catch in 14 straight games dating to the final game of the 2006 season. He also has recorded a catch in 23 of his 24 career contests.
• Nicks had 100 yards receiving for the sixth time in his career. He had a 71-yard reception in the fourth quarter, his third career catch of 70 or more yards.
• Sophomore quarterback T.J. Yates was 15 for 26 for 221 yards and two touchdowns. He now has 16 career TD passes in 13 games.
• With a second quarter TD grab, senior Brooks Foster registered his fifth career receiving touchdown and his first since posting two scores against James Madison in last year's season opener.
• Senior safety Trimane Goddard made his sixth career interception in the first quarter.
• The Tar Heels used three first-time starters Saturday: junior cornerback Jordan Hemby and sophomore defensive end Darrius Massenburg on defense and senior left guard Bryon Bishop on offense.
• Sophomore Shaun Draughn saw his first career action at tailback and carried seven times for 30 yards. He scored on a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter to give the Tar Heels a 28-20 lead.
• True freshmen Casey Barth and Zach Brown both played in their first career game. Barth connected on five extra-point attempts but missed a 37-yard field goal. Brown saw action on special teams.
• E.J. Wilson led Carolina with three tackles for losses of six yards.
• Linebacker Quan Sturdivant matched his career high with 11 tackles.
• The game was delayed at 6:52 p.m. due to lightning and rain. Play resumed at 8:40 p.m. following a 1:48 delay. The weather delay was the first at Kenan Stadium since the 2005 Wisconsin game.
Players Mentioned
