North Carolina
LSU
Tar Heels Lose Hard-Fought Battle to LSU, 30-24
September 5, 2010 | Football
Sept. 5, 2010
Final Stats |
Quotes |
Photo Gallery 1 
|
Photo Gallery 2
| Game Book 
ATLANTA (AP) - North Carolina nearly rallied from a 20-point halftime deficit before losing 30-24 to LSU on Saturday night.
Patrick Peterson had 257 yards - including an 87-yard touchdown - on kickoff and punt returns, leading No. 21 LSU (1-0) to a 30-10 halftime lead.
But No. 18 North Carolina (0-1) made a game of it, scoring two second-half touchdowns, then getting two shots at the win after recovering an onside kick and a fumble. T.J. Yates drove the Heels to the LSU 2-yard line and got off a pair of passes into the end zone after throwing for a career-high 412 yards.
Both slipped through the hands of Zack Pianalto.
Backed up against his own goal line, Yates rolled to his right and heaved a pass out of the end zone that Jheranie Boyd took to the other end zone for a 97-yard touchdown - the longest play from scrimmage in North Carolina history. Yates then hooked up with Erik Highsmith on a 14-yard touchdown with 2 1/2 minutes remaining.
North Carolina recovered an onside kick, but LSU stopped that drive by forcing Yates to fumble as he tried to scramble. Trying to run out the clock, Stevan Ridley fumbled and the Tar Heels recovered, getting one more shot for an improbable victory.
Former quarterback Russell Shepard, now playing receiver to take advantage of his speed, hauled in a touchdown pass and broke off a 50-yard scoring run for LSU. And the current quarterback, Jordan Jefferson, finished off the first half with a 51-yard scoring pass to Rueben Randle.
Plenty of players stepped up for the Tar Heels, no one more than Yates. He completed 28 of 45 and had three touchdown passes. His favorite receiver was Boyd, who had six catches for 221 yards, making him only the fourth player in North Carolina history to have 200 receiving yards in a game.
Jefferson was 15 of 21 for 151 yards. Ridley rushed for 81 yards and Shepard had 67, while the LSU defense limited North Carolina to 24 yards on the ground.
The Tar Heels gave up a safety when center P.J. Lonergan snapped the ball past Yates, who wasn't ready for the shotgun hike. It rolled out of the back of the end zone.
Peterson kept it going by fielding a punt at his own 13, gliding to his right, then making a quick cut through the hole that sent him off on the TD that made it 23-10.
He wasn't done. Peterson set up the final score with a 37-yard punt return to the LSU 49. On the next play, Jefferson found Randle streaking down the middle of the field and hit him in stride for the touchdown.
