University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Place Eight On All-ACC Teams
November 28, 2011 | Football
Nov. 28, 2011
Greensboro, N.C. - North Carolina placed eight players on the 2011 All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams as selected by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA). Tailback Giovani Bernard, defensive end Quinton Coples and linebacker Zach Brown were named to the first team, while wide receiver Dwight Jones, offensive tackle James Hurst and offensive guard Jonathan Cooper were named second team. Kickoff return man T.J. Thorpe and defensive tackle Tydreke Powell were selected honorable mention.
Coples is the first repeat first-team all-conference selection at UNC since Julius Peppers in 2000 and 2001. A native of Kinston, N.C., Coples finished the regular season with 51 tackles, 13.0 tackles for losses of 64 yards and 7.5 sacks for 51 yards despite constant double teams all season. He also led the team and was second in the ACC with three forced fumbles.
Brown registered a team-best 91 tackles, including 11.5 tackles for losses and 5.5 sacks. A native of Columbia, Md., he also had two interceptions, broke up four passes and tied with Coples with three forced fumbles.
Bernard joins Amos Lawrence (1977) as the only freshman tailbacks in Carolina history to earn first-team All-ACC. He is the first UNC freshman to earn first-team All-ACC honors since cornerback Dre' Bly in 1996. Bernard rushed for a school freshman record 1,222 yards. He led all ACC running backs with 13 rushing touchdowns and had 14 overall. Bernard, a native of Davie, Fla., became the first Tar Heel to rush for 1,000 yards since Jonathan Linton in 1997. He is the first tailback to earn first-team All-ACC honors at UNC since Curtis Johnson in 1993.
Jones, who led the ACC in receiving touchdowns (11) and total receptions (79), missed out on first team honors by 11 votes. He finished the season with 1,119 yards and averaged 93.2 yards per game. His 79 receptions is the seventh-highest single-season total in ACC history. A native of Burlington, N.C., Jones earned honorable mention honors in 2010.
Cooper and Hurst form the left side of Carolina's offensive line and provided many holes for Bernard to run through this season. Hurst graded out as the team's top offensive lineman and Cooper led the team in knockdown blocks. This is the first time Carolina has had two offensive linemen on the all-conference teams since 1993.
Thorpe, a freshman from Durham, N.C., led the ACC with a 27.6 kickoff return average and scored on a 100-yard return at Clemson. He finished the regular season with 33 returns for 912 yards, just 27 yards shy of Brandon Tate's school mark for kickoff return yards.
Powell, a native of Ahoskie, N.C., had 45 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for losses and one sack. He also had one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
