University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Face Wolfpack In Rivalry Game
November 3, 2011 | Football
Nov. 3, 2011
North Carolina looks to end a four-game losing streak to NC State when the Tar Heels travel to Raleigh on Saturday, Nov. 5. The game will be televised by the ACC Network at 12:30 p.m. Saturday's game is the 101st meeting between the two schools that are separated by less than 30 miles. Carolina leads the overall series, 63-31-6, but has not won since a 23-9 victory in 2006.
Carolina (6-3 overall, 2-3 ACC) enters the game on the heels of its finest overall performance of the year - a 49-24 win over Wake Forest last weekend in Kenan Stadium. It was the sixth win of the season for the Tar Heels, who became bowl eligible for the fourth straight season. The 49 points were the most by a Tar Heel team since beating William and Mary, 49-38, in 2004. It was also the highest point total in an Atlantic Coast Conference game by Carolina since it beat Duke, 52-17, in 2001. Redshirt freshman tailback Giovani Bernard rushed for 154 yards and scored three touchdowns, while sophomore quarterback Bryn Renner threw for a career-high 338 yards and three scores. The Tar Heels amassed a season-high 562 yards, its highest yardage total since 2004. The Tar Heels' defense forced a season-best five takeaways, including four interceptions and a fumble recovery.
NC State is coming off of 34-0 shutout loss at Florida State. The Wolfpack is 4-4 overall and 1-3 in the ACC. Quarterback Mike Glennon leads the offense with 230 passing yards per game and 19 touchdowns. NC State's four-game win streak in the Carolina series is the Wolfpack's longest since winning five straight from 1988-92. NC State has won three of four games at home this year. The Tar Heels are 1-2 on the road this season, including a win at East Carolina and losses to Georgia Tech and Clemson.
Quick Hits
• Redshirt freshman tailback Giovani Bernard has 965 yards this season and is 35 yards shy of becoming the first 1,000-yard rusher at UNC since Jonathan Linton in 1997.
• Bernard leads all freshman runners in the country with 107.2 yards per game. Overall, he ranks third in the league and 21st in the country.
• Bernard leads the ACC and ranks 10th in the country with 12 touchdowns (11 rushing, 1 receiving).
• Sophomore quarterback Bryn Renner leads the ACC and is ranked sixth in the nation in pass efficiency (171.9 rating).
• Renner has 19 touchdown passes, just four shy of the single-season school record of 23 by Chris Keldorf in 1996.
• Carolina had nine pass plays of 18 yards or more against Wake Forest last week.
• North Carolina has outscored its opponents 49-0 in the first quarter of its six wins. In the three losses, opponents are outscoring UNC 30-14.
• UNC's 19 rushing touchdowns are the most since it had 19 in 2004. The last time UNC had 20 or more rushing TDs was in 1995 (21).
• Butkus semifinalist LB Zach Brown leads Carolina in tackles, tackles for losses, sacks, forced fumbles and interceptions.
• Freshman kick returner T.J. Thorpe leads the ACC with a 29.0 return average. He returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown at Clemson.
• Carolina is ninth in the country in punt return yardage defense, allowing just 38 total yards on 10 attempts.
• WR Dwight Jones is second among ACC receivers with eight touchdowns this season. The eight TDs include a tipped pass to himself vs. ECU, a one-handed grab vs. ECU and a 43-yarder vs. Louisville in which he broke away from two tacklers at the 5-yard line.
• Carolina has never had a 1,000-yard runner and 1,000-yard receiver in the same season. Bernard (35 rushing yards) and Jones (159 receiving yards) are closing in on 1,000.
• Carolina has scored on 29 of 36 opportunities in the red zone, including 27 touchdowns and two field goals.
• In 30 trips in the red zone, UNC's opponents have scored just 14 touchdowns.
• Quinton Coples is a 2011 preseason All-America by several media outlets. Coples has 4.5 sacks this year and is fourth in the country among active players with 21.0 career sacks. He is tied with Lawrence Taylor for fourth in career sacks at UNC.
• The Tar Heels amassed a season-high 562 yards last week vs. Wake Forest, its highest yardage total since gaining 575 yards against William and Mary in 2004. Its previous high this year was 461 vs. James Madison and its previous high this year in an ACC game was 429 vs. Miami.
• North Carolina is ranked third in the ACC in rush defense, allowing just 106.3 yards per game.
Quick Starts Equal Wins
• In Carolina's six wins this season, the Tar Heels are outscoring their opponents 49-0 in the first quarter. In the three losses, opponents are outscoring Carolina 30-14.
• Carolina outscored its opponents 42-3 in the first quarter through the first six games of the season, but were outscored 27-7 in the next two games vs. Miami (17-0) and Clemson (10-7), both losses. Carolina bounced back to lead Wake Forest, 14-0, in the first quarter last weekend. The Tar Heels allowed their first touchdowns of the first quarter against Miami when the Hurricanes scored on their first two drives. Miami (17 points), Clemson (10) and Georgia Tech (3) are the only opponents to score in the first quarter.
• In the first half this year, Carolina is outscoring opponents, 142-103.
• Carolina's 25-point halftime lead (28-3) at ECU was the largest for the Tar Heels since a 42-7 lead at halftime of the Georgia Southern game in 2009. North Carolina trailed 27-10 at halftime vs. Miami, the Tar Heels' largest halftime deficit since trailing 30-10 to LSU in the 2010 opener.
Ten Straight with No Break
• Carolina will play for the 10th-straight week this Saturday against the Wolfpack. Carolina's bye comes next weekend (Nov. 12) and the Tar Heels return to action against Virginia Tech on Thursday, Nov. 17. No other team in the ACC has played 10 consecutive Saturdays this year. A year ago, Carolina had its bye week in the second week of the season and played 11 straight to finish the year.
Another Early Start
• All three of Carolina's conference road games this season have been played at either noon or 12:30 p.m. The Tar Heels lost the previous two against Georgia Tech and Clemson. Overall, this is the sixth game this year Carolina has played in the noon hour. Carolina is 2-3 in the previous five.
• This is the seventh straight season Carolina and NC State have played their rivalry game at either noon or 12:30 dating back to 2004. That year, Carolina won 30-24, when the Tar Heels forced a fumble on NC State's T.A. McLendon on the final play of the game as he attempted to cross the goal line..
A Win Over NC State Would...
• Be the first win over the Wolfpack since 2006, ending a four-game losing streak to NC State.
• Be the first win at Carter-Finley Stadium since a 31-24 victory in 2005.
• Improve Carolina to 28-13-4 in road games in the series.
• Give Carolina wins over three of the four in-state FBS football schools. The Tar Heels have already defeated East Carolina and Wake Forest.
• Improve Carolina to 7-3 for the first time since 2009. It would mark the fourth-straight season the Tar Heels have earned seven wins, the longest such streak since posting eight consecutive seasons of seven or more wins from 1991-98.
• Improve the Tar Heels to 3-3 in ACC play.
Series Notes vs. NC State
• North Carolina leads the series with NC State, 63-31-6, but has dropped four straight. The Tar Heels have not lost four consecutive games to the Wolfpack since a five-game losing streak from 1988-92.
• The Carolina-NC State series is the fourth-most played in ACC history. Carolina is part of four of the five most played series in ACC history.
• The team that has held the rushing advantage has won 17 of the last 19 meetings. The lone exceptions came in 2004 when Carolina won 30-24, but was outgained on the ground, 304-164, and in 2009 year when Carolina had 159 rushing yards to NC State's 76.
Bernard Closes In On 1,000 Yards
• Redshirt freshman tailback Giovani Bernard enters Saturday's game at NC State just 35 yards shy of becoming the first Carolina player to rush for 1,000 yards in a single-season since Jonathan Linton in 1997. Carolina has had 24 1,000-yard rushing seasons from 14 different players. If Bernard tops 1,000 yards against NC State, he will achieve the mark in the 10th game of the season. The last UNC player to accomplish the feat in the 10th game of the season was Natrone Means in 1992.
Bernard Claims Sixth 100-Yard Rushing Game
• Giovani Bernard had 27 carries for 154 yards and two rushing touchdowns in Carolina's 49-24 victory over Wake Forest. He also had his first touchdown reception, a 7-yard scoring catch-and-run to the pylon in the first quarter. Bernard's 154 yards were just one yard off his season high, a 155-yard effort at Georgia Tech. Bernard is the first Tar Heel to rush for 150 or more yards in two games in the same season since 1997 when Jonathan Linton gained 177 vs. NC State and 199 vs. Duke.
• Bernard rushed for 100-plus yards for the sixth time this season, tying the UNC record for 100-yard games by a freshman with Amos Lawrence (1977). He is the first Tar Heel to rush for at least 100 yards six times in a season since 1992 when Natrone Means did it seven times.
• Bernard's 154 rushing yards were the most by a Tar Heel against Wake Forest since Ronnie McGill rushed for 244 yards in 2003. It was the most rushing yards allowed by the Deacons this year (previous was 136 by Virginia Tech's David Wilson).
Bernard Continues To Pile Up Points
• Bernard has scored 12 total touchdowns this year (11 rushing, one receiving), tied for eighth-most in single-season school history. His 12 scores are the most since wide receiver Hakeem Nicks scored 13 times in 2008. He has scored touchdowns in seven of Carolina's nine games this year. His 11 rushing touchdowns are the most by a Tar Heel since Leon Johnson posted 12 in 1995.
• Bernard leads the ACC with 12 touchdowns, one clear of Clemson freshman Sammy Watkins and Georgia Tech's Orwin Smith. He ranks fourth overall in the ACC with 8.0 points per game. He leads all freshman runners nationally in rushing touchdowns, and only 10 running backs in the country have scored more touchdowns on the ground.
• Against Wake Forest last week, Bernard became the first Tar Heel to score three times in a game since tailback Shaun Draughn had three rushing touchdowns against East Carolina in 2010. Bernard's final rush against the Deacons was a 54-yarder that set up UNC's final touchdown. It was his third 50-plus yard gain this year (also had a 60-yarder against Rutgers and a 55-yarder vs. Georgia Tech).
• Bernard has scored two-or-more touchdowns in four different games this season (2 - James Madison, Rutgers, Georgia Tech; 3 - Wake Forest)
Bernard Leads All Freshman Runners Nationally
• Bernard leads all freshman runners in the country with 107.2 yards per game. Overall, he ranks third in the league and 21st in the country in rushing. He is one of just two freshmen in the country averaging more than 100 yards rushing per game. The last freshman to lead North Carolina in rushing was Johnny White with 399 yards in 2007.
Jones Having All-Star Season
• Senior wide receiver Dwight Jones ranks third in the ACC and 24th in the country with 93.4 receiving yards per game. The Burlington, N.C., native has scored in six of nine games this year and has eight touchdowns on the season. He ranks second among ACC wide receivers with eight touchdowns, four more than he had entering 2011. He is tied for third at UNC in single-season touchdown receptions with three others. The last player to catch at least eight touchdowns in a season was Hakeem Nicks, who set the school record with 12 in 2008.
• Jones has 121 career catches, moving him into 10th place on UNC's all-time receptions list. He is five behind Jesse Holley (2003-06). Jones' 54 receptions in 2011 ranks ninth on the UNC single-season chart. He is currently on pace (6.0 per game) to break Hakeem Nick's single-season mark of 74 set in 2007.
• Jones has 12 career touchdown receptions, which ties him for ninth on the all-time list at Carolina. Jimmy Jerome (1972-74) and Eric Streater (1983-86) also had 12 career touchdown catches.
• Jones has had at least five receptions in 10 of the last 12 games.
Renner Leads The ACC and Ranks Sixth in Pass Efficiency
• Sophomore quarterback Bryn Renner leads the ACC and ranks sixth in the nation in pass efficiency with a 171.9 rating. He has completed more than 70 percent (72.7) of his attempts this season and is 168 for 231 for 2,195 yards and 19 touchdowns.
• Renner bounced back from a poor performance at Clemson to complete 21 of 28 for a career-high 338 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Wake Forest. It was his first career 300-yard passing game (previous high was 288 yards vs. Miami), and was his second game this year with at least three touchdown passes (had four at East Carolina). The 338 yards passing are the 13th-most in a game by a Tar Heel and the second-most ever by a Tar Heel against Wake Forest (Darian Durant had 361 against the Deacs in 2001).
• Renner is tied for second in touchdown passes in a season by a Tar Heel (record is 23 by Chris Keldorf in 1996, TJ Yates also had 19 in 2010). His completions (168) and yardage (2,195) are ninth-most in a season. No Tar Heel with at least 100 attempts has ever completed 70 percent of his passes in a season.
Brown a semifinalist for butkus award
• Senior linebacker Zach Brown is one of 12 semifinalists for the 2011 Butkus Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top linebacker. He is one of four ACC linebackers on the list. Brown leads the team in tackles (62), tackles for losses (9.5), sacks (5.5), forced fumbles (2) and interceptions (2).
• Brown finished with nine tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss, an interception, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, in Carolina's 49-24 win over Wake Forest and was named the ACC Linebacker of the Week.
Noting The Tar Heels - Offense
• Junior wide receiver Erik Highsmith ranks second on the team with 34 receptions for 492 yards and three touchdowns. He had his most productive game of the season with four receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Wake Forest. It was his first career two-score game. Highsmith missed the Georgia Tech game (a UNC loss), but returned to the lineup the following week vs. ECU and had three catches for 94 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown reception from Bryn Renner in the first quarter. It was the longest reception of Highsmith's career. Highsmith caught a season-high five passes for 74 yards vs. Miami.
• Junior wide receiver Jheranie Boyd has 11 receptions this season and four have gone for touchdowns. For his career, he ha 37 receptions and 11 for touchdowns. Against Clemson, he had a 33-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter and a 58-yard scoring catch in the second quarter.
• Sophomore A.J. Blue, who played in six games and had 33 yards rushing as a wildcat quarterback in 2009, is an option at tailback this season. He tore his ACL in 2009 vs. Georgia Southern and redshirted last year. Blue saw his most extensive action of the season in the win over Virginia, rushing nine times for 40 yards. He also attempted a pass in the second quarter, just missing on a long play to Jheranie Boyd. He has 105 yards on 21 carries this season. He also has two catches for 11 yards.
• Junior tight end Nelson Hurst made the biggest reception of his Carolina career with a 24-yard catch on 4th-and-1 in the third quarter of Carolina's win at East Carolina. Hurst entered the season with just one catch in his UNC career in 2010 after transferring from Mississippi State. He has six receptions on the season for 77 yards and a touchdown vs. Georgia Tech.
• Freshman tight end Eric Ebron is progressing into a viable threat for the UNC offense. He has six catches for 142 yards (17.8 avg) and one touchdown. Three of his six receptions have gone for 20-or-more yards. Ebron scored his first career touchdown on a 20-yard reception from Bryn Renner on the first play of the third quarter at Georgia Tech.
• Fifteen different players have recorded a reception this season.
• Two Carolina offensive linemen have receptions to their credit. Last year, guard Jonathan Cooper caught a deflected pass, and this season guard Travis Bond caught a tipped ball at ECU.
Noting The Tar Heels - Defense
• Junior linebacker Kevin Reddick has faught off a couple of nagging injures (ankle, abdominal strain) to post 45 tackles, 5.0 tackles for losses, one sack and recover a fumble. Reddick missed the Louisville game with an ankle injury.
• Charles Brown, who missed all of last season and sat out the first game this year due to NCAA issues, is third on the team with 40 tackles and leads the team with seven pass breakups. Brown picked off his first pass of the season in the second quarter vs. Wake Forest, the seventh interception of his career and first since the Duke game in 2009.
• Sophomore linebacker Darius Lipford has started two games this year at outside linebacker and has 30 tackles. He recorded a career-high nine stops and broke up a pass in the Louisville victory.
• Junior college transfer Sylvester Williams has made quite an impact this year. He has started every game and has 35 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for losses and 1.5 sacks. Williams, who played just one year of high school football and worked in a factory making radiator parts for large trucks before going to Coffeyville Community College, also has one interception and two pass breakups.
• Cornerback Jabari Price returned to the starting lineup for the first time this year vs. Louisville and had four tackles and one tackle for loss. Price started the final four games in 2010, but tore a tendon in his hand in this year's training camp and had to have surgery. His first appearance this year came at ECU.
• Sophomore defensive back Tre Boston is fourth on the team with 37 tackles and is tied for the team lead with two interceptions. He picked off a pass at the goal line vs. Wake Forest. He recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass in the first half against Georgia Tech.
• Senior defensive tackle Tydreke Powell has played well all season with 35 tackles, including three for loss. He notched his first career interception in the third quarter vs. Wake Forest, a diving effort after Kevin Reddick and Zach Brown both deflected a Tanner Price pass attempt.
• True freshman Tim Scott has started four games this year and has 31 tackles, one interception and two pass breakups. He recorded his first career pickoff in the ECU win.
Noting the Tar Heels - Special Teams
• Redshirt freshman place-kicker Thomas Moore has made 2 of 4 field goal attempts this season. He made his first career field goal, a 20-yarder in the second quarter vs. Miami. He mad a career-long 32-yarder at Clemson. Moore also is 28 for 28 on the season on extra points. Carolina has made 110 consecutive PATs, including a school-record 82 in a row by injured senior Casey Barth.
• Carolina has attempted just five field goals this season. Last season, Carolina attempted 22 field goals and only had one game - Clemson - in which it did not attempt a field goal. The five field goal attempts are believed to be the fewest in the country this season.
• Carolina is ninth in the country in punt return defense. The Tar Heels have allowed just 38 yards on 10 punt return attempts this season.
• Freshman T.J. Thorpe leads the ACC and ranks 14th in the country with a 29.0 kickoff return average. Thorpe returned a third quarter kickoff vs. Clemson 100 yards for a touchdown. It is just the second 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in school history. The other was Tyrell Godwin at Stanford in 1998. It is just the 14th time in ACC history that a player has returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. The last player to do so was Maryland's Josh Wilson vs. Georgia Tech in 2006.
Players Mentioned
