University of North Carolina Athletics
Bernard Fueled By Team Success
October 17, 2012 | Football
By Megan Walsh, GoHeels.com
Tar Heel tailback Giovani Bernard had no idea he will enter Saturday's game at Duke just 95 rushing yards short of reaching 2,000 for his career. Bernard doesn't pay attention to personal stats.
Instead, he waits for reporters to ask him about something he cares little about. For Bernard, Carolina football as a whole is more important.
"For me, it's all about winning and being able to show everybody that this team is something to be reckoned with," Bernard said. "We have so many playmakers on both sides of the ball. We just want to show everybody what we're really all about."
When Bernard is in the Tar Heels' lineup, they have done just that. UNC is 5-0 when the tailback is on the field for Carolina. He rushed for 439 yards in the last two weeks alone against Virginia Tech and Miami.
Those numbers are unimportant to Bernard, but their consistency week after week certainly adds to why coach Larry Fedora said Bernard is absolutely one of UNC's playmakers.
"Playmakers make plays all the time," Fedora said. "He is one of our playmakers, obviously. He shows up every week. When he's on the field, there's going to be some things happening. He's been very consistent in that matter, and that tells you a lot about who he is."
Last weekend, Bernard tallied 177 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns, pushing him to second in the ACC with 10. But Bernard's time in Miami meant more to him than just helping North Carolina to another win.
Playing the Hurricanes in Sun Life Stadium was a homecoming of sorts for the Davie, Fla., native, who said at least 28 people came to watch him play. However, two in particular were most important.
"That feeling is really tough to describe - so much emotion," Bernard said of getting to play the sport he loves in front of his father and older broth. "For me, it was definitely good being home and for them to see me play in person. It was the first time my dad's been able to see me play in college, and my brother, and it's just a great feeling to have them be there."
Safety Tre Boston, a fellow Florida native, understood that feeling exactly. He said the pair shared a word before the game to make playing against former teammates and in front of friends and family really count.
"It was amazing to see what Gio did this weekend," Boston said. "On the sideline you're like, 'Oh, what's going to happen? Oh, OK. Gio.' When Gio has the ball in his hands, you hold your breath because you never know what's going to happen."
After something does happen -- for instance, his two rushing touchdowns against Miami -- Bernard will direct all credit to his teammates. Quarterback Bryn Renner said that selflessness is all part of his character.
"He's the ultimate team guy," Renner said. "He's the guy that's going to pick up the blitz from a linebacker and then not say a word about it and take care of his business. The biggest thing about him is that he's so humble. He gives the offensive linemen all the credit."
And as the Tar Heels prepare to take on Duke, all of this will remain the same. Despite approaching a major career milestone, Bernard will take the field in Durham with the usual mentality: this game is just another game and another opportunity to win.
Although this year's Blue Devils are 5-2, UNC has kept the Victory Bell between the two schools in Chapel Hill 21 times out of the last 22 seasons. After it was wheeled out to practice on Sunday as a reminder, Bernard is as sure as ever that it will stay here.
"We've seen that Victory Bell being our color for a really long time," Bernard said. "We don't want to give it up. We don't want to be that team to give it up."
