University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Returns Home To Host ECU
September 20, 2012 | Football
The Tar Heels are coming off a 39-34 loss at No. 19 Louisville. Carolina trailed 36-7 at halftime, but battled back and had an opportunity to win the game late in the fourth quarter. The Tar Heels scored three straight fourth quarter touchdowns to pull within five with 4:23 to play. After recovering a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Carolina drove to the Louisville 4-yard line. On 4th and goal, quarterback Bryn Renner's pass to Erik Highsmith was broken up by a Louisville defender and Louisville ran out the clock. The loss dropped the Tar Heels to 1-2 overall and was the team's first regular season loss to a non-conference opponent since the 2010 LSU game.
Saturday's game against ECU is the first of three consecutive home games. After the Pirates, Carolina plays host to Idaho on Sept. 29 and Virginia Tech on Oct. 6. East Carolina enters the contest 2-1 overall with wins over Appalachian State and Southern Miss. Its only loss came at nationally ranked South Carolina. Last week, ECU capitalized on three third-quarer Southern Miss turnovers for a 24-14 victory.
Saturday is also football lettermen and varsity monogram day in Chapel Hill.
GAME INFORMATION
Rankings: Neither team is ranked.
Broadcast: ESPNU, Anish Shroff, play-by-play; Dan Hawkins, analyst Tar Heel Sports Network: Jones Angell (play-by-play), Rick Steinbacher (color analyst) and Lee Pace (sideline)
provide the call.
Website: A live radio broadcast of the Tar Heel Sports Network is available on UNC's official athletic website, GoHeels.com.
Online Information: GoHeels.com (North Carolina); ECUpirates.com (ECU)
Satellite Radio Chanels: Sirius 94; XM 191
QUICK HITS
• In the second half this season, Carolina is outscoring its opponents 61-10, including a 38-0 mark in the third quarter.
• QB Bryn Renner threw for five touchdowns last week at Louisville, tying the single-game school record. Renner's previous high was four last year at East Carolina. Renner has nine touchdowns on the season, which leads the ACC and ranks fourth in the country.
• TB Romar Morris is averaging 29.8 yards per reception (6 for 179) and ranks fourth in the league in all-purpose yards per game, eighth in receiving and ninth in rushing.
• DE Kareem Martin is 10th in the nation with 2.0 tackles for losses per game. He has 6.0 TFL for 21 yards.
• Carolina ranks third in the ACC and 19th in the country with 41.0 points per game.
UNC-ECU SERIES NOTES
• Separated by approximately 100 miles, North Carolina and East Carolina will meet for the 15th time Saturday. North Carolina won last year's game in Greenville, 35-20. Bryn Renner threw four touchdown passes and Giovani Bernard ran for 146 yards and a score. Carolina scored the first 21 points and never looked back, rolling to 326 yards in the opening half and converting two early turnovers into quick touchdowns.
• In the last meeting in Chapel Hill, Carolina scored a 42-17 victory. Tailback Shaun Draughn rushed for 137 yards and scored three secondhalf touchdowns to power the offense. Johnny White also rushed for 140 yards as the Tar Heels rushed for 263 yards. Da'Norris Searcy led the defense with a 46-yard interception return for a touchdown.
• Carolina's only losses in the series are a 34-31 decision in Greenville in 2007 and a 38-17 loss in Chapel Hill in 1975.
• Carolina and ECU met eight times in 10 years from 1972-1981, but went 20 years before meeting again in 2001. Since 2000, the two schools have faced each other six times - 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
• East Carolina strength and conditioning coach Jeff Connors spent 10 seasons in a similar role at UNC from 2001-10. He returned to ECU, where he worked from 1990-2000, following the 2010 season.
• Kelvin Bryant's six rushing touchdowns in a 56-0 victory in 1981 is still a Carolina record.
• As head coach at Southern Miss, UNC's Larry Fedora posted a 2-2 mark against the Pirates with wins in 2011 (48-28) and 2008 (21-3). Fedora faced ECU head coach Ruffin McNeill
twice during that time with Fedora winning in 2011 and McNeill pulling out a 44-43 victory in 2010.
• In his first stint at UNC (2000-04), WR coach Gunter Brewer helped coach the Tar Heels to wins over ECU in 2001 (24-21) and 2003 (28-17).
• ECU head coach Ruffin McNeill was a defensive back for the Pirates from 1976-80 and faced the Tar Heels three times.
