Tar Heels Football

North Carolina looks to extend a seven-game win streak over non-conference opponents when it welcomes Louisville of the Big East Conference to Kenan Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 8. The game will be televised by ESPN2 at noon.

The Tar Heels are coming off an impressive 35-20 victory at East Carolina last Saturday. Quarterback Bryn Renner completed 13 of 20 pass attempts for 230 yards and became the first UNC player to throw for four touchdowns in a game since Darian Durant in 2003. All-conference candidate Dwight Jones hauled in two of those scoring throws, including a 47 yarder which he tipped to himself and a one-handed grab in the corner of the end zone in the fourth quarter. Tailback Giovani Bernard had his third straight 100-yard rushing game with 146 yards on a career-high 24 carries and a touchdown. The Tar Heels built a 28-3 halftime lead and cruised from that point, improving to 11-2-1 against the Pirates.

Louisville is coming off a 17-13 home loss to Marshall. The Cardinals are 2-2 overall with wins over Murray State and at Kentucky.
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A Win Over Louisville Would…
• Improve Carolina to 5-1 for the first time since 2008.
• Improve Carolina’s record against Louisville to 3-3 and would be Carolina’s first win in the series since 1996.
• Improve Carolina’s record at home to 4-0 for the first time since 1997. Last year the Tar Heels were 3-3 at Kenan Stadium.
• Be Carolina’s eighth straight win over a non-conference oppenent. The last time Carolina lost to a non-conference opponent was LSU to start the 2010 season. Since 2008, UNC is 15-3 against non-conference teams.

UNC-Louisville Series Notes
• Carolina and Louisville first played in 1988. Louisville won that game, 38-34, in Chapel Hill.
• The two teams played a home-and-home series in 1995 and 1996. The Tar Heels won both of those contests. The series was renewed in 2004 and 2005 with Louisville winning both of those games. In 2005, Carolina lost at Louisville, 69-14. That is school record for points by an opponent.

UNC-Louisville Connections
• North Carolina interim head coach Everett Withers was Louisville’s defensive coordinator from 1995-97. During that time, he faced the Tar Heels on two occasions. In 1995, Carolina defeated the Cardinals in front of an ESPN Thursday night audience when Mike Thomas connected with Octavus Barnes with 14 seconds remaining to take a 17-10 win. The following year, Carolina beat Louisville, 28-10 in Chapel Hill.
• UNC defensive coordinator Art Kaufman was on the same staff with Louisville head coach Charlie Strong at Mississippi in 1990.
• UNC offensive coordinator John Shoop and Louisville defensive coordinator Vance Bedford coached together on the Chicago Bears’ staff from 1999-2003.

This Day in History (in ACC ERA) - Oct. 1
• Games played on Oct. 8 in UNC history (since ACC began in 1953) include:
2005: Louisville 69, Carolina 14
1994: Carolina 31, Georgia Tech 24
1988: Wake Forest 42, Carolina 24
1983: Carolina 30, Wake Forest 10
1977: Carolina 24, Wake Forest 3
1966: Carolina 21, Michigan 7
1960: Carolina 12, Notre Dame 7
1955: Georgia 28, Carolina 7

Quick Hits
• Carolina has not allowed a first quarter touchdown this season, outscoring opponents 42-3 in the opening quarter.
• Carolina is seeking its eighth straight win over a non-conference opponent. The Tar Heels have not lost to a team outside the ACC since the 2010 opener vs. LSU. UNC is 15-3 since 2008 against non-conference teams.
• A year after going just 3-3 at Kenan Stadium, the Tar Heels have already matched that win total with wins over James Madison, Rutgers and Virginia in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels are seeking their first 4-0 start at Kenan since 1997.
• Redshirt freshman tailback Giovani Bernard has scored seven rushing touchdowns through five games. Last season, Johnny White led the team with seven rushing touchdowns.
• Bernard leads all freshman runners in the country with 109.6 yards per game. Overall, he ranks third in the league and 19th in the country.
• Bernard has rushed for 100 yards in three straight games. He is the first UNC player to do so since Natrone Means in 1992. The last player to rush for more than 100 yards in four straight games was Ethan Horton in 1984 who accomplished the feat in five straight.
• WR Dwight Jones has had at least five receptions in eight straight games, including 11 of the last 13. Jones is third in the ACC in receptions per game (6.6) and second in receiving yards per game (102.8).
• QB Bryn Renner is second in the league in pass efficiency at 179.1. He is 87 of 115 (75.7 pct.) for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns.
• Ryan Houston, a native of Charlotte, N.C., has scored 20 touchdowns in his last 30 games. He is in second place among all active ACC runners in career touchdowns with 21.
• Carolina’s net punting is 37.6 yards, compared with last year’s 31.8. Walk-on punter Thomas Hibbard is averaging 39.9 yards per punt.
• Carolina has scored on 15 of 18 opportunities in the red zone. All 15 were touchdowns. The three chances UNC did not convert were a fourth down stop at the 2-yard line at ECU, a fumble at the 2-yard line vs. Virginia and a victory formation at the end of the Rutgers game. In 18 trips in the red zone, UNC’s opponents have scored just seven touchdowns.
• Durham, N.C., native T.J. Thorpe leads the ACC with a 26.9 kickoff return average.
• Quinton Coples is a 2011 preseason All-America by several media outlets. Coples has 2.5 sacks this year and is sixth in the country among active players with 19.0 career sacks. Last year, he ranked third in the ACC and 16th in the country in sacks (10.0).

Gio Storm: Bernard Breaks out
• Redshirt freshman Giovani Bernard leads the team with 548 yards on 78 carries and is averaging 109.6 yards per game. He is averaging 7.0 yards per carry and has seven rushing touchdowns. He also has 16 receptions for 108 yards.
• Bernard leads all freshmen runners in the country with 109.6 yards per game. Overall, he ranks third in the league and 19th in the country in rushing.
• Bernard is just behind the ACC freshman record pace set by Ryan Williams of Virginia Tech in 2009. Bernard has 548 yards through five games, while Williams had 575 in his first five.
• Bernard rushed for rushed 146 yards on a career-high 24 carries in a 35-20 win over East Carolina. He became the first UNC player to rush for 100 yards in three straight games since Natrone Means in 1992. Bernard had 102 vs. Virginia (Sept. 17) and 155 at Georgia Tech (Sept. 24).
• Bernard has scored seven rushing touchdowns through five games this season. Last year, Johnny White led the team with seven rushing touchdowns while playing in nine games (missed the final four with injury). The last Tar Heel to rush for more than seven touchdowns in a season was Ryan Houston with nine in 2009.
• Bernard has scored two touchdowns in three different games this season. He had two in each game vs. James Madison, vs. Rutgers and at Georgia Tech.
• Bernard had a career-high 155 rushing yards on 17 carries in the loss at Georgia Tech. He scored on a 4-yard run on Carolina’s opening drive and had a 55-yard TD run to tie the score in the fourth quarter. The 155 yards are the most by a UNC freshman in a game since Ronnie McGill had 244 vs. Wake Forest in 2003.
• Since 2000 (12 years), the only UNC players to run for more yards in a single-game are Willie Parker in 2000, Ronnie McGill in 2003, Chad Scott in 2004, Jacque Lewis in 2004, Ryan Houston in 2009, Shaun Draughn in 2010 and Johnny White in 2010.
• Bernard rushed for 102 yards on just 12 carries in Carolina’s 28-17 win over Virginia. He averaged 8.5 yards per carry. He also caught five passes for 31 yards. Bernard became the first freshman to rush for 100 yards in a game since Greg Little vs. Duke in 2007.
• Bernard scored rushing touchdowns of 12 and 14 yards against James Madison. He is the first UNC tailback to score two touchdowns of 10-or-more rushing yards in a single game since Jonathan Linton in 1995 vs. Maryland (13 and 22). He also became the first Carolina freshman to score two rushing touchdowns in a game since Anthony Elzy against James Madison in 2007.
• A highly-touted recruit from Davie, Fla., Bernard attended football power St. Thomas Aquinas High School and led the team to back-to-back 5A state titles as a sophomore and junior. He tore his ACL on the third day of UNC’s 2010 fall training camp and missed the entire season. In this year’s training camp, Bernard suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left hand in a scrimmage on Aug. 15. The injury was not considered serious and he immediately returned to practice.
• Bernard’s brother Yvenson was an all-conference running back at Oregon State and currently plays in the CFL.

Renner Completing More Than 75 Percent Of His Attempts
• Quarterback Bryn Renner has completed 75.7 percent of his attempts this season and has a pass efficiency of 179.1. He is 87 for 115 for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns.
• Renner completed 13 of 20 pass attempts for 230 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in the win at East Carolina. He is the first Tar Heel quarterback to throw four touchdowns in a game since Darian Durant vs. Syracuse in 2003.
• The West Springfield, Va., native completed 15 of 21 pass attempts for 143 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-17 win over Virginia. He completed 20 of 26 passes for 273 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions in the win over Rutgers. In his first career start vs. JMU, he completed 22 of 23 attempts for 277 yards. In that game, he threw two touchdown passes, both to Dwight Jones, and rushed for another. His only pass not competed was an interception in the second quarter. The touchdowns were the first of his college career (both rushing and passing).
• Renner’s pass completion percentage of .957 vs. JMU is the second-best in NCAA history for a player with 20 to 29 attempts. Tennessee’s Tee Martin completed 23 of 24 for .958 against South Carolina on October 31, 1998.
• Renner’s completion percentage broke the previous UNC record of .810 set by Scott Stankavage vs. William and Mary in 1983. Stankavage completed 17 of 21 that day.
• Renner’s pass efficiency rating vs. JMU was 216.8.
• Waiting behind T.J. Yates the last two seasons, Renner entered the year with just two career pass attempts. He was a SuperPrep All-America signal-caller at West Springfield High School in Virginia where threw for 3,123 yards and 35 touchdowns as a senior. Renner played for his father, Bill, a former NFL punter for the Green Bay Packers. Bill Renner is now the head coach at East Chapel Hill High School.
• Renner is backed up by junior Braden Hanson and freshman Marquise Williams. Hanson, a native of Charlotte, N.C., has appeared in four games (three in 2009, one in 2010) and has attempted just six career passes. Williams enrolled at UNC in January and participated in spring workouts.
• Renner also played in 15 games on the UNC baseball team in 2010 as a first baseman/designated hitter and had three hits.

Winning The First Quarter, First Half
• The Tar Heels have not allowed a first quarter touchdown this season, outscoring opponents, 42-3, in the opening quarter. Georgia Tech’s field goal in the fourth game of the season was the only score UNC has allowed in the first quarter. In the first quarter this year, Carolina outscored ECU 14-0, Georgia Tech 7-3, Rutgers 7-0 and James Madison 14-0. Neither Carolina or Virginia scored in the first quarter. • In the first half this year, Carolina is outscoring opponents, 94-42. 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.

Noting The Tar Heels
• Wide receiver Erik Highsmith returned to the lineup 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. The previous week Highsmith missed the Georgia Tech game with an ankle injury.
• 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.
• Freshman tight end Eric 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. Ebron had just one career catch entering the game. He finished the game with two receptions for 44 yards.
• Quarterback Bryn Renner was just 4 of 9 for 36 yards and one interception and one fumble in the first half in Atlanta. On the opening two drives of the second half, he completed 8 of 9 attempts for 113 yards and two touchdowns. The lone incompletion was a dropped pass.
• Sophomore cornerback Tre Boston recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass in the first half against Georgia Tech. It was the first interception of the season for Boston and the second of his career. Boston is third on the team with 23 tackles and leads the team with two pass breakups.
• Junior linebacker Kevin Reddick leads the team with 33 tackles and 4.5 tackles for losses.

From Heather Dinch’s ESPN ACC Blog - UNC has added highly touted tight end Eric Ebron to its 2011 commitment list, according to ESPN Recruiting. He’s the third member to join the class. 

Ebron, a member of the ESPNU 150 Watch List, was also offered by Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, Duke, East Carolina, Louisville, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina State, Rutgers, Virginia and West Virginia. 

Ebron, from Smith High School in Greensboro, N.C., caught 24 passes for 408 yards (17 average) and four touchdowns as a junior. He’s listed at 6-4, 225 pounds.

21 UNC Football Players Signed for 2010 Class

NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS

Spring practice starts: March 15

Spring game: April 10

What to watch:

• Quarterback T.J. Yates. It’s his job to lose, and the coaching staff still has confidence in him, but Bryn Renner is waiting in the wings, and Braden Hanson will also be given an opportunity. The staff is looking for the offense to improve its passing efficiency and cut down on turnovers.

• The offensive line. It was a patchwork effort in 2009, thanks to injuries and inexperience, and will be a major key in how much UNC improves offensively this year. The Heels have to replace two starters, and Jonathan Cooper is likely to move from guard to center, and right guard Alan Pelc will miss spring drills while recovering from shoulder surgery.

• Defensive line tweaks. There aren’t many questions on a defense that should be one of the best in the country, but somebody has to replace Cam Thomas and defensive end E.J. Wilson. Tydreke Powell is the frontrunner to take over at defensive tackle and Quinton Coples at defensive end. Both were backups last year at their respective positions.

Carolina’s offense has specific goals that can point the way to wins.

Aug. 19, 2009 
By Adam Lucas

As you might have heard, the Carolina offense is missing some playmakers from the explosive 2008 incarnation that generated 51 plays of at least 20 yards or more. That means the progression of the offense will be one of the dominant storylines both of training camp and the first month of the 2009 season.

And how will that offense be judged? By wins, of course. But within the confines of the team meeting room in the Kenan Football Center, the coaching staff has set the following unit goals for the Carolina offense in each game.

Win the game. No explanation needed.

Win the turnover battle. In 2008, the Tar Heels were +16 in turnovers in the team’s eight wins. They were -12 in the four losses.

52% run efficiency. A running play is efficient if it meets the following criteria: on first down, if it gains at least four yards. On second or third down, if it nets a first down or a touchdown. Reach those standards on 52% of the running plays and this goal is achieved.

Score 100% of the time in the red zone and score a touchdown 67% of the time in the red zone. The Tar Heels were relatively efficient in the red zone last year, ranking fourth in the league with an 85.0% conversion rate. But too many of those scores were field goals rather than touchdowns, something John Shoop would like to rectify in 2009.

Win 2-minute situations at the end of the half/game. Two-minute offense was a focal point in the spring. The good news: T.J. Yates’s experience should mean better, more efficient decisions. The bad news: new receiving targets are needed to haul in some of his passes.

Win backed-up situations. Get two first downs or put the ball outside the -35 yard line. Running backs get the most attention on the goal line. But their jobs are even tougher when they’re pinned close to their own goal line. “That’s when the yards are tougher,” says Shaun Draughn. “You have to be patient, but then there comes a time when you have to turn it up and get what you can. You’ve got to get in there with your offensive line and get a push.”
 
 
Win 4:00 offense, end the game with the ball and a win. Two-minute offense is about quick decisions and maximizing the number of plays in a short amount of time. Four minute offense is the opposite—an attempt to keep the clock moving and shorten the game. There’s a fair amount of savvy required. For example, tailbacks have to be conscious of the sidelines and avoid running out of bounds. It all goes back to the running game: the defense knows you’re probably going to run it, but you still have to pound out 10 yards and retain possession.

Convert all 3rd/4th and 1 plays and win short-yardage. “We have to take every play that we’re lining up and want to beat down the guy across from us,” says H-back Ryan Taylor of the mentality needed for short yardage. “When other teams watch film of us running the ball, we want them to say, `How are we going to stop them? They’re plowing over people.’ We want them to think we’re going to run right over them…and right after that, hit `em with a long pass.”

Win goal-line situations/score touchdowns in goal-line offense. Self-explanatory.

Allow one sack or fewer per game. The Tar Heels allowed 28 sacks last year. This year, with an offensive line that will be a work in progress, it could be up to Yates to make sure that figure decreases. Keep in mind that Cameron Sexton avoided a handful of would-be sacks in 2008 with his mobility.

Score 26 points per game. It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure it out. In the Butch Davis era, Carolina is 10-3 when scoring at least 26 points and 2-10 when failing to reach that figure.

—— Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. Get real-time UNC sports updates from the THM staff on Twitter ——

For backs, running is but half the battle.

Aug. 18, 2009 
By Lauren Brownlow

Dreaming of Bruce Carter or Quan Sturdivant running at full speed towards them might have kept a few ACC quarterbacks awake this summer. Both linebackers are exceptionally quick and athletic, both lethal on a blitz.

Fortunately for T.J. Yates, both are on his team. Last season, Ryan Houston, Shaun Draughn and Jamal Womble - often responsible for blitz pick-up - would have stood little chance. “I was getting murdered when I first got here, flat-out. It was pretty bad,” redshirt freshman Jamal Womble said. “But now I’m holding my own. They’re just as fast as you are, really athletic, but now as a group, we’re starting to go blow-for-blow. They throw one punch, we throw one right back. If I had to keep a tally, I would have to say we were up.”

Both Draughn and Houston struggled at times last season with pass blocking. Running backs coach Ken Browning said the two have progressed “light years” from where they were. “We give them a lot of responsibility in picking up blitz, anything from corner blitzes to safety blitzes to even backside linebacker blitzes. So they’ve got to scan over half the field sometimes in terms of a potential guy that they are responsible for,” Browning said. “If you don’t have some pre-snap keys and so forth, if you don’t understand those and you’re too slow, you’re either too slow picking it up or you’re too slow getting out.

Continued…