Tar Heels Football

CHAPEL HILL, NC (AP) -Ryan Houston rushed for three touchdowns and Quan Sturdivant returned a fumble 49 yards for a score, one of six turnovers forced by North Carolina during a 42-12 rout of Georgia Southern on Saturday.

Bruce Carter brought back an interception 41 yards for a TD and the defense set up two quick scoring drives with takeaways for North Carolina (4-2).

Houston scored on rushes of 1, 1 and 7 yards. Shaun Draughn added a 16-yard touchdown run for the Tar Heels, who held the Eagles to 170 total yards and 75 through the air.

Adam Urbano had a 45-yard TD rush - the longest allowed this season by North Carolina’s stingy defense - for the Eagles (3-3).

The Tar Heels managed only a combined 10 points in consecutive losses to Georgia Tech and Virginia that dropped them out of the national rankings and into last place in the ACC’s Coastal Division.

Turned out, a timely visit from another outmanned Football Championship Subdivision opponent was just what they needed, building a 42-7 halftime lead - their highest-scoring first half in nine years.

The game had no impact on North Carolina’s postseason eligibility because teams may count only one victory per season over an FCS team toward the six necessary to qualify for a bowl, and the Tar Heels routed Citadel 40-6 in the opener.

The Tar Heels’ defense, which entered with national rankings of No. 8 overall and No. 4 against the pass, spoke openly during game week about feeling the need to give their struggling offense a jolt. Defensive end Robert Quinn promising to “put it on our shoulders.”

Did they ever.

Quinn jarred the ball loose from Lee Chapple as he passed late in the first quarter. E.J. Wilson returned it to the 16 and Draughn scored on the next play to make it 14-0.

Sturdivant pushed the lead to 21-7 midway through the second when he ripped the ball out of Urbano’s hands and returned it down the right sideline for his second career score. Zach Brown’s interception moments later gave the Tar Heels the ball at the 22 and three plays later, Houston barrelled in from 7 yards out.

Carter then snuffed out the Eagles’ next possession with his second career interception return for a TD.

North Carolina, held to nine first downs in last week’s loss to the previously winless Cavaliers, nearly matched that on an opening drive that ended with Houston’s first 1-yard plunge. He powered in with 6 seconds before the break to give the Tar Heels their most points in a first half since they scored 52 against Duke in 2000.

Urbano finished with a career-high 93 yards rushing for Georgia Southern, which fell to 1-17 against Bowl Subdivision teams.

North Carolina (3-2, 0-2) will host Georgia Southern (3-2, 2-1), its second FCS opponent this season. North Carolina has dropped two straight since starting 3-0, including a 16-3 loss to Virginia at home last weekend. Georgia Southern is coming off of a 26-21 win at Wofford. This will be Carolina’s last game before a bye week leading up to two straight Thursday night tilts. Carolina will be playing its second of three straight games at home (four of the next five). This will be the third straight road game for Georgia Southern.

This will be not only the first meeting between Carolina and Georgia Southern, but it will also be Georgia Southern’s first game against an ACC opponent. Georgia Southern has faced 18 FBS opponents in its history and has a 1-17 record, knocking off Florida International in 2004. Its last FCS opponent was Georgia, which it lost to by a 45-21 score. In fact, the Eagles have faced Georgia twice since 2004 and has averaged 24.5 points against the Bulldogs.