North Carolina defeated the East Carolina Pirates 27-6 on Saturday to improve to 2-2 on the season. It was a tight game at halftime, but the Tar Heels scored the game's final 17 points as they dominated the second half of play. The loss drops the Pirates to 2-2 on the season.
The Tar Heels opened the scoring when Bryn Renner found Giovani Bernard for a 14-yard touchdown strike. The teams would spend the second quarter exchanging field goals, with North Carolina taking a 10-6 lead into the halftime break.
Sean Tapley would get on the receiving end of a 62-yard touchdown pass in the third that would see the lead stretched to 17-6, and the Heels made it 24-6 when Bernard ran the ball in from the 4-yard line. UNC added a field goal late in the fourth quarter to finish the scoring on Saturday.
Box Score Hero: Renner had a fantastic afternoon under center for North Carolina. He completed 27 of his 43 passes for 320 yards and a pair of scores. He also chipped in with 19 yards on the ground.
Rankings Ramifications: This game is not likely to have any effect on the national rankings.
But Did They Cover? UNC was favored by 15 points, and they won by 21. The over/under was set at 63.5 points, so the under was comfortably the way to go on Saturday.
For More On This Game: For more on UNC football, visit North Carolina blog Carolina March.
Next Week's Schedule: The Tar Heels will be in action again next Saturday as they host the Idaho Vandals. The Pirates will also be home next Saturday, against the UTEP Miners.