North Carolina 62, Elon University 0
When: 12:30 PM ET, Saturday, September 1, 2012
Where: Kenan Memorial Stadium, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Temperature:
89°
Head Official:
David Epperley
Attendance:
50500
By SportsDirect Inc.
North Carolina 62, Elon 0: Giovani Bernard ran for one touchdown, caught another and returned a punt for a score in the first half as the Tar Heels rolled over the visiting Phoenix.
Bernard zipped 59 yards down the left sideline for North Carolina’s first touchdown 5:26 into the game, then caught a swing pass from Bryn Renner and bulled his way 6 yards with 4:45 left in the first quarter. Bernard finished with 93 yards rushing on nine carries.
The dazzling 70-yard punt return made it 24-0 early in the second quarter as coach Larry Fedora’s debut turned into a rout.
Renner, running Fedora’s spread offense, was 14 of 21 for 236 yards and three touchdowns. Renner also hit Jheranie Boyd for 35 yards and a score with 9:48 left in the first half as the Heels pushed the lead to 41-0 at halftime.
Elon drove to the North Carolina 15 in the first quarter before quarterback Thomas Wilson was intercepted by Jabari Price. The Heels held All-American receiver Aaron Mellette to two receptions for nine yards.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Casey Barth, who missed most of last season with an injury, had two field goals to pull within one of tying his brother Connor on the school’s all-time list. Connor kicks for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. … Five of North Carolina’s seven TD drives were 1:26 or less. … It was the first football meeting between the two schools, less than 40 miles apart. … North Carolina set a school record for return yards (260).
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Elon University |
|
North Carolina |
Thuc Phan
|
Player |
Giovani Bernard
|
10 |
Attempts |
9 |
19 |
Yards |
93 |
1.9 |
Avg Yards |
10.3 |
0 |
Touchdowns |
1 |
0 |
Long |
0 |
Receiving
Elon University |
|
North Carolina |
Kierre Brown
| Player |
Eric Ebron
|
4 |
Receptions |
2 |
31 |
Yards |
53 |
7.8 |
Avg Yards |
26.5 |
0 |
Touchdowns |
0 |
0 |
Long |
0 |
Team Stats Summary