As promised, head North Carolina football coach Larry Fedora’s offense was very fast.
It was too fast for Football Championship Subdivision foe Elon on Saturday, way too fast, and Fedora had to shut it down mid-way through the third quarter. The Tar Heels still took the game by 62 points.
The 62-0 win is the largest victory since beating Ohio by the same score in 1995 and the first shutout since 1999.
Tailback Giovani Bernard was the catalyst earlier on for the Tar Heels as he scored the first touchdown of the season on a 59-yard run. Bernard also caught a six-yard touchdown pass and returned a punt 70 yards for a score before halftime.
“Gio, I think he’s going for the Heisman now after that performance,” wide receiver Erik Highsmith said. “He carried us on offense, he’s our go to guy. He’s the man.”
Highsmith caught three passes in the game for 44 yards.
Fedora was also impressed with the play of his tailback while he was in the game. Bernard sat for the entire second half after some discomfort in his knee.
“That was exciting for me because that was the first time I’d seen him play,” Fedora said. “I’ve seen it in practice but until you get to see him in the game, to see him light it up, to see the burst that he has, the explosiveness. That was a lot of fun.”
Fedora said that he could have returned to the game, but the Tar Heels certainly didn’t need him.