Tar Heels Stop 'Pack Comeback

Out of the shotgun, Durant dropped a step back and didn't hesitate, throwing the ball to a wide-open Bailey, hooking up for the duo's second of two touchdowns Saturday afternoon at Carter-Finley Stadium.

"I've audibled into some plays but never a touchdown," said Durant, North Carolina's backup quarterback. "That felt great because the more you can audible and make things happen, the better confidence the coach has in you about reading defenses."

If Durant did not have UNC coach John Bunting's confidence after Saturday, he might as well give up. The redshirt freshman went 10 for 14 for 128 yards and threw two touchdowns and one interception to lead the Tar Heels (2-3, 2-1 in the ACC) to a 17-9 victory against N.C. State (2-1, 0-1).

In UNC's two-in, two-out system that gives starting quarterback Ronald Curry and Durant two series to make their mark, Durant used his chances wisely Saturday. He led the Tar Heels on two consecutive scoring drives that ate more than 10 minutes off the clock.

"That's huge, that's huge for our defense," Bunting said. "In a couple of our losses, obviously, we've been out there for a long time, actually all three. This gives our guys a chance to go out and play even stronger when they get a little bit of rest.

"And it's encouraging when you see them drive the football."

The two drives, a 4:51 time of possession leading to a Jeff Reed field goal and the 6:16 drive that ended with Bailey's TD, became more important when N.C. State began its comeback attempts in the fourth quarter.

The Wolfpack launched its eighth come-from-behind victory under second-year coach Chuck Amato last week against Southern Methodist to snag a 26-17 win.

The 'Pack would try for nine.

Quarterback Philip Rivers, 6 for 8 in the fourth quarter against SMU, completed 11 of 20 passes as the 'Pack abandoned their running game.

N.C. State got the ball on its 38 after defensive end George Anderson stripped UNC freshman tailback Jacque Lewis of the ball. Rivers immediately threw consecutive 21- and 22-yard passes to Troy Graham and Jerricho Cotchery. But Rivers couldn't complete two more passes and State managed only an Adam Kiker field goal with 10:38 left in the game.

Bunting had prepared his team for State's ability to come back. The night before the game he went over each of the Wolfpack's eight comebacks with the team.

"He mentioned it," UNC linebacker David Thornton said. "They let us know that (N.C. State) had a great comeback team and that we had to play hard for 60 minutes. You can't let up at any part of the game because if you do, they'll take advantage of that."

After the field goal, N.C. State had two more chances to tie the game. UNC punter John Lafferty made two punts for touchbacks to start both of State's last two possessions, which meant Rivers had to mount an 80-yard drive.

With time winding down, the Wolfpack completely chucked the running game -- handing off just once to tailback Ray Robinson, who had picked up 68 yards on 14 carries in the game.

In its last possession, Rivers led the 'Pack 54 yards on two first downs. On fourth and seven, he completed a pass to Graham, who was promptly tackled by UNC cornerback Michael Waddell one yard short of the first down with 28 seconds left on the clock.

"He's awfully good, but we knew that coming in." Bunting said of Rivers. "We felt like we had to get a lot of shots at him. He still managed to complete passes, but we didn't give up the big play."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.