Football: Yates and Searcy head home for game

For many members of the No. 22 North Carolina football team, Saturday’s win against East Carolina was a rivalry game.

But for quarterback T.J. Yates and safety Da’Norris Searcy, the rivalry game isn’t until this weekend.

When the Tar Heels take the field at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, it will be a homecoming for Georgia natives like Yates and Searcy.

“For me, I’m from Georgia, so to beat the hometown team would be great for me,” Searcy said.

“Half of those guys I grew up with, playing Little League. We didn’t go to the same high school, but we’d see each other’s highlights on Fox channels down there. We used to call each other every night saying, ‘Do your job.’”

Georgia Tech’s running back and 2008 ACC Player of the Year Jonathan Dwyer spent his high school years at Carlton J. Kell High School in Marietta, Ga., where he was often pitted against Pope High School and their quarterback, Yates.

But when asked if he was recruited by the Yellow Jackets, Yates responded with a quiet “no” and a cryptic smile.

If Yates feels any chagrin toward Georgia Tech, it can only be further chafed by the fact that North Carolina hasn’t won at Bobby Dodd Stadium since 1997.

It didn’t help matters that just two years ago in Atlanta, Georgia Tech capped a late-game comeback with a field goal with 15 seconds remaining to beat UNC, 27-25.

“We kind of let one slip away from us a little bit two years ago down there,” Yates said. “We kind of had the game and let it go. But as opposed to two years ago when we went down there, we’re such a better team, offense, defense, special teams, so I think we’re going to put a better team on the field.”

In its latest bid to break that streak, UNC brings a top-25 ranking and a veteran defense into the contest Saturday. To boot, the Tar Heels managed to shut down Georgia Tech last season in Chapel Hill and win 28-7.

But, at least for Searcy, the return to his old stomping grounds will be as much about the homecoming as the rivalry he feels. Searcy turned down a scholarship offer from Georgia Tech to try to play somewhere farther from home.

“They offered me, but I wanted to leave the state of Georgia because I’ve been there my whole life,” he said. “You can always go back home, but it’s nice to get away.”

Searcy will have plenty of chances to both enjoy being home and show up his old high school rivals. As UNC’s main punt returner, Searcy is averaging 17.3 yards per return — good for sixth in the ACC thus far.

Searcy also ripped off a 77-yard return for a touchdown in UNC’s season-opener against The Citadel.

Both Searcy and Yates mentioned they had large numbers of family members and friends attending the game.

“Everybody that’s from Atlanta or around there has a lot of friends and family in there and a couple of us have friends on the Georgia Tech team,” Yates said. “It’ll be a homecoming for us.”


Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.