PISCATAWAY, N.J. — North Carolina held on to win a closely contested 17-13 game against Rutgers on Saturday. The Tar Heels trailed for most of the game after falling behind 10-0 early in the first quarter. It took UNC the entire first quarter to finally get into an offensive rhythm, but once it did, the defense responded.
North Carolina’s front seven on defense were instrumental in the second half. Quinton Coples tallied three sacks against Rutgers quarterback Tom Savage. The defensive line applied pressure and hurried Savage all day long.
On the final stand against Rutgers’ offense, defensive tackle Tydreke Powell had a pass deflection and a sack. And, last but not least, Bruce Carter had an interception and a blocked punt. Those two plays led to 10 of UNC’s 17 points.
UNC quarterback T.J. Yates continued to play well, and although he threw his first interception of the year, which was deflected into the defender’s hands. Against Rutgers, UNC didn’t break scoring records, but it did grind out its first win of the season. Butch Davis said he may not have ever been as proud of a team as he was of this one.
Visit dailytarheel.com for a full story from Saturday’s game.
