GREENVILLE — After coming out of the locker room at halftime trailing North Carolina 28-3 on Saturday, East Carolina strung together two quick drives in the third quarter to score 10 straight points and make the rivalry match a two-possession game.
But with just one hand, senior wide receiver Dwight Jones sunk the Pirates’ hopes for a comeback.
To cap off an eight-and-a-half-minute drive that would all but seal a UNC victory, redshirt sophomore Bryn Renner connected with Jones, who made a dazzling one-handed grab for a touchdown on third and goal.
The Tar Heels walked out of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium with a commanding 35-20 win. But after witnessing Jones’ standout performance against the Pirates, junior wide receiver Erik Highsmith also left with a reminder of just how outstanding of a role model he has in his teammate.
“I mean, it’s Dwight. He’s a playmaker,” said Highsmith, who had a 75-yard touchdown in the first quarter. “I look up to him every day, whether he knows it or not. He’s a good guy. He’s a good player. He’s a freakish athlete.”
Renner — who completed 13 of 20 passes for 230 yards — connected with Jones six times on Saturday, including a 47-yard touchdown pass in the first half that gave UNC its 25-point lead going into halftime.
Both teams excelled through the air, and senior quarterback Dominique Davis led East Carolina’s spread offense with a school-record 417 yards. But especially in the first half, the North Carolina offense was two-dimensional.
Against the Pirates, UNC rushed for 226 yards, 146 of which came from redshirt freshman Giovani Bernard.
Bernard, who has rushed for 548 yards and seven touchdowns this season, became the first Tar Heel tailback since 1992 to rush for 100 yards or more in three straight games.
