Bernard hopes to return Saturday

Larry Fedora was impressed with the performances of running backs A.J. Blue and Romar Morris in North Carolina’s 28-27 loss to Wake Forest on Saturday.

But when watching film from the game the next day, he couldn’t keep the ‘what-ifs’ from pervading his thoughts.

Tailback Giovani Bernard scored three times and racked up 203 all-purpose yards in the season-opening win against Elon but only played the first half after leaving the game with “knee discomfort.”

Saturday in Winston-Salem, Bernard stood on the sideline in full pads but didn’t play because of the lingering injury.

Bernard did participate in Sunday walk-throughs.

But the loss of their biggest offensive weapon was a huge blow to the Tar Heels (1-1, 0-1).

“I sat there watching the film wondering, ‘Would he have done something different here?’” Fedora said Monday.

At a press conference on Sept. 3, Bernard said he felt great and expected to play against Wake Forest. Five days later, he could only watch as Wake Forest handled the UNC offense.

After tearing his ACL on the third day of training camp in 2010, Bernard was forced to redshirt in his first season with the Tar Heels. He’s used to spending time on the sideline.

Now, he has to be forced off the field.

“He wants to be out there every snap,” Fedora said. “It’s like during camp, I might have the threes out there, and all of a sudden you see he’s out there with them. I’m like, ‘What are you doing?’ (He said), ‘I want to play. I want to get another rep.’ That’s him.”

Quarterback Bryn Renner said Bernard wasn’t his usual happy-go-lucky self in the days leading up to the game.

But despite disappointment, Bernard stood in solidarity with his teammates Saturday.

“He was very motivational,” guard Jonathan Cooper said. “We came in at halftime, and he offered to clean my visor on my helmet. He was just trying to be very supportive and upbeat.”

UNC finished the game with 157 rushing yards. Blue rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown, while redshirt freshman Morris recorded 70 yards and his first career touchdown.

The running game, especially in the fourth quarter, seemed to fare just fine without Bernard.

After redshirting in 2011, Morris scored three touchdowns in UNC’s spring game in April. Against Elon, he had 10 carries for 49 yards, a performance overshadowed by Bernard’s eye-catching game.

With his backfield leader out of commission Saturday, Morris had the opportunity to grab attention himself.

“He’s really leaned on Gio, and when Gio wasn’t there, it was Romar’s turn to take the torch … It’s all about confidence and knowing that you can do it,” Renner said. “And Romar got a little taste of that.”

Fedora is hopeful that Bernard will be back in action next Saturday when UNC travels to take on No. 19 Louisville.

He’s encouraging the Tar Heels who played to fix their mistakes and move on from Saturday’s disappointment.

“You can’t let one loss beat you twice,” he’s told his team.
And if Bernard is healthy, he’s ready to ensure it doesn’t.

Contact the desk editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.