2011 North Carolina Tar Heels football team
Encyclopedia
The 2011 North Carolina Tar Heels football team will represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
in the 2011 college football season
. The team will be led by an interim head coach and play their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. They are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference
in the Coastal Division.
(February 3, 2011) the Tar Heel's recruiting class was ranked as the 16th best class in the nation by the three major recruiting sites (espn.com , rivals.com , and scout.com ). Marquise Williams (QB), Travis Riley (RB), T.J. Thorpe (Ath), Landon Turner (OG), and Sylvester Williams (DT) (Junior College Transfer) all enrolled in January of 2011. The entire 2011 recruiting class included 26 players, 22 of which were either four-star or three-star recruits.
^Delvon Simmons requested to be released from his letter of intent in March 2011. He was granted release, and will not play for UNC.
announced that the UNC Board of Trustees decided to dismiss Butch Davis
as the head coach of the football team. The announcement comes a week before the start of fall training camp. The firing is due to the investigations by the NCAA in to academic fraud, impermissible benefits, and talking to agents in the 2010 season
. The next day on the 28th, Everett Withers
, the defesive coordinator of the past 3 years, was named as the interim head coach. Athletic director, Dick Baddour, also announced, on this day, that he would be stepping down from his role once a new athletic director is found for the university. Baddour added that he wanted the new athletic director to be in charge of hiring the university's next head football coach.
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!colspan=8 style="background:#56A0D3; color:#FFFFFF;"| Regular Season
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Do not play: Boston College
, Florida State
, and Maryland
.
Tee Martin
.
. The Heels were able to effectively run the ball against the Cavaliers, finishing the game with 222 rushing yards by 8 different offensive players. The Heels defense recorded their first takeaways of the young season when Matt Merletti recorded 2 interceptions in the fourth quarter to seal the Carolina victory.
.
as the team leader for the year in 2011. The UNC offense continued to perform in the red-zone scoring touchdowns on 3 of 4 trips, bringing their season total to 15 touchdowns in 18 trips in the redzone. The defense, however, has held opponents to only 7 touchdowns in 18 trips in to the redzone so far this year.
.
(who finished with 5 in 1993).
in 2005. UNC was only down by 7 going in to the half and their defense had only allowed 15 yards of rushing up to that point. However, Clemson's 35 points in the third quarter became only the second time in school history to accomplish this feat, the only other time being by the 1981
National Championship team. T.J. Thorpe became only the second Tar Heel in history to record a kickoff return of 100 yards for a touchdown.
in 2004
and the most against an ACC opponent since the 2001 season
. The Tar Heel defense was led by senior Zach Brown who had 9 tackles (2.5 for a loss), an interception, a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
in the 2011 college football season
2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season, play of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level, began on Thursday, September 1, 2011...
. The team will be led by an interim head coach and play their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. They are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
in the Coastal Division.
Recruiting
After National Signing DayNational Signing Day
National Signing Day most commonly refers to a day in February, usually on the first Wednesday of that month, which is the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for college football with a school that is a member of the NCAA, the main governing body for...
(February 3, 2011) the Tar Heel's recruiting class was ranked as the 16th best class in the nation by the three major recruiting sites (espn.com , rivals.com , and scout.com ). Marquise Williams (QB), Travis Riley (RB), T.J. Thorpe (Ath), Landon Turner (OG), and Sylvester Williams (DT) (Junior College Transfer) all enrolled in January of 2011. The entire 2011 recruiting class included 26 players, 22 of which were either four-star or three-star recruits.
^Delvon Simmons requested to be released from his letter of intent in March 2011. He was granted release, and will not play for UNC.
Coaching staff
On July 27, 2011, UNC chancellor Holden ThorpHolden Thorp
Herbert Holden Thorp is a chemist, inventor, musician, professor, and entrepreneur who is the tenth and current chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . He began in that position on July 1, 2008, succeeding James Moeser, and, at age 43, was noted at the time as being among...
announced that the UNC Board of Trustees decided to dismiss Butch Davis
Butch Davis
Paul Hilton "Butch" Davis, Jr. is an American football coach and former player in the United States. He was the head coach at the University of Miami from 1995 to 2000, the Cleveland Browns of the NFL from 2001 to 2004, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2007 to 2011.-Early...
as the head coach of the football team. The announcement comes a week before the start of fall training camp. The firing is due to the investigations by the NCAA in to academic fraud, impermissible benefits, and talking to agents in the 2010 season
2010 North Carolina Tar Heels football team
The 2010 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the 2010 college football season. The team was led by fourth year coach Butch Davis and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. They are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
. The next day on the 28th, Everett Withers
Everett Withers
-External links:*...
, the defesive coordinator of the past 3 years, was named as the interim head coach. Athletic director, Dick Baddour, also announced, on this day, that he would be stepping down from his role once a new athletic director is found for the university. Baddour added that he wanted the new athletic director to be in charge of hiring the university's next head football coach.
| Name |
Position | Seasons in Position |
| Everett Withers Everett Withers -External links:*... |
Interim Head Coach | 1st (4th at school) |
| Brian Baker | Defensive Line | 1st |
| Ken Browning | Running Backs | 18th |
| Tom Myslinski | Strength and Conditioning Coordinator | 1st |
| Troy Douglas | Defensive Backs | 3rd |
| Art Kaufman | Linebackers | 3rd |
| Allen Mogridge | Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator/Special Teams Coordinator | 3rd |
| Sam Pittman | Associate Head Coach/Offensive Line | 5th |
| John Shoop John Shoop John Shoop is an American football coach who has coached in the National Football League and at the collegiate level... |
Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks | 5th |
| Charlie Williams | Wide Receivers | 5th |
| Steve Sisa | Safeties | 1st |
Roster
Schedule
|-!colspan=8 style="background:#56A0D3; color:#FFFFFF;"| Spring Game
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!colspan=8 style="background:#56A0D3; color:#FFFFFF;"| Regular Season
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!colspan=8 style="background:#56A0D3; color:#FFFFFF;"| Bowl Game
Do not play: Boston College
2011 Boston College Eagles football team
The 2011 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Eagles are led by third year head coach Frank Spaziani and play their home games at Alumni Stadium. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast...
, Florida State
2011 Florida State Seminoles football team
The 2011 Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Seminoles are led by 2nd year head coach Jimbo Fisher and play their home games at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium...
, and Maryland
2011 Maryland Terrapins football team
The 2011 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football season...
.
Rankings
James Madison Dukes
This was the first ever game as a head coach for Everett Withers. The Tar Heels never trailed in the game, scoring on the opening drive of the game with a 34 yard touchdown pass from Bryn Renner to Dwight Jones. The Heels gave up only one touchdown, which came off of the insuing drive after a mishandled snap, which resulted in a blocked punt. In his first ever collegiate start, Bryn Renner set school and ACC records for the highest completion percentage (95.7%) in a single-game and was just shy of the NCAA record of 95.8% set in 1998 by Tennessee's1998 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 1998 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Tennessee entered the 1998 season coming off an 11–2 record in 1997...
Tee Martin
Tee Martin
Tamaurice Nigel "Tee" Martin is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League and Canadian Football League...
.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
North Carolina was able to hold on to a 2 point win despite turning the ball over 5 times (2 fumbles and 3 interceptions) and not having a single takeaway. A key defensive stand came in the first quarter when a Rutgers interception was returned to the UNC 2 yard line. The UNC defense was able to hold the Rutgers offense and on 4th down from the 1 yard line held the line of scrimmage forcing a turnover on downs. The UNC defense was also able to hold Rutgers to only 1 yard rushing total for the game, the lowest total since holding Wake Forest to a negative 2 yards in 2000.Virginia Cavaliers
With its win against Virginia, UNC started their ACC schedule with a win for the first time since 20012001 North Carolina Tar Heels football team
-Coaching staff:-Schedule:-Team Players drafted in the NFL:The following players were selected in the 2002 NFL Draft.-References:...
. The Heels were able to effectively run the ball against the Cavaliers, finishing the game with 222 rushing yards by 8 different offensive players. The Heels defense recorded their first takeaways of the young season when Matt Merletti recorded 2 interceptions in the fourth quarter to seal the Carolina victory.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech entered this meeting of unbeatens as one of the top offenses in the nation averaging 53.3 points and 675.3 yards a game. The UNC defense, however, was able to hold them to only 35 points and 496 yards. Trailing 28-14 in the fourth quarter, UNC rallied behind an Eric Ebron touchdown reception and a 55 yard Giovanni Bernard touchdown run to tie the game up with 7:22 left in the game. Georgia Tech took the lead for good with a Tevin Washington touchdown run with 5:20 remaining. With the win, Georgia Tech goes to 4-0 for the first time since their national championship season in 19901990 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team
The 1990 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Yellow Jackets offense scored 379 points while the defense allowed 186 points. Led by head coach Bobby Ross, the Yellow Jackets participated in the...
.
East Carolina Pirates
UNC did not commit a turnover in a game for the first time all season. They were +4 in the turnover margin for the game (2 fumble recoveries and 2 interceptions). Giovani Bernard became the first Tar Heel since Natrone Means in 1992 to rush for over 100 yards in 3 consecutive games. His 7 touchdowns through 5 games ties the individual high for Johnny WhiteJohnny White (American football)
Johnny White is an American football running back for the Buffalo Bills. White played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Johnny White was converted to running back for the Tar Heels 2010 season...
as the team leader for the year in 2011. The UNC offense continued to perform in the red-zone scoring touchdowns on 3 of 4 trips, bringing their season total to 15 touchdowns in 18 trips in the redzone. The defense, however, has held opponents to only 7 touchdowns in 18 trips in to the redzone so far this year.
Louisville Cardinals
Despite having the ball for 22:08 in the first half, Louisville only gained 173 yards of offense. This was, however, 113 more yards than UNC going in to the locker rooms at the half. In the second half however, UNC outgained Louisville 202 to 95. Louisville's only score of the game came with only 42 seconds left to end the shutout for the UNC defense. Giovani Bernard became the first ever freshman running back to rush for over 100 yards in 4 straight games. With this win, UNC has won 8 straight games against non-conference opponents. Their last lost was against LSU in the 2010 Chick-fil-A College Kickoff2010 Chick-fil-A College Kickoff
The 2010 Chick-fil-A College Kickoff featured the North Carolina Tar Heels, of the ACC, and the LSU Tigers, of the SEC, on September 4, 2010. The game took place in Atlanta, Georgia at the Georgia Dome. In the 2009 edition, Alabama defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies 34–24. Both teams made their...
.
Miami Hurricanes
UNC gave up a touchdown in the first quarter for the first time this season. Miami took a 14-0 lead before UNC ever took the field on offense. Miami scored on their opening drive of the game and then, on the ensuing kick-off, recovered a fumble by kick returner T.J. Thorpe and scored on their next play from scrimmage. The Heels nearly made an improbable comeback when, down by 13, they scored a touchdown with 46 seconds remaining in the game. They then recovered the on-side kick on their own 44 yard line. They were able to advance the ball to the 30 yard line after a 15 yard pass reception by Dwight Jones and an 11 yard reception by Giovani Bernard. Bernard also rushed for another 110 yards giving him 5 100+ yard games in a row. This ties for the second most in a season by a UNC freshman. The other two UNC freshmen with this record are Amos Lawrence (who finished with 6 in 1977) and Leon JohnsonLeon Johnson (American football)
Walter Leon Johnson is a former professional American football running back. He played seven seasons for the New York Jets, the Chicago Bears, and the San Diego Chargers in the National Football League. Johnson played quarterback at Morganton's Freedom High School. He was moved to tailback at the...
(who finished with 5 in 1993).
Clemson Tigers
The Tar Heels turned the ball over 6 times in their 59-38 loss to Clemson. This was the most points allowed by UNC since they gave up 69 to Louisville2005 Louisville Cardinals football team
The 2005 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the 2005 college football season. The team, led by Bobby Petrino in his third year at the school, played their home games in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium...
in 2005. UNC was only down by 7 going in to the half and their defense had only allowed 15 yards of rushing up to that point. However, Clemson's 35 points in the third quarter became only the second time in school history to accomplish this feat, the only other time being by the 1981
1981 Clemson Tigers football team
The 1981 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tigers were led by head coach Danny Ford and played their home games in Memorial Stadium...
National Championship team. T.J. Thorpe became only the second Tar Heel in history to record a kickoff return of 100 yards for a touchdown.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
With their win over Wake Forest, North Carolina became bowl eligible for the 4th straight year. The Tar Heel defense caused 5 Deacon turnovers (3 interceptions and 2 fumbles) after Wake Forest had committed only 5 turnovers the entire season coming in to the game. UNC's 49 points was the most they had scored in a game since their opener against William & Mary2004 William & Mary Tribe football team
The 2004 William & Mary Tribe football team represented the College of William & Mary in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-AA college football during the 2004 season...
in 2004
2004 North Carolina Tar Heels football team
-Coaching staff:-Schedule:Did not play: Clemson and Maryland.-Team Statistics:-References:...
and the most against an ACC opponent since the 2001 season
2001 North Carolina Tar Heels football team
-Coaching staff:-Schedule:-Team Players drafted in the NFL:The following players were selected in the 2002 NFL Draft.-References:...
. The Tar Heel defense was led by senior Zach Brown who had 9 tackles (2.5 for a loss), an interception, a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.