Kenan Memorial Stadium/Chapel Hill –– UNC leads The Citadel 23-0 at the half, running over The Citadel on both offense and defense.
The Bulldogs’ Joseph Boateng intercepted a pass with less than a minute to play in the half, returning it to inside the Carolina 5-yard line before Bart Blanchard threw his third interception and Deunta Williams caught his second pick of the half.
The Tar Heel front seven limited the Bulldogs to 73 total yards in the first half while the offense churned out 108 yards on the ground, including Shaun Draughn’s 84 yards. And three interceptions thrown by Blanchard ruined The Citadel’s scoring opportunities.
Key Play of the half: Johnny White’s 18-yard touchdown reception from Yates pushed the Heels ahead 10-0 and took some pressure off the running game, which carried the offense through most of the first half. White’s first career touchdown lifts a questioned receiving corps that is already without starter Dwight Jones for the first few games.
Key Player(s) of the half: Juniors Kendric Burney and Da’Norris Searcy combined for 49 yards on three punt returns, including a 20-yard or more return for each player, which set up Carolina’s excellent field position throughout the half.
What to watch in the second half: Keep an eye on UNC’s running backs if the score stays lopsided. A.J. Blue has taken a few snaps from behind center and scampered for a first down on Carolina’s third scoring drive. Draughn and Ryan Houston, who scored the second touchdown for the Heels, should get significant carries in the second half and started shredding The Citadel late in the second quarter.
The Citadel needs to come out throwing quick passes to avoid the Tar Heel pass rush, which forced a fumble with just under 3 minutes to play in the half.
