UNC-NCSU Postgame Notes

---Carolina improves to 6-3 overall and 3-2 in the ACC this year and beats NC State for the first time since 2006. The Tar Heels now lead the series, 64-32-6.

---Carolina trailed 35-25 entering the fourth quarter. Today marked the first time the Tar Heels rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit since trailing William & Mary 17-7 and winning 21-17 in 2010.

---The 43 points are the most UNC has scored against NC State since a 52-20 win over the Wolfpack in 1996. The 35 points are the most NC State has ever scored in a loss to the Tar Heels (previous was 34 in a 37-34 UNC win in overtime in Charlotte). The 78 points are the most combined points in the series since a 47-34 State win in 2003.

---Carolina scored the deciding points on a 74-yard punt return by Giovani Bernard with 13 seconds to play in the fourth quarter. The punt came with 30 seconds to play after UNC stopped the Wolfpack, which had begun its final drive with 1:24 to play following Casey Barth's 34-yard tying field goal.

---Prior to Bernard's 74-yard return, the longest punt return NC State had allowed this season was an 8-yard return by South Alabama's T.J. Glover on Sept. 15, 2012.

---The punt return was Carolina's first for a score against NC State since Eric Lewis had a 84-yarder in 1986.

---The punt return was Bernard's second of the season, tying the school record for punt return touchdowns in a season. He also had a 70-yarder against Elon in the season opener. Bernard is the sixth player to have two in a season (two of the previous five were on blocked punts), joining Johnny Branch (1930), Charlie Justice (1948), Norris Davis (1987, blocks), Andre Purvis (1993, both on blocks) and Bosley Allen (2000).

---Bernard finished with a game-high 135 rushing yards on 23 carries and two rushing touchdowns. He also had eight catches for a career-high 95 yards and led the Tar Heels in both rushing and receiving on the day.

---Bernard scored three touchdowns today and has 15 for the season in seven games and has 29 touchdowns in 20 collegiate games. In 2012 he has scored 10 rushing, three receiving and two by punt returns in just seven games. Bernard's 15 touchdowns this year already ties the fifth-most in a season by a Tar Heel (Amos Lawrence, 1980).

---Bernard had 230 yards from scrimmage and a career-best 304 all-purpose yards today. Bernard has 1,498 all-purpose yards this year, already the ninth-most in school history.

---Bernard had 89 yards rushing, a 19-yard reception and a 74-yard punt return in the fourth quarter for a total of 182 all-purpose yards in the final 15 minutes.

---Bernard's 74-yard punt return came on the 18th and final punt of the day (for both teams). Prior to that play, the teams had combined for just nine punt return yards on the previous 17 kicks. NC State finished the game with one punt return yard on two returns; Carolina had eight punt return yards on its first eight returns.

---Bernard has rushed for at least 135 yards in each of the last four games, including 262 vs. Virginia Tech, 177 at Miami, 143 at Duke and 135 against NC State.

---Bernard has now rushed for 930 yards and 10 touchdowns, an ACC-leading average of 132.9 per game. He has 2,183 career rushing yards, still 11th-best in Carolina history.

---Carolina compiled 570 yards of total offense, the second-most this season and the fourth time this year with at least 500 yards. NC State had 534 yards, the most against the Tar Heels this year (last week Duke had 510). The teams combined for 1,104 yards, the most in a UNC game since 2002 when the Tar Heels and Arizona State combined for 1,135 yards in a 38-35 Carolina victory.

---QB Bryn Renner completed 30 of 47 passes for 358 yards. Those were career highs in completions and attempts and the 358 yards are the second most in his career (had 363 earlier this year against Louisville).

---Renner's 30 completions are the fourth-most in a game by a Tar Heel in history. The 30 were the most since TJ Yates had a school-record 33 against the Wolfpack in 2010. The 30 completions are the most allowed by NC State this year.

---Renner's fourth-quarter touchdown pass was his 18th of the season and the 44th of his career. His 18 touchdowns are tied for the fourth-most in a single-season history. His 26 touchdowns in 2011 were a school record.

---WR Erik Highsmith scored his first career rushing touchdown in the first quarter on a 45-yard reverse. Highsmith also gained 41 yards on a pass play earlier in the quarter when Marquise Williams lined up at quarterback and lateraled to Renner, who threw downfield to Highsmith.

---TE Eric Ebron extended his single-season UNC record for receiving yards by a tight end to 546 with 79 yards against NC State. He also pulled within one catch of Ryan Taylor's single-season record for receptions by a tight end (36 in 2010).

---PK Casey Barth extended his career school record for made field goals to 66. Carolina has made 160 consecutive extra points, including a school-record 122 in a row by Barth.

---OG Jonathan Cooper started his 44th career game Saturday, most among active offensive linemen in the ACC.

---OT James Hurst wore No. 73 today in honor of injured teammate Brennan Williams.

---Punter/holder Thomas Hibbard passed for a pair of two-point conversions today and has three in the last three games. He converted both his two-point attempts today to tight end Jack Tabb, one in the first quarter that gave Carolina a 15-0 lead and the second with 13 seconds to play to give UNC a 43-35 advantage. Hibbard connected with tight end Eric Ebron for a two-pointer in the win at Miami.

---NC State quarterback Mike Glennon passed for 467 yards, the third-most ever against UNC. Dave Brown of Duke had 479 in 1989 and Andrew Walter of Arizona State had 474 in 2002.

---The teams combined for 59 pass completions (30 by UNC's Renner and 29 by State's Glennon), the most ever in a Carolina game. The previous was 55 in the 2003 game against NC State.

---The teams also combined for 99 pass attempts (52 by Glennon and 47 by Renner), the most ever in a Carolina game. The previous high was 93 against Wake Forest in 1997.

---Freshman WR Quinshad Davis caught a season-high six passes for 67 yards.

---Carolina led 15-0 and 25-7 in the first quarter. NC State scored 28 unanswered points as the Tar Heels did not score a point over a span of 36 minutes and one second. UNC then scored the game's final 18 points over the last 10:23 (on a touchdown pass from Renner to Sean Tapley, a field goal by Barth and the punt return by Bernard).

---Carolina has scored 40 or more points four times this year and 30 or more on six occasions.