Burney’s INTs help UNC beat No. 12 Miami
November 15, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP)—Kendric Burney returned one of his three interceptionsfor a 77-yard touchdown and his third pick resulted in a bizarre fourth-quarterscore that helped North Carolina beat No. 12 Miami 33-24 on Saturday.
Burney fumbled his third interception on what looked to be a forward pass,but Melvin Williams picked up the loose ball and ran the last 44 yards for ascore. The touchdown held up on review after replays showed the ball slippingfrom Burney’s hand, confirming a play that gave the Tar Heels (7-3, 3-3 AtlanticCoast Conference) a 30-17 lead with about 9 1/2 minutes left.
Casey Barth kicked four field goals, including the clincher with 1:57 left,to help North Carolina become bowl eligible for the second straight year andgive Butch Davis yet another win against his former program. It also was NorthCarolina’s fifth consecutive win against ranked teams dating to last season.
It was quite a way for the Tar Heels to close their home schedule. Theirdefense, which came in ranked fifth in the nation, allowed 435 yards butharassed Jacory Harris into a career-high four interceptions—with three goingto Burney to end drives deep in North Carolina territory.
Harris threw for 319 yards and a touchdown for the Hurricanes (7-3, 4-3),and Graig Cooper and Damien Berry each ran for scores. But they had to playcatch-up almost the entire game, with North Carolina using Burney’s long TDreturn to take a 20-7 halftime lead then getting a 32-yard field goal from Barthmidway through the third.
It was a familiar scene for the Tar Heels, who led Florida State 24-6 in thethird before faltering late and losing 30-27. This time, North Carolina held on,putting together an 11-play, 60-yard drive that took more than 5 minutes off theclock and set up Barth’s final field goal—the kind of drive it couldn’t manageagainst the Seminoles.
Ryan Houston ran for 76 yards for the Tar Heels, including 33 on that finaldrive. Greg Little had a 29-yard TD catch from T.J. Yates in the first quarter.
Burney finished with 170 interception return yards, a single-game ACCrecord, and became the first Tar Heel to have three picks in a game since Dre’Bly in 1996.
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