University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill sophomore running back Giovani Bernard showed why he was the Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year last season.

On the first play of his team’s second drive, he took the hand-off 59 yards for a touchdown.

It was the first of eight touchdowns the Tar Heels would score on the day on the way to whooping Elon University 62-0 Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill in North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora’s debut.

“Good first game and great to get it under our belt,” Fedora said. “You go into the game as a new head coach and your first game you want to make minimal mistakes and you want communication good on the sidelines. Other than turning the ball over twice, I thought our guys responded very well from the beginning of the game and all the way through.”

Fedora got 204 all-purpose yards from sophomore tailback Giovani Bernard, who also had a receiving, rushing and punt return touchdown.

"That was exciting for me because that's the first time I've seen him play in a game," Fedora said. "I've seen it in practice, but until you get to see it in a game, until you get to see him really light it up, you get to see the burst he has, the explosiveness, that was a lot of fun to see."

The Phoenix missed a lot of tackles on Bernard throughout the game, allowing him to run for 94 yards on nine carries.

“It was just missed tackling,” said Elon sophomore linebacker Jonathan Spain. “That’s the game of football, that’s defense. You have to tackle the ball-carrier. And if we don’t get him down on the first time, that’s five more yards. Especially a running back like Bernard, who has a lot of skill and speed, we’ve just got to get him down on the first opportunity.”

North Carolina also got an effective day from junior quarterback Bryn Renner, who was 14-21 for 236 yards and three touchdowns, plus an interception by Elon junior cornerback Ed Burns.

“I think Bryn really did a nice job of managing,” Fedora said. “He took care of the ball. The one pick was actually a bust on a route, so we’ll get that corrected and keep moving forward.”

The Tar Heels had 524 overall offensive yards, plus an ACC-record 260 punt-return yards. That included a 70-yard punt return for a score from Bernard early in the second quarter.

On the flipside, the Phoenix managed only 170 yards of total offense.

“We came out here and we were overmatched, I think,” said Elon senior quarterback Thomas Wilson. “Size, speed, strength, we just got overmatched by a better football team. Carolina’s a good team. They’re a good football team, but on offense, we didn’t execute like we wanted to and struggled pretty good.”

Wilson completed 13 of 27 passes for just 99 yards and two interceptions. Just two of those completions went to All-American senior wide receiver Aaron Mellette, who struggled with double-coverage all afternoon.

“I give credit to the Carolina defensive staff,” Mellette said. “They kept one guy over top and one guy underneath and double-teamed me.”

The Phoenix had very little depth throughout the day. Elon was missing starting junior running back Matt Eastman to injury, so sophomore back Karl Bostick, hampered by an injury, and true freshman Tracey Coppedge played most of the game. They also played with a six-man offensive line rotation throughout the afternoon.

“We just didn’t have the depth to sub,” said Elon head coach Jason Swepson. “Really, after the first half, we were gassed and second half was going to be a challenge for us to ask these guys to play in this heat against bigger, stronger, faster guys than us - tall order.”

[box]From the Lens See photographer Al Drago's best shots from Saturday's game here.[divider_flat] [/box]

The game was played in a heat that hit the high-80s most of the day, which contributed to the exhaustion.

Despite the final score, Swepson was confident in his team for next week for a rematch with North Carolina Central University, a team the Phoenix squeaked out a 23-22 win over last Sept. 17.

“Overall, I think we have a good football team,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting in the meeting room, watching the game film, and moving forward towards Central.”

Spain was still ever so confident in his team’s defense.

“We’re a better defense than we were last year, and I know that we’re going to create a lot of positive things on the field next weekend,” he said. “This is going to push us to work harder. We’re not going to let this happen again. We’re just going to bounce back and play Central next week and have a great game.”

Game Notes

  • Wilson was impressed with the play of the true freshman Coppedge, who finished with nine carries for ten yards and a lost fumble in his first collegiate game. "He did well for a true freshman today," Wilson said. "He came out there and battled through the adversity."
  • Elon senior tight end Chris Harris did not play, as he was a game-time decision. True freshman Doug Warrick started the game and had one catch for nine yards.
  • Freshman running back Thuc Phan, who came in during the fourth quarter, led the Phoenix in rushing with ten carries for 19 yards.
  • North Carolina had 14 different receivers catch a pass in the win and no one caught more than three balls.