GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Bryn Renner threw four touchdown passes while Giovani Bernard ran for 146 yards and a score to help North Carolina beat East Carolina 35-20 on Saturday night.
Renner threw for 230 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown to Erik Highsmith and a 47-yard TD toss to Dwight Jones in a dominating first-half performance by the Tar Heels (4-1). North Carolina scored the first 21 points and never looked back, rolling to 326 yards in the opening half and converting two early turnovers into quick touchdowns to silence a record home crowd for the Pirates (1-3).
Dominique Davis and East Carolina’s offense finally built some momentum in the third quarter, getting a touchdown pass to Lance Lewis and closing to within 28-13 entering the final quarter. But, while the Pirates moved the football most of the game, they never recovered from that disastrous start and fell to 0-3 against BCS teams.