Tar Heels Keep Alive Bid For Orange Bowl

Jonathan Linton became the first player in North Carolina history to have 100 yards rushing and receiving in a game and the No. 5 Tar Heels remained in contention for a trip to the Orange Bowl with a 16-13 victory over Georgia Tech on Thursday night.

North Carolina (8-0, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) takes its unbeaten record into a Nov. 8 showdown against third-ranked Florida State. The winner will have the inside track to a spot in the bowl alliance’s national championship game.

The Yellow Jackets (4-3, 3-2) fell short again in their second straight game against a top-five opponent, though they turned in a more respectable performance than the 38-0 loss to Florida State.

Still, it might go down as one of the most lopsided three-point games of the season. North Carolina held a 521-186 advantage in total yards, limited Tech to 28 yards rushing and held the ball for 37:30.

Oscar Davenport, with a firm grasp on the North Carolina quarterback job he once shared with Chris Keldorf, completed 26 of 41 passes for 360 yards, setting career highs in all three categories.

North Carolina’s only touchdown was Davenport’s 30-yard pass to L.C. Stevens, which broke a 6-6 tie with 7:13 remaining in the third period. Linton helped clinch the victory in the fourth period, rambling 38 yards with a short pass and tacking on a 27-yard run to set up Josh McGee’s 31-yard field goal with 10:22 remaining.

Linton ran 28 times for 138 yards and came out of the backfield to catch six passes for 137 yards.

North Carolina’s other scoring came on a 44-yard field goal by Brian Schmitz in the first quarter and McGee’s 20-yarder in the second.

Tech grabbed a 6-3 lead in the opening period on field goals of 42 and 45 yards by Dave Frakes. That continued a trend for the slowstarting Tar Heels, who have been outscored 31-16 in the first quarter this season.

The Yellow Jackets failed to take advantage of three turnovers by North Carolina in the first half.