North Carolina @ Rutgers preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 11, 2008 ) North Carolina 44, Rutgers 12

Rutgers is looking for its first 3-0 start in 30 years, while North Carolina is trying to avoid an 0-3 start when the teams meet in the third game of a four-year contract.

Rutgers has a 3-1 lead in the series, which began in 1894. The last meeting was in 2008, when North Carolina won 44-12 in a nationally televised Thursday night game.

The Scarlet Knights bring a strong defense into the game. They rank third nationally in scoring defense (7.0 points per game) and are the only team in the country to have recorded a shutout in each of the past five seasons. They rank second in the nation in third-down defense, allowing the opposition to convert just 12 percent.

The top tacklers are Antonio Lowery (15 tackles) and Steve Beauharnais (14). Joe Lefeged and Brandon Bing have both blocked two kicks and intercepted one pass. Lefeged has also forced two fumbles. Alex Silvestro leads the team with four sacks.

North Carolina quarterback T.J. Yates has NFL potential as a traditional thrower. He completed 28 of 46 for 412 yards in the opening loss to LSU and followed that with a 209-yard effort against Georgia Tech, giving him an efficiency rating of 159.1. The senior has yet to throw an interception and is No. 13 in the nation in total offense.

The running game hasn’t really materialized for the Tar Heels. They average only 2.6 yards per carry and have fumbled eight times, losing five of them. Johnny White leads the team with 142 yards and one touchdown. They probably shouldn't expect to get well this week against a Rutgers rushing defense that held seven opponents to less than 50 rushing yards in 2009.

Zack Pianalto is Yates’ favorite target; he has 15 catches for a 9.1 yard average. Erik Highsmith has game-breaking ability; he has seven catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns,one of them a 52-yarder.

The North Carolina defense is strong up front with Tydreke Powell (11 tackles, one sack) and Quinton Coples (11 tackles, two tackles for loss). Linebacker Quan Sturdivant leads the team with 15 tackles. The Tar Heels are still grappling with uncertainty as key players remain out while the NCAA completes agent-related and academic investigations. Twelve Tar Heels, including four potential NFL players on defense, were held out of last week's 30-24 home loss to Georgia Tech.

Rutgers is led by quarterback Tom Savage, who has thrown for 220 yards and one touchdown. Joe Martinek (137 yards, one TD) and Jordan Thomas (71 yards) anchor the running game, while Mohamed Sanu (seven catches for 90 yards, one TD) is the top receiver.

Rutgers, which didn’t play last week, has won four straight games after a bye week, including two shutouts in 2009.