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2010 North Carolina Tar Heels football
Music City Bowl champion
Music City Bowl, W 30–27 2OT vs. Tennessee
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
DivisionCoastal
2010 record8–5 (4–4 ACC)
Head coachButch Davis (4th season)
Offensive coordinatorJohn Shoop (4th season)
Offensive schemePro-style
Defensive coordinatorEverett Withers (3rd season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumKenan Memorial Stadium
(Capacity: 60,000)
Seasons
← 2009
2011 →
2010 ACC football standings
v · d · e Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
Atlantic
#17 Florida State x   6 2         10 4  
#23 Maryland   5 3         9 4  
#25 NC State   5 3         9 4  
Boston College   4 4         7 6  
Clemson   4 4         6 7  
Wake Forest   1 7         3 9  
Coastal
#16 Virginia Tech x   8 0         11 3  
Miami   5 3         7 6  
North Carolina   4 4         8 5  
Georgia Tech   4 4         6 7  
Virginia   1 7         4 8  
Duke   1 7         3 9  
Championship: Virginia Tech 44, Florida State 33
† – BCS representative as champion
x – Division champion/co-champions
As of January 11, 2011 • Rankings from AP Poll

The 2010 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the 2010 college football season. The team was led by fourth year coach Butch Davis and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium, members of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the Coastal Division. They finished the season 8–5, 4–4 in ACC play and were invited to the Music City Bowl where they defeated Tennessee 30–27 in two overtimes.

NCAA investigations[]

On July 15, 2010, ESPN reported that players at the University of North Carolina were being investigated and interviewed by the NCAA for possible rules violations concerning sports agents and improper gifts.[1] The next day, it was confirmed that certain members of the football team were thought to have received improper gifts from agents,[2] which is not allowed by NCAA rules.[3] Marvin Austin, one of the players suspected in the probe, had made numerous Twitter posts with questionable content,[4] which the NCAA investigated,[5] and he was the first UNC player to be indefinitely suspended, though for violation of team rules, and not the NCAA probe.[6] Butch Davis, the head coach, did not say much about the probe,[7] as he, and many others, expected a quick resolution to the investigation,[8] and he was known for running a clean program.[9] Soon after though, the NCAA began to look at defensive line coach John Blake, his relationship with certain agents,[5][10] and whether or not he had received money from them.[11] He later resigned.[12] Also, former UNC lineman Kentwan Balmer admitted that he had paid for a trip to California for two current players.[13] It soon became apparent that things would be much worse, and 13 players were suspended for the opening game.[14][15] Furthermore, the university launched its own probe, and found academic misconduct within the football team.[16][17]

Schedule[]

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 48:00 p.m.vs. No. 21 LSU*No. 18
ABCL 24–3068,919[18]
September 1812:00 p.m.Georgia Tech
ACCNL 24–3058,500[19]
September 253:30 p.m.at Rutgers*ESPNUW 17–1352,038[20]
October 23:30 p.m.East Carolina*
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC
ESPN3W 42–1760,000[21]
October 93:30 p.m.Clemson
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC
ABC/ESPNW 21–1660,000[22]
October 166:00 p.m.at VirginiaESPN3W 44–1050,830[23]
October 237:30 p.m.at No. 25 Miami (FL)ESPN2L 10–3343,584
October 303:30 p.m.No. 3 (FCS) William & Mary*dagger
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC
ESPN3W 21–1751,000
November 63:30 p.m.at No. 24 Florida StateABCW 37–3570,157
November 133:30 p.m.No. 16 Virginia Tech
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC
ABCL 10–2660,000
November 2012:00 p.m.North Carolina State
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC (rivalry)
ACCNL 25–2960,000
November 273:30 p.m.at DukeESPNUW 24–1930,904[24]
December 306:30 p.m.vs. Tennessee*ESPNW 30–27 2OT69,143
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game
  • All times are in Eastern time

ACC opponents not played: Boston College, Maryland, and Wake Forest.[25]

NFL Draft[]

12 Tar Heels were invited to the NFL combine, more than any other university in the nation. 19 players participated in the annual university pro day, which attracted nearly 100 scouts and coaches from the NFL.[26] Many of the players participating, however, missed either part or all of the games played this season due to the above-mentioned investigation. Because of this, it has led many fans and observers to wonder how good this team could have been had all of the talent been available for the entire season. With 9 players selected in the draft, the Tar Heels were tied with USC as having the most players selected from a single school in this draft.

Round Pick Player Position NFL Team
1 14 Robert Quinn* DE St. Louis Rams
2 40 Bruce Carter OLB Dallas Cowboys
2 52 Marvin Austin* DT New York Giants
2 59 Greg Little* WR Cleveland Browns
4 100 Da'Norris Searcy SS Buffalo Bills
5 133 Johnny White RB Buffalo Bills
5 152 T. J. Yates QB Houston Texans
5 171 Quan Sturdivant ILB Arizona Cardinals
7 218 Ryan Taylor TE Green Bay Packers

* did not play in the 2010 season due to investigation

missed part of the 2010 season due to investigation

References[]

  1. "Sources: NCAA investigating North Carolina Tar Heels' football program". ESPN. July 15, 2010. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5384232. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  2. Giglio, J.P. (July 16, 2010). "NCAA Begins Probe of UNC". The News & Observer (Raleigh). http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/16/583526/ncaa-begins-probe-of-unc.html. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  3. "UNC Football Players Meet Today". The News & Observer (Raleigh). July 20, 2010. Archived from the original on September 26, 2010. http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/20/589087/unc-players-meet-today.html. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  4. Giglio, J. P. (July 21, 2010). "UNC's Austin posted more than 2,400 Twitter updates". Raleigh. http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/21/590713/austin-prolific-tweeter.html. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Robinson, Charles (August 9, 2010). "Coach-agent ties probed". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100819030134/http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ys-agentcoach080910. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  6. "Sources: Tar Heels to face multiple suspensions; Marvin Austin suspended indefinitely". ESPN. September 2, 2010. Archived from the original on September 4, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100904052912/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5520574. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  7. "Pigskin Preview: Butch Davis Interview". Scout. July 22, 2010. Archived from the original on September 26, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100926135305/http://northcarolina.scout.com/2/985609.html. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  8. Decock, Luke (July 23, 2010). "Davis Ends His Silence On Probe". The News & Observer (Raleigh). Archived from the original on September 26, 2010. http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/23/593878/davis-ends-his-silence-on-probe.html. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  9. "UNC Coach Built Reputation for Clean Programs". The Charlotte Observer. July 31, 2010. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/07/31/1594568/reputation-for-clean-programs.html. Retrieved September 24, 2010.[dead link]
  10. Giglio, J. P. (August 10, 2010). "NCAA Focuses on UNC Coach". The News & Observer (Raleigh). Archived from the original on September 14, 2010. http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/08/10/622056/ncaa-focuses-on-unc-coach.html. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  11. Tysiac, Ken (September 6, 2010). "Embattled UNC Assistant Blake Steps Down". The News & Observer (Raleigh). Archived from the original on September 8, 2010. http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/09/06/667085/embattled-blake-steps-down.html. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  12. Dinich, Heather (September 5, 2010). "UNC's John Blake Resigns". ESPN. http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/26127/uncs-john-blake-resigns. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  13. Giglio, J. P. (August 11, 2010). "Trip Paid for, Ex-Tar Heel Says". The News & Observer (Raleigh). Archived from the original on September 14, 2010. http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/08/11/623541/trip-paid-for-ex-tar-heel-says.html. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  14. "Thirteen North Carolina Tar Heels players won't play vs. LSU Tigers in opener". ESPN. September 4, 2010. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100906202903/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5527407. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  15. "ACC Now – Instant Analysis: Worst-Case Scenario for UNC". The News & Observer (Raleigh). April 14, 2009. Archived from the original on September 5, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100905234352/http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/instant-analysis-worst-case-scenario-for-unc. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  16. Ferreri, Eric (September 9, 2010). "Baddour: UNC's Academic Misconduct 'May Date Back a Year or More'". The News & Observer (Raleigh). Archived from the original on September 11, 2010. http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/09/09/672431/baddour-uncs-academic-issues-older.html. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  17. Pickeral, Robbi (September 24, 2010). "Tutor Too Close to Athletes". The News & Observer (Raleigh). Archived from the original on September 25, 2010. http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/09/24/699742/tutor-too-close-to-athletes.html. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  18. "LSU Tigers vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Box Score". ESPN. September 5, 2010. Archived from the original on September 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100907063845/http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=302470153. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  19. "Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Box Score". ESPN. September 18, 2010. Archived from the original on September 22, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100922135832/http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=302610153. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  20. "North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights Box Score". ESPN. September 25, 2010. Archived from the original on September 29, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100929071013/http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=302680164. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  21. "East Carolina Pirates vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Box Score". ESPN. October 2, 2010. Archived from the original on October 5, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101005032424/http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=302750153. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  22. "Clemson Tigers vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Box Score". ESPN. October 9, 2010. Archived from the original on October 12, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101012002927/http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=302820153. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  23. "North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Virginia Cavaliers Box Score". ESPN. October 16, 2010. Archived from the original on October 19, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101019050405/http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=302890258. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  24. "North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Duke Blue Devils Box Score". ESPN. November 27, 2010. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101203141554/http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=303310150. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
  25. "North Carolina's 2010 Football Schedule Released; Season Tickets On Sale Saturday". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Athletics. February 4, 2010. http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/020410aab.html. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
  26. Giglio, J. P. (April 1, 2011). "Tar Heels Back Together Again to Show Their Stuff". The News & Observer (Raleigh). Archived from the original on April 28, 2011. http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/04/01/1096133/tar-heels-back-together-again.html. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
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