A victory over Duke would give North Carolina a 7-5 record and improve their chances of getting a decent bowl bid. A loss and they are 6-6. The Heels got some good news as runner Gio Bernard has been cleared to play.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to play Duke,” UNC coach Everett Withers said. “Obviously a big rival for us eight miles down the road. It’s always been a tough game. Always been a physical game. Always been one of those games that comes down to the fourth quarter, and our kids are excited about that opportunity. Excited about the opportunity to possibly be 7-5 at the end, and prepare after that for a bowl game.”

Bernard, who has already rushed for more than a thousand yards, the first UNC runner to do that since the 1990s, will play and try to get his yards per game totals over 100 (currently at 96 per game) “Gio actually practiced Sunday,” Withers said. “He had his test Saturday, and he had another one on Monday. He’s ready to go today in practice, so we expect him for Saturday.”

QUESTION: What qualities make him so good and allow him to be successful in your system?

COACH WITHERS: Well, he’s such a natural runner. He’s one of those guys that knows where the holes are. He’s not just a perimeter runner. He can run inside. He catches the ball well. He understands protections. He’s a smart kid. He’s a very
conscientious kid. He cares about winning. He cares about his teammates. There are a lot of qualities that are outside of just being a good football player that make Giovani such a talented person, and not just a football player, but a
talented person.”

QUESTION: Dwight Jones went over the thousand-yard mark receiving on Saturday, which gives you for the first time in school
history a 1,000 yard rusher, and a thousand yard receiver on the same team. How big a deal is that?

COACH WITHERS: Well, I think any time you have something that hasn’t been done at your university. I think it’s a big deal. Obviously wins and losses are the most important thing, but I think it’s great individual accomplishments. It’s really a testament to our offense and what we’ve been able to do. Those are two talented players and they’ve stepped up. We’ve asked those two guys to step up this year and be big players for us and they have. It’s a testament to them as players.