The 2009 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

as a member of Coastal Division of the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

(ACC) during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by third-year head coach

Butch Davis Paul Hilton "Butch" Davis Jr. (born November 17, 1951) is an American football coach. He was most recently the head football coach at Florida International University. After graduating from the University of Arkansas, he became an assistant co ...

, the Tar Heels played their home games at

Kenan Memorial Stadium Kenan Memorial Stadium is a stadium located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and is the home field of the North Carolina Tar Heels. It is primarily used for football. The stadium opened in 1927 and holds 50,500 people. It is located near the center ...

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange, Durham and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 census, making Chapel Hill the 17th-largest municipality in the state. Chapel Hill, Durham, and the state ca ...

. North Carolina finished the season 8–5 overall and 4–4 in ACC play to place fourth in the Coastal Division. The Tar Heels lost to

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. In 2011, North Carolina vacated all its wins from the 2008 season and 2009 seasons.

Preseason

Key losses

On January 5, 2009 starting wide-receiver

Hakeem Nicks Hakeem Amir Nicks (born January 14, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at North Carolina, and was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Nicks has also played for t ...

announced that he would forgo his senior year in order to enter the 2009 NFL Draft. In just three years Nicks had set 14 school records, including career receptions (181), career receiving yards (2,580), and career touchdowns (21). In his senior season, Nicks was named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference after catching 68 passes for 1,222 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was the only player in UNC history with more than 1,000 yards receiving in a season. The following are some of the other key players who will no longer play for North Carolina in the 2009 season: Offense * James "Cooter" Arnold (WR) * Bryon Bishop (OG) * Calvin Darity (OG) *

Brooks Foster Brooks Foster (born April 9, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina. High school Foster attended Boiling S ...

(WR) *

(WR) * Richard Quinn (TE) *

Garrett Reynolds Garrett Reynolds (born July 1, 1987) is a former American football offensive guard. He played college football at North Carolina and is the nephew of former Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Jack “Hacksaw” Reynolds. Pro ...

(OT) *

Brandon Tate Brandon Tate (born October 5, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina. Early years and family Tate att ...

(WR) Defense * Trimane Goddard (S) * Mark Paschal (LB) *

Chase Rice Chase Rice (born September 19, 1985) is an American country music singer, songwriter and reality television personality. He first came to prominence in 2010 while he was a contestant on '' Survivor: Nicaragua'', where he was the runner-up to J ...

(LB) Special teams: * Terrence Brown (P)

Key returns

For 2009, the Tar Heels are likely to return numerous starters from the previous season. The following players will maintain their playing eligibility and in all likelihood will return for the season: Offense *

T. J. Yates Taylor Jonathan Yates (born May 28, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who is currently the wide receivers coach for the Atlanta Falcons. He played college football at North Carolina and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fi ...

(QB), returning leader in passing touchdowns (11) *

Shaun Draughn Kenneth Shaun Draughn ( "drone"; born December 7, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football at the University of North Carolina. He signed with the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2011. In his ...

(RB), returning leader in rushing yards (866) * Greg Little (WR), returning leader in passing yards (146) Defense * Kendric Burney (CB), returning leader in interceptions (3) *

Deunta Williams Deunta Williams (born November 21, 1987) is a former American football defensive back. He played football for the University of North Carolina. Williams was considered one of the top safety prospects in his class. High school career A native of J ...

(S), returning leader in interceptions (3) *

Quan Sturdivant Quantavius "Quan" Sturdivant (born December 5, 1988) is a former American football linebacker. He played as a middle linebacker for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. He was considered one of the top linebackers in the Atlantic Coast Con ...

(LB), returning leader in total tackles (122) * Bruce Carter (LB), returning leader in sacks (5) and tackles for loss (11) Special teams: * Casey Barth (K), returning leader in field goals made (10) * Jay Wooten (K), returning leader in kick-offs (71)

Recruiting

As of February 6, 2009, Scout.com rated North Carolina's 2009 recruiting class as 5th in the nation, Rivals.com ranked North Carolina's recruiting class as 6th, and ESPN ranked 12th. Joshua Adams (WR) and Kevin Reddick (LB) plan to enroll in January 2009 and do not count against the limit of 25 recruits per year. The other following players have offered North Carolina non-binding verbal commitments. These pledges can become binding when recruits sign their National Letters of Intent on February 4, 2009.

Coaching staff

Roster

Schedule

Game summaries

The Citadel

North Carolina had its best rushing game under coach

with 260 total rushing yards (its most since 2004), and

rushing for 118 yards, his fourth 100-yard rushing game.

threw two touchdown passes and threw for 114 yards.

UConn

North Carolina managed to come back by scoring 12 points against Connecticut in the fourth quarter to win the game. North Carolina gained its final two points when Connecticut's senior tackle Dan Ryan was flagged for holding North Carolina's end Robert Quinn in the end zone, which gave North Carolina a

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

, with 1:32 left in the fourth quarter.

ECU

Georgia Tech

Virginia

Georgia Southern

Florida State

Virginia Tech

Duke

Miami

Miami and North Carolina last met at Miami on September 27, 2008 in a game won by UNC 28–24. Miami is 5–7 all time versus UNC.

Boston College

The Tar Heels defeated a Boston College team that was playing for an outside shot at a trip to the ACC Championship Game. The UNC defense stifled the Eagles offense for much of the game, holding them to 0 conversions on 13 3rd down attempts. Freshman Boston College quarterback David Shinskie threw for more yards to the Tar Heels defenders than to his own team. His four interceptions were returned for a total of 133 yards, while his twelve completions gained only 101 yards. Tar Heels DB Kendric Burney's interception return for a touchdown was his second in as many games. Cam Thomas added another defensive touchdown on a fumble return. UNC's offense had four turnovers of their own (3

interceptions, 1 fumble by Erik Highsmith), and struggled to move the ball for much of the game. The UNC running attack was slowed due to a lower extremity injury to Ryan Houston who was sidelined for most of the second half. However, he did return for a 1-yard touchdown run. UNC's stout defense once again came up with big plays in the Tar Heel's fourth straight win.

North Carolina State

Pittsburgh–Meineke Car Care Bowl

Rankings

References

{{North Carolina Tar Heels football navbox

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

North Carolina Tar Heels football seasons

North Carolina Tar Heels football The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the sport of American football or Gridiron Football. The Tar Heels play in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate ...