Patrick Peterson had 257 yards - including a 87-yard touchdown - on kickoffs and punt returns, leading No. 21 LSU (1-0) to a 30-10 halftime advantage. Not surprisingly, given the Tar Heels were missing 13 key players due to an NCAA investigation into the relationships with agents and possible academic violations.
But the number 18 North Carolina (0-1) made a game of it, scoring two touchdowns in the second half, then getting two shots in the victory after recovering an onside kick and a fumble. T.J. Yates led the heels of LSU 6-yard line and got off a couple of passes in the end zone after throwing a career high, 412 meters.
They slipped through the hands of Zack Pianalto.
Hey, and cite the Tar Heels - seemed to be headed for a blowout.
Backup against their own goal line, Yates rolled to his right and threw a pass out of the end zone that led to Boyd Jheranie the end zone for a 97-yard touchdown others - the longest play from the line of scrimmage in the history of North Carolina. Yates then hooked up with Erik Highsmith in a 14-yard touchdown with 2 1 / 2 minutes remaining.
North Carolina recovered an onside kick in dispute, but LSU stopped driving by forcing Yates to fumble while trying to climb. Trying to run out the clock, Stevan Ridley fumbled and recovered the Tar Heels, getting one more shot in an improbable victory.
Missing so many players, drop by drop to the special teams left the Tar Heels are particularly vulnerable. Peterson, a junior cornerback, took with punt returns for 157 yards and three four kickoff returns for 100 yards.
The former quarterback Russell Shepard, who now plays the receiver to take advantage of his speed, caught a touchdown pass and broke a run of 50 yards to score LSU. And the current quarterback, Jordan Jefferson, finished the first half with a 51-yard pass to Rueben Randle.
North Carolina was missing most of the prospects for the NFL in its vaunted defense - at least six innings, including the entire secondary. The offense was not in full force, either, forced to improvise without leading receiver Greg Little and his two main bottlenecks, Shaun Draughn and Ryan Houston.
But a lot of players to reinforce the Tar Heels, no more than Yates. He completed 28 of 45 and had three touchdown passes. His favorite receiver was Boyd, who had six receptions for 221 yards, becoming the fourth player in North Carolina history with 200 yards receiving in a game.
Jefferson was 15 of 21 for 151 yards. Ridley rushed for 81 yards and Shepard had 67, while LSU's defense limited North Carolina to 24 yards on the ground.
But the Tiger almost let it slip away in the end, it would have been a devastating blow for coach Les Miles and a program that is trying to demonstrate that it remains a force in the Southeastern Conference. Only three years after leaving a national championship, LSU has lost eight games in the SEC over the past two years and saw the Florida and Alabama recover the dominant role.
LSU appeared headed to easy victory after scoring waiting 23 consecutive points in the final 8:06 of the first half.
Peterson caused the explosion of a kickoff return 47 yards to midfield. On the next play, Shepard took over at one end around, traveled around the left side and went by the band.
On the ensuing kickoff, Hunter Furr dropped the ball in the end zone, and apparently thought he had to carry it out - another mistake on special teams. He was swarmed by the Tigers, leaving North Carolina in their own 4.
Three plays later, the Tar Heels handed to a security center PJ Lonergan broke the ball past Yates, he was not ready for the walk shotgun. He finished off the back of the end zone.
Peterson kept going by sending a punt at its own 13, gliding to his right, then make a quick cut through the hole that sent him to the TD that made it 23-10.
He was not. Peterson set the final score with a punt return 37 yards to the LSU 49. On the next play, Jefferson found Randle lines in the middle of the field and hit him in stride for the touchdown.
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