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FACTS & STATS: Site: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (50,000) -- Greenville, North Carolina. Television: CBSCSN. Home Record: UNC 3-0, ECU 1-1. Away Record: UNC 0-1, ECU 0-0. Neutral Record: UNC 0-0, ECU 0-1. Conference Record: UNC 1-1, ECU 1-0. Series Record: North Carolina leads, 10-2-1.

GAME NOTES: Coming off their first loss of the season, the North Carolina Tar Heels will attempt to right the ship Saturday night when they visit Dowdy- Ficklen Stadium in Greenville for a non-conference clash with the East Carolina Pirates.

After jumping out to a 3-0 start on the year, North Carolina dropped its ACC opener 35-28 this past weekend at Georgia Tech. It also marked the team's first road tilt after three straight home games to open the season. However, a win here would improve the Tar Heels to 4-1 for the first time since 2008.

This game marks the end of a three-game homestand for the Pirates, who will hit the road for their next three. ECU picked up its first win of the season last Saturday in a 28-23 final over UAB in its Conference USA opener. Both of the Pirates' losses came against ranked teams (South Carolina and Virginia Tech).

North Carolina owns a 10-2-1 edge in the all-time series with ECU, and the Tar Heels have won each of the last two meetings.

The UNC offense has gotten big-time contributions from redshirt freshman tailback Giovani Bernard, who rushed for a career-high 155 yards on 17 carries and scored two touchdowns last week against Georgia Tech. Through four games, Bernard has rushed for 402 yards and has six rushing touchdowns. Last season, Johnny White led the team with seven rushing scores, a mark that Bernard is in line to shatter, barring injury. Bernard is the first UNC player to rush for 100 yards in back-to-back games since Chad Scott in 2004, and he is trying to become the first Tar Heel to make it three in a row since Natrone Means back in 1992. Quarterback Bryn Renner completed 17-of-25 passes for 204 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions last week. He currently ranks third in the ACC in pass efficiency at 168.9, having completed 74-of-95 (.779) passes for 897 yards and seven touchdowns. Thanks to the ultra-efficient air/ground combination of Bernard and Renner, UNC has scored on 12 of 14 opportunities in the red zone, with all 12 being touchdowns.

On the other side of the ball, the Tar Heels' defense had all kinds of problems with Georgia Tech's spread option attack, which racked up 312 yards (5.4 ypc) and three scores on the ground. Despite a late rally by UNC to tie the game, Georgia Tech's effectiveness with its rushing attack proved to be the difference in the game. After yielding an average of 16.3 points over its first three contests, UNC's defense was plagued by blown assignments and missed tackles against the Yellow Jackets. Tech's game-winning drive covered 61 yards in only four plays -- all runs -- and ended in the Tar Heels' end zone. Kevin Reddick had a solid outing in defeat, posting a team-high 10 tackles, including 1.5 for loss. Tre Boston finished with seven tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery. Those two rank second and third on the team, respectively, in total tackles for the season.

Somehow, East Carolina managed to come out on top against UAB despite a school-record seven turnovers. The Pirates' first four possessions resulted in an interception, a touchdown and three lost fumbles. But despite all that, they found themselves with a 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter. That lead later vanished in the third quarter, when Dominique Davis threw an interception that was returned 25 yards for a touchdown. However, Davis responded by leading the Pirates on touchdown drives on their next two possessions to take the lead for good. Obviously, that's not exactly a recipe for success, particularly against a formidable foe like North Carolina. Still, ECU's spread offense was able to pick up 31 first downs and 542 total yards for the game. In that regard, it was an encouraging effort after stumbling against Virginia Tech in its previous outing. Junior running back Reggie Bullock was named Conference USA's Offensive Player of the Week for his role in the victory, as he rushed for 169 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries (7.0 ypc).

ECU's defense held strong after those four first-half giveaways by the offense. Incredibly, the Blazers managed no points off the four turnovers as their ensuing possessions ended with two punts, an interception and a lost fumble. Twice, UAB took over possession in ECU territory only to come up empty. The Pirates were equally solid against both the run and pass, as UAB's rushing attack was held to 3.5 yards per carry, while the Blazers did not register any passing touchdowns in 48 attempts. In five trips to the red zone, UAB could net only two touchdowns and a field goal. Jeremy Grove led the way for ECU with a game-high 15 tackles, as his 39 tackles through three games are now tied with Daniel Drake for tops on the team. Sophomore defensive back Damon Magazu has shown a penchant for making plays with a pair of interceptions to go along with a fumble recovery.

ECU is not off to a banner start in its quest for a fifth straight bowl appearance, but a win here would certainly help turn things around. However, it won't come easy against a North Carolina squad that has won its last six games against non-conference opponents. The key will be limiting mistakes, as the Tar Heels are not likely to squander gift-wrapped opportunities like UAB did.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: North Carolina 31, East Carolina 21