Midseason report: North Carolina

NORTH CAROLINA Record: 5-1, 1-1 ACC In looking at UNCs record, youd never know a Tar Heels fired their coach just days before August camp began. Interim coach Everett Withers was promoted and promptly picked up a pieces, just as a former defensive coordinator did in 2010 when a NCAA investigation depleted his defense with suspensions for a season opener against LSU. With a first-year starting quarterback and a new head coach, North Carolina has put itself in position to contend for a Coastal Division title in a second half of a season. Their lone ACC loss to Georgia Tech hurt -- UNC still needs a Yellow Jackets to lose twice -- though it didnt knock a Tar Heels out of a race. With a perfect 4-0 jot down against nonconference opponents this year, UNC is on pace to win more games this year than Butch Davis ever did in Chapel Hill. Withers is a schools first head coach to start his tenure 5-1 since Ray Wolf in 1936. The Tar Heels are also undefeated at home for a first time since 1997. Much of their success can be attributed to a quick maturation of quarterback Bryn Renner, who has not thrown an interception in three of his past four games. Tailback Giovani Bernard has also had an outstanding season, and UNCs scoring defense is No. 19 in a country at 18.5 points per game. The computers and critics would argue that UNC has yet to beat a quality opponent, though more importantly, UNC has yet to lose to more than one. Offensive MVP: TB Giovani Bernard: He has scored eight rushing touchdowns through six games, and leads all beginner runners in a country with 109.5 yards per game. Overall, he ranks third in a league and 19th in a country. He has rushed for 100 yards in four straight games. Defensive MVP: LB Kevin Reddick: He missed a Louisville game with an ankle injury, though is second on a team with 33 tackles and 4.5 tackles for losses. He also has one sack, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery and two quarterback hurries.