With eight defensive starters missing from North Carolina's lineup, LSU was expected to beat UNC in Saturday's Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta. The Tigers got the win, but just barely, turning back the Tar Heels' late offensive push to walk out of Georgia with a 30-24 victory.

The Tar Heels made it interesting in the fourth quarter, with quarterback T.J. Yates throwing two touchdowns, hitting receiver Jheranie Boyd in stride for a 97-yard touchdown with 10:48 in the game, then spotting Erik Highsmith on a fade from 14 yards out to get within a touchdown.

The Tar Heels recovered a fumble with less than two minutes to go and drove to get inside the 10, but Yates twice failed to connect with tight end Zack Pianalto in the endzone in the waning seconds.

The Tar Heel quarterback finished the game with an eye-popping 410 yards, completing 28 of 45 attempts. Boyd, Yates' top target, posted 219 yards on six catches. Pianalto helped with 74 yards on eight receptions.

UNC's defense stepped up in the second half, holding LSU scoreless after trailing 30-10 at the break.

Tiger quarterback Jordan Jefferson played an efficient but unspectacular game, completing 14 passes on 20 attempts for 157 yards. Jefferson's biggest play of the game came with 2:36 left in the second quarter when he hit receiver Ruben Randle with a 51-yard bomb.

LSU's Russell Shepard and Steven Ridley combined for 134 yards on the ground. Shepard had one touchdown, while Ridley struggled with two fumbles.

The Tigers also picked up points on a second quarter safety, and Patrick Peterson's run 86-yard touchdown return.

North Carolina played well despite missing 13 players, who were either ineligible or withheld by the school, following an NCAA investigation into the Tar Heel football program.