Giovani Bernard continued his scoring tear with three touchdowns and North Carolina forced five turnovers en route to a 49-24 victory over visiting Wake Forest on Saturday.

Bernard, who tore his ACL in 2010, entered the game leading all freshmen with nine touchdowns and wasted little time moving into double digits with a 7-yard scoring pass on the Tar Heels’ first possession - the first of 28 points scored off turnovers.

After Wake Forest (5-3, 4-2 ACC) showed its first signs of offensive continuity in narrowing the deficit to 14-10 midway through the second quarter, Bernard scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns with 13 seconds left in the first half.

North Carolina (6-3, 2-3) added two more rushing scores following Demon Deacon turnovers in the second half – one each from Bernard and Ryan Houston – to put the game out of reach.

Bernard finished with 145 yards on 27 carries.

The Demon Deacons entered the game with only five turnovers - tied for the second-best mark in the country - but matched that total when Wake Forest quarterback Tanner Price threw his third interception early in the fourth quarter.

Sophomore quarterback Bryn Renner enjoyed his finest day as a Tar Heel, going 21-of-28 for 338 yards with three touchdowns.