| 54 Bruce Carter |
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• 2010 Butkus Award Finalist (Top 5)
• 2010 Second-Team All-ACC
• 2009 Second-Team All-ACC
• Earned UNC Coaches' Player of the Week honors after the win over Rutgers in 2010
• Earned UNC Coaches' Player of the Week honors after wins over Georgia Southern, Virginia Tech and Duke in 2009
Outstanding athlete with ability to make plays all over the field • Started 43 career games • Blocked seven kicks in his career, including six punts • Ranked No. 1 in ESPN.com's 2010 workout warrior list • Set the record for a UNC linebacker with a power clean of 374 and a vertical jump of 40.5 inches • Also benches 440 pounds, squats 605 pounds and was clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.39 • Entering the season, he ranked the No. 1 senior outside linebacker prospect in the 2011 NFL Draft by ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. • Had season-ending knee surgery to reconstruct his left ACL at the conclusion of the regular season.
2010 - Senior Season
Named one of five finalists for the Butkus Award • Started 10 of 12 games at outside linebacker • Did not start vs. LSU in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, but he did enter on the third possession of the contest • Missed the Duke game with a knee sprain • Ranks third on the team with 57 tackles and also has 3.5 tackles for losses, including 2.5 sacks, two pass breakups, one interception and one forced fumble • Had six tackles, including a 9-yard sack, and broke up a pass against NC State • Left the State game with a knee injury • Posted six tackles, assisted on a tackle for loss and forced a fumble against Virginia Tech • Had seven tackles, including five solo stops, in the win at Florida State • Sacked the quarterback and recorded three tackles in the win over William & Mary • Registered four tackles at Miami • Had five tackles in the win at Virginia • Equaled his season-high with seven tackles, including five solo stops, in the 21-16 win vs. Clemson • Had two tackles vs. East Carolina • Almost single-handedly won the Rutgers game with seven tackles, a 55-yard interception return and a blocked punt • Carolina scored a touchdown after his interception and a field goal after the blocked punt • Was named the ACC Player of the Week for his performance against the Scarlet Knights • Posted seven tackles against Georgia Tech, including a season-high six solo stops • Had three tackles vs. LSU in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta.
2009 - Junior Season
Started all 13 games at outside linebacker and earned second-team All-ACC honors • Finished the season ranked third on the team with 65 tackles and had 7.5 tackles for losses, two sacks, one interception return for a touchdown, two pass breakups and four quarterback pressures • Posted four tackles vs. Pittsburgh in the Meineke Car Care Bowl • Recorded a career-high 13 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, at NC State • Posted three tackles, including a 10-yard sack on a trick play, in a 31-13 win at Boston College • Made four tackles, including a 6-yard tackle for loss, and had two quarterback pressures in a 33-24 win over No. 12 Miami • Hit Miami quarterback Jacory Harris as he released the ball, which led to an interception • Had one tackle, broke up a pass, and had a quarterback pressure in the win over Duke • Was named one of the coaches players of the week for his performance against the Blue Devils as Carolina limited Duke to just 125 total yards • Posted five tackles, including one for a loss of five yards, and added a quarterback hurry in the win at Virginia Tech • Had a team-high nine tackles, including 1.5 tackles for losses, against Florida State • Scored his second career touchdown on a 41-yard interception return vs. Georgia Southern • Also had three tackles and a pass breakup vs. GSU • Carter is one of seven players in North Carolina history to return two interceptions for touchdowns • Had seven tackles and assisted on a tackle for loss vs. Virginia • Registered six tackles at Georgia Tech • Posted three tackles in the win over ECU • Registered five tackles in a 12-10 victory over Connecticut • Posted two tackles and tipped a punt in Carolina's season opener vs. The Citadel.
2008:Started all 13 games at outside linebacker in 2008 • Ranked fourth on the team with 68 tackles and led the team with 11 tackles for losses • Also had five sacks and one interception • Led the nation with five blocked kicks - a punt at Miami, three punts vs. Connecticut and a field goal attempt at Virginia • Had seven tackles, including two sacks, in the Meineke Car Care Bowl vs. West Virginia • Posted six tackles, including three solo stops, in the 28-20 win at Duke • Had five tackles and a 2-yard sack against NC State • Recorded a career-high 11 tackles, including two tackles for losses, at Maryland • Posted three tackles, one tackle for loss and a quarterback pressure in the 28-7 win over No. 22 Georgia Tech • Playing with a slightly sprained ankle, had three tackles in the 45-24 win over No. 23 Boston College • Blocked a field goal attempt, broke up a pass and had three tackles at Virginia • Posted three tackles, including his first two career sacks for 18
yards, in the win over Notre Dame • Was named one of the coaches' defensive players
of the week for his performance against the Irish • Set a single-game ACC record by
blocking three punts - all in the second quarter - in the win over No. 24 Connecticut • His third block was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown by Matt Merletti • It was the fourth-consecutive punt he had blocked, including Miami's last punt and Connecticut's first three • Carter also recorded seven tackles, including two tackles for losses and broke up a pass • Posted four solo tackles, a 3-yard tackle for loss and partially blocked a punt late in the fourth quarter to give Carolina outstanding field position in a 28-24 win at Miami • Following the block, Carolina drove 56 yards for the game-winning touchdown • Recorded five tackles, including three solo stops and two assists, and had one quarterback pressure, against Virginia Tech • Was slowed during the game with a slight hamstring pull • Had three tackles and ran back a 66-yard interception for a touchdown at Rutgers in the third quarter to give Carolina a 31-6 lead • Was named one of the coaches defensive players of the game • Posted eight tackles, including five primary stops
and three assists, in the season opener vs. McNeese State.
2007: Played in all 12 games and started seven • Played his best football
down the stretch with 18 of his 25 tackles coming in the final five games •
Had four tackles and recovered a fumble in the win over Duke • Played one of
his best games at Georgia Tech with seven tackles and one tackle for loss •
Had two tackles and a pass breakup at NC State • Posted three tackles in the
win over Maryland • Had two tackles at Wake Forest • Also played on special
teams • Saw limited action against USF due to a thigh bruise • Started vs.
Virginia and had two tackles before injuring his thigh • Made his first
career start in the loss at ECU and posted four tackles, including a 1-yard
tackle for loss • One of eight true freshmen to see action in the first game
of the year, a 37-14 Carolina victory over James Madison • Blocked a punt in
that game that was recovered on the 1-yard line and led to a touchdown one
play later • Forced to play the entire second half at outside linebacker
after Chase Rice left the game with an ankle injury.
Havelock High School
SuperPrep All-America • Ranked the No. 8 skill athlete in the country and
the No. 7 player in North Carolina by SuperPrep • Ranked the No. 33 safety
in the country and the No. 19 player in North Carolina by Rivals.com •
Considered the No. 14 player in North Carolina by The Charlotte Observer •
Played quarterback, safety and running back in high school • Ran the ball
from the quarterback position more than he threw it, gaining 1,063 yards and
scoring 15 touchdowns on the ground • Also passed for 585 yards and five
scores as a senior • Threw for nearly 700 yards and rushed for approximately
850 yards and scored 13 touchdowns as a junior • Coached by Charlie Smith •
Also played basketball.
Personal
Nickname is "Bruuuuuuce" • Son of Tammy and Bruce Pritchard • Born February 19,
1988 • Communications major • Favorite restaurant in Chapel Hill is Spanky's • Favorite dessert is red velvet cake • Favorite cartoon character is Batman • Began playing football in the eighth grade • His mother would describe him as "energetic" • Would most like to be on the cover of ESPN the Magazine • Followed the Carolina Panthers as a child • Has a pet dog named Cookie • Best friend on another team is Koyal George (NC State) • Says the best thing about Carolina is "representing your state in that Carolina blue jersey" • New Year's resolution was to work twice as hard as he did in 2008 • Gameday superstition is to wear wrist bands for each game • Would like to be a guest on "Oprah."
Year Pri A Total TFL SACKS INT PBU FF FR Blk
2007 16 9 25 2.0-2 0-0 0-0 3 0 1 1
2008 49 19 68 11.0-44 5.0-28 1-66 2 0 0 5
2009 46 19 65 7.5-39 2.0-16 1-41 2 0 0 0
2010 34 23 57 3.5-30 2.5-26 1-55 2 1 1 1
Totals 145 70 215 24.0-1159.5-70 3-162 9 1 2 7
Career Highs: 13 tackles vs. NC State (2009); 2 sacks vs. Notre Dame (2008), vs. West Virginia (2008)
