<P> On July 27, 2011, Davis was fired by UNC chancellor Holden Thorp amid an NCAA investigation of academic misconduct and allegations players receiving improper benefits from agents . Davis left Carolina after compiling a 28--23 record . Thorp said the move was necessary to restore confidence in UNC's integrity . On September 19, 2011, in response to an NCAA notice of allegations, Davis was never mentioned in the NCAA inquiry and had no involvement in the investigation . North Carolina subsequently vacated all of its wins from the 2008 and 2009 seasons after retroactively declaring Austin, Quinn and Little ineligible . As a result, these are "officially" North Carolina's only winless seasons in the modern era . </P> <P> In 2013, Davis told CBS Sports' Bruce Feldman that he believed his firing was an "overreaction" by Thorp, in the belief that "if he released me, maybe the investigation of the football program would go in a different direction ." Around the same time, Baddour told Feldman that firing Davis "was not my recommendation ." Baddour added that Thorp was well aware that he wanted Davis to remain as coach . </P> <P> Everett Withers was promoted from defensive coordinator to 33rd head coach of the Tar Heels football program for the 2011 season following Butch Davis' dismissal . Withers was the first African American head coach in Tar Heels football history . </P> <P> With Withers leading the Tar Heels, UNC beat their first opponent, FCS school James Madison by a score of 42--10 . Bryn Renner set the single game school record for completion percentage at 95.7% . The Heels then beat Rutgers 24--22, holding the Scarlet Knights to one total yard rushing and 244 yards overall . The week after, the South's Oldest Rivalry was resumed, as Carolina beat Virginia by a score of 28--17 . UNC rushed for 222 total yards for an average of 5.4 yards per carry . The Heels then traveled to Atlanta to play #25 Georgia Tech, dropping this one 35--28 . Georgia Tech had 312 yards rushing and 496 yards total on the day . Next the Heels played East Carolina beating them 35--20 . The Heels then proceeded to beat the Louisville by a score of 14--7 . Giovani Bernard became the first Tar Heel rusher in 27 years to rush for over 100 yards in four straight games . Bernard extended his streak of 100 yard rushing games to five in UNC's 30--24 loss to Miami . The Heels recovered an onside kick with under a minute to go, but time ran out before they could score . The Heels then traveled to Clemson, South Carolina to face the Clemson Tigers, losing 59--38 . It was the second most points given up by the Tar Heels in their 405 ACC games, trailing only the 63 given up in a game against Florida State in 2000 . The next game was the homecoming game for the Heels, and they beat Wake Forest 49--24 . UNC racked up 506 total yards and caught four interceptions in the game . Next up for the Heels was the rivalry game with NC State in Raleigh, which the Heels lost 13--0 . It was the Heels fifth straight loss to the Wolfpack, the first shutout in the series since 1960 . Giovani Bernard did break the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the season, but as a team the Heels were held to three total yards rushing . On a Thursday night in Blacksburg, Virginia the Heels lost to Virginia Tech 24--21 . Dwight Jones passed the 1,000 yard receiving mark for the season, making the 2011 Tar Heels the first team to have a 1,000 yard receiver and rusher in the same season . UNC closed out the regular season with a home win over arch - rival Duke, winning 37--21 . Dwight Jones's 79 receptions and Bryn Renner's 23 TD passes set single season records for the Tar Heels . </P>

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