Borders Breaks Out for Record-Setting Night

He's not the kind of guy that racks up nearly 200 yards receiving and scores four touchdowns in one game.

But when you're playing in the crazy land of Pac-10 football, where nonexistent defenses and the resulting 42-35 games are standard fare, even possession receivers can light up the stat sheet.

The Arizona State secondary can attest to that.

Borders had a career night Saturday, finishing with nine catches for 192 yards and four touchdowns. It was the first time a North Carolina receiver has had four TD receptions in a game.

Perhaps more importantly, the senior from Shelby finally gave UNC another viable threat to complement No. 1 wideout Sam Aiken.

"He came out and played," said UNC quarterback Darian Durant. "That's what we've been lacking all season."

Borders had his way all night with an ASU defense that has struggled to stop the pass, allowing an average of 220.2 aerial yards per game.

The Sun Devils' best cover man, cornerback R.J. Oliver, had the job of covering Aiken in their 4-2-5 defense. ASU's other corners, like Josh Golden and Brett Hudson, were on Borders.

When Borders made two catches for 24 yards in UNC's first drive, he made it known that he could find openings in the ASU defense.

When he caught the Tar Heels' first touchdown of the game, an 11-yarder over Hudson in the first quarter, Borders showed that he could have a big night against the smaller, slower Sun Devils.

"That's good for Chesley and good for Darian," said UNC coach John Bunting. "This was good for all of us on offense."

Instead of having to rely on Aiken, as he has at times this year, Durant kept going to Borders, who in turn kept making key plays.

But it was Borders' fourth touchdown reception that he and his teammates will remember the most, for the 74-yard catch from a scrambling Durant gave UNC the lead for good.

"My instincts told me to try to get separation," Borders said. "My main focus was to score and try to win the game."

Maybe Borders' performance will spark even more big plays in the future. Maybe after heading back to more rugged ACC play, he'll get back into his traditional role. But Saturday night, Borders was the Tar Heels' big-play guy, a title reserved for Aiken since last season.

"Aiken is a great receiver. Everybody knows that," Bunting said. "But we were able to get other receivers involved in the game, and that's great."

And now, the possession guy has a record all his own.

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.