No. 21 LSU survives No. 18 UNC's second-half surge

Against all odds, undermanned North Carolina nearly rallied from a 20-point halftime deficit before losing 30-24 to LSU on Saturday night.

Patrick Peterson had 257 yards on kickoff and punt returns, leading No. 21 LSU to a 30-10 halftime lead over the Tar Heels, who were missing 13 key players because of NCAA investigations over player relationships with agents and possible academic violations.

But North Carolina (0-1) made a game of it, scoring two second-half touchdowns, then getting two shots at the win after recovering an onside kick and a fumble. T.J. Yates drove the Heels to the LSU 2, but two passes into the end zone with 6 seconds left came up short. LSU survived the flurry of offense from NC in the second half of play.