Raiders to play North Carolina

Middle Tennessee Director of Athletics Chris Massaro announced today the Blue Raiders will face the University of North Carolina during the 2013 football season. The game is set for Sept. 7 in Chapel Hill.

The Blue Raiders have now completed their non-conference schedule for 2013 with Western Carolina, UNC, Memphis, and BYU. WCU and Memphis will be home games.

"North Carolina is one of the premier universities and athletic programs in the country and we are honored to play in Chapel Hill," said Massaro. "It is a beautiful setting for college football and will make for a great road trip for our fans."

This will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs in football and will be the eighth straight year the Blue Raiders have faced a team from the ACC. Middle Tennessee is 3-2 against the ACC in its last five meetings with wins over Maryland (2008, 2009) and at Georgia Tech last season.

The Tarheels are coming off an 8-4 season under first year Head Coach Larry Fedora, who was the offensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee from 1999 to 2001. UNC returns 14 starters, including star quarterback Bryn Renner.

The Blue Raiders, who will counter with 18 returning starters and quarterback Logan Kilgore, will receive a payout of $850,000.

The Blue Raiders will announce the complete 2013 schedule at a later date.

* Safety Kevin Byard made Phil Steele's National Postseason All-Freshman Team.

Byard, a redshirt freshman from Lithonia, Ga., was a first team pick on defense. In a win at Memphis he returned an interception 68 yards for a touchdown and provided the game-winning score against Troy with a pick