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CHAPEL HILL (AP) — North Carolina's offense finally started scoring. So did the defense.

Quan Sturdivant returned a fumble 49 yards for a touchdown, Bruce Carter brought back an interception 41 yards for another score and the Tar Heels forced six turnovers Saturday during a 42-12 rout of Georgia Southern.

The defense also set up two quick scoring drives with takeaways for North Carolina (4-2).

"It's so much easier when you get the ball at the 20-yard line, the 10-yard line," quarterback T.J. Yates said. "That just gives you so much confidence as an offense. You've got time. You can take your time, go through things and work out different stuff."

Ryan Houston scored on rushes of 1, 1 and 7 yards in his first three-touchdown game and Shaun Draughn added a 16-yard touchdown run for the Tar Heels.

"We've got to change speeds," Houston said, adding that he and Draughn "are two different kind of backs. ... We just switch them up, keep them off balance."

Adam Urbano had a 45-yard TD rush — the longest allowed this season by North Carolina's stingy defense — for the Eagles (3-3). They finished with just 170 total yards and 75 through the air.

"To come out and just start turning the ball over, against any team, especially an ACC team, you just can't do that," quarterback Lee Chapple said.

For the Tar Heels, it was a welcome reversal for a team that managed just 10 total points in consecutive losses to Georgia Tech and Virginia that dropped them out of the national rankings and into last place in the ACC's Coastal Division.

Turned out, a timely visit from another outmanned Football Championship Subdivision opponent was just what they needed, building a 42-7 halftime lead — their highest-scoring first half in nine years.

The game had no impact on North Carolina's postseason eligibility because teams may count only one victory per season over an FCS team toward the six necessary to qualify for a bowl, and the Tar Heels routed Citadel 40-6 in the opener.

The Tar Heels' defense, which entered with national rankings of No. 8 overall and No. 4 against the pass, spoke openly about feeling the need to give their struggling offense a jolt. Defensive end Robert Quinn promised to "put it on our shoulders."

Then, they did. Quinn jarred the ball loose from Chapple as he passed late in the first quarter. E.J. Wilson returned it to the 16 and Draughn scored on the next play to make it 14-0.

Sturdivant pushed the lead to 21-7 midway through the second when he ripped the ball out of Urbano's hands and returned it down the right sideline for his second career score.

"That was just a backbreaker for us," Georgia Southern coach Chris Hatcher said.

Zach Brown's interception moments later gave the Tar Heels the ball at the 22 and three plays later, Houston barreled in from 7 yards out. Carter then snuffed out the Eagles' next possession with his second career interception return for a TD.

"That's what we've been trying to do every week," Sturdivant said. "It hadn't been happening. This week, it happened, so we'll try to continue to do that every week."

North Carolina, held to nine first downs in last week's loss to the previously winless Cavaliers, nearly matched that on an opening drive that ended with Houston's first 1-yard plunge. He powered in with 6 seconds before the break to give the Tar Heels their most points in a first half since they scored 52 against Duke in 2000.

Urbano finished with a career-high 93 yards rushing for Georgia Southern, which fell to 1-17 against Bowl Subdivision teams.

Georgia Southern 7 0 3 2 — 12
North Carolina 14 28 0 0 — 42

UNC—Houston 1 run (Barth kick)
UNC—Draughn 16 run (Barth kick)
GaSo—Urbano 45 run (Mora kick)
UNC—Sturdivant 49 fumble return (Barth kick)
UNC—Houston 7 run (Barth kick)
UNC—Carter 41 interception return (Barth kick)
UNC—Houston 1 run (Barth kick)
GaSo—FG Mora 25
GaSo—Wylie Safety
A—47,000

TEAM STATISTICS

First downs — GaSo 11, UNC 22
Rushes-yards — GaSo 33-95, UNC 50-164
Passing — GaSo 75, UNC 125
Comp-Att-Int — GaSo 16-32-4, UNC 16-24-1
Return Yards — GaSo 7, UNC 47
Punts-Avg. — GaSo 8-40.0, UNC 6-43.5
Fumbles-Lost — GaSo 2-2, UNC 2-2
Penalties-Yards — GaSo 3-25, UNC 11-73
Time of Possession — GaSo 29:16, UNC 30:44

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING
Georgia Southern — Urbano 17-93, Rozier 5-8, L.Brown 1-2, Robinson 5-1, Chapple 5-(minus 9).
North Carolina — Draughn 14-81, Houston 15-56, Blue 7-15, Boyd 1-12, Furr 3-6, Yates 7-6, Team 1-(minus 1), Hanson 2-(minus 11).

PASSING
Georgia Southern — Chapple 14-27-3-65, Collins 2-4-0-10, DeMasi 0-1-1-0.
North Carolina — Yates 14-20-0-118, Hanson 2-4-1-7.

RECEIVING
Georgia Southern — P.Barker 5-35, Valentine 4-8, Nolley 3-6, Taylor 1-11, Urbano 1-6, Kyles 1-5, Williford 1-4.
North Carolina — Draughn 5-43, Barham 2-28, Boyd 2-14, Little 2-8, D.Jones 2-7, Houston 1-13, Ramsay 1-12, C.Wilson 1-0.