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CHAPEL HILL (AP) — The week leading up to North Carolina's regular-season finale against Duke will offer the Tar Heels yet another test of maintaining their focus.

They're hoping that top rusher Giovani Bernard is back in the lineup after suffering a mild concussion last week at Virginia Tech. They need to reverse a monthlong slide that has led to four losses in five games. And they're playing amid the uncertain future of interim coach Everett Withers, who took over after the sudden firing of Butch Davis before training camp amid an NCAA investigation of the football program.

"For this football team to handle what they've gone through over the last two years has been remarkable," Withers said Monday. "I'm not sure there are many teams in the country that can hang on like we have."

Hanging on is a good way to describe the Tar Heels (6-5, 2-5 ACC) these days. In the past month, they've lost ugly (59-38 at Clemson), they've lost close (24-21 at Virginia Tech), they've fallen short in late comebacks (30-24 against Miami) and they've looked inept (13-0 at rival N.C. State).

The only win was a 49-24 win against Wake Forest on Oct. 29, aided by the normally sure-handed Demon Deacons committing five of their season's 11 turnovers.

The Tar Heels are bowl eligible for a fourth straight season and still have a chance to match the 8-5 record from each of the previous three seasons.

Withers said Bernard wanted to return to the Virginia Tech game after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit in the first half. He returned to some noncontact practice work Sunday and Withers is hopeful that the redshirt freshman can return to full practice Tuesday.

Bernard has run for 1,057 yards, becoming the first UNC player to run for 1,000 yards in 14 years.

"I expect him to play," said receiver Dwight Jones, who became the second player in school history with 1,000 yards receiving in a season last week. "But I'm not a doctor. You know how they take the concussions this year. They take it so serious. I hope he can play."

Withers' status is another question, though he has generally refused to talk about himself all year. He has said his focus has been "to help these kids have the best experience they could have" and that he hasn't thought about whether Saturday's game will be his last at Kenan Stadium.

He said he has had "several conversations" with new athletic director Bubba Cunningham, who took over the 28-sport department last week and will have to decide whether to keep Withers. When asked about those meetings, Withers said only they have gone well and that he believes he is a candidate for the permanent job.

It was Withers' first time as a head coach in 24 years as a college or NFL assistant, and it came at a program Withers rooted for growing up in Charlotte.

"It's been a good experience," Withers said. "As an assistant, you always talk about wanting to be a head coach. Maybe not all guys, but I have. To have this opportunity, it's been great. It's been unbelievable. Not many guys get to start at a Division I school in a top conference for their first job."

Jones and quarterback Bryn Renner said the players haven't gotten caught up in whether Withers will keep the job for good.

"We're out there fighting for coach Withers like he's fighting for us," Jones said. "We'd love for coach Withers to be able to stay and coach at the University of North Carolina, especially someone that grew up a Carolina fan his whole life."