Billy Edwards’ best night in a North Carolina uniform was enough to earn him some hardware, even if it came in a heartbreaking loss.
After throwing for 341 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in UNC’s 38-35 Halloween defeat to top-ranked Miami (FL), Edwards was named ACC Quarterback of the Week. He completed 28 passes and spread the scoring around to three different targets, hitting Jelani Thurman twice, Jordan Shipp once and Trech Kekahuna once.
The performance pushed Edwards to 1,872 passing yards and 15 passing touchdowns on the season, both top-35 marks among quarterbacks. For a Tar Heel team that entered 2026 still searching for stability at the position, that’s a major step forward after landing the sixth-year transfer, who began his career at Wake Forest and played sparingly in 2025 because of injury.
Edwards’ path to this point hasn’t been smooth. He drew plenty of criticism earlier this fall, including a stretch in which he turned the ball over five times across three games. But against Miami, he looked far more in control and delivered the kind of production UNC needed to hang with the nation’s No. 1 team.
Of course, the bar in Chapel Hill is high. Sam Howell and Drake Maye set a standard that makes every quarterback comparison feel like a referendum, and that can create unrealistic expectations for Edwards. He doesn’t need to put up video-game numbers every week, though games like this one certainly don’t hurt.
The bigger issue for North Carolina is what comes next. Edwards is finding his rhythm, but the defense has slipped badly after earlier this fall helping cover for his mistakes by tightening up in key moments. Now the Tar Heels need the other side of the ball to catch up if they’re going to turn Edwards’ strong play into wins.
In Other News...
Kaleb Cost Just Gave UNC's Secondary A Needed Reality Check
Kaleb Costs return gave North Carolinas secondary a timely boost in a recent matchup with Miami, and it came with a clear reminder of how little margin there is against top receivers. After missing time with injury, Cost was back on the field and part of a unit that kept Malachi Toney in check for much of the game, even if the Miami wideout still finished with seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
Cost spoke afterward about what it meant to be back, while also giving Toney his due as a difficult cover. For UNC, the bigger takeaway may be the standard it has to sustain from here, with preparation and consistency becoming the key words for a defense that needs its secondary to keep answering the bell every week. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Defense Faces A New Problem After That Miami Letdown
UNC is trying to put the Miami loss behind it, but the bigger concern out of that game was how much the defense struggled when the pressure rose. Now the Tar Heels turn to UConn, a team with a similar record but a different kind of challenge waiting on the other side of the ball. This one is built around quarterback Kalieb Osborne, who gives the Huskies a rushing element that can stress a defense in a hurry.
For North Carolina, the assignment is straightforward even if the execution is not: keep Osborne from turning scrambles and designed runs into the kind of momentum that can tilt a game. After letting Miami expose some issues, the Tar Heels need a cleaner showing against a team that can attack in a way they have already shown some trouble handling. If UNC wants to steady its season, this is the sort of matchup where the defense has to answer first. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Win Exposed A Frontcourt Concern Fans Cant Ignore
North Carolina opened the season with a win over Western Carolina, but the box score left behind a familiar worry for anyone watching closely: the Tar Heels leaned heavily on perimeter scoring while struggling to establish much of anything inside. The frontcourt never quite took control, and the rebounding numbers told the story, with UNC losing the battle on the glass 41-32 and giving up 13 offensive boards.
For a team with conference play looming, that kind of imbalance is hard to ignore. The hope was that transfer Cameron Fens could help stabilize the post and add some needed size, but eligibility issues have kept that option off the table for now, leaving UNC to sort through its frontcourt questions the old-fashioned way. [Read more 🡒]