Demon June gave North Carolina exactly the kind of punch it needed in its home opener, and the Tar Heels backed it up with a defense that kept East Tennessee State in check from start to finish in a 35-3 win Saturday in Chapel Hill.
June handled the heavy lifting on the ground, scoring three times on runs of 9, 6 and 1 yard. Billy Edwards set the tone early through the air, throwing two first-quarter touchdown passes as North Carolina moved to 2-0 for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
“It was a solid effort in all three phases.”
Edwards finished 15 of 20 for 244 yards and spread the ball around to eight different receivers. Jelani Thurman led the way with 71 receiving yards, highlighted by a 24-yard catch-and-run that opened the scoring just 1:19 into the game.
“He's shown to have the ability to be a Swiss Army knife in terms of how we want to use him and how (offensive coordinator Bobby) Petrino and the offensive staff kind of schemes it up for him,” Edwards said of Thurman, who had four catches for 94 yards in the season-opening win over TCU. “I expect him to continue to get better and continue to kind of evolve as a tight end in this offense.”
North Carolina’s offense shook off an opening three-and-out and then found a rhythm, turning five of its next six drives into touchdowns. One of the biggest snaps came on a 26-yard swing pass to Benjamin Hall that finished a 10-play, 99-yard march, matching the team’s longest scoring drive since 2022 against Miami.
The Tar Heels’ defense did its part, too. North Carolina held ETSU to 255 total yards, forced two turnovers and piled up four sacks, with Jaylen Harvey and Xavier Lewis getting two apiece. The Buccaneers also hurt themselves with seven penalties for 67 yards.
Mason Mims completed 23 of 31 passes for 178 yards and an interception for ETSU, which fell to 1-2.
North Carolina was up 35-0 after three quarters before lightning forced a delay of one hour and 19 minutes. The Tar Heels have now gone seven full quarters without allowing a touchdown.
“Good to get that one today,” North Carolina coach Bill Belichick said.
The one notable absence for North Carolina was defensive end Melkart Abou Jaoude, the redshirt senior who led the Atlantic Coast Conference with 10.5 sacks last year. He wore a cast on his right forearm/hand and did not play.
“He's day-to-day,” Belichick said. “Nobody's working harder than he is to get back. We'll get him back as soon as possible.”
ETSU returns home next Saturday to host West Georgia.
In Other News...
UNCs ACC Opener Just Took A Sudden Turn At Quarterback
Clemsons quarterback picture changed quickly this week after Christopher Vizzina suffered an elbow injury against Georgia Southern and was labeled week-to-week. For North Carolina, that means the ACC opener has picked up an extra layer of uncertainty before the Tar Heels even take the field, with freshman Tait Reynolds now expected to make his first career start.
Dabo Swinney said Reynolds showed promise in relief, but he also made it clear Clemson plans to lean on both quarterbacks moving forward. For UNC, the adjustment is less about the name on the depth chart than the timing of the change, because preparing for a first-time starter in a conference game can alter everything from pressure plans to coverage looks. [Read more 🡒]
UNC May Have A New Passing Weapon Before Clemson
UNC has spent the first two weeks grinding through ugly weather and finding out a lot about itself in the process. The Tar Heels have won both games in rain-soaked conditions, given up only 13 points across eight quarters and shown a defense that has looked sharper on third downs, while the offense has had to make the most of limited possessions and has still managed to stay efficient.
One of the quieter developments has been the emergence of freshman CJ Sadler in the passing game. He has already started to carve out a real role, sharing targets with the rest of the receiver group and giving the Tar Heels another option to feature as the schedule stiffens. With Clemson next, UNC may be looking at a new kind of threat to keep defenses honest, even if the full extent of that role is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Just Got An Opening It Cannot Waste Against Clemson
Clemsons offense is headed into its next meeting with North Carolina with a different face under center, after starting quarterback Christopher Vizzina suffered an elbow injury and is expected to miss the game. Freshman Tait Reynolds is projected to make the start in his place, giving the Tar Heels a chance to line up against a much less familiar look than the one Clemson had planned to feature.
For UNC, the timing matters because Clemson has already spent much of the early season looking out of sync, and a quarterback switch only adds to the uncertainty. The Tar Heels do not need to solve every issue for the Tigers to gain an edge here, but they do need to treat this as an opportunity to pressure a young passer and make Clemson play from behind the curve. [Read more 🡒]