After two straight home losses, North Carolina needed something cleaner, sharper and more complete on the road against UConn. It got exactly that in a 38-21 win that felt big for the Tar Heels’ bowl push, even if the start was anything but smooth. The offense stumbled early, but the defense flipped the game with turnovers, the attack settled in, and UNC pulled away late for its first win over an FBS opponent this season that wasn’t decided by one possession.
The biggest swing came from a defense that had been missing in action the previous two weeks. UConn still moved the ball for 368 yards and averaged 5.6 yards per play, but the Tar Heels kept the Huskies to 21 points and forced three turnovers.
Timir Hickman-Collins delivered the first jolt in the middle of the opening quarter, snagging a pass that went off a receiver’s hands and returning it 62 yards for the opening score. The second-quarter fumble was questionable, but the fourth-quarter interception by Jalon Thompson was clean, and both of those takeaways turned into touchdowns.
UNC finished with a season-high 21 points off turnovers, and that was the separator.
Kalieb Osborne, who had been putting together a strong season among non-power conference quarterbacks, had a rough afternoon against the Tar Heel front. He still found some explosive throws and finished with 245 passing yards, but he completed just 17 of 35 attempts and was responsible for all three UConn turnovers.
On the ground, he was held to 28 yards on 11 carries after entering the game averaging 3.7 yards on 89 carries. Some of that was on him, but UNC’s pressure clearly mattered.
The Tar Heels had only three sacks combined in their previous three games, then got Osborne down three times and generated 22 total pressures, tied for the most they’ve had in a game this season. The defensive line did the heavy lifting there, producing 17 of those pressures.
Offensively, North Carolina looked much more comfortable once the first quarter passed. Bobby Petrino’s group shook off a slow opening stretch and scored on five of its next seven drives before draining the clock at the end.
The Tar Heels finished with 419 total yards and 31 points, building on the progress they showed a week earlier against Miami. The passing game stayed productive, but the run game made the difference this time.
UNC ran for 164 yards at 4.6 yards per carry, its second-best rushing performance of the season behind the Clemson game. That matters because this offense spent much of the early season leaning on the defense, but the last two weeks have looked different.
If this level holds, the Tar Heels have a real chance to win each of their final three games.
Billy Edwards had his ups and downs, but he kept making the plays that mattered. Coming off the best game of his college career, the sixth-year senior opened Saturday with a bad interception and some shaky throws, but he steadied himself after the defensive touchdown and delivered when UNC needed him.
He finished 29 of 38 for 255 yards and three touchdowns, and he continued connecting on big throws to Jelani Thurman and Jordan Shipp. This wasn’t the Miami version of Edwards, and expecting that every week isn’t realistic.
Still, he was good enough to help get the win.
Thurman, meanwhile, kept building one of the best seasons on the roster. For the second straight week, he led the team in all the major receiving categories, catching seven of nine targets for 64 yards and two touchdowns.
His second score sealed the victory and tied former Tar Heel tight end Mike Chatham for the most receiving touchdowns by a tight end in a single season in program history. Thurman’s rise has been dramatic: in his first three college seasons at Ohio State, he caught 13 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
Through nine games this year, he’s up to 43 catches, 527 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s doing all of it in memory of his mother, who passed away in a car accident back in February.
North Carolina also handled another important test on the other side of the ball: UConn’s run game. The Huskies entered averaging 190.8 rushing yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry, but the Tar Heels held them to 123 yards on 31 carries, or 4.0 yards per attempt.
Leroy Jackson and Isaiah Johnson helped set the tone by shedding blocks and making plays, which eased the burden on linebackers Peyton Seelmann and Derek McDonald. Tackling was a plus too, with UNC missing just seven tackles in 67 defensive snaps, one of its better efforts in that area this season.
With more productive run games still on the schedule, the Tar Heels will want to carry this version of the defense into the final three games.
In Other News...
UNC Just Lost A Key Path To Cameron Fens Help
The latest legal turn around college basketball eligibility has put Cameron Fens in a precarious spot, and North Carolina is watching closely. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed and vacated the nationwide injunction in Wisne v. NCAA, a ruling that had been part of the broader fight over fifth-year players seeking another season of eligibility.
For Fens, the impact is immediate because he is still tied up in a separate Tennessee case, where the state Court of Appeals stayed his injunction and left him ineligible for now. His path back onto the court now hinges entirely on how that Tennessee lawsuit plays out, leaving UNC with one fewer avenue for help and another unresolved eligibility question hanging over the roster. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Just Got A Real Shot At A Five-Star Guard
Brady Pettigrews recruitment is starting to take shape, and North Carolina is firmly in the mix. The five-star guard has trimmed his list to 10 programs, putting the Tar Heels alongside a heavy group that includes Duke, Kentucky, Florida, Illinois, Michigan and others, and he recently wrapped up an official visit to Chapel Hill.
Pettigrew is currently ranked No. 9 overall in the Class of 2028, which already makes him one of the most coveted guards in the country. There is also growing speculation that he could reclassify into an earlier class, a possibility that would only heighten the urgency around his recruitment, even if no decision has been confirmed yet. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Delivered The Response Fans Needed After Early Criticism
After an uneven opener, North Carolina answered with the kind of complete effort fans had been waiting to see, rolling past Wofford 109-70 in its second game of the season. The Tar Heels looked far more connected on both ends, and the box score reflected it, with five players finishing in double figures and Terrence Brown pacing the way with 21 points.
Maximo Adams added a double-double as UNC controlled the glass and showed the depth that had been missing a game earlier. It was the sort of response that does not erase early questions, but it does give the Tar Heels a much better baseline to build from as the schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]