North Carolina had a chance to steady itself on Saturday night, but instead the Tar Heels walked out of Miami with another gut punch, a 38-35 loss that pushed them deeper into trouble. What looked like a path toward postseason play a couple of weeks ago now feels shaky, with UNC sitting at 4-4 and four games left to sort out its bowl hopes.
The bright spot was the passing game, and it started with Gio Lopez Edwards Jr. For once, the Wisconsin transfer didn’t spend the night fighting his own early mistakes.
He opened with two incompletions, then settled in and finished the first half 12-of-16 for 152 yards and two touchdowns. That kind of rhythm was exactly what UNC needed, and it showed up when the offense was at its best.
One of the biggest beneficiaries was Jordan Shipp Kekahuna, who has quietly become a steady piece over the last two games. With injuries thinning things out around him, the former Wisconsin wide receiver stayed involved and kept building chemistry with Edwards Jr. He finished with three catches for 57 yards and a touchdown, and that connection could matter a lot over the final stretch.
The other major weapon in the passing attack was tight end Jake Johnson Thurman. He’s been a touchdown scorer all season, and he added two more in the first half against Miami.
The volume wasn’t huge, but that’s not really his game. In the red zone, he’s a problem.
Even with all that production through the air, the Tar Heels couldn’t find much help on the ground. Jaylen McGill didn’t factor in after starting last week against Syracuse, and Benjamin Hall didn’t play. Without a real rushing presence to lean on, UNC still managed to keep its offense humming, but the balance just wasn’t there.
The defense had its moments up front, with the line generating pressure on Darian Mensah, but Miami still dictated too much of the night. The Hurricanes were comfortable on the road, and their long, clock-eating drives took the crowd out of the game. North Carolina also turned in yet another performance that allowed 100-plus rushing yards, and by now that issue looks like one the Tar Heels simply haven’t solved.
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Belichicks Tar Heels Just Showed They Can Hang With The Best
North Carolinas game against No. 1 Miami did not end with an upset, but it did offer something Tar Heels fans have not always had much of lately: proof that this team can stay in the fight with elite competition. The Tar Heels were competitive from start to finish, answering Miamis scoring and keeping the game within reach in a way that stood in sharp contrast to some of the more lopsided efforts of recent seasons.
It is still too early to talk about North Carolina as a true championship threat, and this loss did not change that. But under Bill Belichick, the Tar Heels are clearly moving in a better direction, and this was the kind of performance that matters because it suggests the gap is shrinking. For a program trying to climb back into relevance, hanging with the nations top team is a meaningful step, even if the final result still came up short. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Went Toe To Toe With No. 1 Miami Until One Brutal Mistake
For much of Week 9, North Carolina looked like it belonged on the same field as No. 1 Miami. The Hurricanes struck first, but the Tar Heels answered with multiple touchdown drives led by Billy Edwards Jr., and the game had the feel of a heavyweight fight as both defenses came up with key stops and the flags kept shaping momentum in real time.
North Carolina even managed to briefly grab the lead in the fourth quarter, a striking turn against the top-ranked team in the country. Then came the play that changed everything, as Edwards Jr. coughed up the ball late and Miami came away with the recovery, leaving the Tar Heels to wonder how a game they had pushed so hard could slip away in one brutal moment. [Read more 🡒]
UNCs 2027 Future Just Got Real With One Big Question
North Carolinas 2027 recruiting picture got a lot clearer with Demarcus Henry now on board, giving the Tar Heels an early anchor in a class that already has plenty of long-term intrigue. The highly ranked prospect adds another layer to a pipeline that still includes names like Davis, Adams, Rosser and Keita, and it gives the staff a chance to start imagining how the next wave of talent could fit together in Chapel Hill.
The bigger question now is how all of those pieces eventually sort themselves out, because the conversation around this class is no longer just about landing talent, it is about building a roster. Henrys commitment puts North Carolina in position to keep stacking options, but the real challenge will come in figuring out how the development of these prospects lines up with the teams future needs and who ultimately becomes part of the core. [Read more 🡒]