North Carolina is heading into conference play with a spotless record after rolling past East Tennessee State 35-3 on Saturday, and the Tar Heels had plenty of encouraging individual performances to go with the easy win.
The biggest constant in Chapel Hill right now is Bill Belichick, who keeps showing up on the winners side of the ledger as long as North Carolina keeps stacking victories. The 74-year-old head coach has had to navigate a wave of off-field distractions in recent days, and the fact that the team stayed locked in and handled ETSU without letting any of that spill onto the field matters.
Belichick is coaching for his job this season, and after two weeks, North Carolina is already a third of the way to bowl eligibility. Whether that is enough to keep Belichick around in 2027 remains to be seen.
On the offensive side, the clearest difference-maker has been Bobby Petrino. His fingerprints are all over an attack that looks nothing like last season’s operation.
With so much turnover on that side of the ball, what Petrino has done through two games stands out even more. North Carolina’s offense now looks like it belongs in modern football, and while there are still things to clean up before ACC play, this group already looks dangerous enough to compete with plenty of league opponents.
Mack Brown Edwards Jr. turned in another strong outing, and his night ended late in the third quarter, which is about as good a sign as North Carolina could ask for. The sixth-year quarterback completed 15 of 20 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. He did miss on several deep throws, so there is still room for improvement there, but he has shown enough to prove he can run this offense at a competent level.
The passing game continues to feature the tight end, and Jake Thurman is taking full advantage. Petrino wants the Ohio State transfer involved right away, and once again Thurman did most of his damage early. He led the Tar Heels in receiving yards for the second straight week, finishing with four catches for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Freshman wideout Jordan Sadler also kept building on his expanded role. After getting more chances in the second half against TCU when Trech Kekahuna fumbled right before halftime, Sadler stayed in the mix against ETSU.
He was targeted on the opening play of the game on a deep shot, but Edwards Jr. underthrew it. Even so, Sadler still produced, catching three passes for 66 yards and flashing the kind of explosiveness that can change a drive in a hurry.
North Carolina’s defense got a major boost from transfer edge rusher Pryce Harvey in the absence of Melkart Abou Jaoude. The Penn State transfer was a problem all game long, using his speed and elusiveness off the edge to create pressure repeatedly. Harvey finished with three solo tackles and two sacks, and that kind of production arrives at a perfect time with ACC play coming up.
Another player making a strong case up front was Isaiah Lewis. After putting together a five-tackle, two-sack game against TCU, the six-foot, 260-pound defensive tackle followed it with a nearly identical performance against East Tennessee State. He is starting to look like a real force in the middle of the defensive line.
The secondary also made plays, especially Kaleb Cost. The sophomore safety came away with an interception and a fumble recovery, and his pick was the kind of play that jumps off the tape.
He slid up in coverage and dove to make the catch on the first play of the second half. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, he was in the right place at the right time, and his role in the back end keeps growing.
North Carolina’s linebacker group got a standout effort from Cade Seelmann as well. The former Richmond linebacker piled up 10 total tackles, including seven solo, and looked like the player who ranked inside the top 10 in tackling last season. The Tar Heels’ defense is starting to look legitimate, and Seelmann is a big reason why.
The backfield had a true committee feel this time around. Benjamin Hall, Demon June and Jaylen McGill were all productive, and unlike Week 0, the workload was spread more evenly.
Hall was the lead back again, carrying four times for 49 yards while adding two catches for 25 yards and a touchdown. McGill kept churning out efficient gains, finishing with 40 rushing yards on five carries and one reception for 20 yards.
June, who did not get his first carry against TCU until the fourth quarter, was especially productive this time, running for 33 yards and three touchdowns on seven carries. North Carolina now looks like it has a three-headed backfield.
Not everyone got as much action in a game where the ball was spread around. Jordan Shipp was one of the players affected by that wide distribution of targets, finishing with two catches for 25 yards. There is no real reason for concern there based on this game alone.
The same is true for Isaiah Humphrey, though he does land in the disappointing column from this matchup. This was supposed to be a favorable spot for him to make a bigger impact, but Edwards Jr. spread the ball to 11 different pass catchers. Humphrey managed just one reception for 10 yards, and if his involvement does not pick up soon, that will start to stand out.
Kekahuna also had a quiet day, and that may be part of a larger trend. His snap share dropped sharply against TCU after the fumble, and that carried into Saturday. He was limited to one catch for 16 yards, and it will be worth watching whether this is just a two-game stretch or something more permanent on the depth chart.
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 🡒]