Gio Lopez update: Latest on North Carolina quarterback

North Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez did not suffer a season-ending injury against UCF, sources tell On3. The South Alabama transfer exited Saturday’s loss in the third quarter with a right leg injury and had to be carted to the locker room after being helped off the field.

Sources have told On3 that a timeline is not clear for a return, but Lopez has started rehabbing and a return in early October is not out of the question. The Tar Heels are on a bye week before hosting Clemson on Oct. 4.

Facing a 4th-and-1 late in the third quarter, Lopez lunged for a first down and remained on the ground following the play.

“We’ve scored points the last two weeks,” North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick said in his postgame press conference. “We had trouble doing it today. … Look, football is a sport with 11 guys out there. I’m not talking about one guy. It’s the 11 guys who have to operate efficiently, and times we’ve done that, and times we haven’t. Today wasn’t one of our better ones.”

Before his injury, Lopez was 11 of 14 for 87 yards and two interceptions. Gio Lopez has thrown for 430 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in four games and has a 62.7% completion percentage.

Lopez had what looked like a serious injury vs. TCU and missed the rest of that game, only to play the next week. Belichick did not provide an update on Lopez following the game, stating North Carolina would have a better idea of the quarterback’s status after flying back to Chapel Hill.

Backup Max Johnson finished the game for the Tar Heels, going 11 of 19 for 67 yards and a touchdown. After picking up wins over Charlotte and Richmond, North Carolina lost to UCF 34-9, dropping to 2-2 on the season.