Demon June Stays Ready, Sparks Tar Heels With Emphatic Runs

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — After breaking out with 148 rushing yards against Richmond, Demon June hadn’t recaptured that level of production before the team’s trip to upstate New York this week.

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June managed just 115 total rushing yards in the four games that followed the Richmond outing, but he came closer to that total on Friday by taking off against Syracuse on Halloween night. The true freshman running back piled up 182 yards of total offense — 101 rushing, 81 receiving — and scored two touchdowns in UNC’s 27-10 victory against the Orange.

June’s performance on Friday was a needed one for a North Carolina team looking for its first ACC win, and beyond that, a team looking to score 20 points against a power conference opponent for the first time all year. And inside JMA Wireless Dome, June found a groove.

“Just repping those plays during the week with the O-Line, getting the feel of everything,” June said after the game. “Everybody coming together. Once the time comes, once you practice it so much, it just comes second nature. So it just felt good to see the hard work paying off in those plays.”

Both of June’s touchdowns came in the third quarter. North Carolina came out of halftime trailing 10-6, and the offense received that ball after the defense forced a three-and-out. On UNC’s first offensive play of the half, June took a screen pass from Gio Lopez and went to work from there. He used blockers to swerve around two defenders before stiff-arming Syracuse’s Braheem Long Jr. around the 50-yard line. June only saw green after that, and he used his speed to run through the endzone for the game’s first offensive touchdown.

“I think he did a great job just giving us a spark,” Lopez said. “Demon’s doing a great job in every aspect, picking up blocks, doing better in that aspect as well. That screen really got us going and got us out of the funk we were having with the field goals back-to-back. And I think Demon did a great job busting runs after that, too. Overall, he was being Demon and did a great job.”

His second score came from a direct handoff five yards out from the goalline, as he took the ball, ran left and nearly went untouched on his way to six points. He collected 28 yards of total offense on that 12-play, 80-yard drive to put his team ahead 20-10.

June weaved his way around defenders in the backfield by reading holes throughout the night. His longest carry of the day came on a 44-yard rush in which he snuck through the offensive line before seeing daylight and crossing midfield. That run helped get North Carolina into field goal range to cut into the Syracuse lead before halftime.

“When you see guys make plays with the ball in their hands and are hard to tackle, it gets everybody fired up,” Bill Belichick said.

June, UNC’s leading rusher this season, profusely credited his offensive line for creating lanes for him to run through.

Before Friday, June was averaging 3.6 yards per carry in ACC play on 18 rush attempts. He hadn’t reached the 50-yard mark since hitting 50 against UCF in September, as sometimes Benjamin Hall or Davion Gause would turn in more efficient days than the true freshman. Hall led the team in carries and yards for the two games preceding Friday night.

The size and speed are there for June, and each time he runs, his explosiveness flashes, whether or not he manages a long gain. June hit his stride and found a rhythm with an assortment of big plays Friday night, lifting North Carolina to its first ACC victory under Belichick.

“It’s all in the preparation,” June said. “Reps increase, decrease, you attack every practice the same, whether you’re that guy or you’re not that guy. But it pays off when you practice hard. And you keep that mindset that when your number’s called, you’re ready to make that play. So it’s just a mindset type of thing.”

North Carolina’s win ended a four-game losing streak, and the team secured a season-high 425 yards of total offense. June scored two of the team’s three touchdowns and was the most effective playmaker Friday night.

June’s potential as a true freshman, based on his running style and productivity in a few of UNC’s games, makes him a candidate to be a difference maker in the last four games of the season and, perhaps, beyond that.

But ask Belichick, and he’ll tell you June still has plenty of work to do.

“It’s too early to get the bust ready to go to the Hall of Fame,” Belichick jokingly said after the game. “But he works hard. He does a good job. He’s getting better. We’ll see where it goes. Glad we have him. He’s certainly taken advantage of his play-time reps both in the run game and the passing game. He needs to improve his blitz pickup, he needs to refine some other skills, but he’s certainly getting there, and he’s been a big plus for us.”