Instant Analysis: UNC Stomps Spiders, Keeps Opponent Out of End Zone Again

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — It was a step down in competition that didn’t necessarily raise North Carolina’s bar to a most exceptional level at times.

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But still, the Tar Heels produced plenty of positives and proceeded to pour them on in the second half, while cruising to a 41-6 defeat of Richmond on Saturday at Kenan Stadium. The blowout victory gave coach Bill Belichick his first win in a home game here.

Gio Lopez threw two touchdown passes to Jordan Shipp and true freshman Demon June churned out 148 rushing yards, the most on the ground by a Carolina freshman since 2017. June’s 45-yard touchdown burst ballooned the lead to 41-3 in the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, UNC’s defense nearly delivered a second-half shutout for the second week in a row. The Tar Heels now have held back-to-back opponents without a touchdown, marking the first time that has occurred for a Carolina football team since September 2012 — when the Tar Heels, then under former coach Larry Fedora, beat East Carolina 27-6 and Idaho 66-0 across consecutive games.

In the fourth quarter, UNC linebacker Mikai Gbayor spun out of a crowd after taking the ball from Richmond’s Jamaal Brown. And Gbayor raced away for a 62-yard touchdown return, increasing UNC’s lead to 34-3.

Earlier in the second half, the Tar Heels (2-1) stuffed the Spiders (1-2) of the FCS on three straight snaps at the mouth of the end zone inside the 5-yard line. The UNC defense capped that goal-line stand by denying Richmond quarterback Kyle Wickersham on fourth down at the 1.

UNC led 20-3 by halftime. Lopez’s 3-yard touchdown toss to Shipp late in then third quarter touched off a 21-0 spurt for the Tar Heels during the next 8:53 of game time. Lopez finished 10-of-18 passing for 119 yards, and added 40 rushing yards on 11 carries.

Tar Heels Settle for Short Field Goals

Carolina scored on its first four possessions of the game Saturday, and built a whopping advantage of 169 total yards to minus-2 total yards for the Spiders by early in the second quarter.

But the Tar Heels twice settled for short field goals when a pair of drives stalled inside the Richmond 10-yard line. And that kept them from growing their first-half lead, which reached 20-0, into more expansive territory.

UNC’s opening drive of the day on offense — fueled by then true freshman June’s 50-yard breakaway on a third-and-1 — ended in Rece Verhoff’s 27-yard field goal, after Lopez ran into a sack on third-and-goal from the Richmond 8.

Later, on a third-and-goal from the Richmond 4, Lopez missed Kobe Paysour in the end zone. That would’ve been a touchdown for the Tar Heels with an accurate pass, as Paysour created separation from Richmond defensive back Devin Geronomi. But Lopez threw wide of the diving Paysour, and Verhoff came on for a 22-yard field goal, increasing the lead to 13-0.

Spiders Stumble on Special Teams

Richmond’s surprise onside kick to start the second half caught Carolina off guard. But in the first half, a pair of special teams situations cost the Spiders.

Richmond’s Zach Chambers jumped offside with UNC punting on fourth-and-2 in the first quarter, providing new life for the Tar Heels. Chambers got an earful from incensed coach Russ Huesman there, and Carolina proceeded to capitalize on Lopez’s 29-yard touchdown pass to Shipp for a 10-0 lead.

Later in the first quarter, UNC took over in prime position at the Richmond 25-yard line, after the Spiders snapped to up-back Owen Laughlin on a risky fourth-and-5 and their own 21. The Tar Heels stopped Laughlin for a 4-yard gain there, short of the first down markers.

Next on the Schedule

UNC plays its final non-conference game of the regular season next Saturday at Central Florida (3:30 p.m., FOX). That Sept. 20 road assignment at Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando, Fla. closes the month for the Tar Heels, who will have their first open date on the 2025 schedule the following week, before ACC league games begin in October.

UCF marks Carolina’s second Big 12 Conference opponent across the first four games of this season. The Tar Heels were supposed to open the 2020 season at UCF, when former coach Josh Heupel had the Knights rolling, but that game got scrapped by the COVID pandemic.

UCF has started 2-0 in its second stint under coach Scott Frost, and the Knights will be coming off an early bye week when UNC arrives. UCF squeaked past Jacksonville State 17-10 to open the season, rallying in the fourth quarter and winning on backup quarterback Tayven Jackson’s 33-yard touchdown pass to DJ Black with 63 seconds remaining. The Knights routed NC A&T 68-7 last week, leading 28-0 in the game’s opening 13 minutes and 40-0 by halftime. UCF defensive lineman Rodney Lora, the Carolina transfer, recovered a fumble for a touchdown in that blowout.