Gio Lopez threw for two touchdowns and North Carolina scored TDs on its first three possessions of the second half to collect the first Atlantic Coast Conference victory under first-year coach Bill Belichick, defeating host Syracuse 27-10 on Friday night.
North Carolina (3-5, 1-3 ACC) was dominant on defense, limiting the Orange (3-6, 1-5) to 147 yards of total offense and putting a halt to a four-game losing streak. It marked the Tar Heels’ first victory of the season against an opponent from a power conference.
North Carolina’s Demon June rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, and he added two catches for 81 yards and a score. Lopez completed 15 of 19 throws for 216 yards and wasn’t intercepted or sacked.
Syracuse, which lost its fifth game in a row, benched quarterback Rickie Collins in favor of freshman Joseph Filardi, who made the start but never got untracked. Filardi wound up 4-for-18 for 39 yards. The Orange’s only touchdown came courtesy of their defense on a fumble recovery.
The Tar Heels, who lost in overtime to nationally ranked Virginia last weekend, had a chance to score on all four second-half possessions, but they chose to take a knee after reaching the Syracuse 3-yard line at the two-minute mark.
North Carolina needed one play for to produce its first touchdown drive. Lopez’s 72-yard pass to June on the Tar Heels’ initial snap of the third quarter gave the visitors a 13-7 lead.
The Tar Heels increased the gap to 20-10 on June’s 5-yard run with eight seconds left in the third quarter.
After recovering a fumble, the Tar Heels needed just three plays to cover 21 yards. Lopez connected with Jordan Shipp for a 21-yard touchdown and a 27-10 lead.
Syracuse, despite a 1-for-11 passing performance and 71 total yards, led 10-6 at halftime.
North Carolina opened the scoring on Rece Verhoff’s 24-yard field goal, but Syracuse went ahead later in the first half when Shamar Easter fumbled and Anwar Sparrow returned the recovery 51 yards for a touchdown.
The Orange extended their lead on Tripp Woody’s 31-yard field goal to conclude a 13-play drive that produced 50 yards. Verhoff’s 43-yard field goal with 36 seconds left in the half closed the gap to 10-6.
