SYRACUSE, N.Y. — North Carolina turned Halloween into a winning night, defeating Syracuse 27-10 in an ACC clash. This victory ended a four-game losing streak and marked the Tar Heels’ first conference win under coach Bill Belichick.
Freshman running back Demon June was the star, racking up 182 total yards and scoring two touchdowns in the second half. After trailing 10-6 at halftime, UNC dominated the rest of the game, outscoring Syracuse 21-0 in the second half. This was their highest scoring game of the season and their best yardage total, with 431 yards.
Syracuse’s only touchdown came from linebacker Anwar Sparrow, who returned a fumble for 51 yards in the first quarter. The Orange (3-6, 1-5) struggled, marking their fifth straight loss.
June’s 72-yard touchdown run kicked off the second half, giving UNC the lead for good. Later, he added a 5-yard touchdown run, and Gio Lopez connected with Jordan Shipp for a 21-yard touchdown to stretch the lead to 27-10.
Syracuse faced challenges at quarterback, replacing struggling starter Rickie Collins with walk-on Joseph Filardi. Filardi had a tough outing, completing just 4 of 18 passes for 39 yards—all under heavy pressure from the Tar Heels’ defense. In contrast, Lopez had a solid performance, completing 15 of 19 passes for 216 yards.
Despite a strong start with a defensive touchdown, Syracuse couldn’t maintain momentum. Their offense was stagnant, amassing only 2.7 yards per play in the first half. At halftime, they led with just 71 total yards compared to UNC’s 208.
Looking ahead, UNC will play Stanford next week in a home game. This will be just the fourth matchup between the two schools, with Stanford currently leading the series 2-1. Stanford’s 3-5 record shows struggles as well, particularly with an 0-5 road record this season.
