North Carolina Tar Heels defeat ETSU 35-3 in home opener

UNC Tar Heels college football Kenan Stadium Bill Belichick ETSU Buccaneers

The North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the East Tennessee State Buccaneers 35-3 in their 2026 home opener at Kenan Stadium. The victory improves North Carolina to a 2-0 record for the season.

Running back Demon June led the offense with three rushing touchdowns, while quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. threw for two scores, including a 24-yard touchdown pass to Jelani Thurman and a 26-yard pass to Benjamin Hall. The Tar Heels' defense held the Buccaneers to 255 total offensive yards and recorded four sacks, with Jaylen Harvey and Xavier Lewis each contributing two.

The game, which marked the start of the 100th season of competition at Kenan Stadium, included a weather delay of over one hour due to lightning. North Carolina's next matchup is an Atlantic Coast Conference opener against Clemson.

Entities

Bill Belichick · Billy Edwards Jr. · Demon June · East Tennessee State · East Tennessee State Buccaneers · North Carolina Tar Heels

Sources

Tar Heels storm by ETSU with many positives headed into game at Clemson [tarheeltribune.com]

2 days ago

Bill Belichick, Jordon Hudson and UNC Put Scandal Behind Them in Comfortable Home Win [internewscast.com]

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UNC takes down ETSU 35-3 to improve to 2-0 [www.tarheelblog.com]

2 days ago

What Bill Belichick, UNC Football did during weather delay vs. ETSU [www.tarheeltimes.com]

1 day ago

Tar Heel Takeaways: UNC Handles Business In Home Opener - University of North Carolina Athletics [goheels.com]

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“Jordan Hudson is busted”: NFL fans react to Bill Belichick's GF hugging mascot after UNC win vs. East Tennessee State [www.sportskeeda.com]

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UNC's Chapel Thrill Game Day concert series continues with star-studded lineup [abc11.com]

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Demon June runs for 3 TDs as North Carolina routs East Tennessee State 35-3 for 2-0 start [www.newsday.com]

2 days ago

3 Storylines I’m Watching Most in UNC’s Week 2 Matchup [www.si.com]

3 days ago

Demon June runs for 3 TDs as North Carolina routs East Tennessee State 35-3 for 2-0 start [www.winnipegfreepress.com]

2 days ago

Bill Belichick, UNC vs. East TN St. Final Box Score, Top Player Stats and Highlights [bleacherreport.com]

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