Bill Belichick Wins in Chapel Hill, June and Shipp Shine

First Quarter

The Tar Heels begin the game by forcing Richmond to a three-and-out, ending up with the ball on its 33-yard line to have its first drive.

Freshman Demon June takes UNC toward the end zone during the opening drive with a 50-yard run on third-and-one — a different approach from the first two outings, where Head Coach Bill Belichick and Offensive Coordinator elected to gain yards through the air. But despite June's impressive running, UNC ended the seven-play, 58-yard and two-minute, and 39-second drive with a field goal.

The defense for Belichick gets rolling during Richmond's second drive, as redshirt junior Melkart Abou-Jaoude reached the backfield twice, sacking the Spiders' quarterback, Kyle Wickersham, forcing Head Coach Russ Huesman's team to punt.

On the other end, quarterback Gio Lopez and wide receiver Jordan Shipp were able to connect for a passing touchdown, as Shipp made his way into the end zone — stiff arming a Richmond defender.

North Carolina fans found wide receiver Chris Culliver on the field, as the sophomore made his first catch on the day to open up UNC's third drive — a 15-yard reception. Culliver suffered an injury against Charlotte, pushing him out of the game.

Second Quarter

To continue the drive, Lopez's pass to wide receiver Kobe Paysour was dropped in the end zone, and UNC opted for another field goal — this time for 22 yards. By the 12:40 mark, UNC had a total of 54 receiving yards between Shipp (39) and Culliver (15).

It took three games for Lopez to get his first running touchdown as a Tar Heel — running the football in from the 1-yard line with 10:01 left. The South Alabama transfer showed much-needed improvement for the Tar Heels as the season continues, especially against opponents like UCF and Clemson.

North Carolina, on each of its first four drives, finished with a score — Kitchens' play-calling was a lot more fitting in comparison to the offense seen through the first two outings. In addition, running has led the Tar Heels to create opportunities — June, Lopez and Gause handled the responsibilities.

Richmond on drive number five that lasted 14 plays, 76 yards and eight minutes and 42 seconds resulted in a field goal — its first points of the contest — 1:11 remained on the clock.

The first half ended with North Carolina punting the ball, but to no return by the Spiders.

That's all the 30 minutes of game action wrote between UNC and Richmond.

Notable Halftime Stats

UNC

• Lopez is 7/14 and has thrown 104 yards and one touchdown

• Shipp has 49 receiving yards and one touchdown

• June ran for 69 yards on seven carries

• Freshman defensive lineman Leroy Jackson led the team with five total tackles

Richmond

• Wickersham completed three of his five pass atempts for 11 yards total

• Wide receiver Andrew King has 14 receiving yards

• Running backs Aziz Foster-Powell and Jamaal Brown ran for 18 yards each

• Linebacker Blake Houser led with six total tackles for the Spiders

Third Quarter

UNC began the second half by allowing Richmond to secure its offside kick. The Spiders ran of the field in triumph, one of the few bright spots it came across on Saturday. A pass from Wickersham to wide receiver Isaiah Dawson — for 28 yards — placed Richmond at UNC's 8-yard line. On fourth-and-one, Wickersam attempted to run the ball in, but fell short of touchdown.

By the 6:20 mark, UNC mustered a total of 202 yards — 107 through the air and 95 on the ground.

The offside kick did not end well for the Spiders. UNC stripped the ball caused by defensive lineman CJ Mims, recovered by Abou-Jaoude — Belichick's offense started at Richmond's 34-yard line. It ended with Lopez and Shipp connecting for a touchdown pass yet again, this time on the left side of the end zone. And after that drive, it gave North Carolina the most amount of points in a game so far during the 2025 season — one that took seven plays, 34 yards, and three minutes and 21 seconds.

For the first time in Shipp's career, he scored multiple touchdowns.

Fourth Quarter

Through three quarters, UNC's defense has looked its best, considering the performances shown during the TCU and Charlotte contests. The 61-yard fumble recovery by Gbayor after stripping the ball away led to one more score for UNC, as the scoreboard read 34-3, hitting the 14-minute mark.

Belichick, Kitchens and Defensive Coordinator Steve Belichick planned a much balanced game as the Tar Heels earned yardage through multiple different ways — not leaning so much on either the pass or run. June broke for 100 rushing yards, the first back to do so for Belichick this season. A few moments later, he ran for a 45-yard touchdown, UNC's fifth on the day.

Moments before the game clock expired, Richmond hit a field goal to turn the three on the scoreboard into a six — cutting the deficit 35.

Belichick and the Tar Heels win their first contest in Chapel Hill, in front of the Carolina faithful — a 35-point blowout. North Carolina prepares for UCF on the road; the two schools meet in a week on Saturday, September 20, at 3:30 p.m.

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