Football Travels To Syracuse For ACC Matchup On Halloween

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Carolina football will make its first trip to Syracuse since 2018 when the Tar Heels take on the Orange Friday night inside the JMA Wireless Dome. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.

FIRST AND TEN
- Carolina is in its 135th season of football (138th year) in 2025.
- Entering the matchup with Syracuse, the Tar Heels hold an all-time record of 753-581-54.
- The Tar Heels hit the road on Friday night, traveling to Syracuse in ACC play for the first time since 2018.
- Friday night's game between the Tar Heels and Orange will be live on ESPN, with Anish Shroff (PxP), Andre Ware (Analyst) and Paul Carcaterra (Sideline) on the call.
- On December 11, 2024, Carolina announced the hiring of eight-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick as the program's new football coach.
- Belichick became the 40th coach in program history, the 12th to lead the program since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1953.
- Belichick's ties to UNC date back to his father, Steve, who was an assistant coach for the Tar Heels from 1953-55.
- With the coaching transition, the 2025 Carolina Football coaching staff features more than 240 years of combined NFL experience.
- North Carolina has held ACC opponents under 100 rushing yards in three consecutive games for the first time since 2009.
- The Tar Heels rank fifth nationally in red zone defense, as opponents have only scored on 18 of 26 trips (69%), which is second in the ACC.

A WIN OVER SYRACUSE WOULD…
- Be Carolina's 754th all-time victory in program history.
- Give Belichick his third win at the college level, his second win on the road and first career Atlantic Coast Conference victory.
- Help the Tar Heels secure their first win at Syracuse since 2002, when Carolina earned a 30-22 victory.
- Give Carolina its second victory on the road this fall.
- Be the Tar Heels' fifth victory over Syracuse in program history, including their third-straight versus the Orange.
- Give Carolina its first regular season win on a Friday since defeating NC State in 1995.

THE OPPONENT
- Syracuse is led by Fran Brown, the second-year head coach of the Orange. In his first season at the helm in 2024, Brown led the Orange to 10 wins, their most since 2018.
- Richie Collins, an LSU transfer, has started the last four games for the Orange.
- Last time out, Syracuse fell to No. 7 Georgia Tech, 41-16, in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
- Over the last two seasons, the Orange are 8-3 on their home turf at the JMA Wireless Dome, highlighted by two ranked wins a season ago.

LAST TIME VERSUS SYRACUSE
- Fourteenth-ranked North Carolina raced out to a 27-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 40-7 win over Syracuse in its ACC home opener at Kenan Stadium, extending the Tar Heels' best start to a season in nearly three decades.
- Carolina amassed 424 yards of total offense in a suffocating first half, including 280 through the air from quarterback Drake Maye and a rushing advantage of 144-15. By the end of the game, UNC piled up a season-high 644 yards
- Maye sliced through the Orange defense for a season-high 442 yards passing (six shy of his career high) and three touchdowns, including 23 of 35 for 280 yards and two scores while completing passes to 10 different receivers in the first half. He also ran for 55 yards and a TD.
- Wide receiver Nate McCollum dazzled with seven catches for 135 yards, averaging 19.3 per grab. Kobe Paysour tallied three grabs for 100 yards and a brilliant, 76-yard touchdown on a one-handed catch.

DEFENSIVE NUMBERS VERSUS UVA
- Carolina's six sacks on Saturday versus the Cavaliers were the most for the Tar Heel defensive unit this fall.
- Melkart Abou Jaoude led Carolina with a career-high three sacks on the day. Entering the game, Abou Jaoude had two total sacks on the campaign.
- Isaiah Johnson, CJ Mims and Tyler Thompson each posted one sack in the game.
- Carolina allowed 59 rushing yards in the game, the fewest versus an ACC opponent this season.
- The Tar Heels have held ACC opponents under 100 rushing yards in three consecutive games for the first time since 2009.
- Virginia's 200 yards passing was the fewest allowed in the air by the Carolina defense in ACC action this season.

STOPPING THE RUN
- The Tar Heels' defense has done a great job stopping the run since the start of conference play, as Carolina leads the ACC in rushing defense at 76 yards per game.
- In three league games, UNC has not allowed a run over 16 yards and just five total runs over 10 yards.
- Carolina allowed 89 yards rushing against Clemson, 80 at Cal and 59 in last Saturday's game against Virginia.
- Opponents have averaged just 2.37 yards per rush against the Tar Heels in conference action.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
- Since 1995, the Tar Heels have played 11 games (regular season and bowl games) on Fridays, posting a 2-9 record in that stretch:
                - 2025: at California: Loss, 21-18
                - 2022: NC State: Loss, 30-27 (2OT)
                - 2021: at No. 24 NC State: Loss, 34-30
                - 2021: at Virginia Tech: Loss, 17-10
                - 2020: No. 2 Notre Dame: Loss, 31-17
                - 2019: Temple (Military Bowl): Win, 55-13
                - 2019: at Wake Forest: Loss, 24-18
                - 2016: No. 16 Stanford (Sun Bowl): 25-23
                - 2016: NC State: Loss, 28-21
                - 2014: Rutgers (Quick Lane Bowl): Loss, 40-21
                - 1995: at NC State: Win, 30-28
- In 2025, Carolina will play two-straight road contests on the road, at California (L, 21-18) and at Syracuse (Friday).

SMART FOOTBALL
- North Carolina ranks 15th nationally and second in the ACC in fewest penalties, with 35 on the season.
- The Tar Heels are averaging five penalties per game under Coach Belichick, a mark that ranks second in the conference.

RECEIVING CORPS LAST TWO OUTINGS
- Two weeks ago at California on his birthday, Kobe Paysour posted a career-high 101 yards on six catches.
- Entering the game versus the Golden Bears, Paysour had just two catches for 18 yards.
- Last Saturday against No. 16 Virginia, freshman Madrid Tucker finished with eight catches for 41 yards, in his first college game.
- Tucker's eight receptions were a season-high for a Carolina receiver.
- Also against the Cavaliers, sophomore wideout Jordan Shipp recorded a career-high seven catches. The Charlotte native had six receptions for 61 yards in the opening half.

FROM THE NOTES: VIRGINIA RECAP
- Saturday was the first time the Tar Heels have played a ranked team since hosting No. 25 Miami in 2023.
- The South's Oldest Rivalry dates back to 1892. The 130th meeting between the two programs is tied for second in FBS rivalry games played.
- North Carolina played its first overtime game since Nov. 11, 2023 against Duke.
- Quarterback Gio Lopez posted a season-best 23 completions, adding 208 yards and two total touchdowns.
- Benjamin Hall paced Carolina on the ground for the third-straight game, having 11 carries for 50 yards.
- Khmori House led the Carolina defense with seven tackles on the day, one of four Tar Heels with five-or-more tackles.
- Rece Verhoff drilled a 34-yard field goal in the second quarter, his sixth-straight game with a field goal make.

Scoreboard Slider

University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Melkart Abou Jaoude

Benjamin Hall

Khmori House

Isaiah Johnson

Gio Lopez

Nate McCollum

CJ Mims

Kobe Paysour

Jordan Shipp

Tyler Thompson

Madrid Tucker

Rece Verhoff

Related Videos