Football Travels To Wake Forest For Saturday Tilt On The CW

Saturday, November 15

Winston-Salem, N.C. (Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium)

4:30 P.M.

North Carolina

Wake Forest

Photo by: Andy Mead

November 14, 2025 | Football

Game Notes

By: Justin Wilson

Media Central | Tuesday's Press Conference

FIRST AND TEN
- Carolina is in its 135th season of football (138th year) in 2025.
- Entering the matchup with Wake Forest, the Tar Heels hold an all-time record of 755-581-54.
- The Tar Heels meet the Cardinal Saturday afternoon for the first time as Atlantic Coast Conference foes.
- Saturday evening's game between the Tar Heels and Demon Deacons will air live on The CW with Thom Brennaman (PxP), Will Blackmon (Analyst) and Wes Bryant (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.
- With the coaching transition, the 2025 Carolina Football coaching staff features more than 240 years of combined NFL experience.
- In the last three games, North Carolina's defense has tallied 19 sacks to lead the nation over that span. That mark is six more than the next-closest Power Four team (Texas: 13).
- Defensive lineman Melkart Abou Jaoude leads the Atlantic Coast Conference with 10.0 sacks on the year, following his three-sack showing versus Stanford last weekend.
- The tandem of Abou Jaoude and Tyler Thompson became the first Tar Heel duo this century to each post three sacks in the same game during Carolina's victory against Stanford.

A WIN OVER WAKE FOREST WOULD…
- Be Carolina's 756th all-time victory in program history.
- Help Carolina earn their fifth win of the season, returning to .500 on the year.
- Give Belichick his fifth win at the college level, and his second Atlantic Coast Conference victory on the road.
- Help the Tar Heels secure their fifth-straight win versus Wake Forest, a streak that dates back to the 2020 campaign.
- Give Carolina its third-straight ACC victory, helping the Tar Heels win three-straight conference games for the fourth consecutive year.

THE OPPONENT
- Wake Forest is led by Jake Dickert, the Demon Deacons' first-year head coach, who arrived in Winston-Salem after spending the previous four seasons at Washington State.
- Last time out, Wake Forest defeated No. 12 Virginia on the road in Charlottesville, becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2022.
- The win at Virginia was the Demon Deacons' highest-ranked road victory since 1979.
- On the ground, Wake Forest is led by Demond Claiborne, who ranked in the top five in the ACC in rushing yards and touchdowns.
- Wake Forest's defense ranks second in the conference allowing 20.3 points per game.

LAST TIME VERSUS WAKE FOREST
- Omarion Hampton ran for a career-high 244 yards on a career-high 35 carries to lead North Carolina to its third win in a row, 31-24.
- Carolina's offense scored 14 points in under 90 seconds in the third quarter and its defense forced three second-half turnovers to break open a tied, 10-10 game.
- UNC scored back-to-back TDs in just 1:21 to grab a 24-10 lead with eight minutes left in the third period.
- The quick, 14-point spurt allowed Hampton and the Tar Heel rushing attack to milk the clock and limit Wake's opportunities to cut into the UNC lead for much of the remainder of the game.
- Eight different Tar Heels caught passes, including J.J. Jones' scoring grab.
- The Demon Deacons made things interesting when backup quarterback Michael Kern hit Taylor Morin for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 1:11 to play to pull within a score at 31-24. Carolina recovered Wake's onside kick attempt and ran out the clock for the win.

FROM THE NOTES: STANFORD
- Saturday was the first time the Tar Heels have been outgained by an opponent, but still won the game since defeating Duke, 38-35, on Oct. 15, 2022.
- Quarterback Gio Lopez finished the game 18-25 for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Lopez's two passing touchdowns were his seventh and eighth of the 2025 campaign.
- Saturday was the third game of the season and ninth career game Lopez has posted multiple touchdown passes.
- The Tar Heel defense posted nine sacks on the night, the most in a game since defeating Virginia last season.
- Carolina limited Stanford to just 36 yards rushing, the second fewest this season and the sixth time this fall allowed less than 100 yards on the ground.
- Melkart Abou Jaoude and Tyler Thompson each recorded three sacks in the win. The duo is the first Tar Heel tandem this century to post three sacks apiece in the same game.
- Abou Jaoude's 10 sacks on the season is a career-high and atop the Atlantic Coast Conference, the most in a season by a Tar Heel since Kareem Martin's 11.5 sacks in 2013.
- Khmori House logged 8 first-half tackles, eclipsing his previous career-high of seven tackles. The Tar Heel linebacker finished the night with a team-best 13 tackles.

21 OR FEWER
- Carolina has held opponents to 21 points or fewer in each of the past four games, one of two ACC programs to do so along with Virginia.
- The last time the Tar Heels accomplished the feat in four consecutive ACC games was 2000.

STOPPING THE RUN
- The Tar Heels' defense ranks first in the Atlantic Coast Conference in conference games, allowing just 75.4 yards per game on the ground.
- In Carolina's first three ACC games, the Tar Heel defense held opponents under 100 yards in three consecutive conference games for the first time since 2009.
- Opponents have averaged just 2.3 yards per rush against the Tar Heels in conference action, the best in the ACC.
- Last weekend versus Stanford, Carolina limited the Cardinal to just 36 yards rushing.

HOUSE NAMED ACC LINEBACKER OF THE WEEK
- After recording a career-high 13 tackles in a stout defensive effort against Stanford, North Carolina linebacker Khmori House has been named ACC Linebacker of the Week, the conference announced Monday.
- House turned in his best game as a Tar Heel to lead Carolina to a 20-15 win against Stanford. He tallied a career and game high 13 tackles, including eight solo tackles, and also grabbed his first interception of the season and second of his career.
- House's 13 tackles are the sixth most by an ACC player this year. That mark is also the most by a Carolina player since NFL linebacker Cedric Gray had 17 against NC State in 2023.

IN-STATE BATTLES
- This weekend begins the first of three-straight games against Atlantic Coast Conference foes from the state of North Carolina, beginning with a road matchup at Wake Forest.
                  - Saturday, Nov. 15: North Carolina at Wake Forest
                  - Saturday, Nov. 22: Duke at North Carolina
                  - Saturday, Nov. 29: North Carolina at NC State
- Carolina will face the trio of Wake Forest, Duke and NC State in three consecutive games for the third time in program history, 1933, 1999 and 2025.
- In both of the previous occurrences, the Tar Heels went 2-1 in the three-game swing versus the Tar Heel State opponents.

DOWN TO THE WIRE
- The last five matchups between Carolina and Wake Forest have all been decided by seven points or less.
- In total, just 24 points separate the two teams over the last five meetings.

MELKART'S LAST THREE GAMES
- Over the last three games, defensive end Melkart Abou Jaoude has posted three-straight games of multiple sacks, 8.0 sacks during the stretch.
- Abou Jaoude's 10 sacks on the season is a career-high and atop the Atlantic Coast Conference, the most in a season by a Tar Heel since Kareem Martin's 11.5 sacks in 2013.

SMART FOOTBALL
- North Carolina ranks third in the ACC in fewest penalties, with 52 on the season.
- The Tar Heels are averaging 5.8 per game under Coach Belichick, a mark that ranks fourth in the conference.