Football Dispatches ETSU, 35-3

Saturday, September 12

Chapel Hill

Noon

North Carolina

2-0 , 0-0

East Tennessee State

1-2 , 0-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
ETSU	0	0	0	3	3
North Carolina	7	14	14	0	35

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

September 12, 2026 | Football

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By: Matt Bowers

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Demon June ran for three touchdowns, Billy Edwards Jr. threw for two and North Carolina's defense dominated as the Tar Heels dispatched East Tennessee State, 35-3, in their 2026 home opener on Saturday at Kenan Stadium.

The UNC defense limited the Buccaneers to 255 total offensive yards, including only 77 on the ground.

The game marked the start of the 100th year of competition in Kenan Stadium, where UNC first played in 1927.

"Solid effort by our guys," UNC head coach Bill Belichick said in his postgame press conference. "We were able to convert opportunities into touchdowns and make stops on defense to keep the points down. Ultimately, that was a big difference in the game. Running backs had good production. I thought Billy (Edwards) made some good checks at the line of scrimmage on some of the tough looks that ETSU gave us. That's a good football team, I think they're well coached. They do a good job, certainly the way they controlled the ball in the first half, and kept us off the field was a good gameplan."

June had just seven carries for 33 yards but scored three times as Carolina ran for 161 yards. Benjamin Hall had four carries for 49 yards, and Jaylen McGill ran five times for 40 yards in a balanced rushing attack. Eight UNC players carried the ball and compiled 161 yards on 27 carries, averaging a whopping six yards per attempt as a team.

The Tar Heels improved to 2-0 in 2026, winning their home opener for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. Carolina is 2-0 for the fourth time in five years and has won 26 consecutive games over FCS opponents dating to 2000.

ETSU fell to 1-2.

Edwards was efficient under center, completing 15 of 20 passing attempts for 244 yards, two scores and a passing rating of 210.5. Mason Mims completed 23 of 31 passes for the Bucs for 178 yards with one interception.

"The mindset that all of us have in there, especially as an offense, is just we (have) to continue to improve every week, week in and week out, continue to get better," Edwards said. "There's obviously going to be things that we can continue to improve on, continue to be more consistent in. That way, we're never getting complacent as an offense or as a team."

Tight end Jelani Thurman caught four passes from Edwards for 71 yards and a TD. C.J. Sadler had three catches for 66 yards. Eleven Tar Heels caught passes on the day.

Carolina out-gained ETSU, 427-255, including 161-77 on the ground. The Tar Heels averaged 8.1 yards per play, 14.8 yards per completion and 6.0 yards per rush as their offense controlled the action from start to finish.

Up Next
The Tar Heels will return to action next Saturday (Sept. 19) at Clemson in their Atlantic Coast Conference opener.

How It Happened
First Quarter
• Five minutes into the game, Greg Smith intercepted a Mims pass to give Carolina the ball at its own 42-yard line. Three plays later, the Tar Heels took a 7-0 lead. Hall started the drive with a 25-yard run to the left side, followed by a nine-yard toss from Edwards to Thurman. Edwards put the Tar Heels up by a score with a 24-yard scoring pass to the left side to Thurman, who sliced through the Buccaneer defense for his first TD as a Tar Heel.

Second Quarter
• Edwards connected on his second scoring pass of the day with 12:13 left in the second quarter when he hit Hall for a 26-yard score on a screen pass to cap a 99-yard scoring drive. It was Carolina's first 99-yard scoring drive since 2022.
• The Tar Heels made it 21-0 in the final two minutes of the half when June ran up the middle, untouched for a nine-yard score off right tackle.

Third Quarter
• Peyton Seelman forced an ETSU fumble and Smith recovered on the Bucs' first play from scrimmage after halftime, giving the Tar Heels the ball at the ETSU 36. Three plays later, June's six-yard TD run to the left side made the score 28-0.
• June scored again on a one-yard dive up the middle with 3:30 left in the quarter, capping a 10-play, 92-yard drive that put UNC ahead, 35-0.

Fourth Quarter
• After a 79-minute lightning delay, ETSU got on the scoreboard with a 41-yard field goal by Ewan Johnson with four minutes remaining in the game.

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