By admin 
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) — The North Carolina Tar Heels opened up home play at Kenan Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon, hosting East Tennessee State in their first game in Chapel Hill of the 2026 season.
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Coming off a Week Zero win over TCU, the Tar Heels entered the matchup looking to make it a 2-0 start under head coach Bill Belichick in his second season at the helm.
And for most of the afternoon, UNC controlled the game from start to finish.
Before a weather delay interrupted the fourth quarter, the Tar Heels had built a commanding 35-0 lead, dominating on both sides of the football.
Tar Heel quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. got the scoring started, connecting with Jelani Thurman to put UNC ahead 7-0.
Edwards added another touchdown pass in the second quarter, finding Benjamin Hall for a 26-yard score as the Tar Heels continued to pull away.
Before halftime, Demon June got into the end zone, punching in a nine-yard touchdown run to give UNC a 21-0 advantage heading into the break.
June picked up right where he left off to start the second half, finding the end zone again on a six-yard touchdown run to extend the Tar Heels’ lead to 28-0.
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He wasn’t finished.
June scored his third touchdown of the afternoon before the weather delay, powering his way into the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run.
Defensively, the Tar Heels once again delivered a strong performance under Belichick, holding ETSU to just 3 points, continuing what has been an impressive start for the Tar Heels’ defense.
After the weather delay finally lifted, North Carolina returned to the field to finish off the afternoon.
The Tar Heels ultimately came away with a 35-3 victory, moving to 2-0 on the season.
Now, the competition gets significantly tougher.
North Carolina will hit the road next week for a matchup with Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers, a much different test for Belichick and the Tar Heels as they look to continue their perfect start to the season.
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