SYRACUSE, N.Y. (Oct. 31, 2025) — On Halloween night, the North Carolina Tar Heels finally exorcised some demons. With a determined second-half surge, the Tar Heels downed the Syracuse Orange 27-10 in the JMA Wireless Dome to pick up their first Atlantic Coast Conference win under head coach Bill Belichick and break a four-game losing streak. (ESPN.com)
Game Flow & Key Moments
The game began in uneasy fashion for UNC. Syracuse struck first when the Orange defense scooped up a fumble and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown by Anwar Sparrow, putting Syracuse ahead 7-3 late in the first quarter. (ESPN.com)
In the second quarter, Syracuse extended their lead to 10-6 thanks to a 31-yard field goal by Tripp Woody. UNC closed the half with a 43-yard field goal by Rece Verhoff to make it 10-6 at intermission. (theacc.com)
Everything changed in the second half. On UNC’s first play out of the locker room, quarterback Gio Lopez connected with running back Demon June for a 72-yard strike—June broke a tackle and scampered down the sideline to put the Tar Heels ahead 13-10. (ESPN.com)
Moments later, June punched it in from 5 yards for his second score and UNC’s lead ballooned to 20-10. The Tar Heels buried any doubt when Lopez found receiver Jordan Shipp on a 21-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to seal the win at 27-10. (ESPN.com)
— Final Score: UNC 27, Syracuse 10 (ESPN.com)
— UNC out-gained Syracuse 425 to 147 in total yards. (theacc.com)
— First downs: UNC 20, Syracuse 12. (theacc.com)
— Syracuse averaged just 2.9 yards per play. (theacc.com)
— Turnovers: Syracuse lost one fumble; UNC turned none. (ESPN.com)
Stand-Out Performances
- Demon June (UNC): Finished with 101 rushing yards on 13 carries and added 81 receiving yards on 2 catches—accounting directly for both of UNC’s touchdowns. (ESPN.com)
- Gio Lopez (UNC): Completed 15 of 19 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns. (ESPN.com)
- Jordan Shipp (UNC): Caught six passes for 64 yards, including that clincher in the fourth quarter. (ESPN.com)
- Melkart Abou Jaoude (UNC Defense): Credited with 2 sacks among his 6 total tackles, anchoring a defense that shut out Syracuse in the second half. (theacc.com)
- Joe Filardi (Syracuse): The true-freshman walk-on quarterback (also a lacrosse player) struggled mightily: 4 of 18 passing for 39 yards. (ESPN.com)
What This Means for Each Team
For North Carolina, this was a much-needed breakthrough. It’s the first time Belichick has steered his Tar Heels to a win over a Power Four opponent, and certainly his first ACC victory in this role. (New York Post) It ends a four-game skid and provides some momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.
For Syracuse, the loss continues a slide into full struggle. The offense couldn’t get going and was forced into starting a true freshman at quarterback, which underscored deeper issues. Their fifth straight defeat and a 3-6 (1-5 ACC) mark are troubling signs for the Orange. (ESPN.com)
Coach Belichick’s Post-Game Comments
Belichick didn’t hide his relief and satisfaction after the game:
“Feels good. Feels great,” he said. “We had a couple of opportunities the last couple of weeks that we weren’t able to capitalize on. It was good to get this one. So we look forward to all the rest of the games we play in the ACC.” (New York Post)
He added a nod to the defense’s strong finish:
“Things didn’t go great at the beginning of the game, but then they just kept on battling and we had a really good second half defensively.” (ESPN.com)
Looking Ahead
UNC now improves to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in the ACC. (ESPN.com) They’ll aim to build on this win and head into their next matchup at home with more confidence.
Syracuse drops to 3-6 and 1-5 in conference play. They’ll need to regroup fast if they hope to salvage the season and silence the growing frustration around the program.
Final Word
On a night full of jagged moments, the Tar Heels found something smooth and decisive when it mattered most. What looked like another frustrating outing in the first half turned into a statement second-half showing. The performance may not erase the lingering questions about this UNC team—or the rookie missteps for Syracuse—but for one night, the Tar Heels were the hunters instead of the haunted.
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