Demon June ran for three touchdowns and the UNC defense continued its strong start to 2026 in a 35-3 win against East Tennessee State at Kenan Stadium Saturday. The Tar Heels are now 2-0 on the year, the first time they have been two games above .500 under head coach Bill Belichick.
“Solid effort by our guys,” said Belichick. “We were able to convert our opportunities into touchdowns and made a couple of red area stops on defense to keep the points down. Ultimately, that was a big difference in the game.”
All of June’s touchdown runs came from inside the 10-yard line, marking the first time in the sophomore’s career he had run for multiple touchdowns in a game.
“The job’s gotta get done, no matter who’s out there,” said June, whose three touchdowns came on just seven rushes. “Make the most of your carries and just go out there and have fun. You know all the work that you put in behind the scenes. Just go out there and play your game.”
Quarterback Billy Edwards was similarly efficient through the air, completing 15 of his 20 pass attempts for 244 yards and two touchdowns. His 15 completions went to eight different receivers, and tight end Jelani Thurman and running back Ben Hall caught the touchdown passes. Hall’s touchdown reception capped off a 99-yard drive for the Tar Heels, their longest since 2022.
Carolina also put together a 10-play, 92-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter, which June finished with a six-yard rushing touchdown. It was the first time since 2023 the Tar Heels had two touchdown drives of more than 90 yards in a single game.
“That’s great offensive football,” Belichick said. “You don’t want to have nine plays for 80 yards and end up kicking a field goal. You want to be able to finish that drive with a touchdown. That’s where you need your best execution, is in the red area.”
After its strong start against TCU two weeks ago, UNC’s defense continued to make plays Saturday. Safety Greg Smith picked off Buccaneer quarterback Mason Mims on ETSU’s first drive of the game, and that turnover led to Thurman’s touchdown catch. Smith then recovered a fumble on the first play from scrimmage of the third quarter, which led to another Tar Heel touchdown.
“We’ve got some dawgs on defense,” said linebacker Peyton Seelmann, whose 10 total tackles led the team. “Love playing with those guys. Bunch of physical dudes who fly around. Glad to be a part of it.”
UNC sacked Mims four times, with Xavier Lewis and Jaylen Harvey each recording two takedowns. That dominance came without the services of star edge rusher Melkart Abou-Jaoude, who sat out Saturday’s game with a hand injury and was diagnosed by Belichick as “day-to-day.” Abou-Jaoude was seen on the sidelines wearing a cast on his right wrist. Lewis, a sophomore from nearby Rolesville High School, now has more total tackles this season (12) than he did all of last season (eight). His four total sacks are also most on the team.
The game was delayed for 79 minutes between the third and fourth quarters by inclement weather in the Kenan Stadium area. East Tennessee State kicked a 41-yard field goal to cap off its first drive after the delay, and the three points were the first allowed by the UNC defense in 105:03 of game time.
UNC has not lost to an FCS team since 1999. The Tar Heels will take their 2-0 record into a road meeting at Clemson next Saturday at 12 p.m. UNC has not won at Clemson since 2001.
Featured image via UNC Football on Twitter
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