North Carolina Shuts Out East Tennessee State Until the Fourth, Wins 35-3
Demon June carried the ball seven times for 33 yards and scored three touchdowns. That is a nice ratio, and it is most of why North Carolina beat East Tennessee State 35-3.
The Tar Heels got going quickly: Billy Edwards Jr. threw a 24-yard touchdown to Jelani Thurman at 9:48 of the first quarter. Benjamin Hall made it 14-0 with a 26-yard catch early in the second, and June scored from nine yards out with 1:20 left in the half for a 21-0 lead. He added a six-yarder early in the third and a one-yard plunge late in the third, and the scoreboard read 35-0 at that point. Nobody on either team scored again until Ewan Johnson kicked a 41-yard field goal with 3:57 left in the game.
The numbers were lopsided but not wild. North Carolina finished with 427 yards, 266 passing and 161 rushing on 27 carries, without a single turnover. Edwards completed 15 of 20 for 244 yards and two touchdowns, and the defense collected four sacks.
The Tar Heels are 2-0 and East Tennessee State is 0-1.
The stat that jumps out is the passing split against the ground. Edwards threw for 244 of the Tar Heels' 266 passing yards, and the running game only needed 27 carries to produce 161 yards, nearly six a carry. Jaylen McGill added 40 yards on five carries, and C.J. Sadler caught three passes for 66 yards. That is a quiet, efficient afternoon for an offense that did not need to press.
For fantasy purposes, this was a three-touchdown game from a running back with 13 carries on the season. Edwards had 21.5 points, June 21.3 and Thurman 17.1, and all three set season highs.