First look: UNC football hosts Stanford, looking for second consecutive ACC win
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UNC beat Syracuse 27-10, but Syracuse used two true freshman quarterbacks.
- Melkart Abou Jaoude spearheaded UNC’s defense with sacks, tackles and a forced fumble.
- Stanford linebackers Galvan, Rose create key matchup questions.
With as many positives as there were to take from UNC’s 27-10 win over Syracuse — a dominant road victory that marked the team’s first ACC win and Power 4 win under coach Bill Belichick — it’s important to put everything in context.
That perspective will matter as the Tar Heels prepare to play another struggling ACC team Saturday when they host Stanford.
For instance, it’s been boasted by UNC — via social media and its athletics communications channels — that the defense allowed the fewest yards by an opponent since 1997. While holding Syracuse to 147 yards was impressive, no doubt, let’s take into account the context.
The Orange played walk-on Joe Filardi, a true freshman and elite lacrosse recruit out of Long Island, at quarterback Friday night. Filardi replaced LSU transfer Rickie Collins, who replaced the injured Steve Angeli in September. Syracuse had lost four straight games with Collins as the starter entering Friday, a likely impetus for the switch.
Filardi combined with Luke Carney — yes, things got so bad that Orange coach Fran Brown at one point put in another true freshman quarterback — for 39 passing yards.
You can credit this, in part, to North Carolina’s defense. Melkart Abou Jaoude has emerged as a defensive menace for the Tar Heels and continued his recent rampage with a team-high six tackles, two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Defensive backs Kaleb Cost and Marcus Allen both earned crucial pass breakups. But these individual plays and the successful disguising of certain defensive schemes can’t obfuscate the obvious: the Tar Heels were playing a team that, in an act of desperation, turned to two true freshman quarterbacks.
“We all know in football it’s not who you play, it’s when you play them,” Belichick told reporters after the win at JMA Wireless Dome. “We were probably fortunate to get them [now] as opposed to the week they played Clemson.”
And, yes, Demon June delivered a performance the likes of which the Tar Heels haven’t seen since his 148 rushing yards against Richmond. But June was also gashing a bottom-of-the-barrel ACC defense that ranks last in rushing defense in the conference.
The win at Syracuse offered a confidence boost for a team that began the season on the wrong end of multiple blowouts, but the true measure of progress will come this weekend.
Stanford, led by interim coach Frank Reich — yes, the same Frank Reick who coached the Carolina Panthers for 11 games in 2023 — visits Chapel Hill on Saturday in a matchup that pits two former NFL head coaches against each other.
For Belichick’s Tar Heels, it’s a chance to build on their first ACC victory and prove that their all-around performance against Syracuse wasn’t a fluke.
Key game matchup: Gulbranson v. Abou Jaoude
Stanford quarterback Ben Gulbranson suffered a knee injury in the second quarter of the Cardinal’s win over Florida State in October and has struggled since. Gulbranson has thrown five interceptions and been sacked five times in the two games he’s played since returning from injury.
Reich decided to pull Gulbranson late in the third quarter of a 35-20 loss to Pittsburgh this past weekend. He’d already thrown three interceptions, including a pick-six, at that point.
Whether or not Reich will stick with Gulbranson as the starter against the Tar Heels is unclear. But, assuming the senior takes the field Saturday, this much is evident: UNC should look to pressure the quarterback.
Abou Jaoude seems poised to lead the charge. He’s recorded five sacks and 10 total tackles over the last two games. If the Delaware transfer and his teammates can collapse the pocket, they’ll force Gulbranson — who’s been noticeably less mobile since his knee injury — to scramble and make hurried throws.
Stanford impact players: Rose, Galvan
Stanford’s linebacker duo of Jahsiah Galvan and Matt Rose will be central to the Cardinal’s defensive effort against North Carolina — particularly in trying to contain June, who’s coming off a 182-yard game against Syracuse.
Both Galvan and Rose rank among the nation’s top 150 linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus, and each hold an overall defensive grade of 76 or higher. Rose boasts a top-five coverage grade nationally at 88, per PFF.
If Stanford hopes to slow the Tar Heels’ ground game, it’ll start with this tandem’s ability to diagnose plays quickly and limit June’s yards after contact.
Vegas betting odds
North Carolina is the early 8.5-point favorite in this matchup, per FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under is set at about 42.5. The moneyline: North Carolina -330, Stanford +260.
UNC-Stanford game info
Who: UNC (3-5 overall, 1-3 ACC) v Stanford (3-6, 2-4 ACC)
When: Saturday, Nov. 8, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C.
TV: The CW
Stream: fubo TV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV Stream
Series history: UNC and Stanford have played three times in the series, with Stanford winning the last two. The Cardinal most recently beat North Carolina and then-quarterback Mitch Trubisky, 25-23, in the Sun Bowl in 2016.