Here’s what we learned from Belichick’s second ACC win as UNC topples Stanford

Heading into halftime, it looked like this game was turning into one of those quintessential ACC football moments — the sort of tragicomedy that might go on the conference’s theoretical Mount Rushmore alongside Frank Beamer celebrating, with both arms raised, a scoreless end of regulation.

It wasn’t until the third quarter that the Kenan Stadium crowd (“gathering” might be the more apt descriptor) was rewarded with a touchdown: a connection between Gio Lopez to Davion Gause. The Tar Heels did just enough — and little more — to fend off Stanford, winning 20-15, on Saturday night at Kenan Stadium.

“There’s a lot of games like that in this conference. That’s what we’re ready for,” UNC coach Bill Belichick said. “Fortunately we made enough plays come out on top today, and so it’s a good feeling. Just a lot of things we can still improve on, keep working on.”

That win gives UNC its second ACC victory as it enters the final and most crucial stretch of its season: the in-state slate against Wake Forest, Duke and N.C. State.

Here’s what we learned about the Tar Heels on Saturday:

This defensive line is a game changer

At least this much was going right for UNC: The Tar Heels recorded a season-high nine sacks.

Defensive lineman Melkart Abou Jaoude — the ACC’s sack leader — earned three. Linebacker Tyler Thompson added three as well — a career high.

“He’s worked really hard on his pass rush,” Belichick said of Thompson. “He’s gotten a lot stronger... he’s explosive, he’s strong and his fundamentals and techniques — rushing the passer — have been something he’s refined and worked on.”

And Washington transfer Khmori House was simply on a different level, leading North Carolina with 13 total tackles, eight of those by himself.

He also earned an interception late in the third quarter when Stanford quarterback Elijah Brown threw the ball directly into House’s gloves. The sophomore returned it to the Stanford 20-yard line. Fellow UNC linebacker Andrew Simpson, who finished with six tackles and two sacks, backed the Tar Heels up to the 35-yard line thanks to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but the damage was done.

North Carolina kicker Rece Verhoff opened the fourth quarter with a 48-yard field goal to put the Tar Heels up by 10.

The defensive line has been a highlight for this team, particularly since the Cal game. After the Tar Heels’ 21-18 loss in Berkeley, the North Carolina D-line felt it wasn’t doing enough to help the team’s defensive backs, per Abou Jaoude.

“We just made a big emphasis on ourselves,” Abou Jaoude said on a recent episode of the Carolina Insider podcast. “We left them out to dry. Like, the quarterback had five seconds back there. We were like, ‘What are we doing?’”

The Tar Heels have recorded 35 tackles for loss and 23 sacks over the last five weeks.

UNC offense takes a step back in first half

North Carolina appeared in prime position to score after a strip sack allowed Lopez and the offense to take over at Stanford’s 7-yard line.

Even in such close range, North Carolina couldn’t find the end zone. In the shotgun, Lopez rushed up the middle and was pushed back by edge rusher Tevarua Tafiti. Loss of two. Lopez attempted a pass to tight end Jake Johnson in the end zone. Incomplete. On that play, as well as the next, Lopez faced a good deal of pressure from Tafiti, as well as Stanford defenders Matt Rose and Zach Rowell. The pressure forced him to throw another incomplete pass on third-and-9, bringing on Verhoff and forcing the Tar Heels to settle for a field goal in prime position.

North Carolina recorded 6 yards of total offense in the first quarter and 41 in the second. Lopez, who ranked 120th in the nation in passing yards entering Saturday, completed just eight of 28 first-half passes. The Tar Heels had twice as many sacks (six) as they did first downs (three) entering the locker room at the half.

“[We] try to get off to a good start. We haven’t done that lately,” Belichick said. “And we need to find a way to do that offensively. We definitely need to find that. So we’ll keep working on it.”

Some important context here: UNC’s offensive line is pretty banged up. Christo Kelly’s still out. Aidan Banfield joined him on Saturday’s injured list. And most crucially, center Chad Lindberg — who was injured in the Syracuse game — did not play either.

Another receiving back emerges for UNC in Davion Gause

Demon June showed off his dual-threat running back abilities last week at Syracuse, racking up 101 yards on the ground and 81 yards on two receptions against the Orange. June only had three carries against Stanford, but another playmaker was able to step in for the Tar Heels.

This week, it was Davion Gause’s turn to put his versatility on display. Gause, also known as “Bullet,” led the Tar Heels in rushing with 28 yards on 11 attempts and added 51 yards on three catches.

As the story goes, Gause’s nickname dates back to age 5. His running back coaches gave him the moniker based on his speed, which stuck out almost immediately in hitting drills — even at that age.

Gause continued to put that athleticism on display through high school as a three-time state champion in football and a track athlete who competed in the 4x100. At some point during his track career, perhaps, Gause got in some hurdles practice. On the Tar Heels’ crucial first drive of the second half, Gause broke a tackle and then leaped over a defender on a third-and-long.

“Every time he gets the ball, I’m expecting him to jump over somebody,” said sophomore wideout Jordan Shipp, who finished with five catches for 83 yards. “He’s been doing it since his freshman year. It just feels good to see him doing his thing.”

That extra effort picked up 18 yards and moved UNC to the Stanford 44-yard line. It marked one of three times on that drive where the Tar Heels picked up a third-and-long conversion. Lopez found Gause for all three of those, including the 20-yard touchdown pass on a third-and-12 to open up the scoring, finally, for the Tar Heels.

This story was originally published November 8, 2025 at 8:06 PM.