This is not a drill: the UNC football program has defeated an FBS opponent!
On Halloween night, Demon June's career night paved the way for North Carolina's double-digit victory over Syracuse.
It was a tale of two halves in this game, as there was plenty of concern heading into the locker room for halftime.
Syracuse elected to start walk-on freshman Joseph Filardi at quarterback, a player who had one, yes, one, snap previously in his college football career. Filardi didn't complete a pass until the 6:14 mark in the second quarter, a stat alone that would make you think North Carolina was in cruise control.
Yeah, that wasn't the case...
Leading 3-0, the UNC football program had an opportunity in the first quarter to go up two scores. Gio Lopez found an open Shamar Easter on a short route, but the tight end fumbled after being hit while trying to gain more yardage. Syracuse recovered the fumble and took it 50+ yards to the house, giving the Orange an early lead.
Both teams added field goals in the second quarter to make it 10-6 going into the half, but it felt like a moment of panic for fans of the UNC football program considering the circumstances.
Against the worst-ranked defense in the ACC (with a team that has a glaring issue at quarterback), how did the Tar Heels manage just six points in the half?!
The good news is, North Carolina figured it out in the second half, thanks, en large part, to their stellar freshman running back.
On their first drive of the second half, the Tar Heels needed just 13 seconds to find the end zone. Lopez connected with June on a screen pass, one in which the Jacksonville, North Carolina native was able to take 72-yards to the house, giving the UNC football program a lead they wouldn't relish.
June wasn't done, though, as his five-yard rushing score just before the end of the third quarter felt like plenty of cushion to hold onto the lead.
While scoring touchdowns has been a struggle against FBS opponents, the second half of Friday night's contest was quite the opposite. Leading 20-10, The Tar Heels weren't satisfied, as a 21-yard strike from Lopez to Jordan Shipp capped off the scoring at 27-10.
June ended the night with 182 yards from scrimmage, 101 coming on the ground. Lopez had his best game thus far as a Tar Heel, completing 15 of 19 passes for 216 yards and two scores through the air.
As a team, the Tar Heels had 425 yards of offense, a season high for the program that is clearly showing signs of progress.
This was a much-needed victory for the UNC football program, the first FBS victory that has come during the Bill Belichick era. The team has shown signs of improvement as of late but hasn't been able to capitalize in terms of stacking up wins, but this victory feels like a monumental moment for a program that desperately was striving for a win.
It's been an up-and-down season in Chapel Hill for the UNC football program, but the good news is that the program is showing signs of process and are improving each and every week. Now, they will look to continue that trend when they host Stanford on November 8 at home.