UNC football falls to NC State in season finale

The first season under Bill Belichick was a struggle for the North Carolina Tar Heels and it ended on a low note Saturday night.

North Carolina fell to rival NC State 42-19 in Raleigh on Saturday, putting an end to a very disappointing campaign for the program. It's the fifth-straight loss for the Tar Heels to the Wolfpack dating back to the 2021 season.

In this game, the Wolfpack jumped all over North Carolina by scoring on the opening drive, forcing a three-and-out and then scoring on the ensuing drive. With the Wolfpack leading 14-0, the Tar Heels did cut the lead to 14-7 in the first half. But every time UNC was able to cut into the lead, the Wolfpack answered.

UNC got the score to 21-10 right before halftime and was set to get the ball back. But after a field goal, they allowed the Wolfpack to go right down the field and score a touchdown for a 28-10 lead.

And that was about it for UNC.

The Wolfpack outscored UNC 14-9 in the second half to seal the deal. UNC did lose quarterback Gio Lopez in the third quarter to an injury with Max Johnson replacing him. Lopez finished the game 11-of-16 for 118 yards and a touchdown. Johnson was 8-of-15 for 54 yards.

Freshman Au'Tori Newkirk also got into the game, completing 3 of his 5 passes for a touchdown.

For North Carolina, they struggled all game on both sides of the football and there are a lot of questions about the roster moving forward. Those should be answered starting this week. But nonetheless, this was a disappointing season that has finally come to an end.

UNC finishes the year at 4-8 overall and 2-6 in conference play.

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Football: Tar Heels end season with loss at NC State