DOUG BONJOUR Associated Press
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Gio Lopez threw for two second-half touchdowns and North Carolina’s defense relentlessly pressured Elijah Brown as the Tar Heels beat Stanford 20-15 Saturday for their second straight victory in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Jordan Shipp led the Tar Heels (4-5, 2-3 ACC) with 83 yards receiving on five catches. His 55-yard touchdown grab extended the lead to 20-3 early in the fourth quarter. Lopez, who was 18 of 25 for 203 yards passing, also connected with Davion Gause for a 20-yard score.
“Good win,” coach Bill Belichick said. “Good to win at home. Always good to win at home. Proud of our team.”
Brown, a redshirt freshman making his first start this season and the second of his career, threw for 268 yards with one touchdown and one interception but was also sacked nine times.
Two late touchdowns, including a 24-yard catch by CJ Williams, made it a one-score game with 1:48 to play, but it was too little, too late for Stanford (3-7, 2-5 ACC), which dropped its third straight.
Williams finished with six catches for 61 yards, while Caden High added 10 receptions for 102 yards.
“I’m really happy with how Elijah fought back,” coach Frank Reich said. “Obviously, some of the protection stuff, he was just trying to hold on. He didn’t flinch, it didn’t faze him.”
The first half featured just 147 total yards and as many punts (six) as points.
Fittingly, North Carolina’s defense set up the first score when Andrew Simpson stripped Brown, allowing Smith Vilbert to recover at the Stanford 7. That led to a Rece Verhoff 27-yard field goal.
The Tar Heels’ 3-0 lead after the first quarter was their first since a Sept. 13 win over Richmond.
Ethan Kenney converted a 38-yard field goal on the half’s final play, making up for an earlier miss.
The takeaway
Stanford: Brown got into a rhythm after a quiet start, but protection issues were too much to overcome.
North Carolina: Considering how bleak things have looked early in Belichick’s tenure, the Tar Heels will take all the wins they can get. Sneaking into a bowl game is still a possibility.
Setting the tone
Melkart Abou Jaoude had three sacks, giving him eight in the last three games and 10 this season. Tyler Thompson also had three sacks and Simpson added two.
“When our defense shows up like that — they’ve been showing up the last couple of games — we’ve got to respond to them,” Lopez said. “It’s complementary football.”
Up next
Stanford hosts California on Nov. 22 following a bye.
North Carolina visits Wake Forest next Saturday.