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Five takeaways from UNC football's dominant Week 3 home victory over Richmond
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- Five takeaways from UNC football's dominant Week 3 home victory over Richmond
From start to finish on Saturday afternoon inside Kenan Stadium, UNC proved itself as the far-superior football team to its opponent, dominating Richmond in a 41-6 blowout.
North Carolina (1-1) scored just over five minutes into the game, when Marshall transfer Rece Verhoff connected on his first of two field goals. With three minutes left in the first quarter, Jordan Shipp caught his first of two touchdown passes from Gio Lopez .
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Tar Heels true freshman running back Demon June stole offensive headlines, though – rushing for 148 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries – in his first collegiate start. June enjoyed a couple breakout runs, including a 50-yarder, then scored on a 45-yarder, in which he burst down the field and out-ran Spider defenders.
UNC's defense played remarkable for the second straight week – this time, holding Richmond to 199 yards. The Spiders moved into North Carolina's red zone a couple times, but the Tar Heels locked in and limited Richmond to a pair of field goals. Nebraska transfer Mikai Gbayor provided defensive fireworks, scoring on a 62-yard scoop-and-score. Delaware transfer Melkart Abou-Jaoude anchored UNC's defensive line, sacking Spiders quarterback Kyle Wickersham twice and recovering a fumble.
The Tar Heels will enjoy Saturday's win, then quickly turn around and prepare for UCF next weekend. North Carolina has momentum of two consecutive victories, while the Knights (2-0) were off this week.
Keep reading below for our five takeaways from tonight's win, which gave a glimpse into how successful UNC can be this fall:
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Demon June will be the next great Tar Heel running back
Sep 13, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Demon June (35) runs for a touchdown as Richmond Spiders linebacker Jordan Allen (9) defends in the fourth quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
We saw a glimpse of how great Demon June can be in Week 2 at Charlotte, when he led the Tar Heels with 52 rushing yards, but June proved he'll be a star with Saturday's performance against Richmond.
June, in his first collegiate start, ran for 148 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. June's big day reminded me a lot of Omarion Hampton 's big performance against App State in 2023, when he ran for 234 yards and two touchdowns.
June has to start next week against UCF, an undefeated opponent that will be tougher than Richmond. If June goes off against the Knights, you can officially call North Carolina "Running Back U."
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Gio Lopez is great at getting his teammates involved
Sep 13, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez (7) looks to pass in the third quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
In Week 1 against TCU, Gio Lopez's favorite wide receiver was Jordan Shipp . Last week at Charlotte, Chris Culliver earned that honor. Saturday against Richmond, Shipp stole that title back.
Shipp caught both Lopez touchdowns tonight. Tight end Jake Johnson caught three passes for 30 yards. June, Culliver and tight end Jordan Owens added one catch apiece.
For a quarterback playing in his first year at UNC, it's encouraging to see Lopez develop this type of chemistry with his pass-catchers.
Jordan Shipp is the Tar Heels' best wide receiver
Sep 13, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels wide receiver Jordan Shipp (1) scores a touchdown as Richmond Spiders defensive back Lee Bruner IV (19) defends in the first quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
North Carolina has a young, deep wide receiver room with plenty of unproven talent. This depth is good to have, but every good team needs a pass-catcher who can take over in tight situations.
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Shipp proved to be that guy Saturday, catching both Lopez touchdown passes – and later finishing his night with 52 receiving yards on four catches.
Culliver, who led UNC with 74 receiving yards in the Queen City, only caught one pass for 15 yards tonight. Shipp and Culliver are a 1-2 punch, but Shipp is the clear leader of this group.
The Tar Heels' defense stepped up
Sep 13, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels defensive lineman Melkart Abou-Jaoude (9) sacks Richmond Spiders quarterback Kyle Wickersham (16) in the first quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Defensive end Melkart Abou-Jaoude notched two sacks and recovered a fumble against Richmond, leading the Tar Heels' defensive line. Linebacker Mikal Gbayor recovered another fumble, taking the football 61 yards for a touchdown.
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The best part of North Carolina's defense, though, was holding the Spiders to just six points and under 200 yards. Last week at Charlotte, UNC limited the host 49ers to three points.
Yes, the Tar Heels played inferior opponents in Week 2 and 3. Also yes, North Carolina's strong defense – in each of those games – was a NFL staple of head coach Bill Belichick's.
We have a good idea of what Belichick's UNC team will look like
Belichick is only three games into his collegiate coaching career, but from watching those three games, I have a good idea of what to expect from the 2025 Tar Heels.
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We'll continue watching a team with the capability to deliver offensive fireworks, but defense will be the trademark. That's because North Carolina limited its past two opponents, Charlotte and Richmond, to nine points in 120 minutes.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC football: Five takeaways from Week 3 home blowout win vs. Richmond
