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Gio Lopez highlights UNC's improved second-half offense, first-half struggles vs. Stanford
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- Gio Lopez highlights UNC's improved second-half offense, first-half struggles vs. Stanford
For the second-straight week, UNC's offense struggled to generate much of anything in first-half play. On Saturday against Stanford , the Tar Heels managed just 47 first-half yards, scoring on a Rece Verhoff chip-shot field goal in the opening quarter.
North Carolina 's offense came roaring out of the halftime locker room, putting up 206 yards and scoring 17 second-half points, en route to a 20-15 victory.
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After the game, UNC starting quarterback Gio Lopez highlighted his team's second-half shift – and why offense continued struggling early.
"It's a team effort," Lopez said. "But I think for us, it's just we've been there so many times, we just kind of have the same conversation like "Hey, it's on us." We have to execute in the second half. Someone will speak up, some people will say certain things, but I think as a whole, everyone kind of has the same expectation of showing up in the second half. We just do a good job being on the same page and showing up."
The Tar Heels scored on their first drive out of halftime, marching 75 yards in 12 plays over nearly half the third quarter. Lopez capped the drive off with his first of two touchdown passes, connecting with Davion Gause on a 20-yard wheel route.
Verhoff converted on a 48-yard field goal try just 44 second into the fourth quarter. Just over two minutes later, Lopez connected with Jordan Shipp for a 55-yard touchdown, in which Shipp changed directions and sprinted past the Cardinal (3-7, 2-5) defense.
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After Saturday's game ended, Bill Belichick said North Carolina has to piece together a full, four quarters of consistent offense. UNC will need every bit of offensive production next Saturday, when it travels to Wake Forest for another late-afternoon kickoff.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Gio Lopez calls UNC's second-half improvements "a team effort."
