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UNC football falls to NC State in season finale
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- 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.
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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.
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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
