Bill Belichick, UNC vs. East TN St. Final Box Score, Top Player Stats and Highlights

Led by head coach Bill Belichick, the North Carolina Tar Heels improved to 2-0 on the season with a 35-3 victory over the East Tennessee State Buccaneers in their home opener at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Saturday.

UNC entered the game as a 35.5-point favorite , and it was clearly the better team throughout thanks largely to the play of quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and running back Demon June.

Here is a look at the Tar Heels' top statistical performers from Saturday's win:

Edwards and the UNC offense came out firing on Saturday, scoring three touchdowns on five first-half drives.

Two of those first-half touchdowns came courtesy of Edwards, who hit tight end Jelani Thurman for a 24-yard score and running back Benjamin Hall for a 26-yard touchdown:

June closed out the scoring for North Carolina in the first half with a nine-yard rushing touchdown, and he followed that up with six- and one-yard scores in the third quarter:

All told, the North Carolina offense piled up 427 total yards and 23 first downs.

Belichick's defensive unit was just as good, allowing 255 total yards and forcing two turnovers.

It wasn't a surprising result Saturday given that ETSU is an FCS team, but it was an encouraging performance for UNC nonetheless.

North Carolina disappointed in its first season under Belichick in 2025, finishing just 4-8. However, the Tar Heels are off to a much better start so far this season.

In addition to their drubbing of ETSU, the Tar Heels kicked off their 2026 campaign with a 15-10 win over TCU in Dublin, Ireland, in Week 0.

The level of competition is about to get much tougher for North Carolina and its six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach, though.

Next week, the Tar Heels will head to South Carolina for a road game against the Clemson Tigers, followed by a home date with the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Oct. 3.