We’ll admit it, we are statistics and box-score nerds here at NC Football News. We could drown ourselves in spreadsheets and PDF “game books” all day long (and sometimes we do). Before the 2026 North Carolina college football season kicks off – won’t be long now! – we want to take one last look at the top single-game statistical performances from 2025.
We affectionately refer to our weekly leaders as “Stat Champions,” and there were a number of eye-popping stat champs last season wearing North Carolina college football uniforms.
The first installment in our preseason retrospective focuses on the top team performances from across the state, including the highest-scoring offenses, largest shutout victories and the most prolific passing, rushing and total offensive outputs from last year.
👉 We’ll be tracking Stat Champions again in 2026, and to that end we created a special page to celebrate the amazing performances forthcoming in our state. Introducing our official North Carolina College Football Single-Game Stat Leaders hub.
Be sure to bookmark this hub page and return to it often as new names, teams and memorable performances are added.
2025 North Carolina College Football Stat Champions: Single-Game Team Leaders
🔥 Highest Scores
🥇 72 points – Wingate def. Bluefield State 72-7 in Week 3
🥈 70 points – Elizabeth City State def. Bluefield State 70-30 in Week 11
🥉 69 points – Johnson C. Smith def. Bluefield State 69-13 in Week 5
🤓 The Stat Nerd noticed: If your team was playing Bluefield State last fall, you should have brought your calculator.
🚫 Defensive Shutouts: Largest Margins
🥇 60 points – Louisburg shut out Myrtle Beach Collegiate 60-0 in Week 9
🥈 55 points – Guilford blanked Gallaudet 55-0 in Week 6
🥉 52 points – Johnson C. Smith defeated Shaw 52-0 in Week 8
🤓 The Stat Nerd noticed: In all, seven North Carolina college teams earned shutouts last season across roughly 300 games, reminding us that it is a rare feat to keep the other team off the scoreboard completely. Davidson, Lenoir-Rhyne, East Carolina and UNC Pembroke were the other four shutout specialists in 2025.
💥 Total Offense
🥇 745 yards – North Carolina Central threw for 399 yards and rushed for 346 yards en route to a 62-20 win over rival North Carolina A&T in Week 4.
🥈 733 yards – Western Carolina passed for 582 yards and rushed for 151 yards en route to a 50-35 triumph over Samford in Week 4.
🥉 683 yards – Mars Hill threw for 370 yards and rushed for 313 yards en route to a 60-19 victory over UVA Wise in Week 11.
🤓 The Stat Nerd noticed: Catawba didn’t make the top three, but the Indians offense tallied 600+ yards three times during the season, going for 660 against UVA Wise, 638 against Southern Connecticut State and 626 at Lenoir-Rhyne.
✈️ Passing Fireworks
🥇 582 passing yards – Western Carolina completed 35-of-46 passes, with six passing touchdowns, in a 50-35 win over Samford in Week 4
🥈 551 yards – Western Carolina completed 33-of-49 passes, with seven passing touchdowns, in a 49-47 loss to Mercer in Week 11
🥉 488 yards – Western Carolina completed 27-of-41 passes, with five passing touchdowns, in a 42-35 win at Campbell in Week 5.
🤓 The Stat Nerd noticed: Western Carolina, with record-breaking quarterback Taron Dickens at the helm over the last nine games, owned the skies in North Carolina in 2025. The Catamounts also had the fifth-most passing yards in a game – 426 – in Week 12 against East Tennessee State.
🏃 Top Ground Games
🥇 396 rushing yards – North Carolina Wesleyan got its season off to a roaring start, averaging 7.1 yards per attempt on 56 carries and scoring five rushing touchdowns in a 64-12 win over Averett.
🥈 379 yards – Catawba averaged a whopping 12.6 yards per carry over 30 attempts, scoring seven rushing TDs, in a 62-23 romp of Southern Connecticut State in Week 5.
🥉 358 yards – East Carolina averaged 7.0 yards per attempt on 51 carries, scoring four rushing TDs, in 45-14 triumph over Temple in Week 10.
🤓 The Stat Nerd noticed: No one came close to matching Davidson’s 2024 milestone of 482 rushing yards against Point, but North Carolina teams did manage to eclipse the 300-yard mark on 13 occasions.
📋 Previewing North Carolina FBS Football
NC Football News is publishing in-depth previews of all seven North Carolina FBS programs ahead of the 2026 season. Explore the previews below by clicking on a team link.
App State | Charlotte | Duke | East Carolina
NC State | UNC | Wake Forest
