North Carolina led by 10 points twice but couldn’t put Syracuse away Saturday night, falling 31-30 in overtime when the Orange converted a two-point attempt to end the game.
The Tar Heels (4-3, 2-2 ACC) scored first in overtime on Billy Edwards Jr.’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Demon June, followed by Rece Verhoff’s extra point.
Syracuse answered with a Steve Angeli 4-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Russell III on fourth and goal. Rather than kick the tying extra point, the Orange went for two and the win.
Angeli rolled out to the right and found Russell, who made the catch and tapped the end zone pylon with his foot on his way out-of-bounds. The conversion was upheld by replay review.
The victory snapped an 11-game ACC losing streak for Syracuse, which had missed a potential go-ahead extra point with 1:54 remaining in regulation.
How It Happened
North Carolina jumped ahead 10-0 in the first quarter on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Jordan Shipp and a 27-yard Verhoff field goal.
Syracuse cut the margin to 13-10 by halftime, then fell behind 20-10 when June broke loose for a 25-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
The Orange struck back early in the fourth on a 76-yard touchdown pass from Angeli to Umari Hatcher. Verhoff’s third field goal gave UNC a 23-17 advantage, but the Tar Heels ultimately paid the price for not punching the ball into the end zone when having first-and-goal at the 6.
Syracuse drove 75 yards in 11 plays to score on Tylik Hill’s 3-yard run with 1:54 remaining.
Shay Barker missed the extra point, leaving the game tied at 23. UNC subsequently turned the ball over on downs after getting into Syracuse territory. The Orange threw incomplete on the final play of regulation.
Stats and Notables
- Billy Edwards Jr.: Completed 27 of 44 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.
- Jordan Shipp: Led UNC receivers with eight catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. Jelani Thurman added seven receptions for 77 yards.
- Demon June: Rushed for 53 yards and a touchdown on nine carries and caught the Tar Heels’ overtime touchdown pass.
- Steve Angeli: Completed 20 of 34 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns for Syracuse.
- Ahmad Miller: Rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries for the Orange.
- Derek McDonald: Led UNC’s defense with 16 tackles, including one for loss.
- By the numbers: Syracuse outgained UNC 455-372, including a 199-101 advantage rushing. Neither team committed a turnover. Syracuse ran 83 offensive plays to UNC’s 69, and the Tar Heels’ defense was on the field for 49 rushing attempts
What’s Next?
North Carolina will look to bounce back against the No. 1 team in the nation, hosting Miami on Oct. 31. The undefeated Hurricanes beat Pitt 52-23 on Saturday afternoon.
Syracuse will host No. 23 SMU on Oct. 31 at noon.
