NCAAF

Stanford Cardinal at North Carolina Tar Heels

· NCAA - Football
3-7, 0-6 Away
Final
15 - 20

Lopez throws 2 TD passes, North Carolina beats Stanford 20-15

Stanford Cardinal vs. North Carolina Tar Heels: Full Highlights

Jordan Shipp led the Tar Heels (4-5, 2/3 ACC) with 83 yards receiving on five catches. His 55-yard touchdown grab extended the lead to 20-3 early in the fourth quarter. Lopez, who was 18 of 25 for 203 yards passing, also connected with Davion Gause for a 20-yard score.

“Good win,” coach Bill Belichick said. “Good to win at home. Always good to win at home. Proud of our team.”

Brown, a redshirt freshman making his first start this season and the second of his career, threw for 268 yards with one touchdown and one interception but was also sacked nine times.

Two late touchdowns, including a 24-yard catch by CJ Williams, made it a one-score game with 1:48 to play, but it was too little, too late for Stanford (3-7, 2-5 ACC), which dropped its third straight.

Williams finished with six catches for 61 yards, while Caden High added 10 receptions for 102 yards.

“I'm really happy with how Elijah fought back,” coach Frank Reich said. “Obviously, some of the protection stuff, he was just trying to hold on. He didn't flinch, it didn't faze him.”

The first half featured just 147 total yards and as many punts (six) as points.

Fittingly, North Carolina’s defense set up the first score when Andrew Simpson stripped Brown, allowing Smith Vilbert to recover at the Stanford 7. That led to a Rece Verhoff 27-yard field goal.

The Tar Heels’ 3-0 lead after the first quarter was their first since a Sept. 13 win over Richmond.

Ethan Kenney converted a 38-yard field goal on the half’s final play, making up for an earlier miss.

The takeaway Stanford: Brown got into a rhythm after a quiet start, but protection issues were too much to overcome.

North Carolina: Considering how bleak things have looked early in Belichick’s tenure, the Tar Heels will take all the wins they can get. Sneaking into a bowl game is still a possibility.

Setting the tone Melkart Abou Jaoude had three sacks, giving him eight in the last three games and 10 this season. Tyler Thompson also had three sacks and Simpson added two.

“When our defense shows up like that — they’ve been showing up the last couple of games — we’ve got to respond to them,” Lopez said. “It’s complementary football.”

Up next Stanford hosts California on Nov. 22 following a bye.

North Carolina visits Wake Forest next Saturday.

How To Watch

How can I watch Stanford Cardinal vs. North Carolina Tar Heels?
  • TV Channel: Cardinal at Tar Heels 2021 College Football, week 11, is broadcasted on The CW Network.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Scoring Summary

UNC FG 1st Period 5:49 Rece Verhoff 27 Yd Field Goal
STAN FG 2nd Period 0:00 Emmet Kenney 38 Yd Field Goal
UNC TD 3rd Period 7:43 Davion Gause 20 Yd pass from Gio Lopez (Rece Verhoff Kick)
UNC FG 4th Period 14:16 Rece Verhoff 48 Yd Field Goal
UNC TD 4th Period 12:04 Jordan Shipp 55 Yd pass from Gio Lopez (Rece Verhoff Kick)
STAN TD 4th Period 8:28 Cole Tabb 1 Yd Run (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed)
STAN TD 4th Period 1:48 CJ Williams 24 Yd pass from Elijah Brown (Two-Point Run Conversion Failed)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/24.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originSTAN https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/153.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originUNC
22 1st Downs 13
10-18 3rd down efficiency 6-15
1-1 4th down efficiency 0-0
320 Total Yards 253
284 Passing 203
27/39 Comp/Att 18/25
7.3 Yards per pass 8.1
36 Rushing 50
35 Rushing Attempts 27
1.0 Yards per rush 1.9
8-80 Penalties 11-73
2 Turnovers 1
1 Fumbles lost 1
1 Interceptions thrown 0
32:37 Possession 27:23

Game Information

Kenan Stadium

Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Attendance: 50,500 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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