Richmond Spiders at North Carolina Tar Heels

Gio Lopez accounts for 3 TDs as North Carolina dominates Richmond for Belichick's first home win

Both passing touchdowns went to Jordan Shipp, who caught four passes for 52 yards.

“We just want to be smart, tough and dependable,” said Lopez, who went 10 of 18 for 119 yards and also threw an interception. “At the end of the day, we just need to execute our plays, run them the best that we can. When we do that, we score.”

Those characteristics could also be used to describe North Carolina's defense. The Spiders committed three turnovers, including a fumble returned 62 yards for a Makai Gbayor touchdown, and had just 199 total yards.

Since the 48-14 loss to TCU, the Tar Heels (2-1) have allowed just nine points.

“It’s been an improvement every week,” Belichick said, “but there are still a lot of things that we can do better. We’ve tackled better, which is obviously a big help.”

The Tar Heels scored on their first four possessions and outgained Richmond 193-58 in the opening half to grab a 20-3 lead.

Hoping to regain momentum, Richmond recovered a surprise onside kick to begin the second half. The Spiders took their subsequent drive all the way to the 1, where Kyle Wickersham (6-8, 47 yards) was stuffed on a fourth down run.

“When you play a Power 4 school and you turn the ball over, that’s how you get a 41-6 game,” Richmond coach Russ Huesman said. "That’s what happens in these kind of games if you turn it over, if you make those kinds of mistakes.”

The takeways Richmond: The Spiders didn’t record a first down until early in the second quarter and made too many mistakes to hang with a superior team.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels authored their most complete performance under Belichick, scoring the first 20 points and never looking back.

Lopsided loss fueling Tar Heels The TCU loss continues to serve as motivation for the Tar Heels, who say they were embarrassed to play as poorly as they did on national television.

“These are two good wins back-to-back, but let’s not forget what happens when we kind of let our guard down,” Shipp said. “I feel like it’s good that we had that, that we had it early. You’d rather get the brakes beat off of you early than late in the season.”

Up next Richmond: Hosts VMI Sept. 20.

North Carolina: Visits UCF Sept. 20.