ORLANDO (WNCN) — Saturday was the first true road test of the season for North Carolina football, and Bill Belichick’s team did not fare well.
The Tar Heels (2-2) were dominated by UCF (3-0) and didn’t manage to find the end zone until late in the third quarter. The Knights ended up winning the game in Orlando by a score of 34-9.
In addition to losing the game, UNC also lost starting quarterback Gio Lopez, who was injured in the third quarter and had to be carted off the field. Prior to leaving the game, Lopez threw for 87 yards, completing 11 of his 14 pass attempts with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
Max Johnson replaced Lopez for the remainder of the game and finished with 67 yards on 11 of 19 passing with one touchdown. Johnson found Kobe Paysour with just over a minute left in the third quarter for an eight-yard touchdown pass, but the Tar Heels failed to complete their two-point conversion attempt.
UCF quarterback Tayven Jackson threw for 223 yards and was successful on 25 of his 32 pass attempts. He threw for one touchdown and also ran in for a score. Myles Montgomery, Jaden Nixon and Kylan Fox also found the end zone for the Knights in the victory.