UNC’s Three Keys to Stopping Stanford from Spoiling Homecoming

North Carolina returns home Saturday to host Stanford at Kenan Stadium, with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on The CW.

The Tar Heels are coming off a 27-10 victory at Syracuse last Friday, the first ACC win for Bill Belichick. Stanford, meanwhile, enters after a 35-20 home loss to Pittsburgh and has dropped four of its last five games.

North Carolina is 3-5 overall and 1-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Stanford sits at 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the ACC.

Show No Mercy

Oct 31, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Davion Gause (37) gives a stiff arm to Syracuse Orange defensive back Chris Peal (16) in the third quarter at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Let’s face it: North Carolina is the better team, and it’s not even close. Stanford ranks 123rd in total offense (307.1 yards per game) and 117th in total defense (425 yards allowed per game). The Cardinal are also starting a freshman quarterback with little experience, Elijah Brown. Stanford has lost to Hawaii and had to come from behind late to beat a 3-5 San Jose State team that plays in the Mountain West Conference earlier this year.

While Stanford is trending downward, North Carolina is firing on all cylinders and continuing to improve. UNC’s offense is averaging 354.6 yards per game over its last three contests after managing just 264 yards per game in its first five. In their recent win over Syracuse, the Tar Heels tallied 425 total yards and surpassed 200 yards in both passing and rushing—the first time they’ve achieved that mark in either category.

Carolina’s defense shouldn’t have any problems against Stanford's relatively weak offense, having allowed only 233 yards per game—including just 82.3 rushing yards per game—over its last three games. Don’t give an inferior opponent, who had to travel 2,800 miles by airplane, any hope.

Do Not Turn The Ball Over

Oct 31, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick looks to the clock in the fourth quarter game against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Do you want to know the easiest way to give an inferior opponent hope? Turn the ball over.

This season, UNC has turned the ball over 13 times (tied for 95th nationally) and fumbled the ball seven time, tied for last in the ACC. It has five turnovers in the red zone, the most in the ACC. The Tar Heels have committed turnovers in all but two games this season, and in four of those games, they had two or more turnovers.

UNC has lost two games solely because of turnovers against Cal and Virginia in back-to-back weeks. These mistakes have left them with a 3-5 record instead of a potential 5-3. In last week’s 27-10 victory over Syracuse, the only touchdown UNC allowed came on a scoop-and-score. That has to change not only in this game but moving forward.

Throw the Rock

Oct 31, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez (7) warms up before a game against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

UNC’s rushing attack has greatly improved, increasing from an average of 102.2 yards per game on the ground, which ranked 14th in the ACC, to 158 yards per game—a mark that would rank sixth in the ACC if maintained since the start of the season. Demon June, Benjamin Hall and Davion Gause have also been solid in the Tar Heels’ last three outings.

However, a key factor in this game will likely be the passing game, which continues to improve thanks to quarterback Gio Lopez’s overall health and growing confidence, along with increased depth in the receiving corps.

Lopez has thrown for 591 yards over the last three games, eclipsing the 430 yards he posted in the first four games before UNC’s initial bye week. Lopez has thrown for at least 200 yards in consecutive games. In his last outing, he completed 15 of 19 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns.

Stanford has the second-worst pass defense in the ACC, allowing 293 passing yards per game, with only SMU ranking lower. Nationally, Stanford’s pass defense ranks 132nd out of 134 FBS teams, again ahead of only SMU among Power Four schools.

The bottom line? Throw the dang ball.

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