UNC’s Offensive Grades Revealed After Loss to Cal

North Carolina suffered a tough 21-18 loss at the hands of California last Friday. Here are the PFF grades for Tar Heel offense.

Oct 17, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick reacts against the California Golden Bears in the first quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Here's an explanation of how PFF's grading works: On every play, a PFF analyst will grade each player on a scale of -2 to +2, ranging from a pick-six to a late touchdown pass with expected plays graded as a 0. Each game is graded by two different analysts and any discrepancies are settled by a senior analyst. Grades are then normalized to account for game situation and converted to a 0-100 scale.

Overall Offensive PFF Grades

Offense: 58.5
Pass : 72.5
Pass Block 74.6
Receiving 47.5
Run: 70.1
RUn Block 50.6

The offense only put up 287 yards of offense. While the numbers are low, there is context. The offense, for the most part, showed improvement, especially on the offensive line where there was more push off the line of scrimmage and the PFF scores for pass and run blocking show that.

The passing game was more effective as Gio Lopez finally showed some poise in the pocket and was making tighter throws than usual.

That arguably was because he looked healthier after he had a car accident a few days before the first game of the season and has been battling injuries since then. He acknowledged that he was healthier in the game against Cal than previous ones.

However, the overall passing grade and Lopez’s numbers would be much better had the wide receiver group as a whole stepped up as the group had three of UNC’s five drops.

Best Performances

TE Connor Cox

UNC — Rameses | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

76.5 Offense Rating, 78.3 Receiving Grade, 71.4 Run Block Grade
24 total snaps (17 of 24 snaps were for run blocking
Two catches for eight yards

WR Kobe Paysour

UNC — Sep 21, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels wide receiver Kobe Paysour (8) with the ball in the first quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

74.0 Offense Grade, 73.2 Receiving Grade
55 snaps
Six catches for 101 yards (16.8 yards per catch) on seven targets
85.7% catch rate
Five 1st Down catches

QB Gio Lopez

73.1 Offense Grade, 72.5 Pass Grade
19-for-35 (54.2%) for 167 yards, No TDs or INTs
Adjusted completion percentage of 70.5% (measures a quarterback's accuracy by excluding plays where a completion was impossible or not intended)
5 Drops

RB Benjamin Hall

UNC — Oct 17, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Benjamin Hall (28) runs for a touchdown against the California Golden Bears in the first quarter at California Memorial Stadium. | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

69.5 Offense, 73.9 Run
14 carries for 68 yards (4.9 yards per carry) with a TD
Three broken tackles
Four runs of 10 yards or more
Four 1st Down runs
26.5% Breakaway Percentage
Grades would have been higher if not for two dropped passes

OL Chad Lindbergh

UNC — North Carolina offensive lineman Chad Lindbergh (Sept. 15, 2025) | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

68.3 Offense Grade, 85.4 Pass Block Grade, 61.4 Run Block Grade
69 snaps at center
No sacks, QB hits, hurries or pressures on 44 pass block reps (2nd consecutive game where he has done so)

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