EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — North Carolina made the most of UConn’s mistakes Saturday, turning three turnovers into 21 points on its way to a 38-21 victory over the Huskies. The win ended the Tar Heels’ two-game losing streak and gave head coach Bill Belichick a successful return to New England.
The game marked Belichick’s first coaching appearance in the region since his departure from the New England Patriots, where he built a legacy that included six Super Bowl championships.
“It’s good to be back in New England,” Belichick said. “It was an interesting game. I think UConn is a really challenging team, they put a lot of pressure on us.
“The team rebounded pretty well after a couple of tough losses.”
North Carolina’s defense played a major role in the outcome. Timir Hickman-Collins provided one of the biggest plays of the afternoon, intercepting a pass and returning it 62 yards for a touchdown. He also recovered a fumble, setting up another scoring opportunity for the Tar Heels.
Billy Edwards capitalized on that recovery with a 6-yard touchdown connection to Jordan Shipp. Edwards finished with three touchdown passes, while North Carolina continued to take advantage of favorable field position.
The Tar Heels delivered the decisive blow late in the fourth quarter. After Jalon Thompson intercepted a UConn pass, Edwards converted a fourth-down opportunity and followed with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jelani Thurman with 3:38 remaining.
Hickman-Collins said creating turnovers had been a major emphasis for the defense throughout the week.
“We’ve been really harping on (getting) turnovers, every day in practice we have been doing that,” Hickman-Collins said. “Today, me and our DB (Jalon Thompson), a lot of us had turnovers.”
UConn attempted to rally in the third quarter. Kalieb Osborne connected on completions of 23 and 28 yards before adding a 25-yard run to move the Huskies into scoring position. Cyncir Bowers finished the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run, bringing UConn within seven points at 28-21 with 10:01 left in the quarter.
Osborne threw for 245 yards, completing 17 of 35 attempts. He also connected with Ryder Treadway for an 18-yard touchdown and Cam Abshire for a 24-yard score. Despite those plays, UConn struggled to maintain offensive consistency against a North Carolina defense that entered the game allowing opponents to complete 65% of their passes.
UConn coach Jason Candle pointed to the turnovers and field position as major factors in the loss.
“I thought Carolina put us in some tough situations and won the football game,” Candle said. “I didn’t feel like we were at our best. We did some things that set them up in short fields. The turnovers were a big deal today.”
North Carolina established its offensive rhythm with a 39-yard touchdown run by Benjamin Hall, who finished with 81 yards on nine carries.
Edwards and Thurman also connected for a 3-yard touchdown with 24 seconds remaining in the first half. The reception gave Thurman his eighth touchdown catch of the season, tying North Carolina’s single-season record for touchdown receptions by a tight end.
The Huskies entered halftime trailing 28-14 after Osborne’s touchdown passes to Treadway and Abshire kept them within striking distance.
Defensively, Peyton Seelmann paced the Tar Heels with nine tackles and two sacks. UConn’s Hayden Pegg recorded 12 tackles and an interception.
Belichick Returns to Familiar Territory
Although Saturday’s game represented Belichick’s first coaching appearance in New England since leaving the Patriots, the region has long been familiar to him. He played football at Wesleyan University in Connecticut from 1971 through 1974, approximately 20 miles from Rentschler Field.
Belichick’s return came one week after North Carolina nearly pulled off an upset against No. 1 Miami.
North Carolina defensive line coach Bob Diaco also had a connection to the Huskies. Diaco served as UConn’s head coach from 2014 through 2016. His second season produced six victories, but the Huskies lost to Marshall in the St. Petersburg Bowl. He was dismissed following a 3-9 campaign in 2016 and finished his UConn tenure with an 11-26 record.
What’s Next
North Carolina (5-4) returns home to face Louisville on Nov. 14.
UConn (4-5) will look to respond when it hosts James Madison on Nov. 14.
