By Reggie Gatlin-Holt

CHARLOTTE— North Carolina limited Charlotte to 21 yards rushing and beat the 49ers, 20-3, on Saturday night at Jerry Richardson Stadium.

The victory was Bill Belichick‘s first as a college head coach and improved Carolina to 1-1 this season. Charlotte fell to 0-2 before the largest home crowd in its history.

UNC allowed its fewest points since blanking Idaho in 2012 and didn’t permit a touchdown for the first time since 2020.

Four different Tar Heel players ran five or more times in a balanced offensive attack that posted 148 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, UNC’s defense held the 49ers to 21 yards on 29 rushing attempts (a paltry 0.7 yards per carry) after allowing 258 yards and 7.4 yards per carry in its loss to TCU.

Former Tar Heel Conner Harrell, who transferred to Charlotte after the 2024 season, started at quarterback for the 49ers and completed 17 of 29 for 140 yards.

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS