UNC football vs. Stanford game preview, info, prediction and more
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Halloween night proved to be a major treat for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who beat Syracuse in a 27-10 result, their first victory in over a month.
UNC (3-5, 1-3 ACC) dominated on both sides of the football, racking up 425 yards of offense and holding Syracuse (3-6, 1-5 ACC) under 150. Demon June cemented himself as North Carolina’s RB1, totaling 182 scrimmage yards and touchdowns on consecutive drives, while Melkart Abou-Jaoude moved atop the ACC leaderboard with two more sacks.
Now just days away, the Tar Heels turn their attention to the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday afternoon. UNC welcomes Stanford (3-6, 2-4 ACC), losers of their past two games, to Kenan Stadium for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff on Homecoming Weekend.
The Cardinal lost their first two games, an upset at Hawaii and a blowout against BYU, before beating Boston College by 10 points. Stanford has a Top-10 ACC receiver in CJ Williams (598 receiving yards, four touchdowns), but is amongst the country’s worst defensive (424.9 yards per game) and offensive (307.1 YPG) units.
North Carolina has four more opponents on its 2025 schedule, while the Cardinal have three. If the Tar Heels win Saturday, they’ll move a step closer to bowl eligibility while eliminating Stanford from contention.
Fans going to Kenan Stadium will luck out with gorgeous weather, with early forecasts calling for 72 degrees and sunny skies. If you’re watching on TV, you won’t face any ESPN-YouTube TV-level disputes.
Keep reading below for our game preview, which includes North Carolina’s key to victory, something to watch, odds, statistical leaders and a season schedule.
Key to Victory
Keep feeding Demon June the ball.
After recently taking a backseat to Michigan transfer Benjamin Hall in UNC’s rushing attack, June emphatically reclaimed his team’s RB1 spot Friday night, totaling 182 scrimmage yards and a pair of touchdowns.
As mentioned previously, Stanford sports one of the country’s worst defenses. If June establishes himself early, the Tar Heels will open their passing game up, allowing Gio Lopez to build off Halloween’s stellar performance.
Something to Watch
What UNC delivers for a defensive encore.
The Tar Heels played lights-out defensive football at Syracuse, holding the hosts under 150 yards and to just four completions. Abou-Jaoude sacked Orange QB Joseph Filardi twice, while also forcing a fumble, highlighting a North Carolina defense in which 13 plays generated multiple tackles.
Stanford’s offense isn’t anything to write home about, so a strong defensive performance from UNC will deliver another big victory.
Stat leaders
Passing
UNC: Gio Lopez 99 of 157, 1,021 yards, 6 TD, 5 INT
Stanford: Ben Gulbranson 148 of 260, 1,813 yards, 9 TD, 10 INT
Rushing
UNC: Demon June 64 carries, 416 yards, 2 TD
Stanford: Micah Ford 99 carries, 425 yards, 3 TD
Receiving
UNC: Jordan Shipp 35 receptions, 384 yards, 3 TD
Stanford: CJ Williams 47 receptions, 598 yards, 4 TD
What you need to know
WHAT? Stanford Cardinal (3-6, 2-4 ACC) AT North Carolina Tar Heels (3-5, 1-3 ACC)
WHEN? Saturday, November 8 at 4:30 p.m.
WHERE? Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
TV? The CW
RADIO? SiriusXM (Channels 201 and 380)
WEATHER? 59 degrees, sunny
LINE? UNC -7.5
ALL-TIME: Stanford leads 2-1
LAST MEETING? Stanford 25, UNC 23 in 2016 El Paso Sun Bowl
PREDICTION? UNC 33, Stanford 23
2025 UNC Football Schedule
Sept. 1: vs. TCU (L, 48-14)
Sept. 6: at Charlotte (W, 20-3)
Sept 13: vs. Richmond (W, 41-6)
Sept. 20: at UCF (L, 34-9)
Oct. 4: vs. Clemson (L, 38-10)
Oct. 17: at Cal (L, 21-18)
Oct 25: vs. Virginia (L, 17-16
Oct 31: at Syracuse (W, 27-10)
Nov. 8: vs Stanford (4:30 p.m.)
Nov. 15: at Wake Forest (4:30 p.m.)
Nov. 22: vs. Duke
Nov. 29: at NC State
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Football vs. Stanford: Preview, info, prediction and more
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