The bigger surprise was who Edwards threw to. UNC came in without both J. Washington and J. Warren, which left Bill Belichick thin at a spot his offense leans on. Jelani Thurman picked up the slack with 7 catches for 64 yards and 2 touchdowns, and 2 scores was as many as UConn's whole passing game managed. Benjamin Hall gave the Tar Heels a ground game to go with it, running for 81 yards and a score.
Osborne was the player the preview called the most dangerous part of this matchup. He finished 17-of-35 for 245 yards and 2 touchdowns, nearly the same line he put up against Air Force. The difference was the 2 interceptions. Ryder Treadway was the one Husky who consistently got behind the UNC defense, with 4 catches for 82 yards and a touchdown, and that was mostly it. UConn still didn't have J. Brown, so Osborne had a short list of reliable targets again, and he threw incomplete on more than half his attempts.
The game turned in the 2nd quarter. UNC led 7-0 after 1 and then outscored UConn 21-14 in the 2nd, so a game that was supposed to be close became a 28-14 halftime lead. The Huskies cut it back to 1 score with a touchdown in the 3rd, the same kind of push that got them within 2 of Air Force. North Carolina answered with a field goal and a 4th-quarter touchdown, and UConn didn't score again. A comeback offense got shut out in the 4th quarter.
Cyncir Bowers ran for 68 yards and a touchdown, so UConn could move the ball on the ground some. But when the Huskies were down 2 scores, Osborne had to win it with his arm against a defense that was waiting for him. UConn has now lost 2 straight and sits at 4-5. North Carolina is 5-4 and gets a road win it needed after back-to-back one-score losses at home.
