When I arrived at Kenan stadium on Saturday, I knew we were in for a rainy day.
The sky was clear. But seats on both sides of the stadium were mostly empty. Thank goodness for the students who filled bleachers in the Tar Pit almost to the edges.
The kids wanted to see the Tar Heels play and not be bothered by all the ballyhoo directed at Bill Belichick and his staff. When the score ballooned to 35-0 against ESTU, the students began vacating for their fraternity houses, sorority gigs and dorm and apartment parties.
It wasn’t much of a game, but it did give Belichick a 2-0 start in his second season and set up a crucial third game at Clemson Saturday at noon. Clemson is not the Clemson we know, but count on the Tigers being ready for the Heels in Death Valley.
I beat the rain home and turned on the TV. The stadium was completely empty and soaked to the turf as a lightning strike forced everyone to the concourse or their cars. The game resumed an hour later and only three more points were scored, all by the visitors from Tennessee.
I found the Wake Forest at Purdue game on ESPN, and that created the story of the day for the Deacons, Boilermakers and, ironically, Carolina. Both of their quarterbacks had played for UNC, one for the entire 2025 season and the other during the prior spring practice in April. Here is where their stories intertwined.
Gio Lopez arrived at UNC after spring practice in 2025. He immediately was penciled in as the potential starting quarterback for Belichick’s college rookie season because of his stats at South Alabama, where he started 11 games and threw for more than 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns. His offensive coordinator at South Alabama was Rob Ezell who Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert hired after the 2024 season.
The QB battle for the Tar Heels was wide open after Ryan Browne transferred from Purdue for spring practice in Chapel Hill. Purdue had fired Ryan Walters after the 2024 season, his second, and immediately hired Barry Odom from UNLV. Odom knew of the crowded QB room at UNC and immediately began recruiting Browne to return to West Lafayette. In his first two games of 2026, Browne has thrown for four touchdowns and more than 600 yards.
Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne (15) looks to throw against Washington during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Nov. 15, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
When Belichick hired renowned offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino to replace the fired Freddie Kitchens, Lopez had already signed with Wake Forest. There were reports that Lopez was asked to stay at Carolina but take a pay cut after his inconsistent junior year. Had he worked a full spring practice under Petrino, perhaps Lopez would have looked as good for the Tar Heels as he has for Wake Forest. As it was, there were no experienced quarterbacks to work under their new OC, and Billy Edwards Jr. won the position after an injury interrupted season at Wisconsin.
The Wake Forest at Purdue game was a barnburner which went into double overtime. Lopez, who had now an entire spring practice and fall camp under Ezell, looked like a different quarterback than the one that played for the Tar Heels. He threw for 225 yards and a touchdown and ran for 59 yards and two more TDs, plus the two-point conversion that won the game 38-36 in double overtime. The 2-0 Deacons now face Miami at home, Louisville on the road and Virginia at home. They have at least put themselves in position to challenge for a bowl bid.
While Browne looked good for Purdue, it’s questionable whether he would have beaten out Edwards with the Tar Heels. Edwards won the battle between so-so quarterbacks against TCU and was serviceable against East Tennessee State. It will be a much bigger test at Clemson and their big-time defensive line. The Heels have better depth than last year on both sides of the ball, an improved receiving corps and an especially versatile running game.
As of now, Gio Lopez looks like the best of the three quarterbacks in the confusing trio that found their way to and from Chapel Hill in 2025.
Featured image via Wake Forest Athletics/Nick Lott
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs on 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro during football and basketball seasons.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
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