North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. got some big praise from head coach Bill Belichick after the team's win.
The North Carolina Tar Heels move to 2-0 in the new season following a 35-3 win over East Tennessee State.
After taking last week off following a Week 0 game, the Tar Heels came out on fire, not missing a beat. North Carolina wanted to get off to a strong start in this game, setting the tone from the opening kickoff.
The team did just that, going up 35-0 before East Tennessee State scored a point. Within the game, quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. looked good, throwing for 244 yards and two touchdowns.
Edwards commanded the offense well, leading to another victory for the Tar Heels. And after the game, he got some major praise from North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick.
“He went through his progression and did a nice job with the reads. What I was referring to was the checks that he made. They gave us some overload blitzes. He was able to get the ball and the plays called away from the strength of the defense we had some good runs. The backs ran well, but Billy was a big part of that too because he was able to get us into those plays. So again, it was just a good job all the way around. Good execution," Belichick said.
In Week 0 against TCU, Edwards threw for 232 yards, with no touchdowns. So, to see the improvement from him against East Tennessee State was great to see for the Tar Heels.
If this team is going to surprise anyone in the ACC this season, Edwards is going to be counted on heavily. Belichick has faith in Edwards, giving him the confidence needed to find success at this level.
Edwards came to North Carolina from Wisconsin, where he played just two games last season. But the last time he played a full season was in 2024 with Maryland, where the signal-caller threw for 2,881 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
If Edwards can keep pressing the issue for this Tar Heels group, North Carolina may be able to have a strong season. But one of the biggest parts is that he hasn't thrown an interception yet, lkeading to more success.
North Carolina will enjoy this win for the next day or two, before they turn their attention to next week. The Tar Heels will be traveling to South Carolina to take on the Clemson Tigers, in the biggest game of the season so far.
