By R.L. Bynum
BOSTON — There was plenty missing from North Carolina’s offense that led to the equivalent of a near no-hitter at Fenway Park.
The Tar Heels couldn’t hit on any big plays, other than Chris Culliver’s kickoff return, until a late Caleb Hood-fueled drive, as UConn easily won the Fenway Bowl 27–14 Saturday at Fenway Park before a partisan Huskies crowd.
“Disappointing result for us. I thought the guys kept fighting until the very end,” interim UNC coach Freddie Kitchens said. “We sort of ran out of time there at the end. They never gave up.”
It was a forgettable day with the tatters of Mack Brown 2.0 going out with a horrible performance and a school-record fifth consecutive bowl loss. But Carolina (6–7) looks ahead with high hopes as Coach Bill Belichick’s rebuilding efforts are off to a good start.
“We’re going to get up tomorrow, we’re going to go to work and try to make the program better,” said Kitchens, who will be on Belichick’s staff. “The players are going to do that. Coaches are going to do that.”
Already without their best player (running back Omarion Hampton) and their best offensive lineman (Willie Lampkin) because of opt-outs, as well as offensive coordinator (Chip Lindsey, who took the Michigan job), they lost quarterback Jacolby Criswell to a shoulder injury midway through the first quarter.
After that, it was a fight for survival, with Michael Merdinger, a freshman who went into the transfer portal two days ago and was taking his first college snaps, called into duty with three freshmen starting on the offensive line.
“Lonnie [Galloway] and the offensive staff did a tremendous job of having an emergency plan, and it kind of came to fruition a little bit with Caleb,” Kitchens said. “Been repping that for a little while and didn’t hesitate to get it incorporated.”
After slipping Hood over the first three quarters for spot plays at the wildcat, Hood stayed there in the fourth quarter and finally generated some offense and some points.
Hood ran for 73 of the 96 yards on the offense’s only scoring drive, and threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Copenhaver with 4:09 left to trim the deficit to 13.
“Caleb executed what he’s supposed to do, and just right on down the board,” Kitchens said. “That was a real good drive and I’m proud of Caleb for making those decisions. [He] just threw an absolute dime in the back of the end zone to John.”
Hood ran for 78 yards and completed his only pass attempt and finished with a 572.8 quarterback rating.
“In the passing game, we had some opportunities there,” Kitchens said. “We didn’t hit and the protection broke down or basically didn’t make the play.”
Merdinger completed 9 of 12 passes for 86 yards, an interception and a 118.5 passer rating.
“He came in and did an admirable job,” Kitchens said. “But, of course, there’s going to be some nerves for these guys. And I thought they did a good job as far as just trying to move past some of the early situations that weren’t advantageous for us.”
UNC went 3-and-out on six of 10 drives, and turned the ball over on downs for two others, with 206 total yards and 10 first downs, both season lows. The previous lows were 212 yards and 13 first downs in their 41–21 loss a few miles away at Boston College 35 days earlier.
“They didn’t do anything special,” Copenhaver, who had four catches for a team-high 44 yards in his final college game, said of UConn’s defense. “We just weren’t executing. Play call was totally fine. Been practicing it for three weeks to a month, and we just couldn’t execute it.”
Running back Davion Gause couldn’t come anywhere close to compensating for being without Hampton, rushing for only 12 yards on five carries.
The defense reverted to some of its poorest levels of play during the regular season, with missed tackles and missed assignments, as UConn was more physical on the line.
“We were missing some guys that had played a while,” defensive lineman Beau Atkinson said. “But I think they had a good scheme where they’re just trying to run pretty much side to side, and puts our D line in a tough bind, and kind of doesn’t give us the ability to use our skill sets.”
It should have been a hint about what was to come when UConn running back Mel Brown (11 carries, game-high 96 yards) ran for 47 yards on the game’s first play. The defense limited the Huskies to a 32-yard Chris Freeman field goal on that first drive. But UConn took a 10–0 lead on quarterback Joe Fagnano’s 38-yard touchdown pass to Skyler Bell with 3:45 left in the first quarter.
Just as he did at Boston College, Culliver returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, this time a 95-yard return, tight-roping down the left sideline.
On the next play after Amare Campbell drew a roughing-the-passer penalty, Fagnano (16 of 23, 151 yards, 2 touchdowns) connected with Alexander Honig on a four-yard scoring pass with 14:10 left in the first half to expand the Huskies’ lead to 10.
Cam Edwards capped a 14-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run with 54 seconds left to give UConn (9–4) a 23–7 halftime lead.
UNC went three-and-out on its first three drives, getting its initial first down when Merdinger connected with Hood for eight yards with 15 seconds left in the first half. Merdinger followed that, though, by throwing an interception.
After Gause’s best two runs of the game, Merdinger was stopped on a fourth-and-two sneak on the first drive of the second half. That led to a 24-yard Freeman field goal.
NOTES — The much-anticipated 2025 schedule starts on Aug. 30 when UNC welcomes TCU to Kenan Stadium. … The Tar Heels have played in bowls for six straight seasons, the second-longest streak in school history (they went to a bowl in seven consecutive seasons from 1992 to 1998). … UNC is 15–24 all-time in bowl games. … North Carolina’s 45 total yards in the first half were its fewest in a half since recording 38 yards in the first half against Cal in 2018. … UNC’s 206 total yards are its fewest yards in a bowl game since going for 196 total yards in the 1998 Las Vegas Bowl. … It was the fewest total yards in a game by the Tar Heels since recording 172 against Virginia Tech in 2017. … UNC’s 11 completions are its fewest since recording 11 in a 56–7 victory over Mercer in
2019. … Culliver is the fifth Division I player to have multiple kickoff returns for a touchdown
this season. … Kobe Paysour wore the No. 13 Tylee Craft jersey. … During nearly every time out, workers tried to repair the turf over the infield dirt. … It was UConn’s first win in four meetings with UNC, which won 12–10 on Sept. 12, 2009, at East Hartford, Conn., and twice at Kenan Stadium: 38–12 on Oct. 4, 2008, and 48–21 on Sept. 15, 1990. … UConn broke a seven-game losing streak against Triangle teams. … It was the Huskies’ first win in five games against power conference opponents after losing 50–7 on Aug. 31 at Maryland, at Duke 26–21 on Sept. 14, vs. Wake Forest 23–20 on Oct. 19 and at Syracuse 31–24 on Nov. 24.
UConn 27, UNC 14
| Month/ date | Score/ time | Opponent | Record/ TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| September | |||
| 1 | L, 48–14 | vs. TCU | 0–1 |
| 6 | W, 20–3 | at Charlotte | 1–1 |
| 13 | W, 41–6 | vs. Richmond | 2–1 |
| 20 | L, 34–9 | at UCF | 2–2 |
| October | |||
| 4 | L, 38–10 | vs. Clemson | 2–3, 0–1 ACC |
| 17 (Fri.) | L, 21–18 | at California | 2–4, 0–2 |
| 25 | L, 17–16, OT | vs. No. 16 Virginia | 2–5, 0–3 |
| 31 (Fri.) | W, 27–10 | at Syracuse | 3–5, 1–3 |
| November | |||
| 8 | W, 20–15 | vs. Stanford | 4–5, 2–3 |
| 15 | L, 28–12 | at Wake Forest | 4–6, 2–4 |
| 22 | L, 32–25 | vs. Duke | 4–7, 2–5 |
| 29 | L, 42–19 | at N.C. State | 4–8, 2–6 |
Transfer portal transactions
Incoming transfers
(Next season’s classes listed)
Senior defensive lineman Melkart Abou-Jaoude • 6–5, 260 pounds • Delaware
2024: 11 games, 10 tackles, 17 assists, 6.5 sacks for 50 yards, 8 QB hits
Senior offensive tackle William Boone (2 years of eligibility) • 6–6, 349 pounds • Prairie View A&M
2024: 12 games, team-high 782 snaps; didn’t allow a sack
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Ryan Browne • 6–4, 210 pounds • Purdue
2024: 8 games, 34 of 76, 532 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 127.5 quarterback rating
Junior defensive back Coleman Bryson • 6–2, 210 pounds • Minnesota
2024: 13 games, 14 tackles, 6 assists, 3 passes defended (pick-six below from 2022 season)
Junior tight end Connor Cox • 6–6, 251 pounds • South Carolina
2024: 4 games, 1 catch, 9 yards, 1 TD
Fifth-year cornerback Thaddeus Dixon • 6-1, 186 pounds • Washington
2024: 13 games, 26 tackles, 17 assists, 2 tackles for losses, 1 interception, 10 passes defended, 1 forced fumble
Senior defensive back Gavin Gibson • 6-0, 185 pounds • East Carolina
2024: 13 games, 25 tackles, 27 assists, 3 interceptions, 3 pass breakups
Sophomore linebacker Khmori House • 6-0, 213 pounds • Washington
2024: 12 games, 19 tackles, 16 assists, 1 interception, 4 pass breakups, 1 QB hit
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Aziah Johnson • 6–0, 175 pounds • Michigan State
2024: 12 games, 16 catches, 276 yards, 2 touchdowns; 1 rush, 15 yards
Fifth-year center Christo Kelly • 6–4, 305 pounds • Holy Cross
2024: Started 12 games, part of line that allowed 1.08 sacks per game, 11th-best in country
Fifth-year offensive lineman Daniel King • 6–5, 340 pounds • Troy
2024: 12 games, 429 snaps at right tackle, 360 at right guard, allowed 2 sacks, named All-Sun Belt second team
Senior offensive lineman Chad Lindberg • 6–6, 315 pounds • Rice (Georgia before that)
2024: Played 11 games after playing 20 games and 139 snaps for Georgia
Sophomore offensive tackle Miles McVay • 6–6, 340 pounds • Alabama
2024: 5 games, 94 snaps
Sophomore defensive tackle C.J. Mims • 6–2, 302 pounds • East Carolina
2024: 12 games, 4 tackles, 19 assists, 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Jason Robinson Jr. • 5–10, 151 pounds • Washington
2024: Redshirted after catching 68 passes for 900 yards as a senior at Long Beach Poly
Junior place-kicker Adam Samaha • 5–11, 195 pounds • Michigan
2024: didn’t play (Wolverines had Big Ten Kicker of Year Dominic Zvada)
2023: 1 game, 1 extra-point attempt made • Hit 60-yard FG in training (in below video)
Sophomore safety Peyton Waters • 6–1, 182 pounds • Washington
2024: 13 games, 3 tackles, 2 assists
Redshirt senior defensive lineman Pryce Yates • 6–4, 265 pounds • UConn
2024: 7 games, 12 tackles, 9 assists, 3.5 sacks for 23 yards, 5 QB hurries; Fenway Bowl defensive MVP
Tar Heels entering, exiting portal
(Next season’s classes listed)
Redshirt sophomore 5–11, 180-pound defensive back Ty Adams
2024: 4 tackles
Sophomore 6–3, 300-pound offensive lineman Aidan Banfield
2024: 62.8 Pro Football Focus grade best in country among true freshmen
Fifth-year 6–5, 310 fifth-year center Austin Blaske
2024: Started 11 games with Pro Football Focus grade of 85.6
Junior 6–0, 230-pound linebacker Amare Campbell
2024: 12 games, 42 tackles, 30 assists, 11 tackles for losses, 6.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble
Fifth-year 5–11, 220-pound running back Caleb Hood
2024: 4 games, 7 carries, 3 yards, 1 catch, 29 yards
Senior 6–1, 190-pound wide receiver Kobe Paysour
2024: 12 games, 19 catches, 330 yards
In the transfer portal
— Offensive linemen Zach Greenberg (committed to James Madison), Jakiah Leftwich (Central Florida), Malik McGowan (UNLV), Andrew Rosinski (Georgia Tech), Howard Sampson (Texas Tech) and Eli Sutton (Austin Peay)
— Running back Jordan Louie
— Quarterbacks Conner Harrell (Charlotte), Michael Merdinger (Liberty) and Jacolby Criswell (East Tennessee State)
— Linebackers Ashton Woods (West Virginia) and Caleb LaVallee (Florida State)
— Defensive lineman Travis Shaw (Texas)
— Defensive backs DeAndre Boykins and Tyrane Stewart
— Place-kicker Noah Burnette (Notre Dame)
Reported Belichick’s staff members
General manager Michael Lombardi — Worked in NFL 1984–2016, including Cleveland Browns general manager in 2013 and assistant to the coaching staff for the New England Patriots 2014–16
Director of Player Personnel Joe Anile — NFL scout for the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars
Assistant Director of Player Personnel Andrew Blaylock — Assistant athletics director for player personnel at Central Florida the last three seasons; had similar positions at Appalachian State 2016–22 and Texas State 2015–16
Defensive coordinator Steve Belichick — Defensive coordinator last season at Washington; New England Patriots defensive coach 2012–23
Strength and conditioning coach Moses Cabrera — New England Patriots assistant strength coach 2011–15; head Patriots strength and conditioning coach 2016–23
Offensive assistant coach Bob Diaco — Was defensive coach at LSU the last two seasons; has coached in college since 1999.
Offensive-line coach Will Friend — Offensive coordinator last season at Western Kentucky; was offensive line coach at Tennessee (2018–20), Auburn (2021–22), Mississippi State (2023) and Tennessee; offensive coordinator/offensive line coach at Colorado State (2015–17) and offensive line coach at Georgia (2011–14)
Cory Giddings — Will be part of player personnel staff; Director of Player Personnel at Central Florida the past two seasons, working with Blaylock there, and before that at Appalachian State
Armond Hawkins — Was secondary analyst and assistant director of recruiting last season at Washington. Before that, he spent one season at Arizona, one season at Colorado and two seasons at Southern Cal.
Defensive assistant coach Chris Jones — CFL coach 2002–18, 2021–2024; 2018 CFL Coach of Year at Saskatchewan; head coach in 2015 of Grey Cup champion Edmonton Eskimos; Cleveland Browns defensive assistant coach 2019
Offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens — UNC run-game coordinator and tight ends coach 2023–24; interim UNC coach for 2024 Fenway Bowl; head coach Cleveland Browns 2019; Assistant coach with New York Giants (2020–21), Browns (2018), Arizona Cardinals (2007–2017), Dallas Cowboys (2006), Mississippi State (2004), North Texas (2001–03), LSU (2000) and Glenville State (1999)
Offensive assistant coach Matt Lombardi — Was an offensive analyst last season at Oregon; NFL assistant with Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers
Running backs coach Natrone Means — A UNC running back (1990–92) who was a two-time All-ACC pick, he has been with the program since joining Mack Brown’s staff as an offensive analyst in 2021.
Offensive assistant coach Garrick McGee — Was wide receivers coach at Louisville the last two seasons. Has coached in college since 1996.
Chris Mattes — The former professional lacrosse player had been the New England Patriots’ Director of Football Development, and had been with the team the last eight seasons.
Assistant coach Billy Miller — IMG Academy assistant head coach 2014–21, head coach 2022–24
Special teams coach Mike Priefer — NFL assistant coach since 2002; head special teams coach at Kansas City (2006–08), Denver (2009–10), Minnesota (2011–18) and Cleveland (2019–22).
| Month/ date | Score/ time | Opponent | Record/ TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| September | |||
| 1 | L, 48–14 | vs. TCU | 0–1 |
| 6 | W, 20–3 | at Charlotte | 1–1 |
| 13 | W, 41–6 | vs. Richmond | 2–1 |
| 20 | L, 34–9 | at UCF | 2–2 |
| October | |||
| 4 | L, 38–10 | vs. Clemson | 2–3, 0–1 ACC |
| 17 (Fri.) | L, 21–18 | at California | 2–4, 0–2 |
| 25 | L, 17–16, OT | vs. No. 16 Virginia | 2–5, 0–3 |
| 31 (Fri.) | W, 27–10 | at Syracuse | 3–5, 1–3 |
| November | |||
| 8 | W, 20–15 | vs. Stanford | 4–5, 2–3 |
| 15 | L, 28–12 | at Wake Forest | 4–6, 2–4 |
| 22 | L, 32–25 | vs. Duke | 4–7, 2–5 |
| 29 | L, 42–19 | at N.C. State | 4–8, 2–6 |
Photo via @UConnHuskies
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