On This Day in UNC History: September 7
Posted Sep 7, 2013
September 7, 1996: UNC 27, Syracuse, 10 - On a weekend when Hurricane Fran was battering the Triangle area, Mack Brown's 24th-ranked Tar Heels were in the safe confines of Syracuse's Carrier Dome delivering a battering of their own to the 9th-ranked Orangemen.
The Tar Heels stormed out to a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter while holding Syracuse quarterback Donovan McNabb without a completion until late in the first half. North Carolina quarterback Chris Keldorf finished the game with 22 completions in 32 pass attempts for 218 yards. McNabb, on the other hand, was just 11 for 32 with 125 yards passing.
It was UNC's first road win over a top-10 team in 30 years, and the Tar Heels would finish the 1996 season with a 10-2 record, including a 20-13 Gator Bowl win over West Virginia.
Related: 1996 UNC Football Schedule & Results
Related: Football, Football Recruiting
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye to launch MayeDay Family FoundationAhead of this third NFL season, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is launching his own nonprofit to extend that impact to the community. Maye...
Sat Mar 28, 2026Stark Differences for Bill Belichick this Spring as Opposed to a Year Ago
"There's a lot of changes from last year," UNC Football coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday during a press conference in advance of spring practice. "I'd...
Fri Mar 27, 2026
Chansky’s Notebook: 'We Have Our Team Now'
Bill Belichick clearly believes last year was a mulligan. The UNC football head coach spoke to the media Tuesday at Kenan Football Center as his...
Thu Mar 26, 2026
Video: IC Reaction Podcast - UNC Football's First Spring Practice
Year two in the Bill Belichick era kicked off on Tuesday with the first spring football practice of 2026. Inside Carolina's Jason Staples and Tommy...
Tue Mar 24, 2026