EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (Interstat) — Billy Edwards Jr. completed 29 of 38 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns, and North Carolina defeated Connecticut 38-21 on Saturday in a Football Bowl Division game at Pratt & Whitney Stadium. North Carolina was the visiting team and improved to 5-4. Connecticut was the home team and fell to 4-5. The Tar Heels scored 38 points and the Huskies scored 21. Edwards, a 6-3, 207-pound quarterback from Burke, Va., was the top star for North Carolina.

Edwards also ran four times for 10 yards. Jelani Thurman, a 6-6, 258-pound tight end, caught seven passes for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan Shipp had five receptions for 55 yards and a score. Benjamin Hall, a 5-11, 234-pound running back, ran nine times for 81 yards and a touchdown and added four catches for 26 yards. Demon June carried 15 times for 60 yards and caught two passes for 31 yards. Jaylen McGill had seven rushes for 15 yards and three receptions for 18 yards. Trech Kekahuna caught four passes for 29 yards. Jaden Jefferson had one reception for 15 yards and a 14-yard kickoff return. Shamar Easter caught one pass for 4 yards, Nyqir Helton had one for 5 yards and Carson Sneed had one for 8 yards. In his previous game, Edwards completed 28 of 34 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns against Miami.

Connecticut’s Jack O’Connor missed a 45-yard field goal in the first quarter. North Carolina’s Timir Hickman-Collins, a 6-2, 215-pound linebacker, intercepted Osborne and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown. Osborne connected with Ryder Treadway on an 18-yard touchdown pass. Hall broke free for a 39-yard touchdown run. Edwards found Shipp for a 6-yard score. Osborne hit Cam Abshire for a 24-yard touchdown. Edwards connected with Thurman for a 3-yard touchdown before halftime. Cyncir Bowers scored on a 13-yard run in the third quarter. Rece Verhoff made a 27-yard field goal. Verhoff missed a 49-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Edwards hit Thurman for a 3-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. North Carolina’s defense forced turnovers and Connecticut’s offense moved the ball through the air but could not keep pace in the second half.

Connecticut quarterback Kalieb Osborne, a 6-3, 204-pound quarterback, completed 17 of 35 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 11 times for 28 yards. Ryder Treadway, a 6-3, 193-pound receiver, caught four passes for 82 yards and a touchdown and made one tackle. Cam Abshire had two receptions for 40 yards and a score. Xavier Watson caught two passes for 35 yards. Julian Allen had one reception for 33 yards. Shamar Porter caught two passes for 25 yards. Ky Wilson had two receptions for 14 yards and returned five kickoffs for 97 yards. JD Willoughby caught one pass for 10 yards. Matt Ragan had two receptions for 9 yards. Cyncir Bowers rushed 13 times for 68 yards and a touchdown. Kenji Christian carried seven times for 27 yards and caught one pass for minus 3 yards. Tommy Warner punted twice for 96 yards.

Connecticut’s Hayden Pegg, a 6-3, 200-pound linebacker, recorded 12 tackles and an interception. K’Von Sherman made 11 tackles and a quarterback hit. John Lista had 10 tackles. Tahjae Mullix and Esean Carter each made five tackles, and Carter added a sack. Ty McKinstry made five tackles. North Carolina’s Peyton Seelmann, a 6-1, 210-pound linebacker, recorded nine tackles and two sacks. Derek McDonald, a 6-4, 225-pound linebacker, made seven tackles and two quarterback hits. Leroy Jackson had five tackles and one quarterback hit. Isaiah Johnson added four tackles. Melkart Abou Jaoude made three tackles, one sack and two quarterback hits. Coleman Bryson and Javion Butts each recorded three tackles. Kaleb Cost, a 5-10, 190-pound defensive back, made five tackles. Jaylen Harvey, a 6-2, 263-pound defensive end, had two tackles and a quarterback hit. Jaiden Patterson, Greg Smith III, Nicco Maggio and Calvin Thomas each made two tackles. Donovan Hoilette Jr. had one tackle and a quarterback hit. Emmanuel Nwaiwu made one tackle. Xavier Lewis had a quarterback hit. Jalon Thompson had two tackles and an interception. Aeron Burrell, a 6-2, 190-pound kicker, punted three times for 126 yards.

North Carolina opened the season with a 15-10 win at Texas Christian and beat East Tennessee State 35-3 before losing at Clemson 28-20. The Tar Heels then lost to Notre Dame 37-26, beat Pittsburgh 21-17, beat Duke 24-20, lost to Syracuse 31-30 in overtime and lost to Miami 38-35. Connecticut beat Lafayette 56-7, lost to Maryland 38-14, won at Southern Mississippi 48-20, lost at Miami of Ohio 24-21, lost to Syracuse 42-41, won at Temple 34-20, beat Massachusetts 35-16 and lost at Air Force 35-26. North Carolina entered having lost two straight before the win. North Carolina is scheduled to host Louisville, visit Virginia and host North Carolina State. Connecticut is scheduled to host James Madison, host Old Dominion and visit Wyoming.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Connecticut 44, North Carolina 28 before the game. Interstat’s ELO system had given Connecticut a 50.1 percent probability to win. North Carolina had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 8. The total score of 59 went under the over/under line of 54.5.