Bill Belichick’s UNC Debut Exposed Flaws — But It’s Too Soon to Panic

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Bill Belichick’s debut as North Carolina’s head coach might have been the worst game of his head coaching career.

The 48 points UNC gave up to TCU on Monday night were more than any Belichick-coached team gave up in any game during his 29 seasons as an NFL head coach. The 48-14 final was also tied for the second-largest margin of defeat in Belichick’s head coaching career. 

After Belichick’s Tar Heels committed a multitude of errors that allowed the Horned Frogs to score 41 straight points in Monday’s game, FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt admitted that he’s a bit concerned about UNC. However, he has some hope that the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach can work some of his magic, while getting some scheduling luck, to right the ship in Chapel Hill. 

“Am I worried about North Carolina? Yeah, a little bit. But there were a lot of fixable mistakes out there,” Klatt said on his podcast, “The Joel Klatt Show.” “Do you really think you’re going to give up two defensive touchdowns? Probably not. Can you fix gap responsibility on defense? Yeah, absolutely, and I would trust that Bill Belichick would know how to do that. So, the defensive structure will get better. 

“Will they give up some of those plays? Probably not, in particular as they get into a schedule which I would say is much easier than facing TCU. TCU is one of the better teams in the Big 12, and they proved that on Monday night.”

To Klatt’s point, the two touchdowns UNC’s offense surrendered came after it lost the ball in its own territory. Still, the Tar Heels were thoroughly outplayed and outmatched in nearly every facet and stat of the game. The Horned Frogs outgained them, 542-222. TCU converted on seven of 12 third-down attempts, while UNC was only able to get a first down once on 10 third-down tries. 

In terms of individual performances, UNC starting quarterback Gio Lopez struggled after helping the Tar Heels score on the game’s opening drive. He completed just 4 of 10 passes for 69 yards and an interception to go along with a lost fumble in a performance that Klatt said “did not look very comfortable.”

Lopez eventually left the game after suffering an injury on the lost fumble in the third quarter, with backup Max Johnson leading the Tar Heels to a touchdown on their ensuing possession. Changes like that might be what’s needed for UNC to get better moving forward, according to Klatt. 

UNC QB Gio Lopez struggled before leaving Monday’s game against TCU early due to injury. (Photo by Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) <!–>

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“My biggest question is that the superpower for Bill Belichick during his career in the National Football League was adjustments and situations,” Klatt said. “Now, he’s going to have to make massive adjustments with that team and they’re going to have to get massively better in situational football. 

“I would assume that one of those is going to happen, situational football, but what’s the adjustment? I’m not sure. I’m guessing we’re going to see some personnel adjustments because now he’s going to have film. I can guarantee you one thing: If you didn’t play hard, you aren’t going to play next week.”

Belichick might find the solution to his team’s struggles by making personnel adjustments. His North Carolina roster has undergone a dramatic overhaul, with 41 players arriving through the transfer portal and another 30 joining as high school recruits during the offseason.

With that many new players joining the program, Klatt wasn’t entirely surprised by Monday’s result. 

“Bill Belichick spent 50 years in the National Football League. Now, he’s got a college team full of transplants,” Klatt said. “Do we really think that they’re going to be great right away? No, and I told you last week that this was always going to be one of their two toughest games. They still have Clemson on the schedule, but TCU was their second-toughest game. You could see that.

“Because of that, I do think that with the schedule easing up, North Carolina should be OK. Let’s just temper expectations. Maybe six, maybe top-end seven wins at the most, but they do need to get better quarterback play. The good news for UNC is that schedule does get a lot easier.”

After Monday’s game, eight of UNC’s remaining 11 opponents are either schools from a non-power conference or teams that finished with a record below .500 last season. So, there are plenty of opportunities for the Tar Heels to get back on track.

Before looking ahead, though, Klatt also wanted to tip his cap to TCU for handling the moment well after getting upset at home by Colorado in Deion Sanders’ first game as the Buffs’ head coach in 2023. 

“You really think TCU didn’t have that in the back of their mind as they were preparing for Bill Belichick and North Carolina for the entire offseason?” Klatt said. “They played like it was in the back of their mind. They were terrific.”

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