For the fourth time, Bill Belichick’s North Carolina team has faced a major conference opponent — and for the fourth time, they lost.
This latest defeat was particularly heartbreaking. After suffering blowout losses in the Tar Heels’ first three games against power conference teams, North Carolina fell 21-18 to Cal. The game slipped away in the final minutes when the Tar Heels fumbled at the 1-yard line, just moments before what could have been the go-ahead touchdown, with 3:48 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Following the game, Belichick remained focused on fundamentals. “Just keep working on things that we need to do a better job of — third-and-long on defense, third down on offense, ball security, things like that,” he said.
In his post-game press conference, Belichick was reluctant to revisit his decision to take the North Carolina job. When asked about it, he responded tersely, “I’ve answered the same question 75 times.”
Still, the question will continue to be asked. North Carolina has now fallen to 2-4 on the season, with victories only against overmatched, small-conference opponents Charlotte and Richmond.
Last season, North Carolina made the difficult decision to fire Mack Brown despite his record of leading the team to six consecutive bowl games. Now, with Belichick at the helm, it appears nearly certain the Tar Heels will miss a bowl game in his first season.
At this point, there are few signs of progress for Belichick’s program.
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/bill-belichick-and-north-carolina-remain-winless-vs-power-conference-opponents
