It took longer than expected, but the North Carolina Tar Heels finally got their first conference win with Bill Belichick as their head coach. The team soundly defeated Syracuse and after the game, the UNC coach sent a message about how having an ACC win feels.
In the most Belichick way possible, he said, “Feels great. We had a couple of opportunities the last couple of weeks that we couldn’t capitalize on. It was good to get this one. So we look forward to all the rest of the games in the ACC.” There are four ACC games remaining in North Carolina’s schedule. If it wins three, the program becomes bowl eligible.
The Tar Heels dominated easily and were able to establish good, proper, disciplined football. Just how Belichick likes. Also, they are starting to rely more and more on their talents, especially on the run game.
North Carolina is literally on Demon time…
Belichick loves a good running back and he has one in Demon June. Against Syracuse, he was borderline unstoppable. June had 182 scrimmage yards on 15 touches with two touchdowns.
June averaged 7.8 yards per carry against Syracuse and was the driving factor behind the win. Also, quarterback Gio Lopez went 15/19 for 216 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
The defense was also great
Not only did UNC limit Syracuse to 10 points but the whole performance was just great. Syracuse only managed to get 147 total yards, 39 passing yards, and 2.9 yards per play. North Carolina put on a defensive clinic.
During the last couple of weeks, North Carolina has been a more disciplined, well-coached team. Now, it seems like the team is really buying into Bellichick’s idea and is a good thing to see after a difficult start.