Belichick gives no QB update, says team is improving

By R.L. Bynum

Coach Bill Belichick says that his North Carolina team improved during their weekend off, but they need to be more consistent on offense.

Belichick made his first public comments since the 34–9 loss at UCF on the “Carolina Football Live” radio show Monday night at Top of the Hill Restaurant in Chapel Hill, admitting that the team needs to do “several things better.”

He wasn’t asked about quarterback Gio Lopez, who injured his right leg during the UCF game, and he didn’t offer an update or say who would start at quarterback for the noon Saturday ACC opener against Clemson (ESPN).

“We’re grinding away,” Belichick said after his 2–2 team’s 35th practice. “I’m enthused with the progress we’ve made.”

Belichick suggested that the Tar Heels are very much a work in progress, saying that every week and every practice offers a chance to sharpen fundamentals: tackling, communication and execution under pressure.

“We’re way better than we were,” he said, “but we still have a long way to go.”

Consistency was the key, he said, and emphasized that progress came in layers: fewer penalties, fewer turnovers and fewer big plays given up. The team wasn’t making glaring mistakes, he said, but the challenge was doing all the little things right.

Belichick said that there were small breakdowns offensively that overshadowed otherwise solid execution. Timing needed work, he said, particularly the precision between the quarterback and receiver, as well as the subtle anticipation that could turn a close play into a big gain.

Belichick suggested that he has seen progress with players learning the system.

Belichick credited the structure he and his staff had built for these improvements. Younger players were given more opportunities to practice against the first team, a system designed to accelerate learning.

“[We] give those guys an opportunity to play and show how much they’re improving. And some of them are doing a good job,” he said. “They’re starting to make a move.”

Defensively, Belichick said that the emphasis remained on fundamentals and discipline. Tackling, recognition, and communication were ongoing priorities.

Fridays, he said, were dedicated to focused tape sessions with him personally, reinforcing that every rep counted, every mistake was a learning opportunity, and every success was a step toward consistency.

“That can change week to week and can change over a period of time. We all need to keep doing a better job, a better job of coaching, a better job preparing, a better job of playing,” he said.

Team	ACC	All
No. 16 Virginia	7–1	10–2
No. 12 Miami	6–2	10–2
No. 25 SMU	6–2	8–4
No. 24 Georgia Tech	6–2	9–3
Pittsburgh	6–2	8–4
Duke	6–2	7–5
Louisville	4–4	8–4
Wake Forest	4–4	8–4
California	4–4	7–5
Clemson	4–4	7–5
N.C. State	4–4	7–5
Stanford	3–5	4–8
Florida State	2–6	5–7
North Carolina	2–6	4–8
Virginia Tech	2–6	3–9
Syracuse	1–7	3–9
Boston College	1–7	2–10

Friday’s result
No. 4 Georgia 16, No. 24 Georgia Tech 9
Saturday’s results
N.C. State 42, North Carolina 19
No. 12 Miami 38, Pittsburgh 7
Louisville 41, Kentucky 0
Clemson 28, South Carolina 14
Boston College 34, Syracuse 12
Duke 49, Wake Forest 32
Florida 40, Florida State 21
No. 16 Virginia 27, Virginia Tech 7
California 38, No. 25 SMU 35
No. 9 Notre Dame 49, Stanford 20
Saturday’s ACC championship game
No. 16 Virginia vs. Duke in Charlotte, 8 p.m., ABC

Month/ date	Score/ time	Opponent	Record/ TV
September
1	L, 48–14	vs. TCU	0–1
6	W, 20–3	at Charlotte	1–1
13	W, 41–6	vs. Richmond	2–1
20	L, 34–9	at UCF	2–2
October
4	L, 38–10	vs. Clemson	2–3, 0–1 ACC
17 (Fri.)	L, 21–18	at California	2–4, 0–2
25	L, 17–16, OT	vs. No. 16 Virginia	2–5, 0–3
31 (Fri.)	W, 27–10	at Syracuse	3–5, 1–3
November
8	W, 20–15	vs. Stanford	4–5, 2–3
15	L, 28–12	at Wake Forest	4–6, 2–4
22	L, 32–25	vs. Duke	4–7, 2–5
29	L, 42–19	at N.C. State	4–8, 2–6