By R.L. Bynum
Finally beating a power conference team hasn’t changed Bill Belichick’s mantra.
He still emphasized at his Tuesday press conference that North Carolina (3–5, 2–4 ACC) is on a steady climb and needs to keep showing incremental progress.
“They work hard every week; they improve every week. They literally improve every day,” Belichick said. “You stack those on top of each other consistently over a period of time, then you perform better.”
That mindset framed his reaction to the program’s first victory since mid-September, last Friday’s 31–14 win at Syracuse, and his outlook for the next challenge with Saturday’s 4:30 home game against Stanford (The CW).
“It’s great to win, and for a short time after the win, it’s great to feel good and celebrate,” he said. “But you’re back to work and you’re on to the next team on the schedule, win or lose.”
Belichick’s tone was matter-of-fact, his focus already on the Cardinal (3–6, 2–4), a team he described as disciplined and opportunistic.
“They don’t give up a lot of big plays,” he said. “Their defensive line plays hard. They do a pretty good job against the running game. You’re not just going to march up and down the field handing it off. You have to mix it in there.”
He noted Stanford’s ability to force offenses into long drives.
“They play quite a bit of zone defense, force you to drive the ball and convert third downs,” Belichick said. “It’s hard offensively to rattle off 15-play, 70-yard drives. They make enough plays along the way to make sure you don’t do that.”
The Cardinal’s defensive approach, he added, creates second-and-long and third-and-long situations that create challenges for offenses.
“They don’t give you anything easy. You have to earn it,” he said.
Belichick also acknowledged Stanford’s offensive adjustments, including a quarterback change. Interim coach Frank Reich has benched Ben Gulbranson in favor of redshirt freshman Elijah Brown.
“He played the fourth quarter against Pittsburgh,” Belichick said of Brown, “and did some good things in that game, I guess enough for them to make the change.”
Stanford is last in the ACC in points per game (17.8) and next-to-last in yards per game (307.1). Gulbranson has thrown for 1,813 yards and nine touchdowns but also an ACC-high 10 interceptions, half of those in the last two games.
Brown has played in three games connecting on 19 of 31 passes for one touchdown and no interceptions.
Meanwhile, Belichick sees his team trending upward.
“The process has been the same all the way through,” he said. “Start the process of learning about our opponent, studying our opponent, understanding how we want to play, and going out there and practicing to that standard.”
He praised the development of younger players, especially on the offensive line.
“I’m encouraged by their progress,” Belichick said. “But they’ve got a long way to go. They need to keep working and keep getting better. In the offensive line, it’s all about fundamentals and techniques. It’s a split second between success and failure.”
Asked about the defensive front, Belichick emphasized a collective approach.
“It’s very much a do-your-job mentality,” he said. “Pass rush is all dependent on the pass coverage and vice versa. When we cover well, that helps the pass rush. When we rush well, that helps the pass coverage.”
For Belichick, the win at Syracuse was a step forward, not a destination.
“It’s great to win,” he said, “but you’re back to work.”
| 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
UNC schedule
| Month/ date | Score/ time | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| August | ||
| 29 | TBA | vs.TCU in Dublin, Ireland |
| September | ||
| 12 | TBA | vs. ETSU |
| 19 | TBA | at Clemson |
| October | ||
| 3 | TBA | vs. Notre Dame |
| 10 | TBA | at Pittsburgh |
| 17 | TBA | at Duke |
| 24 | TBA | vs. Syracuse |
| 31 | TBA | vs. Miami |
| November | ||
| 7 | TBA | at UConn |
| 14 | TBA | vs. Louisville |
| 21 | TBA | at Virginia |
| 28 | TBA | vs. N.C. State |
| December | ||
| 5 | noon, ABC | ACC championship game in Charlotte |
Photo by Joshua Lawton
tarheeltribune.com 