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.”
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| Team | ACC | All |
|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Miami | 4–0 | 6–0 |
| No. 17 Wake Forest | 4–1 | 6–1 |
| No. 23 SMU | 3–1 | 5–1 |
| Clemson | 2–1 | 4–2 |
| North Carolina | 2–1 | 4–2 |
| Louisville | 3–2 | 4–3 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–2 | 5–2 |
| Virginia Tech | 2–2 | 5–2 |
| Virginia | 2–2 | 4–3 |
| California | 2–2 | 3–4 |
| Duke | 1–2 | 4–2 |
| Georgia Tech | 1–1 | 2–3 |
| Virginia Tech | 1–2 | 4–2 |
| Boston College | 1–2 | 3–3 |
| N.C. State | 1–2 | 3–3 |
| Florida State | 1–3 | 3–4 |
| Stanford | 1–3 | 3–4 |
| Syracuse | 0–4 | 2–4 |
Saturday’s results
North Carolina 24, Duke 20
No. 23 SMU 23, Virginia 13
Clemson 37, Charleston Southern 0
Boston College 27, Pittsburgh 21
Virginia Tech 34, Georgia Tech 24
No. 1 Miami 43, Florida State 45, 2 OTs
Stanford 34, Elon 7
Louisville 34, Syracuse 26
No. 17 Wake Forest 41, California 7
Friday’s games
Duke at Virginia, 7 p.m., ESPN
N.C. State at Stanford, 10:30, ESPN
Saturday’s games
Pittsburgh at No. 1 Miami, noon, ESPN
California at No. 23 SMU, noon, The CW
Virginia Tech at Clemson, 7 p.m., ESPN
Syracuse at North Carolina, 7:30, ACCN
Saturday, Oct. 31, games
No. 23 SMU at Syracuse, noon, ESPN2
California at N.C. State, noon, ACCN
Boston College at Duke, noon, The CW
Stanford at Louisville, 3:15, ACCN
Virginia at No. 17 Wake Forest, 3:45, ESPN or ESPN2
Clemson at Florida State, 7 p.m., ACCN
No. 1 Miami at North Carolina, 7:30, ABC or ESPN
Georgia Tech at Pittsburgh, 7:30, ESPN2
| Month/ date | Score/ time | Opponent (current ranking) | Record/TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| August | |||
| 29 | W, 15–10 | vs.TCU in Dublin | 1–0 |
| September | |||
| 12 | W, 35–3 | vs. ETSU | 2–0 |
| 19 | L, 28–20 | at Clemson | 2–1, 0–1 ACC |
| October | |||
| 3 | L, 37–26 | vs. No. 4 Notre Dame | 2–2 |
| 10 | W, 21–18 | at Pittsburgh | 3–2, 1–1 |
| 17 | W, 24–20 | at Duke | 4–2, 2–1 |
| 24 | 7:30 | vs. Syracuse | ACCN |
| 31 | 7:30 | vs. No. 1 Miami | ESPN or ABC |
| November | |||
| 7 | Noon | at UConn | CBSSN |
| 14 | TBA | vs. Louisville | TBA |
| 21 | TBA | at Virginia | TBA |
| 28 | TBA | vs. N.C. State | TBA |
| December | |||
| 5 | noon, ABC | ACC championship game in Charlotte | ESPN |
Photo by Joshua Lawton
