By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — After the Clemson loss, North Carolina’s defense faced a reality check.
The open date that followed wasn’t just a breather; it was a turning point. The results of the transformation have been evident in the last three games, including Saturday’s 20–15 home victory over Stanford.
Trust has been the foundation of the defense’s turnaround.
Early in the season, defenders tried to do too much — sometimes two jobs at once — and ended up doing neither. Linebacker Khmori House said that changed when the defensive players began to trust each other.
“Trust is a big thing in this defense,” said House, who had 13 tackles (eight solo) and an interception against Stanford. “If you can’t trust your brother to do his job, and you feel like you have to overcompensate for your teammate, the whole defense is gonna break down.
“As long as everybody does their 1/11s [each player responsible for his job], we’re gonna play great defense,” House said. “If I can trust Melkart [Abou Jaoude] to set the edge and I fit inside, I know the edge is set and the ball’s gonna come inside. It’s all about good team defense, and that’s what we’ve been honing in these last couple of weeks.”
Coach Bill Belichick said that when there are so many newcomers on a roster, the trust isn’t automatic. It can create challenges, he said, when you don’t know the name of the person to your left or right for several weeks, and that takes time to change.
“We started a lot of new faces and tried to find some combinations,” Belichick said. “Trust in the person that’s next to you and trust in the play — sometimes the guy in front of you on defense, that’s a high level of trust, too. If they do what they’re supposed to do, then you can do what you’re supposed to do. If you’re not sure, then you kind of wait to see where they are before you see where you go.”
House, who followed defensive coordinator Steve Belichick to Carolina in the offseason from Washington, said the defense collectively realized they had to be more locked in than they were at the beginning of the season.
“We know we’re a good team, and it just comes with a matter of attention to detail and things like that — just deciding to flip the switch and let’s get this thing rolling,” House said.
That switch has sparked a defensive surge. Over the past three games, the Tar Heels have piled up sacks at a staggering rate — six against Virginia, nine against Stanford, and more than 20 in four games.
House admitted he’s never seen anything like it.
“No, I have not,” he said. “[The defensive line is] putting pressure on the quarterback and secondary? We’re going to help them out as much as we can, too. We’re just playing good complementary team football.”
That effort has transformed a defense that looked lost after Clemson into one that now plays fast, confident and connected.
Noting the UNC defense
— UNC’s nine sacks were the most in a game since posting 10 against Virginia last season.
— Stanford had only 36 rushing yards, the second-fewest this season and the sixth time this season that UNC has allowed fewer than 100 rushing yards.
— Abou Jaoude and Tyler Thompson each recorded three sacks. Abou Jaoude has multiple sacks in three consecutive games, and Thompson’s total was a career-high.
— Abou Jaoude’s 10 sacks on the season are a career-high, lead the ACC and are the most by a Tar Heel since Kareem Martin’s 11½ sacks in 2013.
— Carolina had six first-half sacks, the most since posting six against Virginia in the first half of a 41–14 win in 2024.
— House logged eight first-half tackles, eclipsing his previous career-high of seven tackles. The Tar Heel linebacker finished the night with a team-best 13 tackles.
Photo by Joshua Lawton
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