By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — UNC coach Bill Belichick said that he is sticking with Billy Edwards Jr. as his starting quarterback, suggesting that the issues in the passing game at Clemson involve more than just Edwards’ performance.
Edwards’ challenge will be even more intense this Saturday when he tries to move the Tar Heels’ offense against No. 3 Notre Dame (4–0) at noon (ESPN).
Asked during his Monday press conference at the Kenan Football Center if he expects to continue with Edwards as his starter after the open date, Belichick said, “I do.”
Edwards has faced plenty of criticism for his accuracy in the 28–20 loss at Clemson, when he was 13 of 30 for 122 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Belichick was asked about those accuracy issues and said that some of the high throws are tied to the depth of the routes being run.
“A lot of times it’s thrown high because the route is going to be deeper,” Belichick said, responding to the idea that Edwards simply needs to throw the ball lower. “I think all of us can do a little better job on that, and that’s what we’ll work on.”
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Edwards’ struggles worsened in the second half, but Belichick said the passing-game problems were shared rather than one player’s fault.
“Offensively we stalled a little bit in that game. Some of it was Clemson, some of it was us, but in the end it’s a team execution,” Belichick said. “There are other things that we need to do better. We all need to do a better job.”
The questions about accuracy and explosiveness kept returning to the passing game, and Belichick used the moment to explain how many moving parts are involved in a single throw. He said the fixes start with route design and the timing between quarterback and receiver, not any one player.
“The passing game at every level is just really about timing and execution,” Belichick said. “There’s a lot of detail that goes into every route and every throw, and so sometimes we have to make adjustments on that, whether it’s the receiver, the quarterback, or the way the pattern is distributed.”
Belichick did not point the finger at any teammate and said the blame is shared. He then explained that a passing play involves far more than a quarterback and a receiver working in isolation.
“It’s on all of us,” he said. “I’m not trying to turn this into landing the guy on the moon, but there’s more to it than just one-on-one quarterback throwing a receiver against air. I think that’s good to warm up on, but unfortunately that’s not the way the game is played. A lot of it just depends on what coverage they play when you call a certain pattern. Each one has its own little nuances.”
Edwards won the starting job over Texas A&M transfer Miles O’Neill in August, and Belichick was asked where the backup stands now and whether he might see the field in a different role. Belichick said he does not want the quarterback position to become a rotation, though he reminded the room that every reserve has to be ready.
“Everybody’s one play away from being out there,” he said.
Belichick is well aware of the difficulty of the task ahead, spending much of his opening remarks praising a Notre Dame team that has looked complete through its first four games. He pointed to the Fighting Irish defense as the most notable strength and to a special teams unit that plays with an aggressive edge.
“They’re sound all the way across the board,” Belichick said. “Defensively, they haven’t given up much. They don’t give up many good plays.”
He added that the offense is just as dangerous and that Notre Dame’s running backs and receivers have combined for almost 1,000 yards through four games, which is why he called the group “very explosive coming out of the gate.”
| Team | ACC | All |
|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Miami | 2–0 | 4–0 |
| Clemson | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| Duke | 1–0 | 4–0 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–0 | 4–0 |
| Virginia Tech | 1–0 | 4–0 |
| Virginia | 1–0 | 3–1 |
| No. 21 SMU | 1–1 | 3–1 |
| Wake Forest | 1–1 | 3–1 |
| California | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Louisville | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Stanford | 1–2 | 2–2 |
| North Carolina | 0–1 | 2–1 |
| Boston College | 0–1 | 2–2 |
| Florida State | 0–1 | 2–2 |
| N.C. State | 0–1 | 2–2 |
| Georgia Tech | 0–1 | 1–3 |
| Syracuse | 0–2 | 1–2 |
Friday’s result
Clemson 24, California 10
Saturday’s results
Virginia Tech 21, Boston College 14
Pittsburgh 59, Bucknell 0
Wake Forest 30, Louisville 27
Florida State 34, Central Arkansas 7
Duke 62, William & Mary 7
Virginia 42, Delaware 3
No. 4 Miami 52, Central Michigan 3
N.C. State 41, Appalachian State 31
No. 21 SMU 34, Missouri State 24
Stanford 34, Georgia Tech 27
Friday’s game
Pittsburgh at Virginia Tech, 7 p.m., ESPN
Saturday’s games
No. 3 Notre Dame at North Carolina, noon, ESPN
Stanford at Wake Forest, noon, ACCN
Boston College at No. 21 SMU, noon, The CW
Syracuse at UConn, noon, CBSSN
Virginia at Florida State, 3:30, ESPN2
Louisville at N.C. State, 3:30, ACCN
California at UNLV, 3:30, CBSSN
Friday, Oct. 9, game
Florida State at Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, Oct. 10, games
North Carolina at Pittsburgh, noon, ESPN or ESPN2
Wake Forest at N.C. State, noon, The CW
Virginia Tech at California, 3:30, ESPN or ACCN
Duke at Georgia Tech, 3:30, ESPN2 or ACCN
Stanford at No. 3 Notre Dame, 3:30, NBC/Peacock
Syracuse at Virginia, 7:30, ACCN
| 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 | Noon | vs. No. 3 Notre Dame | ESPN |
| 10 | Noon | at Pittsburgh | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 17 | TBA | at Duke | TBA |
| 24 | TBA | vs. Syracuse | TBA |
| 31 | TBA | vs. No. 4 Miami | TBA |
| 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 Smith Hardy
