By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Bill Belichick has spent most of the season stressing that one Saturday game has to be put away quickly. After Carolina’s win at Duke, he said that it took more effort than usual.
The Tar Heels’ players have said all year that Sunday is the day to turn the page, and Belichick acknowledged the Victory Bell celebration made it harder this time.
“It took a little longer,” he said during his weekly press conference Monday at the Kenan Football Center.
The team went to the Bell Tower to paint the bell light blue and celebrate on Sunday, which he called “a great moment.”
By his account, the players got to the next opponent before the coaches did. Belichick said they were saying the Duke game was in the books before he did, and he repeated the message when asked how the team moved on.
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“It’s great to beat Duke, but we’re done with them, and it’s on to Syracuse,” he said in classic Belichick fashion.
The reset, he said, applies to coaches as much as players. He described a weekly cycle in which the team spends everything on Saturday and then has to rebuild for the following week.
“We try to go out there and empty the tank on the field on Saturdays and put everything we have into the game,” Belichick said. “Then you got to fill it back up.”
He warned that skipping steps in that rebuilding will eventually cost a team.
“If you try to shortcut the process, it’s going to catch up with you,” Belichick said.
That is the context for how he talked about last-placed Syracuse (2–4, 0–4 ACC), a team he said is better than the results suggest and visits UNC (4–2, 2–1) at 7:30 Saturday night (ACC Network).
He spoke with respect for Coach Fran Brown, and said the Orange have been competitive in every game this season.
“They’re only a couple plays away from having six wins, honestly,” Belichick said. “I don’t think their record is indicative of the talent that they have, or the way that they’re coached, or the way they play.”
The Orange are also unusual at quarterback.
“I don’t think I’ve ever coached against a team that’s had four quarterbacks that are all legitimate players,” Belichick said. “They’ve all played well. These guys can move the ball.”
Belichick said needing four quarterbacks has not hurt Syracuse, noting that Syracuse had 300 yards in the first half against Louisville and throws for roughly that much most weeks.
Fifth-year quarterback Steve Angeli has thrown for 730 yards and four touchdowns with five interceptions but missed Saturday’s 34–26 home loss to Louisville with an Achilles-related issue. Junior Amari Odom (391 yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions) missed the Louisville game with an injury.
Junior Malachi Nelson made his second start last week and has 532 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. The Orange also have junior Danny Lauter (74 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions.
None of those quarterbacks are also lacrosse players. Last season, lacrosse player Joseph Filardi, a true freshman, started in Syracuse’s 27–10 home loss to UNC, going 4 of 18 for 39 yards.
Up front, Syracuse is enormous. Belichick said the line is the biggest UNC has faced this season, and he added a joke about how large the linemen are even by college football standards.
“The biggest offensive line we’ve seen, probably got to be one of the biggest in college football,” Belichick said. “I don’t know if you can get on that line if you’re under 350, but these guys are big.”
The Orange also bring a defense that Belichick said creates pressure and turnovers, and a return game that can change field position.
That puts a premium on UNC protecting the ball, something he said has not been a strength recently. He said the Tar Heels need to take care of the ball “better than we have been.”
For Belichick, the answer is the same as it was after the Duke game, with a heavy dose of preparation.
“We need to play our best game of the year,” he said, “and that’s what we’re going to practice for.”
| 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 Smith Hardy
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