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CHAPEL HILL — Bobby Petrino arrived in Chapel Hill with a simple job description and a complicated assignment. North Carolina’s offensive coordinator is here to run the Tar Heels’ offense, call plays and help turn last season’s struggles into a productive unit. He is also doing it alongside Coach Bill Belichick, a partnership Petrino said has already sharpened his approach during spring practice.
CHAPEL HILL — Bill Belichick was grinning as if he had just won another Super Bowl. That is how North Carolina offensive lineman Christo Kelly remembers it. Kelly and a teammate were walking toward class when they spotted their coach coming the other direction, clipboard in hand, smiling wide enough to stop them in their tracks.
As North Carolina opened its second spring practice under coach Bill Belichick, the veteran coach said the program is better positioned this time around, largely because of continuity that simply did not exist a year ago.
Michael Lombardi used his return to ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” to issue a strong defense of the North Carolina football program, criticizing what he described as persistent “fake rumors and fake stories” that circulated throughout Bill Belichick’s turbulent first season in Chapel Hill.
For readers who enjoy the Tar Heel Tribune’s coverage of Carolina athletics but not the clutter that comes with online advertising, there’s now a simple solution.
Starting with a season-opening trip across the Atlantic Ocean to Ireland, North Carolina will launch into year two of the Bill Belichick era with a schedule built for spotlight high-stakes matchups. The schedule that the ACC announced Monday includes two September open dates for the Tar Heels after the opener in Dublin, Ireland, against TCU on Aug. 29.
North Carolina’s offensive reset and quarterback shuffle did not begin with Bobby Petrino’s arrival.The 2025 season under offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens never stabilized. The Tar Heels struggled to find an offensive rhythm, and the quarterback situation remained unsettled. By the end of a 4–8 season, the direction of the unit was no longer defensible. Coach Bill Belichick dismissed Kitchens and the transition began.
If you want to watch No. 12 North Carolina’s game Saturday at SMU on TV, you’ll have to figure out your CW affiliate.
If you want to watch No. 14 North Carolina’s game Saturday against USC Upstate on TV, you’ll have to figure out your CW affiliate.
CHAPEL HILL — When UNC needed a spark against Stanford, sophomore running back Davion Gause delivered — not just with his legs, but with his hands and his instincts.
No matter what numbers Drake Maye puts up, he just keeps winning. Maye led New England to a 28–16 victory Sunday at Tampa Bay for the 8–2 Patriots’ seventh consecutive win, giving them a 1½-game lead atop the AFC East.
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.
You can forgive Carolina fans for feeling, as Yogi Berra famously described, deja vu all over again, as the Tar Heels welcomed Stanford to Chapel Hill on Saturday. There was a lot that was familiar about this victory.
CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina’s defense keeps getting better, just in time for the Tar Heels to gain some momentum while the offense tries to find some consistency. The Tar Heels piled up a season-high nine sacks and got enough offense to beat down a bad Stanford team 20–15 Saturday for their second consecutive victory after struggling in the first half.
Here’s a look at the Stanford at UNC matchup with times, lines, statistics, notes and depth chart.
