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#UNC defensive backs/safeties coach Brian Belichick press conference
Sep 3, 2025
#UNC defensive backs/safeties coach Brian Belichick press conference
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0:00
Obviously
0:02
a lot, you know, I mean, we gave up a
0:04
lot of points. Um, and that's the name
0:07
of the game starts there. So, um, we got
0:10
to do better in the pass game, we got to
0:12
do better in the run game. Um, got to
0:16
limit points better in the red area. Um,
0:20
no big plays, you know, tackling, a lot
0:24
of lot of things to work on and, you
0:26
know, that's what we're here for.
0:30
Um, a lot of the coverage or or at least
0:33
analysis after the game focused on
0:34
Marcus Allen and I wondered, you know,
0:36
as a coach and looking at the tape, how
0:38
much of that was on him, how much of it
0:39
was scheme he got left on on some
0:41
islands or maybe somebody else didn't do
0:43
what they were supposed to do. Can you
0:44
evaluate the game that play? Yeah, I
0:47
think that, you know, narratives like
0:50
that happen a lot um after games and I
0:54
think usually it's
0:57
not really fair to one player, you know.
1:00
Um, and I would, you know, I would say
1:03
that's the case on a, you know, a good
1:06
amount of those plays that, you know,
1:08
from the outside you see a guy catch a
1:10
pass on a corner and the first instinct
1:14
is to, you know, to blame that one guy,
1:17
but a lot of things happen on the play.
1:19
You know, there's a safety could get
1:22
there. There's a, you know, the rush in
1:26
the front that could get there. you
1:27
know, every play on defense is about all
1:30
living. And so, um, that's something
1:34
that happens a lot in football on
1:35
defense and me being a defensive backs
1:38
coach, you know, have seen a lot. And,
1:41
um, I'll definitely, you know, say for
1:45
sure that, you know, Marcus was not at
1:48
the source of every bad play we had. You
1:50
know, there was a lot of guys who could
1:52
have done a lot better. and um I
1:55
appreciate everything Marcus does for us
1:57
as a defense day in and day out and
2:01
excited to see the year he's you know
2:03
going to have here. Um he's a good
2:06
player for us, a leader, uh a senior
2:08
who's been here um for a long time. He's
2:11
taught me a lot about Carolina football
2:12
and what it means to be here um and the
2:14
rude boys and everything and u I'm
2:17
excited for you know his year coming up.
2:20
front row of the watch.
2:21
Yeah. Jeremiah Holloway with Inside
2:23
Carolina. Uh looking at the defense
2:25
holistically obviously from you know
2:26
safeties corners linebackers crying. Uh
2:29
what you believe can be I guess done
2:31
differently to generate more pressure on
2:33
the quarterback you know I guess as you
2:34
know dropping back the other day wasn't
2:36
I guess a ton on him? What do you think
2:38
could be done differently?
2:41
Yeah Jeremiah I think um you know
2:44
obviously we could do a better job
2:46
brushing the passer. Um, Hoover and TCU
2:50
are a team that got the ball out really
2:51
quick. Um, and they do a great job of
2:54
doing that and credit to them for
2:56
blocking us and getting the ball out.
2:59
Um, but we got to do a better job of of
3:03
getting to the quarterback. And that's
3:04
not just on the front and the pass
3:06
rushers pass rushers, that's on us in
3:08
the back end of of covering guys, making
3:12
the quarterback hold the ball, and
3:14
giving the rush a chance to get there.
3:17
Um, you know, that's all of us. You
3:19
know, like I was talking about a second
3:21
ago, you know, about the corners, same
3:23
thing. You know, there's a lot of guys
3:25
connected on every play. We're all
3:27
connected on every play and that
3:28
includes the coaches, you know, in our
3:30
preparation on the plays they're running
3:32
and the calls that we're running. Um, so
3:35
there's a lot we can do better. Um, and
3:38
we will do better every day, you know,
3:40
trying to work to a higher level to get
3:43
to the quarterback because of pass rush
3:45
and coverage. It's all connected.
3:50
We talked to Camori a few minutes ago
3:52
and he mentioned something about the
3:54
passing appearance was called a Marcus
3:56
early guys that played well and fast up
3:58
to that point and he said he kind of
4:00
sensed a little of a change. Maybe I
4:02
can't remember exactly what he said but
4:03
it affected you guys maybe lingered
4:05
some. Did you sense that as well? And
4:07
how do you coach a team to not allow a
4:09
moment like that to maybe hold them back
4:11
a little bit?
4:13
Yeah, I think the and I don't want to
4:15
spend too much time just talking about
4:17
TCU cuz we're trying to move on
4:19
obviously, but I think you know our job
4:22
is to play the next play as you know as
4:25
well as we can. And um a lot of things
4:28
happen in a game um good and bad that
4:31
can affect you. you know, your emotions
4:34
or um
4:36
you know, how you you look at the next
4:40
play by all right, I got to get the next
4:42
one or you know, oh, I got to play
4:44
further back, you know, stuff like that.
4:47
But you can't let that stuff, you know,
4:49
affect you. You got to go out, play with
4:51
the right fundamentals and technique
4:52
that we talk about in the call, um, and
4:55
execute it with the right mindset and
4:58
stay after the offense. You know,
4:59
playing physical, fast, and aggressive
5:01
on every play. that's that's what we
5:03
need to do. So, um you know, that's not
5:07
I'm not out on the field, so it's not
5:09
not something I can answer like Kamari
5:12
could and you know, feel it. But, um
5:16
that's the mindset we got to have on
5:17
defense, players and coaches on we're on
5:19
to the next play. We got to execute,
5:21
stop the offense um as much as we can
5:24
and whatever happened on the last play
5:26
can't affect us in what and our next
5:29
shot, which is just this play, not the
5:31
rest of the game, just this play, one
5:33
play at a time. left second row
5:36
here to D since you're talking about
5:39
emotions and all the things that come in
5:40
focus in next play as you look ahead to
5:42
the next game. How much
5:44
building up of confidence or you know
5:47
building up your guys you think you had
5:49
to do or having to do this week? I mean
5:51
they're saying the right things about
5:53
next play and working it better but
5:55
they're human you know is a pretty
5:57
pretty you know frustrating night. So,
5:59
I'm curious your your assessment of
6:01
that.
6:02
Yeah, I mean, we've we've spent a lot of
6:05
time together and practiced a lot
6:07
together, met together a lot, you know,
6:10
going back to, um, you know, February,
6:14
you know, and January, whatever. So, um,
6:17
we've built up a lot of confidence in
6:19
each other and trust in each other and,
6:22
you know, game ends up not going the way
6:25
we want and that one night, you know,
6:28
said it to some of the guys yesterday,
6:30
you know, one night doesn't define any
6:31
of us, you know, and that's we got to
6:35
believe in all the trust and camaraderie
6:38
and, you know, u brotherhood we've built
6:41
together over many months and a lot of
6:44
practices and a a lot of meetings and
6:47
it's exciting all the stuff we we have
6:49
in front of us and we should be
6:50
confident and excited about it. We got a
6:52
good team. We're excited to keep playing
6:55
games and we're excited to go out and
6:56
practice today and put it out there
6:58
right in front of him with the left.
7:00
Adam Smith with South Carolina. Brian
7:03
wanted to ask you about sort of just
7:05
your assessment of Conor Harold as a
7:07
quarterback as you started setting
7:10
Charlotte. Obviously, he had the the
7:12
game the other night against AP, but do
7:14
you pull up his tape from UNCC last
7:17
year, the last couple years to try to
7:18
learn more about him? Just what is that
7:20
process like and what what's your sort
7:22
of assessment of what kind of
7:23
quarterback he is?
7:25
Yeah, a dynamic quarterback um who can
7:29
threaten us multiple ways and you know
7:32
does a good job controlling the offense
7:34
and we you know got our hands full and
7:38
you know we need to handle a lot of
7:40
different things they can do. Um yeah,
7:43
I've you know leaned on and appreciate
7:46
and respect the feedback I get from the
7:48
guys who have been here you know and
7:50
know them. So, um, you know, not that
7:53
they know everything either. You know,
7:54
he's been there practicing with their
7:56
team for a long time, too. So, um, we,
8:00
you know, try to piece it all together
8:02
and, um, the main thing is, you know,
8:05
evaluating what what you see and, um,
8:09
and trusting, you know, the opinions,
8:12
you know, the people you trust and, you
8:13
know, that helps you determine the game
8:16
plan. And um yeah, we're excited to
8:19
go out, you know, and play to our
8:22
highest level. And hopefully, you know,
8:26
no matter who the quarterback is, you
8:29
know, that can be enough to get it done.
8:31
So, we're excited to go out and play
8:33
together as a unit.
8:34
Middle second Tommy Ashley inside.
8:36
Carolina played a lot of guys on defense
8:39
in defensive backfield. something we're
8:42
not used to seeing covering Carolina
8:44
football, but the plan going forward is
8:47
it was that kind of evaluation.
8:49
Obviously, the score affects that a
8:51
little bit, but going forward the
8:52
rotation out there.
8:54
Yeah, I think we want to
8:58
play guys who have earned, you know,
9:01
that, you know, trust and dependability
9:04
over the course of camp and um the
9:07
spring. You know, like I said, we've
9:09
we've met a lot. We've practiced a lot.
9:11
We've built a lot of trust with these
9:14
guys and um you know, the guys that have
9:18
been out there and done it in practice,
9:20
you have confidence for them to do it in
9:22
the game. And you know, for in most
9:26
cases, and it can vary because of a lot
9:28
of different factors, game plan, what
9:29
the offense does, you know, what
9:32
happened with us during the week,
9:33
injuries, etc. on who's out there and
9:35
who's not. So, it's not as cut and dry
9:39
as, you know, some people might think
9:40
sometimes, but um you don't want a good
9:44
player to stand on the sidel sidelines
9:46
next to you as a coach for the whole
9:48
game, you know, and you want to give
9:49
them a chance to play and get out there.
9:51
So, um yeah, we want we want the guys
9:55
that we've built that um up with to have
9:59
a chance on the field. And you know
10:01
there's also a factor of you know you
10:04
don't want to get tired you know during
10:07
the game. So um yeah there's a lot of
10:10
things that go into it and it could be
10:12
week to week changing
10:13
last two year Brian and
10:15
yeah Brian
10:17
season now but I wonder if you can take
10:18
me back a little bit your dad's decision
10:20
to come here your decision to come and
10:22
coach with him and your brother I don't
10:24
know how much college experience you had
10:25
either. Um what what was that decision
10:28
process like for you? Were you as
10:29
surprised as everybody else that Bill
10:31
Belch is coaching conference?
10:33
Yeah, definitely. You know, if he told
10:35
me this couple years ago, it'd be hard
10:37
to believe. Um, and if he told me I'd be
10:40
coaching defensive backs at UNCC 10
10:43
years ago, I', you know, be jumping up
10:45
and down like I like I am now, I still
10:47
pinch myself coming into work. And I
10:50
think this area is great. I think the
10:52
school is fantastic. The support and
10:55
excitement um from everyone around here
10:57
has been amazing. people are really
10:59
nice. Um, and we appreciate, you know,
11:03
the welcome that's been. Um, like I
11:06
said, I I am very thankful to walk in
11:09
here every day and have chance to do
11:11
this job and work with these people, um,
11:13
the players and coaches. Um, it's been
11:17
it's been really, you know, fun to build
11:20
this together. Um, and you know, we're
11:24
excited to keep putting ourselves out
11:26
there and we're confident, excited about
11:28
the season to come. So, um, yeah,
11:31
looking forward to it. I'm looking
11:32
forward to going out and practicing
11:33
today.
11:34
Last one. Shelby,
11:35
just with the news, your dad was on here
11:38
earlier just talking about fundamentals
11:41
and issues there and maybe it's not so
11:42
much an issue of the fundamentals are
11:45
there, but just consistency and
11:47
executing that. Where do you see that in
11:51
your specific position group? Again,
11:53
asking your luck on Monday um in terms
11:55
of again maybe fundamentals being there,
11:58
but some inconsistency.
12:01
Yeah, nothing's more important than
12:04
fundamentals and every good play
12:08
on defense has good fundamentals. Every
12:10
good play on offense has good
12:12
fundamentals. you know, that's not um
12:16
you can't scheme everything up and play
12:18
with bad fundamentals and think that the
12:20
scheme is going to outweigh the
12:21
fundamentals. The fundamentals have to
12:22
be good um for everything to work. And
12:25
so that's, you know, a constant um thing
12:28
the players hear from us and um that we
12:32
believe in and we work on them every day
12:34
in practice. And yeah, it needs to be
12:36
better and more consistent play after
12:38
play. And that's that's just a place to
12:41
start. You know, if you play with good
12:43
fundamentals every play, then all right,
12:45
you give yourself a chance. And when you
12:47
don't from the beginning, you've
12:49
already, you know, sell yourself set
12:51
yourself behind. Hopefully, you can
12:53
recover, but it makes it hard. So, um
12:57
yeah, that that'll be consistent um you
13:00
know, in this program and um yeah,
13:03
excited to keep working on them and you
13:06
know, work on them out there today.
13:07
Hopefully, it's consistent every single
13:09
play. That's the goal.
13:11
Thank you all.