CHAPEL HILL — As UNC prepares for Friday night’s ACC matchup at Syracuse, Coach Bill Belichick continues to emphasize a philosophy rooted in steady, incremental improvement.

North Carolina showed progress and was competitive against a power conference team for the first time this season, but two big fumbles meant yet another loss.

Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez, who missed the Clemson game with a leg injury, should be available to the Tar Heels for Friday’s game at California and could start, while the Bears will be without a reserve running back.

Here are details on UNC’s Friday night game at Cal, including notes, depth charts and statistics.

CHAPEL HILL — On a day when Ludacris gave a pre-game concert at Polk Place, what transpired at Kenan Stadium was beyond ludicrous. The only competition from North Carolina was whether the Tar Heels’ offense or defense was worse in an embarrassing 38–3 loss to Clemson in their ACC opener Saturday.

Quarterback Gio Lopez is listed as questionable for the Clemson game in the ACC availability report released on Thursday night.

When North Carolina offensive lineman Austin Blaske looks at the Tar Heels’ front five, he doesn’t just see positions. He sees combinations. A 6-foot-5, 310-pound graduate transfer from Georgia, Blaske gives UNC something it badly needs after a September filled with shuffling and injuries: someone who can line up anywhere.

Consistency was the word Bill Belichick kept coming back to as North Carolina comes off the open date and heads into Saturday’s ACC opener against Clemson.

After the season-opening debacle against TCU, North Carolina lumbered through its game with Charlotte before flexing a little versus FCS Richmond, so Saturday’s game at Central Florida was a good test to see how much the Tar Heels had improved over the past three weeks. Test failed.

North Carolina’s Mikai Gbayor is the ACC Linebacker of the Week after powering a dominant defensive performance that denied Richmond a touchdown on Saturday.

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez doesn’t hide from the reality of his uneven start to the season. Saturday’s 41–17 home win over Richmond was supposed to be a chance to reset, but Lopez’s struggles with accuracy remained a subplot in an otherwise comfortable Tar Heel victory.

CHAPEL HILL — Coming into the season, Demon June was just another name in North Carolina’s running back room. On Saturday, “Juju” was the name.