Bill Belichick spent years trying to solve Philip Rivers on the NFL stage, and he mostly did it. Now the two could be headed for a new kind of matchup in college football.
NC State is poised to hire Rivers, one of its most famous alumni, as its next head coach. A formal announcement could come by the end of the week, pending approval from the university’s trustees on a contract.
Belichick, now in his second season at North Carolina, went 8-1 against Rivers during their NFL careers. He beat him three times in the playoffs and five times in the regular season. Their first clash came in January 2007, and their last came in January 2019, with both meetings taking place in the postseason.
“Fantastic. Excellent competitor.
Tough,” Belichick said Monday when asked what he remembers about competing against Rivers. “One of the toughest guys we ever played against.”
The contrast between the two is striking. Belichick built his reputation over nearly five decades in the NFL and won six Super Bowls as head coach of the New England Patriots.
Rivers, by comparison, would arrive at the college level without any prior collegiate coaching experience. He has served as head coach at St.
Michael Catholic in Fairhope, Alabama since 2021.
If Rivers does take the NC State job, Belichick would already know the Wolfpack’s new coach well from the other side of the line of scrimmage. He is 0-1 against NC State in his time at UNC, and the Wolfpack have won the last five meetings between the schools.
NC State moved on from Dave Doeren on Oct. 24 in the middle of his 14th season in Raleigh. Doeren’s 98 wins are the most in program history.
Rivers’ ties to the school run deep. He played at NC State from 2000 to 2003, led the Wolfpack to a program-best 11-3 record in 2002, and was selected No. 4 overall in the 2004 draft. Over 18 NFL seasons, he threw for nearly 64,000 yards and 425 touchdowns.
“Philip was and is a great competitor,” said Duke coach Manny Diaz, who was an assistant at NC State during Rivers’ playing days. “When you’re a quarterback, you have a chance to inspire everybody else on offense.
I think that was a big part of who he was and his success in the National Football League. I’m sure that’s carried through into his abilities as a football coach as well.”
In Other News...
UNCs UConn Snap Counts Revealed A Few Clear Rotation Shifts
North Carolinas 38-21 win over UConn did more than move the Tar Heels to 5-4 and closer to bowl eligibility. It also offered a clearer look at how the rotation is settling in on both sides of the ball, with several offensive and defensive pieces seeing their roles shaped by what happened in Week 10.
Among the players drawing attention were Kekahuna, Jordan Shipp, Jelani Thurman and linebacker Seelmann, all of whom stood out in the snap-count review for different reasons. The numbers also pointed to a few transfers and freshmen who had limited impact or playing time, a reminder that the depth chart is still very much being sorted out as North Carolina heads into the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Is One Win Away But This Tar Heels Concern Remains
North Carolina took care of business against UConn, winning 38-21 to move within one victory of bowl eligibility with three games left in the regular season. The offense got a lift from Jelani Thurman, who led the team with seven catches for 64 yards and two touchdowns, while Benjamin Hall paced the ground game with 81 yards and a 39-yard scoring run.
Even with the win and enough defensive contributions to keep UConn from making it a full-blown shootout, the Tar Heels still came away with a familiar concern hanging over them. A few players underperformed, and the kind of uneven stretches that have shown up at times this season were still part of the conversation, leaving UNC with a little work to do before it can turn this push into a bowl berth. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Cannot Let Undefeated Wyoming Turn This Into A Home Letdown
UNC is getting a chance to steady itself at home against an undefeated Wyoming team that has already shown it can make life difficult on the offensive end. For the Tar Heels, the assignment is straightforward in theory and tricky in practice: establish control early, avoid letting the crowd and the opponent feed off one another, and make sure the game never settles into the kind of rhythm an unbeaten visitor wants.
Maxi Adams is one name worth watching if UNC is looking for a spark, but the larger challenge sits on the defensive end. Wyoming has built its start on a high-scoring attack, a strong free throw rate and work on the offensive glass, so the Tar Heels will need to keep bodies on rebounds and cut off easy trips to the line if they want to protect their home floor. [Read more 🡒]