Eight games into the season, North Carolina looks like a different team than the one that spent last fall stumbling through inconsistency. The Tar Heels are 4-4 heading into this weekend’s matchup with UConn after a dramatic loss to No.
1 Miami, but that record only tells part of the story. What has become clear over the last nine weeks is that this is a more organized, more adaptable UNC team, and Bill Belichick is a major reason why.
Belichick, now in his second season leading the program, has brought a level of structure that was missing a year ago. North Carolina was not a well-coached team last season, and the problems showed up in too many different ways.
This fall has looked far more stable, with noticeable progress on both sides of the ball. The offense, in particular, has taken a step forward under coordinator and play-caller Bobby Petrino, and the Tar Heels have scored at least 30 points in each of their last two games.
That offensive surge has come with a sharper passing attack and the best two-game stretch of Billy Edwards Jr.’s six-year career in the sport. The quarterback’s recent play has helped unlock a unit that still has room to grow but clearly has more talent than it has shown at times.
Jordan Shipp has continued to be “Mr. Carolina,” while Jelani Thurman has emerged as one of the fastest-rising names at tight end.
Add in a three-deep running back room with three-down ability, and there are pieces here that can make the offense dangerous if it keeps trending the right way.
North Carolina has also shown it can handle close games better than it did earlier in the season. Belichick has gotten the most out of a roster that still has flaws, and that has helped the Tar Heels sit at .500 entering a crucial final month of the regular season. There’s even a case to be made that they could be 6-1 and ranked if the fiasco at Clemson and the late-game turns in the last two contests had gone differently.
If the offense has started to find its footing, the defense has been the steady foundation all along. That was apparent from Week 0 in Dublin, when it became clear North Carolina’s defense could make stops, force adjustments and keep the Tar Heels in games long enough for the offense to take advantage. The unit has had to deal with finishing issues in recent weeks, and injuries in the secondary have played a role there, but the depth in that group has stood out.
Through eight games, the defense has proven to be a strength, and there’s reason to believe that will continue over the final four games of the regular season.
In Other News...
Kaleb Cost Just Gave UNC's Secondary A Needed Reality Check
Kaleb Costs return gave North Carolinas secondary a timely boost in a recent matchup with Miami, and it came with a clear reminder of how little margin there is against top receivers. After missing time with injury, Cost was back on the field and part of a unit that kept Malachi Toney in check for much of the game, even if the Miami wideout still finished with seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
Cost spoke afterward about what it meant to be back, while also giving Toney his due as a difficult cover. For UNC, the bigger takeaway may be the standard it has to sustain from here, with preparation and consistency becoming the key words for a defense that needs its secondary to keep answering the bell every week. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Defense Faces A New Problem After That Miami Letdown
UNC is trying to put the Miami loss behind it, but the bigger concern out of that game was how much the defense struggled when the pressure rose. Now the Tar Heels turn to UConn, a team with a similar record but a different kind of challenge waiting on the other side of the ball. This one is built around quarterback Kalieb Osborne, who gives the Huskies a rushing element that can stress a defense in a hurry.
For North Carolina, the assignment is straightforward even if the execution is not: keep Osborne from turning scrambles and designed runs into the kind of momentum that can tilt a game. After letting Miami expose some issues, the Tar Heels need a cleaner showing against a team that can attack in a way they have already shown some trouble handling. If UNC wants to steady its season, this is the sort of matchup where the defense has to answer first. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Win Exposed A Frontcourt Concern Fans Cant Ignore
North Carolina opened the season with a win over Western Carolina, but the box score left behind a familiar worry for anyone watching closely: the Tar Heels leaned heavily on perimeter scoring while struggling to establish much of anything inside. The frontcourt never quite took control, and the rebounding numbers told the story, with UNC losing the battle on the glass 41-32 and giving up 13 offensive boards.
For a team with conference play looming, that kind of imbalance is hard to ignore. The hope was that transfer Cameron Fens could help stabilize the post and add some needed size, but eligibility issues have kept that option off the table for now, leaving UNC to sort through its frontcourt questions the old-fashioned way. [Read more 🡒]