Bill Belichick appeared to be on the verge of his biggest win as North Carolina’s head coach today at Clemson, but his team fell apart late in a 28-20 loss.
North Carolina jumped out to a 17-3 lead in the second quarter and was in control for most of the game, but Clemson came back by marching down the field on scoring drives of 88 yards, 92 yards, 68 yards and 44 yards against Belichick’s defense.
That defense was supposed to be coordinated by Belichick’s son, Steve Belichick, but he resigned this week amid an investigation into unspecified misconduct. Belichick’s other son, Brian Belichick, is now calling the defense.
Belichick will be questioned especially for a fourth-and-1 play call with two minutes left in the fourth quarter, with North Carolina trailing 21-20. Instead of the running play most coaches would have called, North Carolina went with a play-action deep pass, which fell incomplete, turning the ball over on downs. From there, Clemson went downfield and scored its final touchdown, on a play when the Tigers could have just taken a knee and run out the clock.
The loss drops North Carolina’s record to 2-1 and represents a major disappointment for a North Carolina squad that appeared to be making strides in its second year with Belichick at the helm. Last year Belichick went 4-8 in his first year as a college football head coach, and he needs to show progress in Year 2.
Instead, his team has suffered its first loss of the season, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier: North Carolina’s next game is against No. 3 Notre Dame.
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