Bill Belichick said North Carolina’s 38–10 loss to Clemson came down to big plays, penalties, and coaching mistakes the Tar Heels must fix.
Bill Belichick takes blame for penalties, defensive lapses in UNC’s blowout loss to Clemson originally appeared on The Sporting News
A 38–10 loss to Clemson left North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick searching for answers and accountability. “We gave some big plays early in the game,” Belichick said. “That really tilted the game, and we were just never able to recover.”
The Clemson passing attack carved up the Tar Heels’ secondary for 399 yards.. “We probably gave up 200 yards of passing on five plays,” Belichick admitted. “We didn’t look for the ball.”
North Carolina struggled to generate offense of its own. Max Johnson finished 26-for-42 for 213 yards with no touchdowns, and the team converted only 2-of-11 third downs. “Part of the problem on third down is first and second down,” Belichick said. “You get third and 10 pluses, it’s just too hard to convert.”
Belichick didn’t shy from his own role in the loss. “Illegal formation three times,” he said. “We just can’t make those mistakes. That’s coaching, too. I’ll take my share of the responsibility.”
"Bill Belichick is NOT the right guy for this job... It was a mistake, it's not the answer, and it's time to move on."@AaronTaylorCFB on Bill Belichick's first five games at North Carolina pic.twitter.com/epfIGNWvKl
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) October 4, 2025
Asked if the program rebuild is steeper than expected, Belichick refused to bite. “I’m not going to make any evaluations like that,” he said. “We’re just going to keep grinding… The guys that deserve to play, those are the guys who are going to play.”
Despite the lopsided result, Belichick praised his team’s effort. “I thought the way they competed through four quarters showed there was a lot of fight and effort,” he said. “The main thing we need to do is just keep doing what we’re doing and do it better.”
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