Bill Belichick wins first ACC game as North Carolina rallies to defeat Syracuse
When you took this job, that there would be so much attention that you would bolster the profile of Carolina football this much. Uh, you know, I wasn't really focused on that, uh, Brian. It was more just to come in and you know try to work with Michael Lombardi and our staff and try to put together *** good team and *** good program and represent the school well on the football field, and that's really what we're trying to do. So glad people are excited, but really just focused more on the product and delivering. Has it surprised you at all that that so many people want to hear about Bill Belichick at Carolina, so much interest you guys are going to Ireland. Yeah. Well, that's *** long way off. We got *** full season ahead of us before that, but yeah, that'll be exciting. But no, the sport's been amazing. The alumni, Carolina fans, and great response from the players, the people there that are on the football staff and on the team, how hard they worked and their commitment to doing the best they can and try to put *** good team together. Can I ask you what motivates you to stay in coaching? You've accomplished probably more than anybody who's ever picked up *** whistle, and now you're you're kind of starting over in college. What what are you trying to prove? What do you have left to prove and maybe to who do you have anything to prove? Yeah, I just love coaching. I love all the aspects of it. I love the team building. I love. The fundamentals working with players, strategy, game competition, and just the whole process. Football has been good to me. It's been good to my family. I grew up in *** football family, with my dad and around Navy football and *** lot of great players and coaches. Interacted with the NFL, so, um, it's just, it's fun to be *** part of *** team. You mentioned your dad's connection to UNC when when you got the job. Was, was UNC like *** sort of *** specific school that you would have come to or Pitt or Maryland or Oklahoma State had called, would you have entertained, you know, more options than just North Carolina? UNC special because of the brand. It's *** great academic school. It's *** great athletic tradition and the fact that there were some roots there for me early in my life that was coming full circles was *** good feeling. What surprised you the most, good or bad, about being the head coach at North Carolina? Um, I've just enjoyed the process, really enjoyed the people, uh, sport's been great. It's *** great opportunity, and I just appreciate every day at Carolina. You've you've turned your roster over through the transfer portal, including after spring ball. How difficult, you know, you're only going to have *** couple of weeks of fall practice. How difficult will it be to build *** cohesive team, *** winning team with just *** couple of weeks to kind of pull all the pieces together. Well, it's not dissimilar to the model that we had in the NFL where after the draft and free agency signing and all that, you bring in about *** third of your team is brand new and so we'll be somewhere in that range when we start fall camp, but we'll have *** couple of months with them here in the summer and we've had *** good spring with *** lot of these guys as well, so. It is what it is. I mean all schools have *** similar situation, maybe not quite the same numbers, but some degree of freshmen coming in and transfer portals, some more than others, but we'll take it as it comes and excited to have the players that we have and work with them. I know you like to talk about you don't want to set expectations. You just want to get better every day, but what does success look like for you at North Carolina? Get better every day, coming in and having *** good day, having *** productive day, and then rest, recovery. And do another one tomorrow and keep stacking them on top of each other. That's how he achieves success is consistency and the discipline to do it repeatedly over and over. That that's what we're going to try to do. We'll let the process play out, but it's important that we develop *** good solid routine. How important was it that you get to work with people like Michael Lombardi, your sons? You have *** lot of, I guess people call Belichick guys around you as you embark on this on this adventure. Well, we have *** few, Brian, but we also have, you know, well over 200 years of NFL experience on the roster and various capacities from our chef to our nutritionist, strength training. Scouting operations and so forth. So it's really important that we provide the student athletes with *** great experience and everything they need to be successful, and then if they put in the work and we do *** good job developing, then hopefully they can achieve their individual goals and collectively we can achieve our team goals. So that's what we're about. Two quick ones. You have *** quarterback, it looks like in Geo Lopez. How are you going to handle that quarterback battle when it comes to the fall and who do you think might even be in that competition? Yeah, well, the competition is always in the hands of the players. I can't control performance, so we'll give everybody an opportunity to let the players compete, and we'll see how it all turns out. We're excited to have *** competition, not only *** quarterback, but really at most every position on the field, and again it will be up to the players to perform and earn those spots. Everything will be earned and we're not handed anything out. It'll be competitive. The guys will get what they earn and they're all competed hard, they're working hard and so look forward to seeing what that brings. You've certainly got *** lot of attention here in the last couple of months. What's it like to be with football guys talking football? I know you have some old friends in there, Bill O'Brien, Frank Reich. What's it been like to be at these meetings and, and really getting into the season? Oh yeah, it's been great, you know, it's been great to, to talk about some of the things, you know, the ACC college football, uh, things that, you know, all of us are involved in, you know, it's *** certainly *** new model here for college football, NIL, Revshare and other things that are being discussed with the House settlement that are sort of in the air, but they're sort of coming together. Uh, so just everybody's trying to figure it out and, um, you know, get ready for the season. Uh, um, how much are you talking in those meetings? Obviously, you know, you're *** respected voice when it comes to football, but you know there are people who've been coaching college football *** lot longer, so are you speaking up or are you, uh, you sitting back and kind of taking it all in? Oh, I'm listening to people like that, but we've had *** lot of success and I've been doing it *** long time. Great. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. OK, thank you. OK.
Bill Belichick wins first ACC game as North Carolina rallies to defeat Syracuse
Updated: 11:08 PM CDT Oct 31, 2025
Editorial Standards ⓘ
Demon June accounted for two touchdowns and nearly 200 yards on offense, Gio Lopez threw for two scores, and Bill Belichick won his first Atlantic Coast Conference game when North Carolina came from behind to defeat Syracuse 27-10 Friday night.The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Tar Heels (3-5, 1-3 ACC), while the Orange (3-6, 1-5) lost for the fifth consecutive time. North Carolina lost its previous two games by a combined four points.Video above: Bill Belichick speaks on his transition to college football at UNC-Chapel HillThe Tar Heels had not scored more than 20 points against an FBS team and trailed 10-6 when Lopez hit June for a short gain of 9 yards on the team’s first play of the second half. June then broke a tackle and scampered 63 yards down the right sideline for a 72-yard scoring play to give the Tar Heels a 13-10 lead they would never surrender. On the team’s next series, June ran it in from 5 yards out for a 20-10 margin. A 21-yard scoring strike from Lopez to Jordan Shipp gave the Tar Heels a 27-10 lead and 21 unanswered points.Lopez was 15-of-19 passing for 216 yards and two touchdowns. June had 101 yards on the ground and 81 yards on two receptions. Shipp had six catches for 64 yards.Syracuse walk-on Joe Filardi, a true freshman, started at quarterback for the Orange. He was 1 of 11 in the first half and didn’t complete his first pass until 6:12 remained in the half. He finished 4 of 18 for 39 yards. Filardi replaced struggling LSU transfer Rickie Collins, who had gone 0-4 as a starter in relief of Steve Angeli. Angeli, who directed the Orange to a 3-1 start, suffered a season-ending Achilles injury against Clemson.Syracuse hasn’t won since.Video below: Bill Belichick's girlfriend announces second run for Miss Maine USAThe only touchdown in the first half came courtesy of the Syracuse defense. Devin Grant knocked the ball loose from Shamar Easter on a short completion from Lopez. Linebacker Anwar Sparrow scooped up the ball and ran 51 yards for the score with 4:38 to go in the first quarter, giving the Orange a 7-3 lead.Rece Verhoff had field goals of 24 and 43 yards while Tripp Woody had a 31-yarder for the Orange.Syracuse managed 12 first downs, generated 147 yards on offense, and averaged only 2.9 yards per play.The Tar Heels are showing some fight. After two tough losses, North Carolina dominated Syracuse in the second half, albeit against a walk-on quarterback, and could be turning things around.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Demon June accounted for two touchdowns and nearly 200 yards on offense, Gio Lopez threw for two scores, and Bill Belichick won his first Atlantic Coast Conference game when North Carolina came from behind to defeat Syracuse 27-10 Friday night.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Tar Heels (3-5, 1-3 ACC), while the Orange (3-6, 1-5) lost for the fifth consecutive time. North Carolina lost its previous two games by a combined four points.
Video above: Bill Belichick speaks on his transition to college football at UNC-Chapel Hill
The Tar Heels had not scored more than 20 points against an FBS team and trailed 10-6 when Lopez hit June for a short gain of 9 yards on the team’s first play of the second half. June then broke a tackle and scampered 63 yards down the right sideline for a 72-yard scoring play to give the Tar Heels a 13-10 lead they would never surrender. On the team’s next series, June ran it in from 5 yards out for a 20-10 margin. A 21-yard scoring strike from Lopez to Jordan Shipp gave the Tar Heels a 27-10 lead and 21 unanswered points.
Lopez was 15-of-19 passing for 216 yards and two touchdowns. June had 101 yards on the ground and 81 yards on two receptions. Shipp had six catches for 64 yards.
Syracuse walk-on Joe Filardi, a true freshman, started at quarterback for the Orange. He was 1 of 11 in the first half and didn’t complete his first pass until 6:12 remained in the half. He finished 4 of 18 for 39 yards. Filardi replaced struggling LSU transfer Rickie Collins, who had gone 0-4 as a starter in relief of Steve Angeli. Angeli, who directed the Orange to a 3-1 start, suffered a season-ending Achilles injury against Clemson.
Syracuse hasn’t won since.
Video below: Bill Belichick's girlfriend announces second run for Miss Maine USA
The only touchdown in the first half came courtesy of the Syracuse defense. Devin Grant knocked the ball loose from Shamar Easter on a short completion from Lopez. Linebacker Anwar Sparrow scooped up the ball and ran 51 yards for the score with 4:38 to go in the first quarter, giving the Orange a 7-3 lead.
Rece Verhoff had field goals of 24 and 43 yards while Tripp Woody had a 31-yarder for the Orange.
Syracuse managed 12 first downs, generated 147 yards on offense, and averaged only 2.9 yards per play.
The Tar Heels are showing some fight. After two tough losses, North Carolina dominated Syracuse in the second half, albeit against a walk-on quarterback, and could be turning things around.