After only four games, it’s probably too soon to say UNC has buyer’s remorse when it comes to its new head football coach. But Saturday’s 34-9 beatdown at the hands of UCF – Carolina’s second blowout loss in less than a month – surely isn’t a sign of a smart on-field investment.
Entering the first of the team’s two open dates this week, Carolina has infinitely more questions than answers. The buck stops with head coach Bill Belichick, but even the football savant himself seemed at a loss Saturday.
“It’s still a work in progress, and we’ll continue to work through it,” Belichick told reporters in Orlando. “It’s a good time to re-evaluate, look back at all four games, not just the last one or the first one or some other one, and try to take a look at the composite and see where we are on everything. Some things we can do better. Some things we probably need to move on from. Some things we probably need to add or maybe do in a different direction. So we’ll talk about all that, evaluate it this week and see what lies in the weeks ahead.”
For those who watched all of Saturday’s game, it’s hard not to interpret Belichick’s comments as portending a major shift in the UNC offense. It appears a change will be necessary after starting quarterback Gio Lopez was injured in the third quarter and limped heavily off the field. Following a visit to the injury tent, TV cameras caught Lopez being carted off the field with his head in his hands.
North Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez (7) is sacked by Central Florida defensive end Sincere Edwards, right, during the first half of an NCAA football game, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Max Johnson, the veteran who himself suffered a devastating injury last fall, was the next man up. Johnson was better than Lopez Saturday, though not by much: neither cracked 100 yards passing.
After the game, Johnson noted the Tar Heels needed to do a better job of keeping their heads up when the goings get tough. The snowball effect, which flattened UNC during an awful stretch against TCU in Week 1, happened again in hot and humid Orlando. But just as the short layoff between Weeks 1 and 2 were a blessing for Carolina, Johnson said he thinks the open date is coming at a perfect time. After all, with Lopez seemingly out of commission, what better time to prep a new starter and install a new game plan?
“I think this week is gonna be super helpful,” Johnson said. “Just for everyone to get healthy, refocus our minds, encourage each other. We just came off a tough loss and need to be able to bounce back this next week with the practices we’re about to have.”
Johnson, who at this time last year could not walk and needed his parents to change his clothes, is naturally going to have a more optimistic outlook on things. The long-suffering Tar Heel fanbase, which has been promised mountains and then presented with molehills over and over again, may not feel the same way.
Former head coach Mack Brown often acknowledged the significant spending gap between UNC and the powerhouse programs in the SEC and Big Ten. And while Brown was known to twist and spin a story until it landed in his favor, he was right about that. A year later, money can’t be used as an excuse.
The Tar Heels swung for the fences bringing in Bill Belichick. And through four games, it appears the school paid the eye-popping sum of $30 million for a worse version of the same mediocre football program.
Featured image via Associated Press/Phelan M. Ebenhack
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