Bill Belichick was anything but pleased having to face the media after a difficult 32 to 25 loss to Duke, a senior night setback that slammed shut North Carolina’s shot at bowl eligibility. He did not attempt to soften it or search for silver linings. “We just made too many mistakes,” he said, steady and direct. “Too many bad plays. That is the story.”
And it was. North Carolina committed 12 penalties for 103 yards, a staggering number for a rivalry game that offered zero margin for error. Personal fouls on offense, formation issues, breakdowns on special teams, every phase faltered at the worst possible times. Duke did not finish with a single turnover, controlled the ball for 36 minutes, and went 5 for 6 on fourth down, repeatedly extending drives as the Tar Heels defense could not get them off the field.
Belichick pointed to the quarterback draws and pocket escapes they could not quite contain. He pointed to moments where one more clean play or one fewer mistake would have flipped the outcome. “Probably everybody feels like there is one thing we could have done better,” he said. “One thing different.”
Still, North Carolina rallied. Gio Lopez absorbed hits, delivered accurate throws, and engineered scoring drives Belichick praised. “He showed a lot of toughness,” the coach said. For a stretch in the third quarter, North Carolina looked like the more composed team, adjusting, counterpunching, even taking the lead.
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But the details again betrayed them.
Belichick even defended the surprise onside kick to start the second half. “There was space there. Thought we could make a play,” he said. “We just did not execute.”
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Now North Carolina sits at 4-7, staring at a final week defined by emotion rather than postseason stakes. And Belichick made it clear he already understands exactly what comes next when his squad takes on NC State.
“Yeah, I learned that pretty quickly. I understand the rivalry.”
One game left, and a chance to prove it.
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