Imagine the college football team you follow closely won its first two games, led 17-6 at halftime of the third game against what is arguably the worst version of that opponent in 25 years, and yet somehow lost.
How can you figure out if your team is any good?
That may have happened to UNC fans, giving them a bad night’s sleep following a three-hour delay by lightning at Clemson where most of the crowd had gone home. What looked like a third straight victory became a nightmare for a Carolina program desperate for good news and a result against an ACC power to rally around. And now, the Heels have two weeks before they’re back on the field against one of the best teams in the country, where they will likely be big underdogs at home.
That is what is facing Bill Belichick — on the field, at least.
The Tigers’ own fan base was about to let its future Hall of Fame coach Dabo Swinney hang out to dry. Swinney has been chastised for not signing and paying enough quality transfers and instead depending on young kids who usually need a year or two to develop whatever skills they have for major college football. That’s when freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds appeared from a phone booth, cut up the Tar Heels’ defense and led Clemson to perhaps a season-saving victory.
By that time, the famed Death Valley was half full, which might have taken the pressure off Reynolds — who clearly outplayed the Tar Heels’ Billy Edwards Jr. as the improbable victory took the pressure off his coach and added more to the 74-year-old foe on the opposite sideline. Edwards, a transfer from Maryland and Wisconsin, was serviceable in his first two starts and played well in the first half. But the second half was his worst in Carolina blue and he ultimately completed only 13 of 30 passes for a poor 44 quarterback rating. The Tar Heels ran the ball well behind Benjamin Hall, but only junior Jordan Shipp was a consistent pass-catching threat against Clemson’s athletic secondary. Shipp, who is nicknamed “Mr. Carolina” because of his consistency and spokesman-ship for the program, honorably wore the number (13) and name of the late Tylee Craft who died two years ago after a dramatic battle with lung cancer.
In the ongoing debate over whether Belichick should remain coaching the Tar Heels, he will face No. 3 Notre Dame in Chapel Hill in two weeks before visiting Pitt and Duke. The Heels still have to play No. 5 Miami and No. 23 Louisville at home before finishing at Virginia and facing N.C. State at home on Thanksgiving weekend. It’s a daunting task to reach four more wins for a bowl bid. Could that save his hide?
North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick, front, looks on in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Clemson, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in Clemson, S.C. (Photo via AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman.)
Meanwhile, the off-field headlines have no signature victory to hide behind. The media can’t move on from the resignations of general manager Michael Lombardi and Steve Belichick, continuing to pour it on even while regurgitating stories in the press and on social media. For example, ESPN flashed a graph early in the broadcast that showed who has left the program and who has been suspended. Fans will keep seeing that over and over again, as some outlets share those details to responsibly cover the season and others try to play up the drama for clicks. These kinds of controversies have a tendency to live as long as the chief protagonist is on the job. When they hired him, UNC knew Belichick’s presence would generate more media attention and, well…they’ve gotten that.
Back on the field: Clemson’s defensive scheme was wise to target Ohio State transfer tight end Jelani Thurman, who was held to three catches and 18 total yards. The former fourth-string tight end for the Buckeyes was relegated to clearing the way for Hall and Demon June — which will require offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino to come up with new sets to get the bruising blocker and receiver back in the game now that he’s become a priority for defenses.
Scouting becomes more important as the season progresses and Edwards will have to find third and four receivers to keep the offense on the field and help the defense from getting gassed as it did by Clemson after the delay. Derek McDonald and Kaleb Cost led the Tar Heels in solo tackles, partially highlighting how the Tigers found seams in open spaces especially in the fourth quarter. The two Belichicks will need to figure out how to cover better against quality quarterbacks from Notre Dame, Pitt, Duke, Louisville and Virginia in the coming weeks.
The head coach keeps his composure on the sideline, but is notorious for short answers during interviews and press conferences when he says little about what his plans are to fix what is broken. When one team comes out of a long delay looking invigorated and the other looks terrible, though, that level of collapse clearly shows us that something isn’t good.
Featured image via AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman.
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs on 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro during football and basketball seasons.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
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