Bill Belichick, an NFL mastermind who guided the New England Patriots to dynasty status, has achieved the most significant victory in his brief college football coaching career. In Saturday's early slate of games, the North Carolina Tar Heels played the No. 25 Pittsburgh Panthers. After trailing 10-7 at halftime, Belichick's visiting Tar Heels outscored the Panthers 14-7 in the second half to prevail 21-17.
It marked the first win over a ranked opponent since Belichick took over as North Carolina head coach last season. This could be a serious momentum boost for the team after finishing 4-8 in Belichick's debut season. North Carolina entered the game as a 3.5- to four-point underdog at most sportsbooks.
Entering Saturday's game, Pittsburgh hadn't allowed its opponents any points in the third quarter, and North Carolina had been outscored 26-9 in the fourth quarter of all their previous games. Based on the final stats, one wouldn't think they'd just come away with the win over Pittsburgh. The Panthers had 100 more yards of total offense and held the ball 13 minutes longer than the visitors.
More news: Alabama-Georgia Loser Faces Uphill Battle to Reach SEC Championship Game Pittsburgh regained a 17-14 lead early in the fourth quarter after La'Vell Wright's one-yard rushing touchdown. However, North Carolina answered soon after, with quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. throwing a 75-yard touchdown pass to Shamar Easter, which was ultimately the game-winning touchdown. Belichick's team then impressively held off the Panthers' attempts for the rest of the quarter to secure the win.
The win improved the Tar Heels to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the ACC. It also likely knocked Pittsburgh out of the Top 25 when next week's poll results are revealed. After he took the Tar Heels coaching job, scrutiny focused on how well Belichick, 74, would do coaching college football players after spending so long coaching NFL professionals.
There was also much criticism over his off-field relationship with Jordan Hudson, 25, and how it might become a distraction. There have also been other matters bringing scrutiny to North Carolina's football staff. Last month brought the resignation of Belichick's son, Steve, as defensive coordinator, in conjunction with the university's internal investigation into the football program's culture under Belichick.
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