North Carolina's Late Fumble in Tight Loss to Cal Sums Up Bill Belichick's Start

The Tar Heels fell to 2-4 on the year.

North Carolina was just short of taking the lead against Cal | Screengrab via ESPN

Bill Belichick's North Carolina squad had all the momentum to start the fourth quarter on the road against California, until it didn't.

The Tar Heels scored a touchdown at the start of the fourth to trim Cal's lead to a field goal. UNC's defense proceeded to get a big stop, forcing a three-and-out to quickly give their offense the ball back with a chance to take the lead. Quarterback Gio Lopez led a strong, nearly seven-minute drive to set the Tar Heels up for a go-ahead score.

With just under four minutes left in the game, Lopez found receiver Nathan Leacock on a slant with a pass to the end zone, but Golden Bears defensive back Brent Austin perfectly punched the ball free just before Leacock broke the plane.

HE PUNCHED IT OUT 😤

Brent Austin forces the fumble and stops the score!

📺 ESPN x @CalFootball pic.twitter.com/HEBhw4KAzK

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) October 18, 2025

The turnover let Cal waste nearly the entire clock before they punted to UNC for a last-second chance that came too late. The 21-18 loss drops Belichick to 2-4 to start his roller-coaster ride of a tenure with the Tar Heels. His rocky start has mostly come off the field, most recently with Pablo Torre unearthing bizarre hot-mic conversations between the legendary coach and his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson.

North Carolina's on-field product hasn't helped, as Belichick has yet to beat a Power 4 opponent, finding his only wins of the season against Charlotte and Richmond. He almost found his first ACC win Friday night, but the Tar Heels came mere inches away from a late go-ahead score in a fashion that seemed to summarize their season.

Their next chance to find an ACC win comes next week in a tough home matchup against No. 18 Virginia.

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