Bill Belichick Comments on Team’s Early Struggles Against Stanford

The UNC football team mustered 47 total yards during the first half against Stanford and head coach Frank Reich. And once more, North Carolina's defense picked up the slack and turned the momentum over to itself, courtesy of sacks by Melkart Abou-Jaoude and Tyler Thompson.

UNC quarterback Gio Lopez threw for 28 passing yards, as the two teams ended up at three points apiece at the halftime break. Bill Belichick, after following the game, responded to the offense gaining momentum during the second half, unable to find a similar production through the first two quarters.

Nov 8, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick with Stanford Cardinal head coach Frank Reich after the game at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

“Yeah. I mean, we look, we try to do that all the time," said Belichick. "The TCU game was a fast-start game for us. Charlotte game is a fast-start game for us. We didn't necessarily sustain it. So, you know, I don't know that there's a correlation, you know, whether it was a pregame meal we ate or whether it was, you know, something superstitious, that kind of for that."

"I don't really think that's what it was. We just have to, you know, always try to play well early and try to play from ahead and, you know, try to get off to a good start. We haven't done that lately, and we need to find a way to do that offensively. We definitely need to find that. So we'll keep working on it.”

Nov 8, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Davion Gause (37) scores a touchdown as Stanford Cardinal cornerback Collin Wright (6) defends in the third quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

At the end of the game, Lopez had 203 passing yards and two touchdowns (one to Jordan Shipp and another to Davion Gause). Furthermore, he threw 18-25 and had a completion rate of 72, and a rating of 166.6. Shipp led with 83 receiving yards on five catches, and Kobe Paysour followed with 54 receiving yards on six catches. Paysour had the most targets with nine.

Comparatively, Stanford's quarterback, Elijah Brown, threw for 284 passing yards on 27-39 attempts, including one touchdown. Brown has a completion rate of 69 percent and a rating of 133.7. Wide receiver Caden High had 102 receiving yards on 10 catches. Micah Ford had 68 rushing yards on 17 carries.

Nov 8, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels wide receiver Jordan Shipp (1) with a catch and run for a touchdown as Stanford Cardinal cornerback Jay Green (5) defends in the fourth quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

UNC's Offense Has Shown Flashes, But Nothing Early

Head coach Bill Belichick has had to watch his offense explode for scores during the second half a good amount this season, and it has been a factor that has led to its 4-5 overall record. Nonetheless, the Tar Heels have had a lot of experience to flip the script and possibly show a different outcome after the first half while facing Wake Forest on Saturday, Nov 15.

Nov 8, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez (7) hands the ball off to running back Davion Gause (37) in the second quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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