Breaking Down Belichick’s Most Baffling Decisions vs. Wake Forest

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — It’s safe to say that North Carolina’s game against Wake Forest was weird considering that Wake scored the first touchdown of the game on a flukey play.

But for North Carolina, the real head-scratcher was Bill Belichick’s string of puzzling decisions—from baffling timeouts to choices that made little sense at all. His postgame interview wasn’t much clearer, as Belichick stood the whole time with his hands in his pockets and offered answers as cryptic as his game plan.

The coaching decisions were so questionable that they overshadowed the action on the field as North Carolina was outplayed by Wake Forest on Saturday. The Demon Deacons outgained UNC 414-257 in total offense, and the Tar Heels never reached the end zone. North Carolina enters its final two games of the season at 4-6 and must beat Duke and N.C. State to become bowl eligible.

While the Tar Heels’ overall performance was insufficient to secure a victory, several key coaching decisions further diminished their chances.

Deciding to Decline a Crucial Penalty

North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick during UNC's 38-10 loss to Clemson; Oct. 4, 2025 | Jackson McCurdy, Tar Heels On SI

The first one came when Belichick declined to take the penalty when Wake Forest was flagged for an illegal shift in the second quarter on a one-yard gain for Ashford at UNC’s 12-yard line. The penalty would have brought the Demon Deacons back five yards, forcing them to repeat the down at their own 18-yard line. In the following play, Claiborne took a handoff 12 yards to the endzone to put Wake Forest ahead 14-3 near the end of the half.

Nov 15, 2025; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Benjamin Hall (28) runs with the ball against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wake Forest Athletics via Imagn Images | Wake Forest Athletics via Imagn Images

While there was no guarantee UNC could have kept Wake Forest out of the end zone on that drive, the Tar Heels had an opportunity to push the Demon Deacons’ offense further from the goal line but chose not to take it.

“Second and eight or first and 15, it’s about the same,” Belichick stated bluntly. “It’s about the same, whichever one you do. I don’t think there’s a huge advantage one way or the other. So we took the down, but it’s the end of the half, I thought we’d make a stop to give a little more time to get the ball back, which we didn’t do.”

Trying to Control the Wind, Belichick Lost Control of the Moment

Sep 20, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels place kicker Rece Verhoff (90) warms up before the game against the UCF Knights at the Bounce House Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Belichick’s decision to call a timeout late in the third quarter was less about clock management and more about taking a big gamble. After Gio Lopez was sacked at Wake Forest's 27-yard line, Belichick opted not to let the clock run out.

Instead, with five seconds left, he used his final timeout to set up a 45-yard field goal attempt for Rece Verhoff, hoping to leverage the wind. The plan backfired—Verhoff’s kick was blocked, leaving the score at 21-9.

I can somewhat follow his logic, but his explanation did little to rationalize what was ultimately a baffling decision.

“I thought the wind was definitely a little bit of a factor,” Belichick said. “So kicking it with the wind. I thought I had the timeout with about eight seconds. They didn’t give it to us until five, so that could have helped us on the kickoff, too. Although I don’t know if Rece really needed that, but it was trying to get that field goal with the wind at the end of the third quarter, and trying to get the kickoff behind it, which we didn’t get.”

Sep 13, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels place kicker Rece Verhoff (90) kicks a field goal in the first quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Rece Verhoff made a career-long and program record 57-yard field goal on the side of the field that he would have kicked that 45-yarder at the top of the fourth had Belichick not called the timeout. Again, no guarantee that the outcome would have been different, but burning the timeout there was neither necessary nor advantageous.

The Final Mindboggling Timeout

While it was essentially the last noticeablele thing to happen, it was the one that went the most viral.

Wake Forest was trying to punch in a final touchdown in the closing seconds at UNC’s 2-yard line, but was stopped on third down. With a nine-point lead, the Demon Deacons appeared ready to run out the clock.

Rather than let the clock expire, Belichick couldn’t resist calling his final timeout with 27 seconds left—apparently trying to outthink Wake Forest head coach Jake Dickert. UNC trailed by nine. The Tar Heels were not winning this game with less than 30 seconds remaining. Honestly, it would have taken Jesus Christ himself to come on the field, and even then, the odds were remote.

Nov 8, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons head coach Jake Dickert (center) celebrates with players after blocking a touchdown pass in the final seconds of the second half against the Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Dickert essentially said, "Fine, have it your way," and put the ball in Robby Ashford's hands. Ashford delivered, diving toward the end zone on a read-option play and making contact with the pylon, adding an extra touchdown for Wake Forest in its 28-12 win over UNC.

Belichick calls a timeout with seconds left and Wake inside the 5 — the Deacs respond with a score. Small scuffle ensues.

Wake 28, UNC 12 | 22 seconds left in game. pic.twitter.com/NhRl8ENqFB
— Travon Miles (@TrayABC11) November 16, 2025

“Just trying to keep the game alive,” a monotoned Belichick said with a quiet voice. “I didn’t know what they were going to do. Block a field goal, make a stop. I mean, we keep competing.”

When pressed further about the timeout, Belichick simply replied, "We were just trying to stop them. I wasn’t sure what they were going to do."

Wake Forest led 21-12 w/ the ball inside the UNC 5 w/ 27 secs left in game

With the clock seemingly set to run out - Bill Belichick called a timeout.

Which fueled Wake to run a play & score a TD.

Belichick was asked about the decision:

"I didn't know what they were gonna do." pic.twitter.com/fimf4jYP5Z
— Travon Miles (@TrayABC11) November 16, 2025

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