Most Disappointing Parts of UNC’s Loss to Duke

The North Carolina Tar Heels' loss to the Duke Blue Devils was disappointing on many fronts. For one, this contest is coveted as both programs have formed a deep-rooted rivalry. Secondly, the loss officially eliminated the Tar Heels from bowl eligibility, which is a major disappointment when considering everything the program invested into the football team this past offseason.

There were multiple areas that left a ton to be desired from the Tar Heels' perspective. Here is a look at where the team failed the most in its loss to the Blue Devils.

Penalties

Nov 22, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez (7) scrambles away from Duke Blue Devils defensive tackle Josiah Green (4) during the second half at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

The most alarming aspect of this game for North Carolina was how often the team was penalized throughout the course of the game. The Tar Heels committed 12 penalties for 103 yards.

Head coach Bill Belichick and linebacker Andrew Simpson each addressed this issue during their postgame press conferences.

“Really proud of the effort everybody gave all week, and tonight, we obviously came up a few plays short, and it's disappointing," Belichick said. "Give Duke credit. They made a few more plays than we did at critical times, and ultimately that was the difference in the game. So just keep grinding here, go back to work and be ready for [North Carolina] State next week. But [we] just made too many mistakes, too many bad plays, obviously, too many penalties. So that's about the story.”

Nov 22, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick watches play during the first half at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

“When you have nine penalties [on defense], it's shooting yourself in the foot," Simpson said. "It's hard to play good defense when you're just penalizing yourself after a good play, or even a bad one. And so, it's just not us, and we definitely need to get better at that.”

Defensive Line Performance

Sep 13, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels defensive lineman Melkart Abou-Jaoude (9 ) celebrates with defensive lineman Smith Vilbert (8) after making a sack in the first quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Pass rushers Melkart Abou-Jaoude and Tyler Thompson entered the contest with 17 combined sacks on the season. Both players, and the entire defense for that matter, failed to record one sack on Mensah, which allowed Duke to sustain long, scoring drives throughout the game.

Mensah repeatedly converted long third downs in obvious passing situations, which is the perfect recipe for pass rushers, as they do not have to worry about losing run contain.

Nov 22, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) rushes for a first down during the first half at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

The Tar Heels' pass rush would generate pressure multiple times, but some of those instances transpired because of botched snaps.

Nevertheless, North Carolina's front four was supposed to be a major factor in this contest, but Mensah and the Blue Devils' offense continued to navigate around the Tar Heels' pass rush.

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