Reality Setting In for Bill Belichick, UNC Football

The moment the game clock expired for UNC during its matchup against Duke for the Victory Bell on Saturday afternoon, is when reality started to kick in.

Oct 25, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick shakes Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliott hand after the Tar Heels lose to Virginia in overtime at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Once the game clock struck zero between UNC and Duke on Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill at Kenan Stadium, that was the moment the Tar Heels had to face the reality that was setting in.

Head coach Bill Belichick had lost for the fourth time at home this season in his first year at the collegiate ranks, and similar to outings prior, students had begun walking up the stairs when they realized a win was out of reach.

Nov 22, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Anderson Castle (4) rushes for a touchdown against Duke during the second half at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

North Carolina, with one more game left in the year, came across wins while facing Charlotte, Richmond, Syracuse, and Stanford. And it took a while for it to win against a Power 4 conference opponent. To win a game was a challenge for UNC, given its struggles on the offensive end — quarterback Gio Lopez did not look the sharpest at times.

Nov 22, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels wide receiver Jordan Shipp (1) celebrates after a touchdown during the second half at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

It even got to the point that backup Max Johnson should be the starter over the South Alabama transfer, but before Johnson's leg injury last year while playing in Minnesota, the full-time signal-caller position was all his for the taking. However, the injury placed him out for the rest of the season, leading to former Tar Heel, Jacolby Criswell, to handle the duties.

Despite a backup quarterback, UNC still managed to reach a bowl game, a large part of which was the efforts of current NFL running back Omarion Hampton, who is with the Los Angeles Chargers on the West Coast.

Gio Lopez's Final Home Outing of the 2025 Year

Nov 22, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez (7) is hit after a pass by Duke Blue Devils defensive back Caleb Weaver (3) during the first half at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

Lopez threw for 204 passing yards on 21 completed pass attempts out of 27 against Duke's defense. He had a rating of 153.5. Furthermore, Lopez found wide receiver Jordan Shipp for a 20-yard reception during the third quarter with 4:52 remaining. Besides the usual connection of those two Tar Heels, kicker Rece Verhoff and running back Davion Gause contributed with points.

The future for Lopez in Chapel Hill remains to be seen; anything can happen, but an offseason can help out a lot in his development and raise his numbers next year once the season rolls around again. Time and time again, North Carolina's defense has stepped up to the plate, but nobody can win games without scoring, and that was the biggest issue.

This reality setting in for North Carolina not reaching a bowl game this year, the first time since 2018, will be with them until it is able to achieve six wins in a season once more.

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