Artacho's Angle: Bill Belichick Achieves His First Win

The UNC football team notched a 20-3 victory after squaring off with the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday night. Head Coach Bill Belichick and his team led every step of the way, taking control of the game, even if it may have looked sloppy at times inside Jerry Richardson Stadium.

Who would have thought that after eight Super Bowl rings and countless games in the National Football League, that same person would go on and win a game at the college level... perhaps no one, and that's why the anticipation leading into the Tar Heels' outing with the TCU Horned Frogs had as much attention as it did.

North Carolina improved, showing a lot of good, but then reverted to many of the same mistakes — this football team is nowhere near being what everyone thought it could be (it's also hard to judge when there are 70 new players on the roster). Miss tackles continued to be a concern, play-calling in certain moments is iffy and the whole deal with one magical first drive and then the magic disappearing is... weird.

Sep 6, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez (7) looks for a receiver against the Charlotte 49ers during the second half at Jerry Richardson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

A Win Is a Win, but a Lot of Room To Grow for UNC

UNC did it; a win is a win, and the wait to see it happen for Belichick lasted two games; all it took was eight quarters.

Although... this roster has ways to go, especially with the big game against Clemson on Saturday, October 4, opportunities facing Richmond in Kenan Stadium and UCF on the road will help propel the Tar Heels into a better position to maybe, just maybe, pull out a win over the presumed best team in the ACC.

UNC scored 10 points during the first quarter, followed by seven in the second quarter, then experienced a scoreless third and completed the game with a field goal — sealing the deal over the 19,233 fans in attendance. Quarterback Gio Lopez threw for 155 yards on 17 completions, showing a much finer performance after mustering a total of 69 on four completions while taking on TCU.

Five different running backs carried the ball for Belichick: Demon June, Davion Gause, Caleb Hood, Charleston French and Benjamin Hall. June, a freshman, had the most yards with 52 — his longest run reached 19 yards.

Wide receiver Chris Culliver had three receptions for 74 yards and the first score of the game (that's when the magic happened for just a small portion of time).

In addition, Javarius Green, Hood, Shipp and Hall had over 10 yards receiving, respectively. Linebacker Andrew Simpson made it to the backfield, giving UNC its first sack of the season. North Carolina took strides as a team after getting destroyed by 34 points by Sonny Dykes' team.

The story continues for Belichick and the Tar Heels, but the achievement of the 73-year-old earning win number one is all said and done.

Please follow us on X when you click right here!

Please make sure you follow us today on our Facebook page when you click right here!