Joel Klatt offers optimistic outlook for North Carolina under Bill Belichick

When asked by Colin Cowherd if "anything [has] gotten better at North Carolina" since the season-opening debacle against TCU, Joel Klatt didn't hesitate. "Yes. The basics," he said on The Herd. "They're blocking better. They're staying on blocks longer. They're getting off blocks quicker on defense. They're aligned quicker. They're aligned more foundationally. They don’t turn the football over... They're not a good or great team yet, but they are clean." Klatt added that expecting a crisp debut with "70 new players and a new coach" was unrealistic, and that "every single week they get a little bit better with the things that they can control."

North Carolina hired Bill Belichick in December on a five-year deal, a seismic move that followed Mack Brown's exit. Belichick spent the offseason reconstructing the roster — bringing in roughly 70 newcomers — and installing pro-style systems on both sides of the ball.

Belichick's college debut was spoiled as TCU scored 41 unanswered points and returned two turnovers for touchdowns in a 48–14 rout. North Carolina finished with three giveaways, 222 total yards and only 10 first downs.

North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Since then, the Tar Heels have cleaned it up in the ways Klatt mentioned. They beat Charlotte 20–3 with zero turnovers and a wire-to-wire defensive performance. Then they took care of Richmond 41–6 while forcing three takeaways and allowing 199 yards. In the two wins, North Carolina is plus-4 in turnover margin (five gained, one lost) and has allowed just nine points total.

Blocking for the Tar Heels has gotten better as well. Against Richmond, the Heels averaged 6.2 yards per rush and scored on their first four possessions. The O-line has also only allowed two sacks in the last two games. That group has been pretty solid this year as they only gave up two against TCU despite the final score.

Freshman Demon "Juju" June ran for 148 yards and a touchdown. He has been a big help for first-year starter Gio Lopez. In the week after the loss against TCU, Lopez bounced back going 17 for 25 and 155 yards with one touchdown through the air. Against Charlotte, Lopez went 10 for 18 and 119 yards with three touchdowns. Both of these performances came after a 4 for 10 and 69 yard (1 INT) game against TCU.

North Carolina is sitting at 2-1 (0-0 in conference play) and gets UCF on Sept. 21 at 3:30 p.m. EST before they enter ACC play.

North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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