The North Carolina Tar Heels desperately needed a win in Week 6, and they got one on Saturday, defeating the Pittsburgh Panthers 21-17.
It was Bill Belichick's first win over a ranked opponent since taking over as the Tar Heels' head coach. During his postgame press conference, Belichick praised his team's performance, specifically the defense. Here are multiple topics the 74-year-old head coach covered.
Improving Run Defense in Second Half
- “We did a better job of setting the edge of the defense and not letting the ball get outside," Belichick said. "Again, look, they’re a good team. They have good skill players, good backs, good receivers, so it wasn’t easy. They did a good job in the first half.”
North Carolina allowed 150 rushing yards on Saturday. The first half was concerning, as Pittsburgh ran 47 offensive plays and held the ball for over 22 minutes. The defense was technically more effective against the run in the second half, but nothing worth writing home about.
Finishing the Game
- “Great effort by all those guys," Belichick said. "They played hard, tackled better in the second half, and got a little pressure on the quarterback. They forced a couple bad throws, but again, they scored a lot of points, and they’ve got a good receiving core, good backs. They’re not easy, but our guys hung in there and battled them all the way. So, I’m so proud of them.”
Although it was its own doing, the defense played 86 snaps, which can take a toll on the personnel. Despite that, the Tar Heels produced multiple turnovers and monumental fourth-down stops to clinch the win. With the offense struggling to maintain possession, Belichick's defense has been forced into less-than-ideal situations at various points throughout the season.
When it stopped the run and forced Holden Geriner to throw the ball, North Carolina's defense capitalized with sacks and interceptions. Nevertheless, containing the run will be a major work in progress throughout the season.
Battling Through Injuries
- “Those guys stepped up again," Belichick said. "Everybody’s one or two plays away from being in the game, and you got to be ready to go. The Kaleb Cost situation is obviously unfortunate. You got all the cameramen sitting down there on the field, and he gets hurt running over them. I don’t know why we can’t get them someplace where they’re out of the way, so there’s more player safety out there on the field.”
North Carolina entered Week 6 with a slew of injuries in all three levels of the defense, and left the game with more damage. Defensive back Kaleb Cost suffered a significant knee injury that will undoubtedly cause him to miss substantial time, if not the entire season. So, the fact that the Tar Heels were already undermanned and held Pittsburgh to seven points in the second half is impressive.
Hopefully, the Tar Heels are much healthier when they take on the Duke Blue Devils in Week 7.
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