CHAPEL HILL — It’s not a word you’ll find in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, but “Belichick-ian” has become a fitting way to describe UNC football’s recent success under coach Bill Belichick.
Asked how he would define the term and what he’d like it to mean as the Tar Heels (4-2, 2-1 ACC) begin preparation for Syracuse (2-4, 0-4) on Saturday, Oct. 24 (7:30 p.m., ACC Network), at Kenan Stadium, Belichick displayed a subtle smile.
"I don't know, you'd have to ask them. I've never used that term. You'd have to ask the experts who put that word into the dictionary, how Webster defines it. I really don't know,” Belichick said.
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Belichick may not have a definition, but UNC’s recent play offers insight. The Tar Heels have won back-to-back ACC road games at Pitt and Duke by excelling in situations that often determine close contests.
"We're concerned about the final score. That’s our job is to go out and outscore our opponents. A lot of times that comes down to situational football. None of us know what that situation is going to be. We might have to score. We might have to stop them. We might have to kick a field goal. We might have to block a kick. We might have to return a kick. We might have to have a two-minute offense, four-minute offense, two-minute defense, four-minute defense. I don’t know.”
Belichick touched on it with that seemingly-endless list of scenarios, highlighting the importance of situational football. After finishing 1-3 in one-score games last season, the preparation is paying off with in-game execution this season with UNC flipping that mark to 3-1 in those situations.
“You just have to prepare for all those situations in close games, and then it’s the team that’s able to execute in those critical situations that’s probably gonna win the game,” Belichick said.
“If you have control of the game where it really doesn't come down to those situations, there are a few of those. In this conference, not too many of them. Most of these games are one-possession – last play, last two-point play, last drive. You've got to be ready to play 60 minutes in this conference."
Belichick’s best teams have been known for their discipline, defense and ability to win close games. Five of Belichick’s six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots were one-possession games.
“We’re prepared for everything,” defensive lineman Nicco Maggio said. “Coach Belichick puts us through every possible scenario during the week of practices, so if it comes up, we’re ready for it.”
Elaborating on Belichick’s meticulous approach, the redshirt freshman added “you think it might be a little much, but everything’s important.”
Even after spending “a little longer” savoring the return of the Victory Bell in Chapel Hill, in the most “Belichick-ian” way possible, UNC’s coach and players are on to Syracuse.
“Obviously, it was a great moment to go to the bell tower, paint the bell and celebrate the win,” Belichick said.
“As a team, we talked about it. I said it, but honestly, they were saying it before I was: 'This one’s in the books. It's great to beat Duke, but we're done with them. We're on to Syracuse.' We have a lot of respect for Syracuse. They’ve been in every game. They're a couple of plays away from having six wins, honestly. Keep taking the steps that we’ve been taking.”
The challenge now is replenishing what was spent earning the emotional rivalry win in Durham.
"Every week we try to go out there and empty the tank on the field on Saturdays and put everything we have in the game,” Belichick said.
“Then, you've got to fill it back up, and you've got to spend all week filling it back up with physical preparation, mental preparation for the game, fundamental execution on the field, timing, communication, all those things. If you try to shortcut the process, it's going to catch up to you. Same thing for the coaches.
"We've got to unload everything we have on Duke and upload everything for Syracuse and try to find anything we can to try to help our team prepare better and play better and find maybe some little keys that could help give us an edge somewhere along the line."
Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to rbaxley@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Bill Belichick was asked to define 'Belichick-ian.' UNC football success offers answer