| Richmond Spiders | 6 |
 North Carolina Tar Heels |
41 |
| Final | |
CHAPEL HILL — A dominant defense. A bruising downhill running back. Special teams flipping field position.
North Carolina looked, dare it be said, downright Belichickian in Saturday’s 41-6 rout of Richmond at Kenan Stadium, earning the first home victory for head coach Bill Belichick, the NFL coaching legend hired in December to elevate the Tar Heels’ football program.
Deep breath.
It was against Richmond of the Coastal (née Colonial) Athletic Association, and the Spiders were missing a few of their top players. The Tar Heels are supposed to look like world beaters against teams from the Football Championship Subdivision, even if Belichick wasn’t down with any Richmond slander.
“They’ve been at the top of their division the last several years and played for championships and all that,” Belichick said. “But, look, we just keep working on doing what we can do to work to get better. And I feel like we’ve made some improvement.”
UNC is supposed to hold Richmond to less than 200 yards, force three turnovers and keep it out of the end zone all game, including with a goalline stand to start the third quarter when the outcome was still in some doubt. “A big, big, big series for us,” Belichick said.
It was a great opportunity for the Tar Heels, who’ve employed a running back committee for two games, to discover a No. 1 running back in true freshman Demon “Juju” June, who rushed for 148 yards, ripped off carries of 50 and 45 yards and, astutely, reminded the media that “going north and south, that’s the fastest way to get somewhere.”
June’s rise from last on the running back depth chart to breakout performer sent Belichick, who won six Super Bowl titles with the NFL’s New England Patriots, deep into his reserve of ex-Pats rags to riches stories: Troy Brown, Julian Edelman, Rex Burkhead.
“The confidence comes from performance,” Belichick said. “We can talk confidence all we want, but until you go out there and do it and show that you can, it’s still not there until you can actually produce,” Belichick said.
He was speaking of June.
He could have been discussing his program, whose nightmare performance in the season opener against TCU may end up serving a critical role in the development of Belichick’s first game.
“I hate the term: We needed that,” quarterback Gio Lopez said. “You don’t want to get killed on live television. We didn’t want to say need. I think it was just a wake-up call that we have a lot more we got to do better.”
Said wide receiver Jordan Shipp, who had two touchdown receptions against Richmond: “You get embarrassed like that on national television, that’s going to leave a bad taste in your mouth for the rest of the season. … These were two good wins back-to-back, but let’s not forget what happened when we kind of let our guard down.”
The Tar Heels visit Central Florida next week, another nationally televised game (FOX 50, 3:30 p.m.). Then it’s eight ACC opponents to close the season.
UNC will have to prove the last two weeks are the result of improvement, of cohesion for a program with 70 new players and not simply the result of a break in the schedule.
The Tar Heels’ personnel has evolved since the opener, perhaps a sign that the coaching staff is getting more comfortable with its roster. The defense, which allowed 542 yards to TCU, looks much improved, having surrendered 502 yards and no touchdowns in the two games since. It’s been better tackling, more quarterback pressure, fewer offensive running free.
The offense’s numbers Saturday (312 yards of total offense) were held back in part by the defense and special teams (stopped a fake punt, key punt return) consistently putting it in advantageous field position. To its credit, it cashed in on those chances. Lopez, more workmanlike than dynamic, was 10-of-18 for 119 yards and two scores. He added 40 yards rushing. He didn’t turn the ball over.
“We’re getting more comfortable with him,” Belichick said. “He’s getting more comfortable with us. There are things that he obviously does very well, and we want to try to feature those. There’s some other things that we need more work on, some timing and things like that. He’s done a good job protecting the ball. He’s done a good job making decisions in critical situations for us and so that’s allowed us a chance to win.”
Belichickian, right?
Deep breaths.
The Tar Heels did what they were supposed to do – needed to do? – in the last two games. Bigger obstacles, much bigger obstacles, await.
Scoring summary
First quarter
UNC – Rece Verhoff 27 field goal, 9:57. Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 2:39. Key play: Running back Demon June had a 50-yard run on third-and-1 from the UNC 42 to move the Tar Heels into field goal range. UNC 3, Richmond 0.
UNC — Jordan Shipp 29 pass from Gio Lopez (Verhoff kick), 3:22. Key play: Richmond committed an offside penalty with the Tar Heels lined up to punt on fourth-and-2, giving UNC a first down. UNC 10, Richmond 0.
Second quarter
UNC — Verhoff 22 field goal, 14:51. Drive: 5 plays, 21 yards, 1:45. Key play: UNC got the ball at the Richmond 25 after the Spiders’ fake punt attempt was stopped short of the line to gain. UNC 13, Richmond 0.
UNC — Lopez 1 run (Verhoff kick), 10:01. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 2:39. Key play: Will Hardy returned a Richmond punt 22 yards to the Richmond 36; June had a 19-yard catch-and-run off a screen pass. UNC 20, Richmond 0.
Richmond — Jayden Alsheskie 25 field goal, 1:11. Drive: 14 plays, 76 yards, 8:42. Key play: North Carolina’s Kaleb Cost committed a pass interference penalty on third-and-5, giving Richmond its first first down of the game and sparking the first extended drive of the game for the Spiders. UNC 20, Richmond 3.
Third quarter
UNC — Shipp 3 pass from Lopez (Verhoff kick), 2:06. Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 3:21. Key plays: Linebacker Mikai Gbayor forced a Richmond fumble, and linebacker Khmori House recovered it at the Richmond 34; June rushed for 18 yards on UNC’s first play. UNC 27, Richmond 3.
Fourth quarter
UNC — Mikai Gbayor 62 fumble return, 14:00. No drive. UNC 34, Richmond 3.
UNC — June 45 run (Verhoff kick), 8:13. Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 4:06. UNC 41, Richmond 3.
Richmond — Alsheskie 28 field goal, 0:06. Drive: 15 plays, 68 yards, 7:48. UNC 41, Richmond 6.