North Carolina came oh-so-close to winning its first conference game and earning a signature win for first-year coach Bill Belichick, but came up just short—literally.
The Tar Heels lost a heartbreaker to 16th-ranked Virginia after running back Benjamin Hall was tackled—and eventually ruled—just short of the goal line on what would have been a game-winning two-point conversation in overtime Saturday.
Naturally, Belichick was asked about his bold, win-or-go-home decision after the game. And the infamously taciturn Belichick turned back the clock to his Patriots days with his answer, repeating the same six words to justify his decision.
"Just trying to win the game," Belichick said. When asked a follow-up question, Belichick again repeated those same words.
But taciturn Belichick was far from finished. On the final play of the game, Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez dropped back in the pocket, then rolled to his right before throwing to the running back, Hall. Hall seemingly wasn't the first read on the play, so a reporter attempted to find out who the first read was.
"Whoever was open," Belichick offered.
North Carolina football showing progress
In some ways, seeing Belichick in vintage unhelpful mode with the press would be as good a sign as any that North Carolina is turning things around. But in all seriousness, the best sign of all was that the Tar Heels remained competitive for the second straight week. And while that might seem like a low bar, it's progress after North Carolina was trounced 34–9 and 38–10 by UCF and Clemson, respectively, in consecutive weeks earlier in the season.
"It's one thing for people to say we're getting better," wide receiver Jordan Shipp said. "But now we're showing it. That's a top 20 team in the country that went down to the last play of the game
And even Belichick himself had several more words to say about how he sees his program "improving."
"We've spent more time with these guys, and everybody's improving," Belichick said. "Some guys are getting more playing time or are being used in different roles as we see ways for them to help the team be productive. It's evolving. Some of it is the players improving and some of it is identifying things guys can do to help us."
The Tar Heels (2–5) take on Syracuse next week.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bill Belichick Repeated the Same Six Words When Asked About Bold Call in Overtime Loss.
