Cover Two: UNC’s Defense Carries the Weight While the Offense Searches for Balance
If I told you North Carolina would have 253 yards of total offense for the game, you’d probably say the Heels were beaten bad — and thankful you weren’t in the stands to watch it. The offense’s box score for UNC looked similar to last year’s game at BC, where the team didn’t show up in any phase.
Despite the offensive performance, North Carolina was winning 20–3 in the fourth quarter before two late drives from Stanford QB Elijah Brown made it closer than the game actually felt. Leaving Kenan Stadium after a win dissatisfied isn’t something North Carolina fans have had the luxury of doing very often. Under Mack Brown, North Carolina even lost eight times as a double-digit favorite.
The Tar Heel defense is stacking performances. It’s one of those cautionary tales, though, because out of the last three opponents, two had inexperienced quarterbacks — and a Virginia offense led by Chandler Morris put up only nine points against Wake Forest on Saturday. My eyes tell me I’m watching really good defensive play. The question is, can the defense limit a competent offense long enough for the offense to find itself in a game?
Some may say the offensive performance is not why UNC brought in Bill Belichick. I don’t think they understand the real reason Belichick — or any other coach — would have been brought in. It’s not to give us entertaining football; it’s to win. Had Mack won more of the games he was supposed to, we wouldn’t be talking about Bill Belichick or any other coach.
It’s fair to criticize the offense — they’ve been bad. But they also did just enough to win on Saturday. When the offense looked better against Cal and Virginia, the result was still a loss. Complimentary football is a foreign language around the UNC program. It’s also fair to ask whether the offense complements the defense. The answer is somewhere between “absolutely not” and “maybe.” What they did do Saturday was take care of the football and use the kicking game to flip the field. The one turnover Gio had — the fumble — didn’t lead to any Stanford points.
The number one comment from fans and reporters is, When does Bill give another quarterback a chance to run the offense? He said in the postgame press conference that Gio gives them the best chance to win on Saturdays. It’s easy to question that, but here’s where I push back — on myself, other fans, and the media. Belichick and the staff have clearly given other players, who weren’t even near the depth chart at the start of the season, meaningful snaps now. Just look at Madrid Tucker, Jordan Hall, and Miles McVay on offense alone — all played throughout the game Saturday.
Does that mean highly recruited freshman Bryce Baker or Au’Tori Newkirk are that far from playing? Perhaps yet one difference between this team and previous ones is that individual players are getting noticeably better during the season. Practice matters. And if Coach Belichick only sees a path to winning through number 7, then maybe I should get off my Sunday morning recliner, grab a cup of coffee, and see what Jason, Tommy, Buck, and Greg have to say on the Day After podcast.
After a win, I’ll simply leave the player decisions to Coach Belichick and head to my outdoor patio to select the “Right Grill for the Right Meal” — and watch a former UNC quarterback Drake Maye take his talents to Tampa Bay for the NFL showcase game of the day.
