Bill Belichick Gets First College Win as North Carolina Beats Charlotte 20-3

Gio Lopez connected with Chris Culliver on a 51-yard touchdown on North Carolina’s first possession and Davion Gause added a 12-yard rushing score late in the second quarter as North Carolina beat Charlotte 20-3 on a rain-soaked Saturday afternoon, giving Bill Belichick his first victory as a college head coach.

Lopez completed 17 of 25 passes for 155 yards as the Tar Heels (1-1) relied on a ball-control game and a stingy defense that held Charlotte (0-2) to 271 total yards and forced two turnovers. Charlotte’s offense managed only a field goal despite finishing with many of its drives stalled by North Carolina’s defensive pressure.

North Carolina struck quickly on its opening series when Lopez completed two short passes and then fired a deep ball along the left sideline to Culliver, who beat his defender by about five yards for the touchdown and a 7-0 lead. The Tar Heels’ offense then sputtered for much of the first half until Gause broke off a 12-yard run off left tackle to make it 17-3 with 19 seconds remaining before halftime.

Charlotte coach Tim Albin said the drive before halftime was a “huge momentum killer” and pointed to improvement in several areas despite the loss. The 49ers had a promising opening to the second half but squandered a chance to close the gap when wide receiver E. Jai Mason dropped a catchable pass in the end zone on fourth-and-6 after quarterback Conner Harrell escaped the pocket. Harrell put both hands on his helmet after the play.

Harrell finished 17 of 29 for 140 yards. Lopez said he had hurt his back in the loss to TCU but was able to practice with the help of trainers during the short week. “We didn’t play our best ball against TCU,” Lopez said. “It was good to get back out there on a short week.” Belichick praised Lopez’s ability to extend plays, saying, "Gio I thought did a really good job of improvising and extending some plays."

Belichick, 73, was hired by North Carolina on a five-year, $50 million contract to raise the program’s profile. His national debut last Monday was a rout in the opposite direction: UNC was beaten 48-14 at home by TCU, the most points ever allowed by a Tar Heels team in a season opener. That loss prompted questions about whether the former New England Patriots coach — the second-winningest head coach in NFL history with six Super Bowl titles — could translate his success to the college level.

Belichick downplayed the significance of his first collegiate win. “It’s hard to win,” he said. “You gotta do a lot of things right. You gotta do it better than your opponent, so we were fortunate to do that. So it’s, it’s good to be part of it. I tried to do what I could to help them, but look, I didn’t make any blocks, tackles, catches, runs or anything else out there.”

The Tar Heels’ defense played a prominent role in the victory, limiting big plays and creating turnovers at critical moments. North Carolina’s approach on offense emphasized short, high-percentage throws and rushing attempts to manage the clock and the conditions as rain fell intermittently through the afternoon.

Charlotte fought to create momentum but was repeatedly stopped in the red zone. Albin said the team showed signs of improvement despite the final score and emphasized the need to convert opportunities into points. "Tonight is about us getting better and showing improvement in a lot of areas," he said.

The win gives North Carolina a chance to regroup after a difficult start and adds a first collegiate victory to Belichick’s long résumé. The Tar Heels will look to build on the defensive performance and find more consistency on offense as they move deeper into the season, while Charlotte aims to correct missed chances and get on the scoreboard in coming weeks.