Kenan Memorial Stadium had already started to empty out by halftime, with North Carolina trailing, 35-3, against Clemson and all the preseason hype — of being a top program, of competing for national championships, of everything that could be possible with Bill Belichick as head coach — a distant memory.
The Tar Heels were destroyed by the Tigers, 38-10, on Saturday in the latest low in Year 1 of the Belichick era. Clemson appeared to ease off the gas in the second half with star QB Cade Klubnik only tossing three passes after the break.
Belichick’s three losses have been by a combined 89 points, and they’ve only managed wins against Charlotte and Richmond.
“The Tar Heels just look so lost,” The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman wrote in an X post, “like they’re getting worse each time out.”
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy added in a post that “somebody has to get him the hell out of college football asap,” too.
This was supposed to be a marquee matchup with the buzz of North Carolina becoming a premier team and getting a chance to knock off an annual contender.
But that had faded by the time the start of Saturday’s game arrived — even aside from the fact that Clemson had stumbled through its opening four games and compiled a 1-3 record.
Belichick’s brief stint in Chapel Hill has been filled with high-profile twists and turns — from a lawsuit alleging that he was hired behind closed doors, from his interactions with and the presence of 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson, from the roster overhaul after his arrival to completely reshape North Carolina’s team.
But at this point, at 2-3 and with significantly more questions than answers, the Tar Heels even securing a berth in a bowl game isn’t guaranteed.
Their latest unraveling began with Clemson running a double pass touchdown on the very first play from scrimmage.
Clemson erupted for 28 points in the first quarter and Belichick’s offense couldn’t generate a response outside of a field goal on their first drive.
After that, and outside of the final two snaps before halftime, every UNC drive ended with a punt.
The Tar Heels were out-gained, 488-270, by Clemson, and quarterback Max Johnson went just 26-for-42 with 213 yards.
North Carolina will travel to face California next week before hosting No. 24 Virginia.
