The reactions to the start of the Bill Belichick era has been distinctly, well…muted, to be kind. Over at USA Today, Matt Hayes lays the blame for the fiasco against TCU last weekend squarely at Belichick’s feet.
Belichick’s petty feud with his old team, the New England Patriots (he has banned them from scouting his Tar Heels) hasn’t helped, and the Jordon Hudson weirdness continues.
Alabama legend Nick Saban sounds fairly unimpressed and warns that, just two games into Belichick’s tenure in Chapel
Hill, that Saturday’s game against Charlotte is a must-win. Two games in!
Realistically, UNC should win. Though we’re not sure why UNC accepted this as a road game – from the outside it makes absolutely no sense – Charlotte was nonetheless scheduled as an easy win.
Now? We’ll have to see.
Last season, the 49ers finished 5-7 with wins over Gardner-Webb, Rice, ECU, FAU and UAB and last weekend, they lost to Appalachian State, 34-11. UNC is favored by two touchdowns but as noted, this game is in Charlotte at Jerry Richardson Stadium.
Jerry Richardson seats 15,314 and although a significant expansion is planned, currently it’s not much bigger than a high school stadium. A lot of Texas high schools frankly would find it ridiculous. Doubt that? Don’t.
UNC is clearly going to be favored, and rightly so, but consider the following:
- The team showed many weaknesses against TCU.
- Playing in a small stadium could be disorienting.
- This is almost certainly the biggest home game Charlotte has ever had.
- There is going to be an immense amount of pressure on UNC, and if they give into it, things could go south very quickly.
- The field is also artificial turf, by the way, which might also be an advantage for the 49ers.
Realistically, the Tar Heels should win. But this is where the program is now, you can’t really be 100% sure that they will, can you?
Final note: UNC closes out with consecutive games against Wake Forest (road), Duke (home) and NC State (road). If it turns out to be a long season, things could be very interesting down the stretch.
- Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels try to steady the ship in first road test Charlotte
- Analyst Said Bill Belichick Made Embarrassing Move At UNC
- Bill Belichick Blasted for ‘Petty’ Patriots Scouts Move as Michael Lombardi Excuse Faces Scrutiny
- Bill Belichick Reportedly Bans Scouts from His Former Team from Coming to UNC
- Bill Belichick has good reason for banning Patriots from UNC practices
- Bill Belichick comes to Charlotte as 49ers kick off home slate against UNC
- The 49ers host the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels (UNC) under the lights on Sept. 6 at Jerry Richardson Stadium.
- Dan Orlovsky roasts Bill Belichick over Patriots ban at practice, predicts ripple effect on UNC
- Twitter reacts to Bill Belichick’s latest petty Patriots revenge move
- Belichick Has Gone Full Supervillain by Banning Patriots Scouts From Chapel Hill
- Dan Orlovsky shreds Bill Belichick for restricting NFL scouts at North Carolina
- It’s truly sad what’s become of Bill Belichick
- How UNC Officials Reacted to Reports of Bill Belichick’s Patriots Ban
- UNC’s Identity Crisis Exposed
- Bill Belichick’s pettiness is sad but not surprising
- Danny Kanell on Bill Belichick’s North Carolina debut: ‘It doesn’t look like it’s going to work this season’
- Charlotte ready for Belichick, Tar Heels and biggest home game in school history
