The North Carolina Tar Heels found a way to end their two-game losing streak on Saturday, going to UConn and beating the Huskies. The 38-21 win moved UNC to 5-4 overall and put them just one win away from being bowl-eligible.
After opening up a 28-14 lead at halftime, UConn cut the lead down to 28-21 at halftime. But that's the closest they would get. North Carolina scored the final 10 points of the game to secure the win.
It was a good road win for the program in terms where they were at even a year ago this week. Things are looking up and with just one win needed in the last three games, the Tar Heels are feeling good about themselves.
Before we look ahead to next week vs. Louisville, let's see what Bill Belichick had to say after the game. All
quotes via Inside Carolina.
Opening Statement
“Proud of our guys the way they stepped up, finished the game. The turnovers were big for us, and the red area touchdowns were big as well. I thought the running backs did a good job catching the ball, good ball security in somewhat challenging conditions. But I thought the team responded well this week after a couple of close losses, really bounced back with a pretty solid week of practice, and competed hard today. So proud of what they did”
On converting the turnovers to touchdowns
“First you’ve got to get them and then take advantage of them. So, the the tip pass was a fortunate play, and then Timir did a nice job of catching the ball and tiptoeing down the sideline. He made a really good run. Punch the ball out there on a quarterback scramble or quarterback run, and then third and 20 or whatever it was, they’re kind of desperate, and so JT (Jalon Thompson) made a nice play on the ball, but it was set up by the long yardage we put them in. You usually have a chance for more turnovers when you’re ahead like that, and they’re trying to force the ball a little bit.”
On what flipped in the second quarter?
“A little better execution and obviously not turning the ball over. We were able to keep it longer, but we kind of stuck with the same game plan the whole game in terms of mixing the running game in with some possession passes, and tried to take a few shots down the field. So I don’t know. Probably just better execution. I don’t think there’s anything, no special adjustments or anything like that.”
On Jelani and what he does for the offense?
“He’s just a really good player. He’s got good length. He’s fast. He got really good hands. He’s good running after the catch. He blocks well, so you have to respect the running game behind him, and he’s good on catching run plays, and he’s good downfield. So it’s almost impossible to overthrow him. He’s got a great catch radius. We saw that last week on a touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. So he’s doing a great job for us.”
On the team's reaction to Melkart Abou Jaoude's sack in the game?
“Everybody roots for Melkart. It’s a guy that came from basically nothing, selling bagels and he walks on, and then comes here and has a great year last year. He had a tough break early in the year with a broken thumb or wrist or whatever it was, and has continued to play hard and play through a situation where he’s been a little bit limited, but that hasn’t affected his preparation and his his competitiveness, his toughness, or his work ethic, and so you can’t help but root for a guy like that.”
On Benjamin Hall and the RB depth?
“They’re all really good. They’re kind of interchangeable. They all run hard. They can all make yards on their own. They’re good contact players. You just get them in space, and they have a chance to be productive. So if you don’t really look at the numbers. Sometimes it’s hard to tell which guy it is because they all are fast, tough, and run hard, fight for yardage. But it’s great to have Ben back, he’s one of our captains, one of our real leaders, and he’s a guy that’s first in, last out, works hard every day.”
On what you saw from Billy Edwards today?
“Billy’s been doing a good job for us. Seems like every week I come in here, and you guys want to bench him and talk about the passes he missed. Last week he’s quarterback of the week in the ACC. Look, he’s playing quarterback. Nobody’s going to bat 1.000 playing that position, but he’s done a good job for us. He’s been able to move the team, score points, and been consistent. So is there always room for improvement? Sure, but he’s done a good job for us.”
On surpassing last year's win total?
“It’s definitely ahead of where it was a year ago. Look, let’s play out the rest of the season then we’ll look back at the end of the year. I’d say right now we just need to focus on Louisville, which will be plenty for us to deal with.”
On Timir Hickman-Collins' improvement?
“He’s done a nice job in there stepping in. It was a little bit of a four (linebackers) for two (spots), and we had (Jonathan) Agumadu (sidelined today), but that just kind of gave him some extra opportunities with Jonathan not being in there. But he’s done a nice job for us. He’s smart. He communicates well. He’s really one of our leaders on defense, and so if it’s him or Derek in there, they have really good communication and can manage the defense. Everybody else can play fast and play well. And then when they’re together — which happens some, not a lot — but when they’re together, that just really increases our level of experience and communication.”
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: What Bill Belichick said after UNC's win over Uconn on Saturday
