Bill Belichick
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UNC head coach Bill Belichick.
Legendary former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick suffered quite an embarrassment Monday in his debut as a college coach when his North Carolina Tar Heels gave up more points, 48, than any Belichick-coached team ever, and lost to the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs by 34 points.
That was the second-largest margin of defeat that Belichick ever suffered, after 511 NFL games as head coach.
Belichick’s First Puzzling Decision
Why the debacle happened, of course, could be the subject of endless analysis, but one decision made by Belichick before the game apparently had a lot to do with it.
For reasons that he never made completely clear, Belichick chose redshirt sophomore South Alabama transfer Geo Lopez to start the game over Max Johnson, who is in his sixth college season after four years in college football’s toughest conference, the SEC.
Johnson played two years as LSU and two at Texas A&M before moving to North Carolina where he started the opening game in 2024. But he suffered a horrific broken leg in that game and missed the rest of the season.
Lopez went 4-10 for 69 yards and interception that was returned for a touchdown. Belichick then pulled him after Lopez took a hit in the third quarter that resulted in a fumble that also was scooped up and run for a TD. At one stage, Lopez went 34 minutes on the clock without completing a pass.
Lopez ‘Expected’ To Start Against Charlotte
Johnson came in and changed the entire tone, though it was too little too late, throwing nine completions in 11 attempts for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Now, on Saturday, Belichick faces his first road game as a college coach, and it is one that seems clearly designed to get him and the Tar Heels into the win column. They travel to face UNC-Charlotte, a school that did not even have a varsity football team until 2008, and that lost its opener last week to Appalachian State, 34-11.
It seems only natural that Johnson should get the start — but as of late Friday, Belichick still had not made up his mind. Or if he had, he had not made his decision public. In fact, according to SI.com Tar Heels correspondent Grant Chachere, Lopez was “expected” get the nod from Belichick.
But “another mediocre performance could force Belichick to sit him for Johnson,” Chachere wrote.
Johnson Better Fit For Pro-Style Offense
Johnson is also the better “fit” for the offense run by Belichick and offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, according to SI.com analyst Jeremiah Artacho.
“When Johnson stepped onto the field, the same plays were run as when Lopez was playing earlier in the game, but he found success,” Artacho wrote on Friday. “The reason why? Johnson fits the pro-style offense more than Lopez. … Unless the offense is tweaked, then Johnson will be the better fit moving forward, considering he fits the current system in place, and if UNC wants to win, then changing the starter would be necessary.”
Oddly enough, the Tar Heels will be going up against a quarterback who saw some action after Johnson’s injury last year for North Carolina. Connor Harrell completed 21 of 37 passes over six games, for 282 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But his playing time was limited. He then entered the transfer portal and shifted to Charlotte where he will get the bulk of snaps as the regular starter.
The North Carolina vs. Charlotte showdown kicks off at 7 p.m. Eastern Time Saturday, and will stream live on the ESPN+ subscription-based platform.