Bill Belichick
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Bill Belichick had his first game with the University of North Carolina, and it didn't go over very well. Now, the world is responding.
It was an unexpected situation on Monday night, September 1, when the college football world got its first look at legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick heading up his first college football game. North Carolina football was at a fever pitch when Belichick and his Tar Heels took the field in hopes of delivering a win in front of a sell-out crowd.
But, that didn’t happen. It didn’t even come close to happening, actually. What unfolded was fairly embarrassing, with TCU seemingly easily pulling off a 48-14 win. It was difficult to watch, even coming from someone who isn’t a UNC enthusiast. Whatever it was that went wrong, it went very wrong.
Reaction to Bill Belichick’s College Loss
Following the game, Belichick talked about the loss. He remained positive but didn’t sugarcoat the situation.
“We’re better than what we were tonight, but we have to go out there and show that and prove it,” Belichick said in his postgame presser. “Nobody’s going to do it for us. We’re going to have to do it ourselves, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Elsewhere, Belichick said, “They outplayed us, outcoached us, and they were just better than we were tonight. That’s all there was to it. They did a lot more things right than we did.”
Now, people in the football word are responding to the loss, including those in the NFL, not just college football. Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network pretty much ripped him to shreds.
“A lot to clean up from Bill Belichick’s college debut, starting with the tackiest postgame press conference setup in football history,” he said on X on Monday after the game.
CBS Sports college football reporter John Talty took to X during the game to state, “This is a straight up whuppin’. Steve Belichick’s defense looks like it has quit out there against TCU.” He added, “And somehow it has gotten worse since this tweet. This is a straight up embarrassing performance from Bill Belichick’s team. The effort levels are atrocious.”
Bill Belichick’s Girlfriend Lumped Into It
Belichick is famously dating the much-younger Jordon Hudson, 24, and TCU defensive captain Bud Clark called out Hudson’s name during an Instagram Live from the team’s locker room after the game.
“Belichick got to call for his girlfriend,” Clark was heard saying in a clip, according to Fox Sports, adding, “he sad.”
Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports wrote, “This wasn’t just your run of the mill beatdown, it was an embarrassing defeat in Belichick’s debut that saw fans file out of Kenan Memorial Stadium midway through the third quarter.”
He added, “If you were looking at this game through the lens of a New England Patriots follower, hoping to see that the old dog still has a few tricks up his sleeve and somewhat relive the glory days of the dynasty, you instead got a reminder why Belichick isn’t lurking around 1 Patriot Place anymore.”
While the Tar Heels had a huge opening drive, that was pretty much their only strong play the entire game. “The excitement that reached its apex after the opening touchdown drive perfectly showcased what this experiment could look like,” notes David Hale of ESPN. “The question now is whether UNC’s reality will match the dream or if Belichick’s first drive as a college coach will be remembered as the pinnacle of his tenure here.”
Hopefully this is just growing pains and Belichick and UNC will get their redemption soon.