An inch away. That's how far away UNC and Bill Belichick were from their first ACC win and a massive upset over a ranked opponent.

No. 16 Virginia came into Kenan Stadium following a close call last week against Washington State. They also came in with an undefeated ACC record and hopes of getting to Charlotte and the ACC title game.

In a game that slowly, but surely felt ripe for an upset, UNC fell 17-16 in overtime to Virginia, leaving fans with a mixture of hope and frustration.

The day began with promise. After coming arguable a foot away from a potential win at Cal last week, the Tar Heels continued to show fight and improvement. At halftime they were tied 10-10 after trading field goals and a second-quarter touchdown by UNC’s quarterback Gio Lopez set them even.

The Tar Heels were in position to go into the half with the lead for the first time all year against a power four opponent, but Tony Elliot iced the kicker just as Rece Verhoff put a 50 yarder right on the money. His next attempt would be wide.

A pattern that has plagued this team did re-emerge: opportunities squandered. Early in the first quarter, wide receiver Kobe Paysour reached the 1-yard line and stretched for the pylon, but fumbled short, resulting in a touchback. It was very similar to the play we saw at the end of the Cal game that would have given UNC the lead with three and a half minutes to go.

Defensively, Carolina did a fantastic job holding Virginia under control in the second half. Something is definitely starting to click defensively for the Heels. Virginia has been an explosive offense all year long and today they were held to their season low with 17 points. 

Still, when it came down to the most crucial play, UNC came up just short. In overtime, Virginia scored first on a 1-yard run by J'Mari Taylor to go up 17-10. UNC answered with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Gio Lopez to Davion Gause, but then opted to go for two and the win rather than kick the extra point and extend the game. Running back Ben Hall dove toward the pylon and was stopped just inches short—ending the game.

There are those that might question Bill Belichick's decision to go for the win in that spot. Mostly pissed off Tar Heel fans. I for one am not sorry for agreeing with a 6-time Super Bowl champion head coach's decision to go for two in a high pressure situation like that. Not sorry one bit.

Unfortunately, the margin between frustration and breakthrough in the outcome of that decision is very thin. If Carolina gets the touchdown there and wins the game against a ranked Virginia, I dare say some of the Bill Belichick hype might just start to creep back into this fan base a little bit.

Despite the result, there was a silver lining: UNC showed it can battle a ranked opponent, extend a game to overtime, and remain competitive. Something definitely seems to be shifting in Chapel Hill despite what the record might say. 

Am I saying Carolina is a good team? Absolutely not. I am, however, saying this isn't a total sh*t show anymore and the Tar Heels seem to want to actually figure this out, and that likely means that if they stay on this trajectory, Bill Belichick will earn himself another year to right the wrong that this season has been up till the last couple of weeks.