North Carolina HC Bill Belichick Terse After OT Loss to Syracuse

North Carolina did what they were supposed to in the first quarter against Syracuse, who entered Saturday's contest in Chapel Hill with a 2-4 record.

The problem for Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels? Syracuse came to play for the rest of the game and earned a 31-30 victory in overtime to earn its first win in the ACC this season.

Belichick held a brief postgame news conference after the one-point loss to the Orange that lasted just under three minutes. Per video from Tar Heel Times, Belichick said he didn't have much to drone on about the game. His main takeaway was that Syracuse made a couple more plays than North Carolina, and that led to the loss.

Syracuse made one play in particular that won the game, a two-point conversion in overtime. Belichick's defense struggled in critical moments, giving up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and the touchdown in overtime.

Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. had a decent night, going 27 of 44 for 271 yards and two touchdowns. The running game added another 101 yards for the Tar Heels. 

Syracuse earned more total yards than UNC 455-372. In a game with no turnovers, UNC's defense needed to find more ways to make a stop. The most points the Orange had scored in ACC play this season coming into the game was 26 against Louisville. 

But the defense suffered a collapse, and it was reminiscent of the loss to Clemson. With the defeat, UNC fell to 4-3 on the season and 2-2 in ACC play.

The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for UNC. The Tar Heels beat a ranked Pitt team on Oct. 10 and rival Duke last week. They had a chance to earn a three-game winning streak before hosting No. 1 Miami on Halloween.

Now, the Tar Heels are in jeopardy of falling back to .500 before November. The Hurricanes will certainly be favored to beat North Carolina. Some of the goodwill Belichick has received in recent weeks could go out the door. 

The loss to Syracuse is a bad look for UNC. It also came at home. The Tar Heels are now 1-2 at home this season, with the only victory coming against ETSU on Sept. 12. 

North Carolina Still has a chance to go bowling. After Miami, UNC will play UConn, Louisville, Virginia, and NC State. But the Tar Heels will have to play a much better brand of football than what they showed on Saturday night.