As an undefeated North Carolina squad prepares for a high-stakes clash, the legendary coach leans on his NFL scouting history to dissect Dabo Swinney’s struggling Tigers.
The coaching battle between Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick will be one of the more intriguing storylines of Saturday's Week 3 college football schedule.
The Tigers will enter the matchup 1-1. Clemson was blown out 51-10 by LSU in Week 1. The Tigers followed up that performance by putting up an underwhelming 22-7 win over Georgia Southern in Week 2.
Belichick earned a critical 15-10 victory in Week 1 over TCU before having a bye in Week 1. The Tar Heels will enter Saturday's game 2-0 thanks to a 35-3 win over ETSU in Week 2.
North Carolina looks much improved, though Belichick is facing pressure thanks to headlines for off-the-field issues this summer.
The winner of the contest can silence the doubters for at least a week. The loser will face a fan base's ire early in the season.
During his news conference on Monday, Belichick had high praise for Clemson, and reminded the Tigers that he has experience coaching their players when he was in the NFL.
"My perspective on Clemson has come from the NFL. I spent many spring days at Clemson looking at their great players," Belichick said, via greenville.online.
"I think Dabo does a great job of building a program (and) caring for his players. … They have a great tradition, going back to Frank Howard. I've coached a lot of players from Clemson."
The Tigers ruled out Christopher Vizzina due to an injury to his non-throwing (left) elbow. Still, Belichick noted that Tait Reynolds is a capable quarterback, and a signal-caller he recruited in high school.
Belichick thinks Reynolds will be helped by a strong pair of receivers in Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore.
"Wesco and Moore are as good as anyone we will see all year," Belichick said. "They are hard to handle."
North Carolina has a chance to go 3-0 before hosting No. 3 Notre Dame on Oct. 3. A loss would be a blow to the Tar Heels’ momentum before playing the Fighting Irish, which could send the season into a spiral.
