Still some issues, but UNC’s Belichick earns first college win at Charlotte
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- Belichick earned his first college coaching win as UNC beat Charlotte 20-3.
- The game drew a record crowd in Charlotte for an on-campus football matchup.
- UNC defense tightened after early score, holding Charlotte to zero touchdowns.
The biggest home game in Charlotte 49ers history also turned out to be the first win of Bill Belichick’s college coaching career.
North Carolina’s 20-3 win over the 49ers on the Charlotte campus Saturday night won’t break any records for its excitement level. It was especially mundane in the second half, when only a single field goal was scored between the two teams. But it was significant for several reasons.
It was the first time the 49ers had hosted the Tar Heels. It was the highest-demand on-campus ticket in Charlotte college football history, drawing a record crowd to Jerry Richardson Stadium. And although the game was scheduled long before Belichick took over UNC’s football program, it became his first college victory — albeit under much quieter circumstances than his debacle of a college coaching debut five days before.
“Good win for our team tonight,” Belichick said at the beginning of his postgame press conference. “Proud of those guys. A short week, and a lot of negativity from the outside, but they just got back to work.”
What resulted was a mediocre game that didn’t feature a lot of highlights but did showcase improved defense from both teams. Charlotte had fallen 34-11 to Appalachian State in a loss the week before, and the Tar Heels had gotten mauled, 48-14, in Chapel Hill by TCU.
That opening game Monday night at UNC had featured famous fans like Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor and Roy Williams. This crowd of 19,233 in Charlotte didn’t have the same high-power voltage, although certainly Belichick’s 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson drew stares as she moved through the Charlotte crowd.
The Charlotte-UNC game was also telecast on ESPN Plus, rather than on national TV. But it still had its celebrity first-year coach in Belichick, 73, coaching a Tar Heels team that was trying to change people’s minds who had already given up on UNC after the Tar Heels laid that first-week egg. UNC still didn’t look anything like the NFL’s 33rd team, but their 70 new players did seem more like they knew what they were doing.
For Charlotte, there were several glimpses of improvement after a bad first-week loss to Appalachian State. The 49ers played UNC evenly for several long stretches, and if not for a missed 26-yard field goal and a dropped fourth-down potential touchdown pass, the 49ers could have made this one a lot closer.
“We had our chances to put some heat on ‘em,” sighed Charlotte coach Tim Albin.
And the stadium atmosphere was dazzling, even in the drizzle. Most of the game was watched by the sort of crowd that the 49ers had always envisioned when they brought the football program alive in 2013.
“It was electric,” said Albin, who dropped to 0-2 in his first season with the 49ers. “Unbelievable out there in the stadium.”
Belichick, as usual, was the night’s headliner. He has had a penchant for making news during his 10 months on the job at UNC, and his postgame press conference was no exception. When asked if stories about UNC not allowing New England Patriots scouts on campus were true, Belichick confirmed them. He won six Super Bowls as New England’s head coach, of course, but that relationship ended badly.
“It’s clear that I’m not welcome there, around their facilities,” Belichick said. “So they’re not welcome at ours. Pretty simple.”
The game’s kickoff was one of several college football games delayed in the Carolinas on Saturday due to inclement weather and started 30 minutes late, at 7:30 p.m.
When it did begin, UNC thrilled the Tar Heels’ fans who managed to get tickets by having starting quarterback Gio Lopez —returning to the job after missing most of the second half of the TCU game due to injury — throw the ball three straight times. All three passes were complete and the final one was a 51-yard rainbow to UNC’s Chris Culliver, who made an over-the-head catch and scored. Only 59 seconds into the game, UNC led, 7-0.
“We kind of got shell-shocked there,” Albin said. “But we settled in.”
If you remember, the Tar Heels had also scored on their first drive against TCU before their Carolina blue world disintegrated. It wasn’t quite like that this time, but UNC did slow down considerably and Charlotte looked far better for the next 25 minutes of game time.
But the Tar Heels then had a nice drive to end the first half, scoring on a 12-yard run. The second half was mostly a slog, with UNC adding a field goal and the 49ers never scoring at all.
Charlotte has now only managed a total of 14 points in two games. That’s never going to get it done.
The 49ers did have their chances, as quarterback Conner Harrell (formerly of UNC himself) moved the team better than he did in the opening loss to App State. But Charlotte still didn’t score. Albin gave second-string quarterback Grayson Loftis the 49ers’ final two drives. Loftis, formerly of Duke, had several nice throws, but ended both last-ditch marches with interceptions, as UNC’s defense preserved its no-touchdown night.
All in all, it wasn’t the sort of game UNC will feature heavily in its Belichick recruiting materials. Not enough points were scored and, in the final 59 minutes, not enough big plays were made. Still, it was his first win at UNC. And it was a ton better than what happened five days ago.
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This story was originally published September 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Still some issues, but UNC’s Belichick earns first college win at Charlotte."
