3 Biggest Takeaways from Bill Belichick's Recent Availability

North Carolina has had only three plays of 20 yards or more, two coming on the first drive of each game: Jordan Shipp’s 39-yard catch against TCU on Sept. 1 and Chris Culliver’s 51-yard touchdown catch against Charlotte last week.

Despite its issues, Belichick wasn’t worried about the lack of a vertical passing offense, but he did admit it's always nice to get the longer touchdowns.

• "To just throw it down there and turn the ball over, I don't think that's the answer," Belichick said. "You have to take those shots when they're there and be able to convert on them. But when they're not, there are probably better options that we need to take advantage of."

Like a decent number of coaches, Belichick said the decision to dial up the long ball largely depends on what the defense is giving them.

• "A lot of times you call plays, it just depends a little bit on how it matches up against a certain call or if you get the matchup you want," he said. "You can take advantage, but that doesn't always happen. And so defenses got to do their job, too, and they don't always make it easy for you."

That especially will be true this weekend against Richmond, Belichick said. The Spiders have the No. 9 defense and the No. 10 passing defense in the country at the FCS level..

• "Richmond hasn't given up any big plays all year, so they play very sound, very fundamental football," Belichick said. "They do a good job of tackling and they make you earn every yard. So we'll take them however we can get them."

Running Backs

The running game looked much better last week as it ran for 148 yards. However, at least four running backs have taken carries in both games this season.

Until one separates from the pack, the Tar Heels will continue to rotate running backs because of the unit’s lack of experience.

• "What it looks like in practice is not always the same as in the game when there's live tackling," Belichick said. "So we've got a feel for how that's going, but it's very competitive. I have confidence in all of them. They all have shown a lot of good things, and that's why they've gotten playing time."

Last season, Omarion Hampton — a future first-round running back — received the majority of the snaps, leaving the returning players in the backfield with limited reps. To be fair, no one can blame the previous coaching staff for that, and Belichick can’t either.

• "I've always said that if Jim Brown was my running back, I would leave him in the game on every play, I'm not looking for anyone else," Belichick said. "And they kind of did that with Hampton here last year, which I certainly understand — he's a great player."

The Return of Pryce Yates?

One of the biggest portal hauls of the offseason was snagging edge rusher Pryce Yates.

Over three seasons at UConn, Yates totaled 108 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. He was especially dominant against North Carolina in the Fenway Bowl last year, recording six tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack. His best season with the Huskies came in 2023, when he posted 42 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. 

However, Yates has not logged a snap this season due to injury. According to Belichick, there is no current timetable for his return.

• “It's definitely hard to put a timetable on it," Belichick said. "I know that he's working hard to be back and I know our medical staff is doing the same thing. We'll just have to take it day by day and see how things progress. When he's ready, he'll be ready and I know he's doing everything he can to be ready, but he hasn't been cleared yet.

As of Sept. 10, the Tar Heels have only registered one sack and have a PFF Pass Rush grade of 53.0, the second-lowest in the country. At this current pace, UNC will have six sacks by the end of the regular season. If UNC wants to become bowl-eligible, it needs to create pressure up front because it will play against four quarterbacks who are in the top 30 in passing yards per game. Also, UCF’s Jackson is a very dynamic quarterback who is capable of running.