Sep 6, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels defensive back Greg Smith (12) celebrates his interception with teammates during the second half against the Charlotte 49ers at Jerry Richardson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Artacho’s Angle: The Spiders from Richmond

Originally posted on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI
By Jeremiah Artacho | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 3:50 PM ET

The season started on Monday, September 1, for the North Carolina Tar Heels football team — now it's about to enter the third game on its schedule with the Richmond Spiders traveling to Chapel Hill, and the two will duke it out on the gridiron on Saturday, September 13, at 3:30 p.m.

Head Coach Bill Belichick has started his collegiate coaching career with a 1-1 record, losing to TCU by 34 points and defeating Charlotte on the road, 20-3. However, Richmond is not a team the UNC should overlook, despite being an FCS team. Belichick and his staff have a good matchup on their hands. Led by Head Coach Russ Huesman, the Spiders finished with a 10-3 record last year, as well as an 8-0 finish in the Patriot League.

Some of the notable teams Huesman's beat are Elon, North Carolina A&T, William & Mary and Campbell. The team's season concluded with a loss to LeHigh in the FCS Playoffs, where the Spiders lost, 20-16.

One Step Forward or One Step Back?

If anything, especially in front of the home crowd, this is one game the Tar Heels can not afford to lose — it will affect the faith of the fan base, the narrative of this season, as well as the Belichick's image as a head coach on whether or not he still has the skills to coach the game of football anymore (or the argument of all six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots are because of quarterback Tom Brady).

A win places UNC a step forward, but a loss sets them back... far back. Its record would stand at 1-2 with UCF on the road and Clemson at home as the next two games in the coming weeks — both are hard matchups, too. As Belichick likes to say, "stacking days" — that's something the team needs to do to ensure its trending in the right direction or... the whole season will crumble like the shop on Franklin Street.

If quarterback Gio Lopez continues his effective passing, runs the ball well, that should set up the Tar Heels in a position to succeed on Saturday. In addition, the run game will be crucial — maybe using underclassmen Demon June and Davion Gause as the two primary backs could be the formula that adds another tally to the win column.

Please

This article first appeared on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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