Belichick Analyzes North Carolina’s Offensive Execution

While speaking with the media on Tuesday during his press conference availability, head coach Bill Belichick explained the growth and development of the Tar Heels' offense.

Belichick's Thoughts

• "it's overall just execution, and that's everybody involved. It's not just the quarterback; it's the receivers [offensive line], and the timing of the plays," Belichick said. "I think our execution has improved over the course of the year. Hopefully it continues to improve. I think that's helped our production offensively."

• "There were a lot of opportunities that we have had at other points during the season when we were just a little bit off, and that's enough to miss a [big play]. Sometimes, those [missed] opportunities are few inches or a split second away, but that makes all the difference." Belichick continued.

• "We will keep working to get better, and hopefully our execution will continue to get better. I don't think it's been any one magical thing or different plays, defenses, and matchups, but just that little higher level of execution and confidence, not just [Gio Lopez], but with all his teammates. Everybody being a little more precise in their assignments and their jobs can change the outcome."

Overall, North Carolina's offense was solid last week, but circling back to Belichick's comments about consistent execution, there were instances when Lopez, the receivers, and protection up front were not in lockstep.

Sometimes games are decided by a handful of plays, and that was what occurred against Duke in Week 13. There were times Lopez held onto the ball too long, which resulted in unnecessary sacks taken by the junior quarterback. That was especially prevalent in the fourth quarter when Lopez was sacked three times on the Tar Heels' final two offensive possessions.

If North Carolina can be sharp in those situational downs on Saturday, it will have a fighting chance in a tough road matchup against North Carolina State.