There’s generally enough going on when North Carolina and North Carolina State meet on the football field.
Throw in the fact that Bill Belichick will be coaching the Tar Heels and that adds another element for Saturday night’s game in Raleigh, N.C.
NC State (6-5, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) has reached bowl eligibility, while North Carolina (4-7, 2-5) will end the season with a sub-.500 record.
When Belichick was coach and general manager with the NFL’s New England Patriots, he made visits to NC State’s pro day. He probably won’t be welcomed quite as kindly by fans on this trip, though Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said it’s a good twist.
“It’s great having Coach Belichick in the conference,” Doeren said. “I love coaching and the chess match of the game, and I look forward to the competition.”
NC State will play its final home game of the season. Don’t expect the Wolfpack to hold anything back when it comes to expanding the playbook.
“We have plays ready, and if the opportunity presents itself — whether it’s going for it on fourth down or running something different — we’ll do it,” Doeren said.
Belichick said he expects similar intensity to last week’s game vs. Duke, though the Tar Heels will be on the road this week.
“It’s every play, you can’t afford any plays off against this group,” Belichick said of the Wolfpack. “Or they’re going to get you on it, because they just keep coming at you.”
NC State linebacker Caden Fordham leads all players from power conferences with 118 tackles. He didn’t finish the 2024 season because of a knee injury.
“When players care that much and then get injured, you hope they have a big bounce-back year,” Doeren said. “He has.”
North Carolina is coming off losses to in-state foes Wake Forest and Duke. The Tar Heels committed 12 penalties that cost them 103 yards against the Blue Devils.
“We just have to do a better job of keeping our boys playing football and not doing things after the play,” Belichick said.
Doeren holds an 8-4 record vs. the Tar Heels. The Wolfpack have a four-game winning streak in the series.
–Field Level Media
