UNC just lost 38-35 to No. 1 Miami on Saturday, a heartbreaker that marked the fourth time Bill Belichick’s squad has blown a fourth quarter lead in the last two seasons. Look, you gotta give it up for the Tar Heels’ fight, especially against the top team in the nation. Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. put on a show, finishing with 341 yards and four touchdown passes. But dang, this is becoming a serious pattern, and it’s gotta be eating at the team.
Another One Slips Away
The Tar Heels hung tough with Miami’s high-powered offense all game, trading scores through the first half. They even grabbed the lead early in the third quarter when Edwards connected with Jordan Shipp for a touchdown, making it 21-17. But then, as if we’ve seen this movie before, they let it slip. They actually pulled ahead again in the fourth quarter, 28-24, after Demon June punched in a score to cap off a massive 16-play drive. You’re up in the fourth, you’re rolling, you’re thinking this is it, right? Nope. Miami answered with touchdowns on its next two drives. The killer blow? An Edwards fumble in between those two Miami scores. Even with Edwards throwing a fourth touchdown pass late in the game, they just couldn’t claw their way back. That turnover was absolutely crushing.
The Belichick Blown Lead Count Is Growing
This isn’t just a one-off tough break. This Miami loss is the fourth time under Belichick that UNC has held a fourth quarter lead and still lost the game. We saw it last season against Duke, where they led 25-24 with 13 minutes left before falling 32-25. This year? It’s happened three times already. First, a 20-15 lead against Clemson in the fourth turned into a 28-20 loss. Then, they were up 23-17 against Syracuse with just over seven minutes to go, only to lose 31-30. And now, this gut punch against Miami. They had a 28-24 lead with nearly twelve minutes left and couldn’t hold on. You’re talking about a team that’s now 4-4 this season, which is an improvement over last year’s 4-8 finish, but when you look at these leads, you just know they could be so much better.
Imagine what this team’s record could be. UNC is sitting at 8-12 under Belichick overall. Had they closed out even just one or two of these games where they were leading in the fourth, they could be making some serious noise in the ACC right now. The fight is there, the offense can clearly put up points, but they’ve just got to figure out how to finish. The season is still going, and fans are definitely looking for them to turn this trend around and prove they can close out games.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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