Syracuse ended an 11-game conference losing streak with a stunning 31-30 overtime victory over North Carolina on Saturday night. The Tar Heels came in favored after big road wins over Pitt and Duke, but this upset hits hard in Bill Belichick’s second year trying to rebuild the program. Belichick declined to take a strong stance after the game, saying he simply could not see the play clearly from his side of the field.
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When asked afterward whether he had seen the play and if he planned to send the film to the ACC office for review, Belichick kept it brief. “Yeah. No, I mean, it’s on the other side of the field,” Belichick said, according to GoHeels. “I mean, I couldn’t see much. Yeah, it’s hard to tell. I don’t know.” Even though Belichick broke his silence, the coach chose to stay neutral rather than criticize the call.
In overtime, Syracuse faced a 30-23 deficit but managed to score on a fourth-and-goal play when Steve Angeli connected with Calvin Russell III for a four-yard touchdown. Fran Brown went for two instead of tying it. Angeli rolled right, and Russell stretched the ball to the front-right pylon. The officials stopped to review, and Belichick and Brown stood at midfield while they waited. The call was upheld, as Belichick did not argue it was wrong or said anything much about it all.
The conversion was close, with Syracuse’s own coverage describing Russell as barely getting the ball across the goal line. Replay angles did not give clear proof to change the call, so the refs let it stand. Neither UNC nor ACC officials have publicly called for an investigation into the ruling, leaving any demands for a formal review strictly to frustrated fans online.
The game was UNC’s to win. North Carolina opened the game with scores on their initial two possessions, building a 10-0 advantage by the end of the first quarter. Billy Edwards Jr. completed his first 11 passes, making him the first UNC quarterback to complete 10 straight passes since Drake Maye. Demon June’s 25-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-one made it 20-10 in the third.
Then, Umari Hatcher caught a 76-yard touchdown, and UNC settled for a field goal after driving to the Syracuse 4. Tylik Hill’s 3-yard run tied it at 23 with 1:54 left, though Shay Barker missed the extra point. UNC’s last chance died on a fourth-down sack of Edwards.
“I was ready to go ballistic, but then I heard the ref say it was under review,” Russell said. Brown said his team had “a weight lifted off our shoulders.”
The main problem area was the defense, which gave up 455 total yards and allowed 21 points after halftime. Linebacker Derek McDonald pointed to missed tackles, while the offense managed just three points on its final four possessions of regulation.
The next test is harder. North Carolina hosts No. 1 Miami on Halloween night, then plays UConn, Louisville, Virginia and NC State. Syracuse hosts No. 23 SMU, with its first ACC win in hand. Belichick has six days to fix the tackling and finishing before the top-ranked team in the country walks in.