It was already a rough Saturday for Gio Lopez, but then Scott Frost‘s Orlando turned it into a nightmare. The UNC quarterback, the South Alabama transfer who was supposed to give Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels some juice, went down in the third quarter against UCF after what looked like a leg injury. And the way it all unfolded? Pure heartbreak for Chapel Hill.

Lopez was having one of those “two steps forward, three steps back” type of days. He was somewhat accurate on paper—11-of-14 for 87 yards—but those two first-half picks had UNC buried 27–3. Still, he tried to make something happen on his legs. Fourth-and-1, with just six minutes left in the third. He kept it, muscled past the sticks, then boom! Got rolled up by a wall of Knights’ defenders. He stayed down, trainers rushed over, and teammates hovered. Lopez grimaced, then tried to get up before quickly realizing he couldn’t. He was helped to the sideline, limping heavily, before a cart rolled out. Word on the field? He’s unable to generate any kind of motion or pressure on his right leg. Not exactly the news or image that UNC fans wanted in Week 4.

Enter Max Johnson – the LSU/Texas A&M transfer, who barely played last year after surgeries. Belichick didn’t even use him in the Charlotte or Richmond tune-ups. But Johnson stepped in like he’d been waiting all month, going 9-of-11 for 103 yards and hitting WR Kobe Paysour on an 8-yard TD to at least give UNC a pulse.

Now the million-dollar question: if Lopez’s injury isn’t season-ending, does Belichick ride with the transfer he hand-picked, or stick with Johnson—the dude who just delivered their first touchdown of the night? UNC (2-2) left the Bounce House with a 34–9 defeat, and the truth is they never really had the upper hand at any point in this game. The Heels didn’t lead for a single second, didn’t sniff the end zone until late in that third quarter TD pass to Paysour, and even then, the game was already drifting out of reach. The early script resembled one that was ripped straight out of Sonny Dykes‘ TCU loss in Week 1.

Second L of 2025 for Bill Belichick

Gio Lopez’s very first series ended in disaster, his pass batted at the line and picked off by UCF’s Nyjalik Kelly, gifting the Knights prime field position. They turned it into three easy points, stretching the score to 10–0 before UNC fans had a chance to breathe. From there, it all snowballed. When UNC finally had a chance to settle in and answer, Lopez’s pass in the red zone was tipped and intercepted again, erasing what little heat they had built.

By halftime, it was 20–3, the product of breakdowns in coverage and backbreaking penalties on defense. Belichick looked stone-faced on the sideline, but the frustration was written all over his team. The second half brought more pain to Bill Belichick’s eyes. A quick three-and-out gave UCF another chance to flex, and quarterback Tayven Jackson and running back Myles Montgomery didn’t miss.

Their one-yard plunge into the end zone pushed it to 27–3, and right after that, Lopez went down for good. Johnson entered, pieced together a gutsy 19-play touchdown drive, but it was more window dressing than comeback. UCF closed the book with another late touchdown, sealing the 34–9 beatdown. For Belichick, the math is ugly: two games against Big 12 teams, outscored 75–23. And next up? Clemson in Kenan. Welcome to the grind.