Copyright The New York Times
North Carolina and head coach Bill Belichick picked up a second straight ACC win on Saturday, gritting to a 20-15 victory over Stanford on Saturday in Chapel Hill. It wasn’t pretty for much of the game, but after five straight losses to start the season against power-conference opponents — featuring multiple goal-line fumbles and endless off-field ordeals — Belichick and the Tar Heels have back-to-back wins (4-5, 2-3 ACC) and can reach bowl eligibility by taking two of their last three to end the regular season. Considering how drama-filled and disaster-stained Belichick’s first season as a college coach began, it seemed unlikely that North Carolina would be in position to earn its way into the postseason. That effort starts with a road trip next Saturday to Wake Forest, followed by a home showdown against Duke and another road game at NC State — all in-state opponents. With Duke the only of those teams still in the ACC race, there’s at least a path for the Tar Heels to punctuate an unexpected turnaround with a bowl bid. It took awhile to get things moving in that direction on Saturday. A week after a 27-10 road win last week at Syracuse, North Carolina turned in a dreadful first half against Stanford (3-7, 2-5 ACC), gaining only 47 total yards on its way to a 3-3 halftime tie. Defense was the saving grace for both teams through the first two quarters, with the Tar Heels sacking Stanford quarterback Elijah Brown six times while holding the Cardinal to just 100 yards. The entertainment value picked up after the break, starting with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive for North Carolina, capped by a 20-yard wheel route from quarterback Gio Lopez to running back Davion Gause. Lopez was electric in the second half. Despite completing just 5 of 8 passes for 28 yards through the opening two quarters, the lefty and South Alabama transfer finished 18-for-25 for 203 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions, including a 55-yard touchdown strike off his back foot to Jordan Shipp in the fourth quarter, with the Stanford defender slipping to the turf and leaving Shipp a clear path to the end zone. That’s two straight encouraging performances from Lopez, who went 15-for-19 for 216 yards and two touchdowns against Syracuse. After struggling and battling injuries the first two months, the improvement is another reason for bowl-optimism down this final stretch. The Tar Heels defense, which has been the team’s least disappointing aspect this season, was stout when it needed to be, finishing with a season-high nine sacks, winning the turnover battle two to one, and limiting Stanford to just 30 yards in a critical third quarter that swung the game. It was enough to hold off a late surge by the Cardinal, who reached the end zone with less than two minutes remaining to cut the deficit to one score.
