Belichick’s Tar Heels finding success bringing down QBs in sign of progress from rough start

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina linebacker Tyler Thompson has a simple explanation of how he keeps getting to the quarterback.

“Really just effort and violence, bro,” he said after tallying seven sacks in four games. “Like, if you really want it, you’ll get it.”

These days, he could be speaking for the Tar Heels’ entire defensive front.

UNC’s pass rush has been an obvious sign of growth in the NFL coaching icon Bill Belichick’s first college season. It’s coincided with the Tar Heels regrouping from a debacle of an opening month to win two straight and inch within reach of bowl eligibility, with Saturday’s trip to Wake Forest starting a three-game stretch against in-state Atlantic Coast Conference opponents.

Belichick, who led the NFL’s New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles, has pointed to multiple factors. Those range from being in closer games that require opponents to throw more to overall improvement throughout the defense.

“Let me just say sacks are a function of team defense,” Belichick said Tuesday. “And if the receivers are open and the quarterback throws the ball, I don’t care how fast you get there – you’re not going to get there. … So when your team defense is good, then all those things fall into place.”

The Tar Heels (4-5, 2-3 ACC) have racked up a national-best 20 sacks in the last four weeks following an open week, according to Sportradar. In terms of per-game average, they’re tied for third in that stretch (5.0) behind No. 10 Texas and Minnesota with 18 sacks in three games (6.0).

UNC had nine sacks last week against Stanford to match the highest output in the Bowl Subdivision ranks all year, shared by five others teams. There was also a six-sack showing in an overtime loss to then-No. 16 Virginia on Oct. 25, making UNC one of 10 FBS teams to have at least two games with six-plus sacks this year, according to Sportradar.

Overall, UNC – with Belichick’s son Steve as coordinator after spending last year in that role at Washington – has 26 sacks and is ranked tied for 12th nationally at 2.9 per game.

By comparison, the Tar Heels had just six sacks through the first five games, with three coming against Richmond of the Championship Subdivision.

Belichick, who also was defensive coordinator for the New York Giants during two Super Bowl titles, compared building a pass rush to a baseball pitcher. In that regard, he said, pass rushers must develop a varied skillset and “a good two or three pitches that you can throw” while working in unison.

“Some guys are power rushers, some guys are more speed rushers and so forth,” Belichick said. “I kind of look at it like a pitcher: it’s hard to win with just one pitch, even if it’s a really good one. … You need a curveball. You need a change-up. You need something. I think that’s the way it is with the pass rush, too.”

The recent surge has come largely behind Delaware transfer Melkart Abou Jaoude, who has eight sacks in the past three games and is one of five FBS players with at least 10 sacks this year. Thompson has four straight games with at least one sack and had three against the Cardinal.

After Saturday’s win against Stanford, Belichick reflected after Saturday on the first half of the schedule and said he thought he “could’ve done a better job of looking at some of our players and putting them in better position to be successful” early on.

Similarly, Thompson pointed to players needing time to get comfortable in Steve Belichick’s system.

“The back end is doing a phenomenal job locking down receivers,” Thompson said. “So that’s giving me and Melly and some of the other guys time to get back there. And just everyone doing their jobs. It’s that simple.”