You can try to spin it any way you want. The fact is: UNC choked on Saturday afternoon against the Clemson Tigers.
After the game, head coach Bill Belichick spoke to the media about his team's disappointing defeat. In typical Belichick fashion, his press conference wasn't long in nature, but he didn't shy away from admitting his team missed a lot of opportunities throughout the game.
Listen and see what Belichick had to say below.
Bill Belichick reacts after UNC lets Clemson game slip away
Belichick's opening statement
"Proud of the way our players competed. Clemson’s a good football team. In the end, they made a few more plays than we did. In the last eight minutes of the game, we missed a couple of opportunities on offense and missed some tackles on defense. Had a couple long runs that obviously hurt us.
So, disappointing end. We just have to keep working and keep getting better, which we are. So, really not too much to say. Give them some credit. They made the plays at the end of the game they needed to make."
What went into the decision to pass on crucial fourth-and-one
"Felt like it was a good play."
What changed after Edwards' strong start
"I think they (Clemson) pretty much did the same thing most of the game. I mean, they gave us a lot of different pressures, which we expected, and mixed it up with some odd run. But it’s what they normally do. So, nothing out of the ordinary. I’d just say that what they did is pretty much what they do."
On running the ball twice after the delay
"We missed an opportunity down there."
What he wants his team to learn from this loss
"Every game is a learning experience. You win or lose, we learn from all of them. Things we do well, we want to keep doing. Things we need to do better, we need to improve on. That’s all the way across the board — players, coaches, everybody."
Clemson being able to capitalize against UNC's defense
"I mean, look, they do a good job offensively. They mix it up. They hit us on a couple plays, and we hit them on some. Pretty competitive game."
His instant reaction to his secondary's play
"Yeah, I mean, we had our moments. They completed some passes, short passes, and we gave up a couple down the sidelines, and then play-action or fake slip screens.
Overall, not bad. Just two really good receivers. These guys are hard to tackle. They got us a couple times. Thought we covered them pretty well and tackled them pretty well at times."
The disappointment of crucial penalties
"Well, we always want to try to play penalty-free. That’ll never change. Keep working on it."
Follow-up on pass to Jelani Thurman on fourth down
"Yeah, we had a shot at it. There were other options on the play, but I won’t second-guess him (Bobby Petrino). I mean, we’ve got one of our best receivers downfield, and we just couldn’t do it."
Concern about the vertical passing game
"A couple of those plays make a big difference in the game and field position in the game. So, we’ve got to keep working on them and hit them. That’s all I’m going to say."
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