Watch Bill Belichick’s victory speech after Stanford win

It’s been a bleak season for North Carolina Football. The buzz around Bill Belichick’s college debut faded quickly as the Tar Heels got off to a 2-5 start. North Carolina’s season was derailed by a four-game losing streak. It got so bad that Belichick had to deny rumors suggesting he was seeking an early exit from the school.

But the Tar Heels may have turned a corner. After defeating Syracuse 27-10 on Halloween, North Carolina beat the Stanford Cardinal 20-15 at home on Saturday. Belichick and company improved to 4-5 with the win and have a chance to get back to .500 next week against Wake Forest.

After the game, Belichick addressed the team. The famously deadpan coach did his best to inspire the Tar Heels with a rousing locker room victory speech.

North Carolina inches closer to .500 with Stanford win

“That’s the way we thought it would be, coming right down to the wire. We had our chances to make it a little more space than we had. But, in the end, it’s a damn good win all the way around. We’re gonna keep building on that one. We’ve got the three games in North Carolina now. So, this is the heart of our schedule,” Belichick said, per UNC’s official X account.

“We need to play our best football. Have our best week of practice, play our best football on Saturday. Get ready to get Wake [Forest] here. Get ready to get Wake. But let’s keep grinding now, we can’t stop. We’ve gotta keep grinding, keep getting better, keep believing in ourselves, believe in the process. Alright? Let’s make it three in a row. Congratulations, men. Congratulations,” Belichick said, to polite applause.

Both teams started slow on Saturday. North Carolina got on the board first, capitalizing on a turnover deep in Cardinal territory with a 27-yard field goal. Stanford answered in the second quarter and the game was tied 3-3 at halftime.

However, the Tar Heels came out firing after the break. UNC scored 17 straight points in the second half, taking a 20-3 lead. Stanford eventually responded with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, making it a one-possession game with under two minutes remaining. The Cardinal managed to get the ball back but North Carolina’s defense secured the win by stymieing a last-ditch lateral effort as time ran out.

The Tar Heels hit a low point with their devastating overtime loss to Virginia. But the team has rebounded nicely, snapping a four-game losing streak last week and improving to 2-3 in the ACC on Saturday.