North Carolina and head coach Bill Belichick picked up a second straight ACC win on Saturday, gritting to a 20-15 victory over Stanford 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.

“We’ve improved significantly over the course of the season,” Belichick told reporters after the game. “It’s not just one guy or one thing. A collective effort.”

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 a while to get things moving in that direction on Saturday. A week after a 27-10 road win 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.

“We had a tough start offensively and kind of got things going in the second half. Defensively, played well really for three quarters,” said Belichick. “Like a lot of these games, they’re close, they’re tight. Fortunately we made enough plays to come out on top today.”

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.

“I saw a blitz zero and I saw Jordan one-on-one,” Lopez said afterward. “I just trusted him because he’s been getting open all week (in practice). Practice goes to game-day reality.”

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.

“The score has a lot to do with it,” Belichick said of the nine sacks. “It’s hard to rush the passer against Clemson when you’re down by four touchdowns. It’s good team defense. Good coverage, better coverage, better rush, it all works together.”

For a UNC roster that added 70 new players this offseason, some familiarity is finally kicking in and translating to the field, Belichick said.

“I don’t think everybody necessarily knew the name of the person to the left or right of them several weeks ago. We’ve gotten to spend more time with each other,” Belichick said. “Trusting the person that’s next to you, trusting the play … that has really helped us to be more cohesive. … We weren’t anywhere close to that several weeks ago.”

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson visited the Food Bank of Central & Eastern N.C. in Raleigh Friday to volunteer and talk about his lawsuit against the USDA over SNAP benefits. 

Jackson sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture last week over the delays in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to the federal government shutdown. November benefits for 1.4 million North Carolinians have yet to be delivered, leaving those families without the help they need to put food on the table.

He said that after “winning” the lawsuit, North Carolina is now fighting over what the remedy will look like after the USDA agreed to issue 50% of the payments. Jackson’s department is seeking to bring the case to court again to have USDA issue the full payment. 

As a result of the lawsuit, Jackson added that as of early Friday morning, SNAP payments began going into the EBT cards of North Carolinians. Beneficiaries an average of 50% of their expected payments, but some saw up to 65% depending on their eligibility. 

A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered President Trump’s administration Thursday to fully fund SNAP benefits for November by Friday. 

However, just before Jackson’s appearance at the food bank, the Trump administration asked a federal appeals court for an emergency pause on this order, saying that because of the shutdown, there is only enough money to pay partial benefits for November. 

The administration agreed earlier this week to use roughly $4.65 billion in contingency funds to cover 65% of the benefits for eligible households, but it could not draw from additional funds set aside for child nutrition programs to fully fund SNAP. 

The Associated Press reported that if the shutdown continues into December, there is not a plan for funding at all. 

When asked what the state would do if the government’s contingency funds dry up, Jackson he’d ask the state legislature to fill the gap in funding. North Carolina would need over $200 million a month to replace the SNAP funds that usually come from the federal government. 

“There are other buckets of money that the agricultural department has access to, that’s the argument we’re making to the court,” Jackson continued. 

It is very clear that before that happens, the shutdown needs to come to an end. We need to get the negotiators in the room, so that we’re not faced with the worst case scenario of this emergency fund running out, and people face zero dollars to buy groceries.Attorney General Jeff Jackson

Amy Beros, the president and CEO of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC, added that even before the shutdown, the organization saw record-breaking need and more hunger than they’ve experienced in serving 34 counties over two decades. 

“[This shutdown] has been an added level,” Beros said. “Our partners were reporting before the shutdown, they were seeing anywhere between 20 and 60 percent increases [in demand for food assistance] month after month. Now we have our federal employees who have not received paychecks that may be accessing the system for the first time.”

Beros added that even though partial benefits were received Friday, the reality is that those partial benefits will not meet the needs for the full month. 

Jackson said that even as some money is going into the pockets of North Carolinians, he is still showing up at food banks and encouraging others to do so, as his department expects record-high demand this month.

Both he and Beros urge those who can to volunteer at their local food banks and to make the monetary donations they can. Those who are looking for food banks for themselves can visit foodbanknc.org. 

“We know how difficult it is to ask for help, but we are here to partner with you, all of our neighbors, no matter what,” Beros said. “It takes hundreds of volunteers every single day and it takes your monetary support to make sure every neighbor does not have to worry about their next meal.” 

WRAL’s Carly Haynes contributed to this reporting. 

Some towns in Western North Carolina have spent more on disaster cleanup than they make in an entire year, and now some say they’re running out of money. Local leaders say FEMA still hasn’t delivered on millions in promised aid, forcing small governments to drain their reserves.

Reporter : Liz McLaughlin
Web Editor : Sydney Ross

Posted 2025-11-06T18:03:44-0500 – Updated 2025-11-06T18:03:44-0500