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CHAPEL HILL — UNC football had two weeks of preparation after raising a trophy in Ireland.
Following the Tar Heels' 35-3 win against East Tennessee State to kick off the 100th season at Kenan Stadium, preparation is where coach Bill Belichick saw the most growth since that season-opening victory in Dublin.
"I think really just in the preparation, the way they approached the week," Belichick said of UNC (2-0), which begins ACC play on Sept. 19 at Clemson in Death Valley.
"At least we had some film to work with." For the TCU game, Belichick and the
Tar Heels were watching a lot of UConn film because TCU offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis was in the same position with the Huskies. With ETSU, UNC could focus on ETSU's matchups against Campbell and Tusculum as they improved themselves and prepared a plan to get better in Week 2.
"It was more of a preparation week for us. I thought that they did a good job studying, making sure they knew their opponent and what we were trying to do," said Belichick, whose team led 35-0 before ETSU kicked a field goal in the final four minutes.
"It wasn't perfect, but I thought we handled the looks they gave us pretty good. I thought that was a result of the preparation that we had. That's what we need to do every week."
UNC did it against an FCS opponent, but the primary point is that the Tar Heels were able to do it because of how they prepared. The goal was improvement, which was achieved against the Buccaneers (1-2).
"I think we definitely improved from (the TCU game) in our execution and preparation, just in our ability to operate without some of the hiccups that we had in Ireland," Belichick said.
"That's like it should be."
Billy Edwards, Demon June star for UNC offense
UNC quarterback Billy Edwards didn't have a touchdown against TCU, but he completed 15-of-20 for 244 yards and two touchdowns against ETSU. Edwards did most of that damage on short and intermediate routes to pass-catchers, but that strategy was effective against the Bucs' defense.
"There's multiple different things that I can pinpoint, but I don't think I can pinpoint one," Edwards said of UNC's improvement from the season opener to the second game.
"I think when you look at the advantages we were able to have in the run game with some of the things that ETSU wanted to do, that was huge. I think we did a great job of picking up on those. Short, intermediate (routes), I think we made great strides. Starting with me, the one thing that we all want to continue to improve on is the deep game."
Edwards' TD passes came on catch-and-run plays by tight end Jelani Thurman and running back Benjamin Hall. And, as Edwards touched on, UNC's running game was improved vs. ETSU with 171 rushing yards and an average of 6 yards per carry.
Running back Demon June led that effort with three rushing touchdowns after recording two rushing TDs in 11 games last season. Hall had 49 yards on four carries, and Jaylen McGill had 40 yards on five carries.
"I think we all just did a good job of working hard all week, knowing that we had to take care of business," June said. "… Just taking things that are available to us helps everybody all the way around."
Jaylen Harvey, Xavier Lewis step up with Melkart Abou Jaoude injured
Melkart Abou Jaoude, the reigning ACC sacks leader, was on the sideline vs. ETSU with a cast around his right forearm and hand. That didn't negatively affect UNC's pass rush, which got two sacks each from defensive lineman Jaylen Harvey and Xavier Lewis.
UNC linebacker Peyton Seelmann had 10 tackles to lead the defense, which didn't allow points in the final 49 minutes vs. TCU and didn't allow ETSU to score until a late field goal in the fourth quarter.
"All phases were clicking," Seelmann said.
Asked about the efforts from the defensive line, Seelmann described Lewis as a "stud" and went even further in his description of Harvey's game.
"He's really explosive," Seelmann said of Harvey. "That dude's probably one of the freakiest athletes I've been around."
As for the defense as a whole, Seelmann sees a "blue-collar mentality" within the group. It's something that unit will need against the Tigers at Memorial Stadium.
"We're tough, we're physical, we can play," Seelmann said.
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
