North Carolina coach Bill Belichick said it feels like a normal week as the Tar Heels prepare to face Richmond on Saturday afternoon at Chapel Hill, N.C.
There was massive build-up to the Tar Heels’ first game under Belichick on Sept. 1, and then a quick turnaround before a 20-3 victory at Charlotte five days later.
So now there’s a full week for North Carolina (1-1) to get ready for its next game.
“There’s a lot of room for improvement, just fundamentals and execution and, in some cases, our timing,” Belichick said.
Richmond (1-1) will play its third consecutive road game following a loss at Lehigh and a victory at Wofford. The Spiders, who are in their first season playing football in the Patriot League, snapped a two-year streak of 0-2 starts to a season.
North Carolina hasn’t generated much of a rushing attack — with only 198 yards this season — so a go-to running back has yet to emerge.
“I think they’re all capable and (have) shown some flashes,” Belichick said. “It’s very competitive. I have confidence in all of them. … We’ll see how it works itself out.”
Sustaining drives could be important for the Tar Heels, whose coach said there needs to be an emphasis on avoiding negative-yardage plays. Otherwise, it’s difficult to stay on track.
“They haven’t given up hardly any big plays defensively,” Belichick said of the Spiders.
North Carolina might be without receiver Chris Culliver, who caught a touchdown pass at Charlotte but later suffered a shoulder injury. Belichick said more will be known later in the week on his status.
Richmond has had eight players make their first career starts this season. Quarterback Kyle Wickersham is in his fourth season of seeing game action and has thrown for one touchdown and two interceptions this year.
Richmond coach Russ Huesman said the Spiders, who have scored 14 points in both of their games, will need to be more aggressive offensively as the season progresses.
“We got to get good at what we do,” Huesman said. “We’re just going to have to open it up and go play.”
Belichick said there should be opportunities for upgrades defensively from the Tar Heels with the full week of preparation.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to make strides there,” he said. “That’s up to us. We still have to do it.”
This will be the first time the Spiders and Tar Heels have met since 1978.
