Bill Belichick's first year with the North Carolina Tar Heels didn't go as planned. Distractions everywhere, bad football, and one of the greatest minds in football history adjusting to the collegiate level.
Year two, UNC (5-3, 2-2 ACC) has one of the best defenses in the ACC and has a top-25 win under its belt. They prepare for No. 1 Miami (7-0, 5-0 ACC), coming off a demolition job of Pitt, 52-23.
Moreover, with all the chaos week to week in college football, Mario Cristobal knows that they can't overlook this team. The mantra over the past two years stands at "1-0," and knowing that puts extra pressure on the Canes to stay focused on what is in front of them.
"Nothing in college is surprising," Cristobal said during his Monday morning appearance on the Joe Rose Show. "You know, I say a weekend a week out because I do believe in, really good. And remember, a to get into a conference championship runner to get into the playoffs, teams have to they need help from other teams, so they're not only playing against the teams or playing against. You're playing against all the staffs that need you to lose.
"So that they can get it also. So the amount of share of information, the amount of work, the amount of good players on different rosters that show up, the amount of think that happened out of the blue, you, last minute, you, illness, the last minute that's in the family that where you lose a guy, maybe mentally, or physically can't be there, there's a lot of things that go into this, so you've got to come in every single time, ready to play your best, if not, you're putting a winning at risk."
Moreover, Cristobal knows that Belichick has an NFL-style team. They are smart, disciplined, and are a few plays away from being undefeated.
Built like an NFL team," Cristobal said. "Big and powerful up front. Can two-gap you also play four down, multiple on the back end, big physical offensive line, downhill in the run game. Quarterback is really accurate, at least penalized, one of the least penalized teams in the country. I think they're number four, overall, at least in the red zone.
"They've got tons of guys who are returning starters as all-conference players. And you know what they do? They're really smart. They win games by playing together as a team, and really, they're a player, two away in three games, or they could be undefeated. So they've done an excellent job; great football team. Gonna be a great environment."
Cristobal and his troops will be on the way to Chapel Hill to play against the Tar Heels on a spooky Halloween night. Last season, the holiday went and shook the Canes' foundation with a loss to SMU. This year, they look to stay on pace to remain undefeated before traveling to Notre Dame.
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