What we learned about UNC football as a late fumble caused a loss at Cal

As Nathan Leacock rushed toward the end zone Friday night with less than four minutes left on the clock — and North Carolina down three points — a breakthrough for the Tar Heels seemed imminent.

Instead, Cal’s Brent Austin punched the ball from his grasp just shy of the goal line. Soon Leacock was crawling on the turf, trying in vain to reach the ball before the Golden Bears pounced on it.

Fumble. Turnover. Game essentially over.

Returning from a drama-filled open date in which rumors of coach Bill Belichick’s exit swirled to such a crescendo that it forced joint statements from the head coach and UNC’s athletic director, North Carolina’s trip to Cal offered a chance for the Tar Heels to provide a source of positive news for the program.

Instead, what was nearly a statement win — what would have been Belichick’s first conference win as UNC head coach — turned into more frustration and a 21-18 loss. UNC (2-4, 0-2 ACC) played closer than it had against any Power Four opponent this season, but it couldn’t beat the Golden Bears (5-2, 2-1 ACC).

“Real competitive game here,” Belichick said after the loss. “A couple big mistakes hurt us. [There were] a lot of things we could’ve done better in all three phases. Just came up a little bit short here today.”

Still, under the lights of California Memorial Stadium and the fatigue of a 10:30 pm ET kickoff, North Carolina proved its ability to compete against a Power Four team for the first time in the Belichick era. The Tar Heels had been outscored 120-33 against P4 opponents previously this fall, and were coming off a 38-10 loss to Clemson where they trailed 28-3 after one quarter.

Here’s what we learned from the loss Friday night:

Lopez looks unsure in return

Playing his first game in four weeks after recovering from a right leg injury suffered in the UCF loss, UNC quarterback Gio Lopez left California without throwing an interception. And while he showed off his mobility and arm talent at a few points — see his 37-yard completion to Kobe Paysour midway through the first quarter, for instance — his decision-making and accuracy appeared wary at times. He had a few close calls in the first half.

With just under five minutes left in the first quarter, Lopez faced a blitz and targeted Leacock on a go route down the left sideline. The pass was a short. Hezekiah Masses got his hands on the ball — nearly intercepting it — but was called for targeting. Hall’s touchdown on the next play quickly wiped that near-miscue from memory.

Midway through the second quarter, on a second-and-7 with plenty of time in the pocket, Lopez looked past an open Jordan Shipp in the middle of the field and instead fired deep — and way past — Chris Culliver. The pass was nearly picked off in the end zone.

Lopez had another close call with just under two minutes to play in the half. On another throw down the field — and another hold-your-breath moment for the Tar Heels — Lopez’s pass intended for tight end Jake Johnson was broken up by Masses. The defensive back, a force to be reckoned with throughout the game, threw his hands on his helmet in frustration at missing the near-interception.

Lopez finished the game 19 for 35 (54% completion rate) and threw for 167 yards. He has yet to throw for over 200 yards this season.

Flawed fundamentals

North Carolina’s fumble on the first snap of the game didn’t inspire much confidence — especially after a second early bye week. It proved to be a bad omen as many other miscues followed.

After a three-and-out on the next offensive possession, UNC began its third drive with a false start on offensive lineman Austin Blaske. North Carolina failed to get past the chains for the remainder of the drive.

Belichick has preached fundamentals throughout his tenure in Chapel Hill and said in his press conference Monday he felt the team improved from a “fundamental standpoint” during the bye week.

But dropped passes and mental lapses still plagued the Tar Heels at various points.

Look no further than the unnecessary roughness call on D’Antre Robinson late in the first quarter, which put Cal in the red zone. Two plays later, the Golden Bears scored when Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele completed a short pass to Jacob De Jesus — putting Cal up 14-7.

Cal added to its lead early in the third quarter thanks to some Tar Heel defensive lapses. Golden Bears wideout QuaRon Adams evaded multiple UNC defenders and snuck into the red zone five minutes into the second half. A few plays later, in a third-and-9 scenario, Marcus Allen — who slotted into the top cornerback spot with Thad Dixon out due to injury — was called for pass interference. That moved Cal to the 2-yard line, where running back Raphael Kendrick scored to put the Golden Bears up 21-10.

Although North Carolina eventually clawed back into the game, these fundamental issues proved costly.

“I mean, I thought we played with confidence,” Belichick said. “We competed and our group showed toughness. Just have to do some things fundamentally better.”

Tar Heels look more competitive

When Benjamin Hall burst into the end zone toward the end of the first quarter on an 18-yard dash, it marked the first meaningful touchdown for UNC football in a month.

After claiming a win over Richmond on Sept. 13, North Carolina faced halftime deficits of 20-3 against UCF and 35-3 against Clemson before scoring second-half TDs in both matchups. On Friday night in Berkeley, the halftime difference was a slight 14-10.

And the Tar Heels, to their credit, remained competitive for most of the game. After falling behind 21-10 through three quarters, UNC orchestrated an 11-play, 84-yard drive that ended in a rushing touchdown from running back Davion Gause and a two-point conversion pass to Hall. That brought UNC within field goal distance at 21-18.

Hall proved to be a bright spot for the Tar Heels, rushing for 68 yards on 14 attempts. He had one touchdown, as did Gause, who rushed for 31 yards on six attempts. Paysour had one of the best games of his career, recording a personal-best 101 yards on just six receptions.

“It felt great,” Paysour said. “Just being out there, making plays [and] just having the coaches trust in me. That was the big part of the game today. Made me feel good.”

Despite the Tar Heels’ struggles, they were in a position to take a late lead. They nearly capped off an 11-play, 53-yard drive — if not for Leacock’s late-game fumble.

And so, in the first game back since UNC’s cornerbacks coach was suspended for NCAA violations, general manager Michael Lombardi made headlines for a preseason fundraising trip to Saudi Arabia and the Tar Heels were accused of having a divided locker room, North Carolina competed.

That, for now, is a sign of progress.

This story was originally published October 18, 2025 at 2:41 AM.