Bill Belichick brushes past Wake Forest coach with frosty handshake after UNC loss

Never meet your heroes. UNC head coach Bill Belichick brushed aside Wake Forest skipper Jake Dickert with a cold handshake following Saturday’s 28-12 loss to the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, N.C. Belichick, whose Tar Heels fell to a brutal 4–6 (2–4 Atlantic Coast Conference) after failing to score a single touchdown, couldn’t get off the field fast enough, making a beeline for the locker room when he heard the final whistle. Dickert, a first-year head coach who just conquered a football icon, rushed to midfield and removed his hat as he approached the legendary head coach — only to be dismissed with a brief, apathetic farewell. Asked by reporters what he had to say for Dickert during the icy interaction, Belichick had a one-word answer. “Congratulations,” Belichick said bluntly.Of course, there wasn’t much to say after a loss like that.The Tar Heels, who entered Saturday on a two-game winning streak, failed to reach the end zone once, with all of their points coming on four field goals. North Carolina converted on just four of their 14 third-down attempts while mustering only 56 yards on the ground, outgained by the Demon Deacons by a total of 157 yards.The tone was set after Wake Forest’s opening drive, when the Demon Deacons recovered their own fumble and returned it for a 50-yard touchdown. “Just not good enough in any area,” Belichick told reporters after the game.“On offense, defense, special teams, coaching, playing, we just didn’t have a good night and certainly was not enough.”The brutal loss comes after Belichick shut down rumors of potentially pursuing the coaching vacancy for the New York Giants, following the dismissal of Brian Daboll. “Since arriving in Chapel Hill, my commitment to the UNC Football program has not [wavered],” he wrote in a statement.

“My focus remains solely on continuing to improve this team, develop our players and build a program that makes Tar Heel fans proud.” But time is running ou...