Bill Belichick's North Carolina squad had all the momentum to start the fourth quarter on the road against California, until it didn't.

The Tar Heels scored a touchdown at the start of the fourth to trim Cal's lead to a field goal. UNC's defense proceeded to get a big stop, forcing a three-and-out to quickly give their offense the ball back with a chance to take the lead. Quarterback Gio Lopez led a strong, nearly seven-minute drive to set the Tar Heels up for a go-ahead score.

With just under four minutes left in the game, Lopez found receiver Nathan Leacock on a slant with a pass to the end zone, but Golden Bears defensive back Brent Austin perfectly punched the ball free just before Leacock broke the plane.

The turnover let Cal waste nearly the entire clock before they punted to UNC for a last-second chance that came too late. The 21-18 loss drops Belichick to 2-4 to start his roller-coaster ride of a tenure with the Tar Heels. His rocky start has mostly come off the field, most recently with Pablo Torre unearthing bizarre hot-mic conversations between the legendary coach and his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson.

North Carolina's on-field product hasn't helped, as Belichick has yet to beat a Power 4 opponent, finding his only wins of the season against Charlotte and Richmond. He almost found his first ACC win Friday night, but the Tar Heels came mere inches away from a late go-ahead score in a fashion that seemed to summarize their season.

Their next chance to find an ACC win comes next week in a tough home matchup against No. 18 Virginia.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as North Carolina's Late Fumble in Tight Loss to Cal Sums Up Bill Belichick's Start.

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