Miami entered Saturday’s game as the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, while North Carolina came in 0-11 all-time against top-ranked opponents. However, Bill Belichick and his Tar Heels were determined to challenge those odds and show they could compete with the nation’s best.

UNC came close to pulling off the upset but ultimately fell 38-35 to Miami at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill. The loss leaves the Tar Heels at 4-4 overall and 2-3 in ACC play.

Despite the loss, UNC’s performance against the nation’s top team caught the attention of former NFL scout John Middlekauff, who made a playful remark about Belichick after watching the game.

John Middlekauff Makes Playful Bill Belichick Remark After UNC-Miami Thriller

North Carolina went toe-to-toe with Miami’s high-powered offense Saturday, keeping the game close until the final minutes. The Tar Heels found the end zone on four consecutive offensive possessions, excluding a kneel-down before halftime, and got the ball back with less than eight minutes remaining.

However, UNC’s momentum quickly disappeared when Marquise Lightfoot stripped Billy Edwards Jr. from behind to force a fumble. The turnover proved costly, allowing Miami to build a 38-28 lead, although UNC responded with a touchdown and still had multiple late chances to regain possession.

Still, few expected the Tar Heels to push Miami as close as they did. Taking the Hurricanes down to the wire and losing by just three points was an encouraging performance for UNC and Belichick. It also prompted Middlekauff to share an interesting message.

“Belichick is single, and his squad is ready to mingle,” Middlekauff tweeted.

Earlier this week, sources close to Belichick and Jordon Hudson told TMZ that the pair had quietly ended their relationship late last year, which helps explain Middlekauff’s comment.

Many fans have viewed Hudson as a distraction for Belichick and questioned her role with the Tar Heels. So it wasn’t surprising that Middlekauff’s tweet was met with a lot of support online.

Miami escaped with a win Saturday, avoiding a repeat of its 2004 loss to an unranked North Carolina team on a walk-off field goal. The day before Halloween that year, the Tar Heels stunned then-No. 4 Miami with a last-second kick. It’s still the highest-ranked opponent North Carolina has beaten.

Belichick couldn’t quite get his team over the line this time, but pushing the No. 1 team in the country to the final minutes was a big step forward from last season’s 4-8 finish. Afterward, he praised his players’ effort but admitted it was tough to come away with another loss after falling short the previous week.

“We obviously had a hard time handling them, although I thought we actually defended them pretty well,” Belichick said. “But I mean, they made a couple of great plays that you don’t see too many other people make.

“So they’re very good on offense, and it was a one-score, back-and-forth game, and then they got the turnover, and then it became a two-score game, and we couldn’t get the onside kicks, so that’s pretty much the story of it. A lot of effort, a lot of toughness, a lot of mental toughness, a lot of competitiveness, and just disappointing to come up short here two weeks in a row.”

Edwards delivered arguably the best performance of his career against Miami, completing the game with 341 passing yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. He ranks No. 61 with a PFN QB Impact Score of 77.5.

Belichick, Edwards, and UNC will look to bounce back against UConn on Nov. 7.