CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Louisville beat North Carolina 16-14 at Kenan Stadium on Saturday night, but the final whistle was only the start of the trouble. A postgame brawl broke out between the two ACC rivals as the Cardinals knelt out the win, sending both sidelines onto the field in a scene that took coaches and officials several minutes to untangle.
A testy kneel-down turned ugly
The fight started during Louisville's final kneel-down, when Tar Heels defensive lineman Xavier Lewis and Cardinals right guard Johnnie Brown III kept jostling on the field. As the clock hit zero, more players piled in. Officials threw flags and announced "the game is not over" before the referee finally declared the contest over roughly 30 seconds later, according to 247Sports.
Lewis and Brown remained tied up for more than half a minute before falling to the ground, with teammates from both teams piling on in attempts to separate them. Simultaneously, two other groups of roughly a dozen players were shoving and trading punches near midfield and in the end zone.
Belichick: 'Play the games between the whistles'
UNC coach Bill Belichick, who was standing near midfield when the fight began, walked toward the home tunnel pulling Tar Heels away from Louisville players along the way. "I just got everybody out of there as quickly as possible. Play the games between the whistles; that's not what we're here for," Belichick said, adding he had not reviewed footage of the brawl afterward.
Louisville coach Jeff Brohm called the scene "unfortunate," saying, "You try to get things broken up as fast as you can. It didn't get broken up too fast, but you never want to see that happen."
UNC wide receiver Jordan Shipp, one of seven Tar Heels captains, apologized for how the game ended. "I didn't see anything… That's not the way we want to end the game, so I apologize on our part," he said. Linebacker and captain Derek McDonald added, "It just got out of hand… We should've won between the whistles. None of that needs to happen. Unnecessary."
QB injury and a late interception doomed UNC
The on-field drama overshadowed a costly night for the Tar Heels. Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. left the game with an injury in the third quarter, and backup Travis Burgess threw a fourth-down interception with 58 seconds left that sealed the loss. Jabari Mack made the pick by snatching a pass that ricocheted off Shipp, returning it 32 yards before sliding down so Louisville could run out the clock.
Louisville improved to 7-3 overall and 6-2 in the ACC with its fifth straight win. North Carolina fell to 5-5, leaving the Tar Heels needing wins down the stretch to secure bowl eligibility, with Virginia up next.
ACC could review for discipline
It's unclear whether the ACC will review the game tape and issue suspensions. Athlon Sports reported that both programs are bracing for possible punishment, and Belichick is expected to face questions about discipline when UNC reconvenes this week.
