UNC football 'my bad' offense leads to message from Jordan Shipp after loss at Wake Forest
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WINSTON-SALEM — Cramped into a college-dorm-like setup serving as the press conference area for UNC football, wide receiver Jordan Shipp kept it real about the Tar Heels’ offensive issues at Wake Forest.
“When we got in the locker room after the game, I told ‘em, like, ‘Defense, y’all are balling. It’s on us. We can’t expect y’all to stop everybody every drive and us keep going slow,’ ” Shipp said after the 28-12 loss to the Demon Deacons.
“. … They don’t get the honor that they should get, because of the offense. That’s just something, we just gotta own up to it. There’s no more hiding from it, there’s no more ducking from it. As an offense, we played poorly, especially in the red zone.”
Before Shipp spoke with media members, UNC coach Bill Belichick stood next to a chair with his hands in his pockets, shrugging and mumbling as he was asked questions about the Tar Heels (4-6, 2-4 ACC), who need to win their final two games to become bowl eligible.
“Disappointing game. Just not good enough in any area,” Belichick said at the start of a 5 ½-minute press conference.
“. … We just didn’t have a good night, so it wasn’t enough here. Let’s go back to work this week and see if we can get back on track. We’re a better team than we were (against Wake Forest), but we just weren’t very good.”
The Demon Deacons (7-3, 4-3) scored four touchdowns, including three on explosive plays.
UNC had four field goals, courtesy of kicker Rece Verhoff, and two blocked attempts. Verhoff made a school-record 57-yarder, but the Tar Heels were 1 of 3 in the red zone.
“We need to finish those drives. We got the ball down there, just didn’t have enough to show for it,” Belichick said.
So, does UNC need to shake things up offensively after finishing with 257 total yards against the Deacs, including 56 rushing yards?
“It’s not Gio’s fault, it’s not the center’s fault, the guard’s fault, the tackle’s fault, the receivers, running back. Everybody’s taking their turns with ‘my bad,’ ” Shipp said. “One ‘my bad’ ruins the whole play. You have three ‘my bads’ on a drive, that’s 20-something ‘my bads’ throughout the game. That’s 20-something plays down the drain. It’s not one person, it’s the overall team.”
Shipp pointed to “self-inflicted wounds” as the biggest issue in UNC’s latest offensive performance. After producing four explosive scoring plays in their two-game winning streak, the Tar Heels had three explosive plays total against Wake Forest.
“That’s something that we gotta own up to,” Shipp said. “. … I feel like we were just killing ourselves (against Wake Forest).”
The Tar Heels had six drives reach at least the Wake Forest 39-yard line. Those drives produced 12 points.
Defensively, UNC got a takeaway and a turnover on downs, but Wake Forest scored on plays of 51, 12 and 70 yards. Wake Forest was in victory formation in the final 30 seconds, but Belichick called a timeout and the Deacs followed with a 2-yard TD run by quarterback Robby Ashford to put a bow on their performance.
UNC allowed 414 yards, including 223 rushing yards, with Demond Claiborne (110 yards, TD) and Carlos Hernandez (151 yards, two TDs) accounting for 261 yards and three TDs. But Shipp still placed the blame on the Tar Heels’ offense.
“Coach B said what he had to say, (defensive captain) Will Hardy said some things,” Shipp said of the postgame scene.
“My emotions, I just told ‘em, ‘Defense, y’all played y’all heart out. Y’all are bailing us out, big time. We could really be getting blown out if y’all aren’t getting these stops and we’re not putting points on the board.’ ”
Shipp, who went on to say he “wasn’t whispering” as he shared his feelings in the locker room, added that UNC has to “look in the mirror, own up to it and finish these two games.”
UNC hosts Duke (5-5, 4-2) in the final home game before traveling to N.C. State (5-5, 2-4) for the regular-season finale.
And, as Shipp shared his candid thoughts in that college-dorm-like room, he knew there’s no more room for error if the Tar Heels want to play in the postseason.
“Fix it or get out,” Shipp said. “These two games, we’re trying to make a bowl game. We gotta win these two games to do that.”
Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to rbaxley@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Jordan Shipp had message for UNC football after loss at Wake Forest
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