UNC and Syracuse aim to end four-game skids in Friday ACC clash

The North Carolina Tar Heels travel to Syracuse to face the Orange on Friday night at the JMA Wireless Dome, seeking to snap respective four-game losing streaks in an Atlantic Coast Conference game that kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Eastern and will be broadcast on ESPN. North Carolina, in Bill Belichick’s first season as head coach, remains winless in ACC play, while Syracuse has struggled since losing its starting quarterback and has dropped four straight.

Both teams enter the matchup with momentum-defining stakes. North Carolina is 2-5 overall and has shown signs of competitiveness in recent weeks, including a 17-16 overtime loss to No. 16 Virginia last weekend. Coach Belichick declined extended comment on recent reporting about the program but said after the Virginia game, "Just trying to win the game," when asked to explain a decision to go for a two-point conversion at the end of regulation. Virginia coach Tony Elliott said he would have opted to kick the extra point, describing the call as aggressive but within Belichick’s judgment.

Syracuse is 3-5 and has been hampered by the loss of its starter. Backup Rickie Collins has taken the reins, but the Orange offense has produced...