Before Bill Belichick heads south to take over as head coach at the University of North Carolina, the Tar Heels are coming Belichick’s way to face UConn in Saturday’s Fenway Bowl.

After a chaotic few weeks in the spotlight following a home loss to rival NC State that saw the somewhat acrimonious exit of coach Mack Brown, the departure of offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey and the surprise signing of Belichick, a return to football is desperately needed.

The Tar Heels (6-6) need a win to achieve their third straight campaign above .500. The Huskies (8-4), meanwhile, have already posted their first winning season since 2010 and are seeking a ninth win for the third time in program history.

Both teams have left their hat on the running game – UConn ranks 25th nationally in rushing yards per game (198.3), closely followed by North Carolina (30th, 189.5) – but their rushing attacks are approached in different ways, which could cause problems The Tar Heels are in trouble at Fenway.

North Carolina counted on junior Omarion Hampton as a key player, and Hampton’s 1,660 yards provided 73 percent of their rushing output and the second-best overall performance in the FBS. However, he will not play at Fenway as he has decided to focus on preparing for the NFL Draft.

Defense was an issue for North Carolina, allowing just over 28 points per game. The low point was a 70-50 home loss to James Madison – a program record for points allowed. After things improved on a three-game winning streak from late October to early November, the Tar Heels allowed 41 points to Boston College and 35 to NC State.

With Brown fired at the end of the regular season and Lindsey transferred to Michigan, tight ends coach and running game coordinator Freddie Kitchens will serve as interim head coach at Fenway as he tries to pull together a team in transition.

“I just want to help the guys get better every day,” Kitchens said last week. “We’re just trying to stay where we are…I think these guys have done a good job of turning off some of the distractions and doing that.”

UConn’s rushing attack is much less one-dimensional as the Huskies have three rushers who rushed for at least 500 yards – Cam Edwards (756), Durell Robinson (731) and Mel Brown (577). UConn cruised to a 47-42 win over UMass on Nov. 30, finishing the regular season with 253 yards and two scores on the ground.

The Huskies have split snaps between quarterbacks Joe Fagnano and Nick Evers, but it’s Fagnano who gets the call Saturday at Fenway Park.

“It will definitely be a cool atmosphere,” Fagnano told the Middletown Press this week. “I went to a few games there, but I’m a Yankees fan so I have mixed feelings. It’ll be fun.”

A win on Saturday would be another highlight in the tenure of coach Jim Mora, who arrived in 2022 and quickly turned things around at Storrs. The Huskies were a laughingstock of the FBS during Randy Edsall’s second tenure as coach, winning just four games in three seasons between 2018 and 2021, and just a single win in Edsall’s final season.

Mora took over UConn and immediately brought it back to prominence, leading the Huskies to their first bowl game since 2015 in his first season.

Now Mora has a chance to deliver UConn’s first bowl win since the 2009 season and the program’s first nine-win season since 2007.

“I think some teams think they’re playing with house money when they come to a bowl game and it doesn’t matter. For us it’s really important. “We’re absolutely serious about this, so we’re excited,” Mora said.

Kick-off is on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Amin Touri can be reached at [email protected].