Bill Belichick unintentionally poked fun at UCF by referring to them simply as ‘Central’ earlier this week during a press conference. Scott Frost, the head coach of UCF, seized on this remark as motivation in his locker room and after UCF’s decisive 34-9 win against North Carolina, he shared that the statement had slightly annoyed his team.

“This is only my third season coaching at UCF, but I’ve been around coach Sean Beckton and Travis Fisher, and that kind of seems like the ammo of UCF,” Frost expressed. “Going back, feeling a bit disrespected…we’re not Central Florida; we’re UCF. There are people who consistently rank us last without much faith in the coaching staff…we haven’t proven anything yet. It fits the narrative of what UCF has been for a long time if we play with a bit of a chip on our shoulder.”

UCF (now 3-0) led 20-3 at halftime, thanks in part to both a touchdown rush and pass from Tayven Jackson. Myles Montgomery’s one-yard touchdown run later solidified their victory, with North Carolina suffering double-digit defeats to Power 5 teams this season.

The Tar Heels, under Belichick’s guidance, recently began their season with a lopsided loss to TCU before recovering with wins against Charlotte and Richmond.

In his post-game comments, Belichick remarked,“First of all, he [Frost] did a great job with UCF today. Their team performed very well, certainly better than we did. We faced numerous issues that affected our consistency.”

UCF’s Frost used the opportunity to reflect on his earlier days as a player for the New York Jets when Belichick served as a defensive coordinator, stating, “I was with Bill for two years. He is incredibly knowledgeable about football, and my respect for what he has accomplished is immense.”

Frost aims to replicate the success he previously experienced with the Knights, which notably included an undefeated season in 2017.