Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, Bill Belichick’s disaster of a season with North Carolina has plunged to new depths. 

The Tar Heels, still eyeing their first win over a power five opponent, watched a possible victory slip from their fingertips Friday night, with a late-game fumble by Nathan Leacock at the one-yard line for a potential go-ahead touchdown, sealing a devastating 21-18 loss to Cal at California Memorial Stadium.

“Just came up a little bit short today, a couple inches I guess on the touchdown on the fumble,” Belichick said after the team’s third consecutive loss, which dropped them 2-4.  

The Tar Heels, trailing by three, trudged deep into enemy territory with 3:48 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

On second-and-8, sophomore quarterback Gio Lopez dropped back and fired to Leacock for a 12-yard completion just short of the goal line.

But as Leacock ran toward the end zone, Golden Bears’ defensive back Brent Austin punched the ball out of his hands and recovered it for a touchback — slamming the door on a potential UNC comeback.

“We’ve been improving every week,” Belichick insisted after the game.

“I’m not going to back off that. I think that’s true. But you can’t turn the ball over and win. It’s just too hard. We’ve got to eliminate some of those kind of mistakes.”

While there’s some validity to Belichick’s claim of development — their first three losses to power five opponents came by an average of 29 points — the heartbreaking loss punctuated a humiliating stretch for a team that has completely cratered under the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach’s leadership.

And pundits and opponents alike are not holding back in adding to UNC’s misery.

After the fumble, Cal showed a graphic on the video board that parodied statements made by Belichick and the UNC athletics department on Oct. 8, which voiced support for the head coach amid his turbulent start at the helm and rumors that he may be one-and-done with the program.

North Carolina’s struggles have been exacerbated by a catalog of off-the-field drama, headlined by the 73-year-old Belichick’s relationship with 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson. 

Clamoring chants of “High school girlfriend!” erupted from the Cal student section during the matchup.

Earlier Friday, video emerged showing Hudson and Belichick caught on a hot mic questioning the quality of work done for the “Coach” show that would be discontinued.

Belichick’s Tar Heels continue to dig themselves into a deeper hole each week, and ahead of them lies their toughest challenge yet. 

North Carolina will next welcome No. 18 Virginia to Kenan Stadium on Oct. 25.