 TCU Horned Frogs |
17 |
 North Carolina Tar Heels |
7 |
| ESPN | 2nd – 03:57 | |
Chapel Hill, N.C. — The Bill Belichick era couldn’t have gotten off to a better start at North Carolina, but the Tar Heels’ offense slowed down after its impressive start.
The Tar Heels went 83 yards in seven plays on its first drive against TCU. Running back Caleb Hood capped the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run.
UNC rushed five times for 25 yards on the drive, and quarterback Gio Lopez completed both of his pass attempts – both to Jordan Shipp – for 58 yards on the drive.
The Tar Heels went three-and-out on their next three possessions.
TCU responded with a touchdown later in the first quarter on a 27-yard pass from quarterback Josh Hoover to Jordan Dwyer. TCU took the lead 10-7 on a field goal early in the second half.
TCU was in scoring position again, but UNC forced the game’s first turnover when Kaleb Cost snagged a tipped pass at the UNC 17.
UNC hired Belichick, who won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, to revitalize its sagging football program. The emphasis has paid off so far in additional ticket sales, more sponsorship dollars, more donations and increased media attention.
UNC legends Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor and Roy Williams were seated together in a suite. ESPN hosted a pregame show live from the sidelines with former Alabama coach (and Belichick assistant) Nick Saban and former Belichick players Randy Moss and Tedy Bruschi on the set.
Neither team provided a depth chart for the highly anticipated season opener in a bit of gamesmanship.
First quarter
UNC — Caleb Hood 8 run (Rece Verhoff kick), 10:55. Drive: 7 plays, 83 yards, 3:59. Key play: Gio Lopez hit Jordan Shipp for 39 yards and 19 yards on back-to-back plays to move UNC deep into TCU territory. UNC 7, TCU 0.
TCU — Jordan Dwyer 27 pass from Josh Hoover (Kyle Lemmermann kick), 4:08. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 2:31. Key play: UNC defensive back Marcus Allen was called for pass interference after an incomplete pass on 2nd-and-11. UNC 7, TCU 7.
Second quarter
TCU – Lemmermann 32 field goal, 11:18. Drive: 14 plays, 55 yards, 6:24. Key play: An offensive pass interference penalty in the end zone stalled the TCU drive. TCU 10, UNC 7.
Belichick debut pushes excitement over UNC football to new levels
There have been some big games at Kenan Stadium over the past three decades. Florida State in 1993 and, especially, in 1997 with ESPN’s “College GameDay” in Chapel Hill come to mind. So, too, do Notre Dame’s visits and Mack Brown’s first game back against Miami 2019.
But Bill Belichick’s coaching debut in Chapel Hill stands alone for long-time observers of the program. The legendary NFL coach will lead the Tar Heels against TCU in a highly anticipated season opener Monday night. Tickets are sold out. ESPN will broadcast the game, having promoted Belichick’s presence all weekend.
UNC legends Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor, Mia Hamm and Julius Peppers are expected to be in attendance, along with other former football and men’s basketball players. Country music singer Eric Church is expected, too.
“I don’t remember anything like this,” said Rick Steinbacher, a senior associate athletics director who has been around the football program in different capacities for 42 years. “It’s Monday night. It’s Bill Belichick. So much excitement, so much enthusiasm. There’s just so much hope and optimism about this new era under Coach Belichick and to be able to have his first game at Carolina in Kenan on a Monday night, which we’ve never done before.”
It’s the culmination of a nine-month frenzy around the program since Belichick was hired in December. He has 333 career wins in the NFL (regular season and postseason) and six Super Bowl titles as head coach of the New England Patriots.
His hiring was an indication that the Tar Heels, who haven’t won an ACC football title since 1980, are getting serious about the sport. UNC, as one Board of Trustees member put it in December, was tired of being “in the JV tier.”
Nothing about Belichick says junior varsity.
Nor does anything about the school’s investment – $50 million over five years for Belichick, $13 million in revenue sharing with the players, the highest-paid general manager in the sport, revamped strength and conditioning and nutrition programs. To capitalize on the excitement around Belichick and football, the school launched a revamped tailgating scene dubbed “Chapel Thrill,” including a concert series on the main quad.
“More so than ever before, there’s absolute alignment on campus, from the chancellor’s office to UNC facilities to just so many groups,” Steinbacher said. “There’s so much alignment around, ‘Hey, let’s build a football program that can be successful for the long term.’ We’ve got a great new coach in here to do that. We’ve got Chapel Thrill. We’ve got lots of different things that we haven’t done previously that we’re doing now.
“We’ve been successful, we just haven’t been consistent over the long term, and it’s been too long since we won a conference championship. But I really think everything that we’re doing, and when I saw we, I mean the university, the athletics department, the football program, it’s in total alignment and it’s being put together for consistent, long-term success.”
Belichick is 73. He has revamped the roster, bringing in 70 new players. Long-term success can be fleeting in today’s game where every program is one coaching change away from a boom or bust cycle.
Just ask Alabama.
Or TCU.
The Horned Frogs reached the College Football Playoff national title game in 2022, their first season under coach Sonny Dykes. TCU went 5-7 the next season before bouncing back with a 9-4 campaign in 2024. TCU presents a big challenge.
“They really make you defend all the blades of grass on the field, sideline to sideline, the line of scrimmage to 50 yards down the field,” said Belichick, whose sons Steve (defensive coordinator) and Brian (defensive backs coach) are on the UNC defensive staff.
Despite all the attention on Belichick – or maybe because of it – there is a whole lot unknown about the Tar Heels. South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez will start at quarterback, but the team didn’t release a full depth chart. Staff holdover Freddie Kitchens will coordinate the offense, but it’s a “head coach-run program,” as general manager Michael Lombardi said in February.
Belichick is known for the simplicity of his messaging: Do your job. That hasn’t changed even with the excitement surrounding his debut.
“However many people are here or not here, or however many hours they talk about it on a network show or don’t talk about it, is really not anything we can control,” Belichick said. “It’s irrelevant. We’re trying to focus on what we can control, what helps us win and so the rest of it is, with all due respect, just noise for us. We have to focus on our job.”
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