North Carolina Beats TCU 15-10 in Ireland to Open Belichick’s Second Season/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ North Carolina opened Bill Belichick’s second season with a 15-10 victory over TCU in the Aer Lingus Classic in Dublin. Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. passed for 232 yards, while the Tar Heels’ defense stopped two late scoring threats. The victory reversed last season’s lopsided opening loss to TCU and ended the Horned Frogs’ streak of high-scoring season openers.
Quick Look
- North Carolina defeated TCU 15-10 on a rainy Saturday in Ireland.
- Billy Edwards Jr. completed 16 of 28 passes for 232 yards.
- Aeron Burrell kicked two field goals.
- Jaylen McGill scored UNC’s only touchdown on a 9-yard run.
- A botched TCU punt snap resulted in a safety that put UNC ahead before halftime.
- TCU failed to score after its first two possessions.
- UNC stopped the Horned Frogs on fourth down twice near its goal line.
- Xavier Lewis recorded 4½ tackles for loss, including two sacks.
- Both teams return Sept. 12 for their home openers.
Deep Look
Belichick opens second season with victory
North Carolina began Bill Belichick’s second season with a 15-10 win over TCU in the Aer Lingus Classic on Saturday in Dublin.
Playing in rainy conditions, the Tar Heels relied on an effective debut from quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and a defense that shut out the Horned Frogs after their first two possessions.
The result offered a sharp contrast to Belichick’s college coaching debut last year, when TCU defeated North Carolina 48-14 in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels finished that season 4-8.
“I’m just happy for the players. They’ve worked really hard,” Belichick said. “To have positive results back up that hard work, reinforces it. I think they’ve been believing in what we’re doing, but I think this just gives everybody a little bit more belief and we’ve just got to keep building.”
Belichick, 74, won six Super Bowls as head coach of the New England Patriots before moving into college football.
Two fourth-down stops preserve UNC’s lead
TCU took an early 10-3 lead but failed to score on its remaining eight possessions.
The Horned Frogs’ final two drives ended with unsuccessful fourth-down attempts deep in North Carolina territory.
Running back Jeremy Payne was stopped on fourth-and-1 from the UNC 5-yard line. On TCU’s final possession, quarterback Jaden Craig rolled left and threw incomplete on fourth-and-2 from the 10, despite appearing to have an opportunity to run for the first down.
North Carolina then maintained possession for the final 4:05 to secure the victory.
“Looking back now obviously, I wish we had kicked the two field goals, but at the time, it makes sense to try,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. “When you’re not moving the football, you’ve got to try to get the ball in the end zone.”
Between those defensive stops, UNC put together a 13-play possession that ended with Burrell missing a 42-yard field goal.
Edwards leads offense under Bobby Petrino
Edwards, a transfer from Wisconsincompleted 16 of 28 passes for 232 yards in his first game for North Carolina.
Jordan Shipp caught five passes for 71 yards. McGill supplied the Tar Heels’ only touchdown, scoring on a 9-yard run in the first quarter after UNC converted a fourth-and-7.
With new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino directing the unit, North Carolina produced 10 points and 141 total yards in the opening quarter.
The Tar Heels scored 10 first-quarter points only once last season and never matched Saturday’s opening-quarter yardage. They finished the game with 322 total yards.
Safety gives Tar Heels halftime advantage
A special-teams mistake helped North Carolina move ahead before halftime.
With 1:49 remaining in the second quarter, a snap sailed over TCU punter John Hoyet Chance’s head. Chance kicked the ball out of the back of the end zone, conceding a safety and giving UNC a 12-10 lead.
North Carolina had not held a halftime lead against a Power Four opponent at any point last season.
Defensive pressure sets up final points
The Tar Heels extended their advantage early in the third quarter after Melkart Abou Jaoude sacked Craig from the blind side and forced a fumble.
Jaylen Harvey recovered at the TCU 31-yard line, setting up Burrell’s 28-yard field goal for a 15-10 lead.
Abou Jaoude entered the season after recording 10½ sacks last year. Lewis also made a major contribution Saturday, finishing with 4½ tackles for loss and two sacks.
“Once we kind of got settled down a little bit on the outside runs … we kind of forced him to cut back and those guys did a good job inside,” Belichick said. “They hit the quarterback, they didn’t really let him step up in the pocket and throw much.”
TCU’s rushing attack slows after halftime
Payne rushed for 142 yards, including a 48-yard gain on TCU’s opening possession.
The Horned Frogs accumulated 111 rushing yards before halftime but managed only 26 afterward.
Craig, a Harvard transfer making his TCU debut, completed 20 of 32 passes for 175 yards.
The offensive struggles ended TCU’s streak of scoring at least 30 points in 10 consecutive season openers, previously the longest active streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Ed Small provides early spark
Ed Small helped create TCU’s only touchdown with a 33-yard punt return to North Carolina’s 25-yard line.
He followed that return with a 13-yard reception before Jon Denman scored on a 2-yard run, putting the Horned Frogs ahead 10-3 with four minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Small finished with nine receptions for 65 yards.
Both teams return home after open date
North Carolina and TCU each have an open date before returning to action Sept. 12.
The Tar Heels host East Tennessee State, while the Horned Frogs welcome Grambling State.
More on Sports