The new look Tar Heels posted a surprising 15-10 victory over Big 12 power TCU.
Now it remains to be seen if all the controversy and criticism of Bill Belichick was a one-off. Can he do it on the college level like he did in the NFL?
He went into the 2026 opener shrouded with some of the controversy he faced with the New England Patriots. He didn’t exactly admit that he inherited a bad roster that was handicapped by little preparation time. That is not his style. He went back to work without a general manager and a defensive coordinator and outhit and outplayed an opponent that had beaten him by 34 points in his college debut Chapel Hill.
It only took traveling 3,000 miles to get out of North Carolina and win on the pitch in Dublin on a rainy Irish Saturday evening.
The Heels did it with several new players like savvy quarterback Billy Edwards Jr, plus stout defenders who were coached by Belichick while subbing for his son Steve who is out on medical leave. Remember the Hoodie made his bones in the NFL as defensive coordinator for the Super Bowl champion New York Giants. While watching the offense perform from the sideline, Belichick also spent time coaching his defense on the bench.
Not making the trip was deposed general manager Michael Lombardi who has yet to rejoin the program. And according to published reports, Jordon Hudson, the coach’s girlfriend and a sideline maven before and after games, did not make the journey.
Belichick seemed extra engaged and actually smiled some in the post-game presser after beating his first non-conference Power 4 opponent.
Carolina looked better than last year but faces a stiffer schedule. If they can prove this was no fluke and keep developing players, a bowl game could be in their future.
TCU was a shadow of its own self and their new quarterback from Harvard can’t compare to Josh Hoover who already been nicknamed named “Josh Hoosier” at Indiana. The Horned Frogs managed only 10 points after scoring 48 in Kenan Stadium and could not make enough plays and made too many penalties. They basically lost by handing UNC five points on a bad punt snap for a safety and a short field goal which came after a fumble.
Edward’s first pass of the game, on a drive beautifully scripted by new coordinator Bobby Petrino, went to red-shirt junior tight end Jelani Thurman, who rambled down the right sideline for 35 yards. The transfer from Ohio State led all receivers with 94 total yards.
TCU safety Julius Simms, right, tackles North Carolina tight end Jelani Thurman during an NCAA college football game in Dublin, Ireland. Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
Junior Jordan Shipp, who had five catches for 71 yards, now has additional help from 5-10 speedster Trech Kekahuna from Hawaii who joined Edwards as a Wisconsin transfer and caught three of his balls.
After Carolina tied the score with a field goal, sophomore Jaylen McGill raced into the end zone with Carolina’s only touchdown. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry after totaling net 19 as a freshman.
One of the worst tackling teams in the ACC in 2025, Carolina whipped the Frogs 71 to 54 in that statistic. Although Belichick and Lombardi took a lot of heat for not sufficiently restocking the roster, newcomers led the team in defense.
Syracuse graduate transfer Derek McDonald led the team in 11 total tackles: 4 solos and 7 assists. Sophomore Leroy Jackson had eight total tackles, sophomore Xavier Lewis has 5 solos, 2 assists and 4.5 tackles-for-losses for 18 yards, including two sacks of TCU QB Jaden Craig. Craig hit only 20 of 32 passes for 175 yards compared to Edwards’ UNC debut of 16-28 for 232 yards and no picks. Lewis was also named MVP of the game.
So after one game, at least, Belichick looks like he has better players than first thought.
Featured image via Associated Press/Peter Morrison
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs on 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro during football and basketball seasons.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
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