The Bill Belichick era couldn't have gotten off to a better start at North Carolina, but the rest of the game could hardly have been worse for the Tar Heels.
Texas Christian University (TCU) defeated UNC 48-14 at Kenan Stadium on Monday night, spoiling Belichick’s highly anticipated debut and sending almost all of the capacity crowd home early. The Tar Heels made history for all the wrong reasons: the 48 points were the most ever allowed by a Belichick coached team and it was the most points UNC has ever allowed in a season opener.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Belichick said after the game. “We need to do a better job all the way around, coaching, playing, all three phases of the game. Just wasn’t up to what it needs to be. I know we’re a lot better than that.”
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For one drive, UNC looked terrific. The Tar Heels went 83 yards in seven plays on its first drive with running back Caleb Hood capping it off 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 crowd, dotted with UNC legends like Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor, Roy Williams and Armando Bacot, was electric.
The highlights ended there for UNC and Belichick.
TCU dominated from that point forward, amassing huge edges in total yards (542 to 222), rushing yards (258 to 50), first downs (29 to 10) and average yards per play (7.5 to 4.5). Receiver Jordan Dwyer, who had a 27-yard touchdown catch for TCU’s first score, had nine receptions for 136 yards.
Running back Kevorian Barnes had 11 carries for 113 yards and a 75-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage after halftime – when things somehow got worse for UNC. TCU controlled both lines of scrimmage.
After its first drive, the Tar Heels’ offense completely stalled. Lopez went more than two hours of real time before his next completion. And TCU scored the game's next 41 points, including two defensive scores off turnovers by Lopez.
“Anytime you give up two turnovers for touchdowns offensively, that’s not good,” Belichick said. “Gave up several long plays on defense where they gained a lot of yards on one play. Just too many of those. There wasn’t any one thing. It was a combination of multiple things. Too many three-and-outs, too many long plays in defense.”
Lopez, a transfer from South Alabama who won the quarterback competition in fall camp, completed 4-of-10 passes for 69 yards. He threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown and had a fumble that was also returned for a score. Lopez came up hobbling after the play and was replaced by Max Johnson at quarterback.
Johnson led UNC on an 80-yard scoring drive, capping it with a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jake Johnson, his brother. Max Johnson started the 2024 opener against Minnesota, but suffered a gruesome leg injury that ended his season. He almost lost his leg due to the injury.
“I’m so blessed to be here and playing this game that I love,” said Johnson, who previously played at Texas A&M and LSU. “But what an even more special moment to have that moment with my brother, all the hours and times that we’ve had in high school and then we played at A&M together. What a special moment.”
Johnson completed 9-of-11 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. He took a big hit as he delivered one completion and was slow to catch his breath. Belichick didn’t commit to a starting quarterback for Saturday’s game at Charlotte, saying he needed more information on Lopez’s status. Lopez didn’t return with what was officially called a back injury.
With 70 new players, few knew what to expect from the Tar Heels, who rebuilt their offensive line and almost all of their defense through the transfer portal. Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi churned through players in the spring and added nearly two dozen players, including Lopez, in the second portal window.
Players expressed confidence throughout fall camp.
“I thought we were prepared for the game,” Johnson said. “We prepared for a week and a half for TCU specifically. We’ve been working on our fundamentals for this whole past year. I thought we were prepared for the game, but it didn’t go our way. We got to do a better job executing.”
UNC hired Belichick, who won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, to revitalize its sagging football program. The emphasis paid off in additional ticket sales, more sponsorship dollars, more donations and increased media attention. The school launched a pregame tailgating scene on its iconic quad with a packed concert from country music singer Chase Rice, a former UNC player.
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.
As the only game on the final day of a long holiday weekend of college football, the stage was set for UNC football in a way it hasn’t been. The Tar Heels were even favored by more than a field goal.
The performance wasn’t just bad, it was cringe-inducing. Seeing a Belichick defense consistently gashed gave flashbacks to previous UNC defenses. Seeing an offense produce six three-and-outs and less than 25 yards on nine of 11 possessions made fans long for the not-so-long ago days of Sam Howell, Drake Maye and Omarion Hampton.
“We just can’t perform well doing some of the things that we did, we got to be better than that,” Belichick said. “Obviously we got to deal with Charlotte and the problems they present, but we had too many self-inflicted wounds that we have to eliminate before we can worry about addressing our opponents.”
He continued: “We’re better than what we were [Monday night], but we have to go out there and show that and prove that. Nobody’s going to do it for us. We’ll have to do it ourselves.”
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.
TCU – Bud Clark 25 interception return (Lemmerman kick), 3:57. No drive. Key play: Clark stepped in front of a Lopez third-down pass intended for Shipp and ran untouched into the end zone. TCU 17, UNC 7.
TCU – Lemmermann 33 field goal, 0:00. Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 0:53. Key plays: TCU didn’t even need a third-down conversion as it moved down the field for a field goal. TCU 24, UNC 7.
Third quarter
TCU – Kevorian Barnes 75 run (Lemmermann kick), 14:48. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:12. Key play: Barnes, who had 36 yards in the first half, burst through the middle of the UNC line and outran everyone to the end zone. TCU 27, UNC 7.
TCU – Devean Deal 31 fumble recovery (Lemmerman kick), 6:56. No drive. Key play: Lopez was scrambling and got hit from behind, losing the ball. Deal picked it up and ran into the end zone. TCU 41, UNC 7.
UNC – Jake Johnson 2 pass from Max Johnson (Verhoff kick), 0:29. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 6:22. Key play: Max Johnon connected with Shipp for 16 yards on third-and-8 at the UNC 22; Davion Gause rushed for three yards on fourth-and-2 to extend the drive. TCU 41, UNC 14.
Fourth quarter
TCU – DJ Rogers 4 pass from Hoover (Lemmermann kick), 9:21. Drive: 5 plays, 76 yards, 2:26. Key play: TCU got the ball after a UNC fumble and ripped off gains of 16, 26 and 33 on consecutive plays. TCU 48, UNC 14.
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.”