Heel Tough Blog: TCU Recap

Jared C. Tilton- Getty Images

After a day of promise and hope, the most that may have ever surrounded Tar Heel football, and for a drive everything was right in the world. Then reality set in. In one of the most embarrassing performances in Kenan Stadium history, the Tar Heels were blasted 48-14 by the TCU Horned Frogs in a game that saw a capacity crowd start heading for the exits in the third quarter. Here are our takeaways from a blowout loss that no one saw coming.

Tar Heel Football is Still Tar Heel Football

We got our hopes up that maybe this was going to be different right out of the gate but, man, that was simply not the case. Monday night was just another example of what we’ve seen for too long as Tar Heel football fans: a team that looked unprepared and overmatched on the field. It may take a little bit of time with this team because of how it was built, but that performance was simply unacceptable, a word we have used way too often over the last decade as Tar Heel football fans.

Trenches Were Dominated by TCU

It was the area of this team that we were most concerned about going into the game and those fears were validated after the first couple of drives. Offensively, the line did a great job of winning on that first drive, but didn’t do much of anything after that. Give credit to the staff (I know that is hard to do today), they tried multiple line combinations but the run blocking was simply non-existent after that first drive. With the inability to win at the point of attack in the run game, the Tar Heel offense was simply out of rhythm and could move the football at all considering they leaned heavily on it for most of the night when Gio Lopez was under center. Chad Lindberg struggled most of the night with inconsistent snaps at center, slowing down an offense that already looked a step slow. The bigger issue might have been how bad the Tar Heels defensive line was. The team was missing the services of Pryce Yates, but they simply could not win 1-on-1 matchups all night long, leading to easy completions and a huge night on the ground for TCU. A rushing offense that ran for just 113.9 yards per game ran for 258 yards and two touchdowns, including the backbreaking to begin the second half. Hopefully Yates' return will provide more resistance on that side of the ball, but there seems to be a clear talent deficiency in the trenches right now.

This Staff Doesn’t Trust Gio Lopez

We were incredibly interested to see what this new look Freddie Kitchens offense was going to look like and one thing was obvious: this staff doesn’t trust Gio Lopez right now. This was evidenced by just how much the Tar Heels leaned on the run game with him in the game and their play calling on third down when they needed to be aggressive to avoid falling behind. Their lack of trust seemed justified, though, based off of the way that Lopez played on Monday. He very much looked the part of a Group of 5 transfer making the leap to the Power 4 level, as he looked hesitant and scared for most of the night when he had the ball in his hands. Both turnovers were extremely costly for the Tar Heels and it didn’t help his case that Max Johnson looked as good as he did once he came into the game. It may have been in mop up time, but Johnson definitely gave the staff something to think about this week. Maybe Lopez just needs more time to grow in the system because of his late arrival, but based on what we saw on Monday, we should be seeing Johnson at least splitting snaps with Lopez against Charlotte.

Secondary is Not Where We Thought It Would Be

This secondary was supposed to be the strength of this Tar Heel defense and it was anything but on Monday night. It all started with Marcus Allen, who never recovered look from a bad pass interference call against him on the second TCU drive of the night. Allen was targeted nine times and all nine of those targets were caught for 135 yards and a touchdown in what was a career-worst performance against FCS transfer Jordan Dwyer. Although Khalil Conley wasn’t much better, it’s hard to feel like Allen shouldn’t have to fight for his job after an embarrassing performance like that. As for the rest of the secondary, there was way too much off coverage the entire night, leading to easy completion after easy completion for TCU quarterback Josh Hoover. The staff has to make adjustments this weekend against Charlotte to avoid getting carved up in the short passing game, but they also need guys they can trust on the back end of this defense.

Missed Tackles Rear Their Ugly Head Again

Missed tackles have been a big issue for this team for years and Monday night it was no different under a new regime and frankly might have been worse. Marcus Allen led the way with four missed tackles for a team that totaled 19 as a whole on the night. Week 1 always comes with some sloppy play, but that number is simply unacceptable, no matter what the circumstances are. Let’s hope this group, which was supposed to be so fundamentally sound under Belichick, can take a step towards that starting on Saturday against Charlotte.

Max Johnson’s Success Was the Lone Bright Spot on the Field

Johnson entered the game in the third quarter after Gio Lopez suffered a back injury on the play where he fumbled and actually looked pretty good. He completed nine of this eleven passes for 103 yards and a touchdown and looked much more confident and technically sound than Lopez, leading to the conversation that we had above. This performance, though, was special in and of itself considering the serious leg injury that he suffered in last year’s season opener and nearly lost that leg. The capper on the special night for him was the touchdown pass to his brother, a play that felt like the perfect full circle moment. There wasn’t anything else to be happy about but this moment had to make you smile.

Everything Around the Game Was Perfect, But This Fanbase Has Already Given Up

Chapel Hill was the place to be one Monday and for the first time in a long time it felt like a legitimate gameday atmosphere. Everything that the program did leading up to the game from the return of the Old Well Walk to the Chase Rice concert to the tailgate set up outside of Kenan was perfect. The crowd did their part by showing up and being vocal but they were rewarded with the worst season opening loss in program history. As the fanbase showed, though, this is not going to be the norm. On the way out of the stadium, a majority of them probably did what they’ve done in many years past and said goodbye to Kenan for the final time this season. Don’t expect that type of environment for a game again this season unless there is a DRASTIC turnaround.