Heel Tough Blog: TCU Recap

UNC Athletics

After a rough first season to say the least for Bill Belichick in Chapel Hill, expectations were low for the Tar Heels heading into a season-opening matchup with TCU in Dublin, Ireland. While it may not have been the prettiest football you will see this season, Saturday finally felt like Bill Belichick football and the Tar Heels did enough to pull out a hard-earned upset and create some excitement for the possibilities of what this season could be. Here are our takeaways from a much-needed victory in the hopes of returning the team back to relevance this year.

Defense Made the Plays When They Needed To

The defense’s performance wasn’t without flaws, but when it mattered, this group was able to step up. After struggling against the run in the first half, the group cleaned things up in the second half, allowing just 26 yards on 22 carries to the Horned Frogs in the second half. Meanwhile, in the passing game, the Tar Heels were able to limit the big plays that killed them a year ago in the opener and got consistent pressure when they needed to on Jaden Craig on the important downs. The biggest difference in this game, though, was the defense’s ability to get off the field on 4th down and in the redzone. The Tar Heels held the Horned Frogs to 1-5 on third down and allowed just one touchdown on four red zone trips. The defining stop of the day came on 4th & 2 from the Tar Heel 10-yard line with 4:05 to go where the team created enough pressure on Craig to flush him to his left and overthrow his receiver in the end zone. This was a very good start for this defense and should relieve any concern that there was about this group without Steve Belichick.

Xavier Lewis Breaks Out With a Huge Performance

There were some strong performances across the board for the Tar Heels on Saturday, but it was clear who the best player on the field was. Sophomore defensive tackle Xavier Lewis was a guy that saw limited reps last year as a pure pass rusher, but he was a force in both elements of the game in this one. He led all defensive linemen in tackles with seven and corralled a team-high 4.5 tackles for loss. Two of those tackles for loss resulted in sacks and he produced some nice pressure outside of that, including on that crucial 4th & 2 late in the game. The former walk-on has to be the story of the weekend for the Tar Heels and gives them another trusted piece on the interior of that defensive line to pair with Leroy Jackson and Isaiah Johnson.

Offense Looks Much More Functional Under Bobby Petrino

It didn’t take long to see why Bill Belichick went out and got Bobby Petrino this offseason. After watching a very uninspiring offense that failed to adjust to its personnel a year ago, the group looked much more modern and seemed to be molded around the strengths of quarterback Billy Edwards. The pre snap motion was a bigger part of the attack and it definitely seemed to affect TCU throughout the afternoon, especially in the short passing game. The passing game was designed to get the ball out quickly early and it helped to open up plays down the field. It may not have been the most productive offensive performance we ever seen, but it was much more promising than what we saw last year and, most importantly, did enough to win the game.

Billy Edwards Jr. Was Very Solid

You’re not going to be comparing Edwards to Tar Heel greats at the position anytime soon, but this was a promising first start for him. He did a good job of getting the ball out quickly and the decision-making was really good throughout the day. He also showed the accuracy that won him the starting job, but did miss a few throws that he would like to hit moving forward. Edwards’ experience showed on Saturday and he made some plays that show there is more potential for him and the offense in future weeks than maybe we thought.

Offensive Line Vastly Exceeded Expectations

The biggest concern for this offense coming into the game was what this offensive line would look like after it was reconfigured this offseason and it was a pleasant surprise to say the least. Despite allowing three sacks, the group did a great job of limiting the pressure on Edwards throughout the afternoon, especially in the important moments of the game. The run game wasn’t dominant against one of the better run defenses in the country a year ago, but the blocking up front looked ahead of where it was last year and got good push when the team needed it. With so much change and uncertainty coming in, you could not have asked for much more against a physical group like TCU. There will be tougher challenges later in the season, but this is a very promising start.

Tar Heels Won the Discipline Battle

One of the more disappointing aspects of last season was the lack of discipline at certain points and it felt like it was going to be important in this game. In the end, the Tar Heels ability to play clean football was the difference. The Tar Heels were called for just three penalties for 20 yards on the day, one of the better marks to this point in the Bill Belichick era. Meanwhile, TCU was penalized eleven times for 100 yards, headlined by the offsides penalty on the final drive of the game that sealed the victory for the Tar Heels. In order to beat some of the opponents on this schedule this season, this team is going to have to limit the self-inflicted mistakes and they did exactly that in this crucial game.

Tackling and Containing the Edge in the Running Game Are Areas to Improve

Like we said, it wasn’t all perfect from this defense and there will be some areas that the team will want to clean up. Tackling was a big issue for them, especially early in the game, but the hope is that it was a product of this being the first game more than a legitimate flaw of this team. The same can be said for the issues containing the perimeter in the run game. The edge rushers and linebackers simply have to be better than they were for the majority of the day with more talented run games on the horizon.

Biggest Win of the Belichick Era Creates Some Excitement About 2026

While some of us started generating excitement for this team in the past month, there were still many in the fan base that had little hope for this team going in. That should have changed with the result on Saturday. There is a chance that TCU could be in for a disappointing season, especially with the seasons that we have seen from the losers of this game in recent years, but there is no downplaying how big this victory is for a team hoping to take a step forward this season. A win over a top 30 team in the minds of AP voters feels like one that can spark a team that is looking to make a bowl game this season. Last year, it felt like a chore to watch this team week in and week out. Saturday felt much different and should have you jonesing to get to Kenan Stadium a couple of weeks from now for the home opener.