Bill Belichick's UNC outlasts mistake-plagued TCU in slippery Dublin, avenges defeat from last season's opener

The first iteration of Bill Belichick’s UNC was uncharacteristically abysmal in one-score games — that is, when the Tar Heels could even play their way into those kind of matchups. They were 1-3 in those games in 2025, with a heartbreaking one-point overtime defeat against upstart Virginia chief among those setbacks.

Belichick’s regime, undoubtedly beleaguered in its infancy and coming off a 4-8 campaign, found a way to win on Saturday in Ireland.

On a rainy day in Dublin, this year’s Tar Heels made fewer mistakes than a Horned Frogs team that was receiving votes in the preseason AP Top 25. About a year removed from TCU thrashing UNC 48-14 in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels got payback in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.

Discipline won out for Belichick’s squad, which drew the Horned Frogs offsides — TCU’s 11th penalty — to secure a 15-10 victory.

Belichick brought in Bobby Petrino to run his offense this season. The 65-year-old Petrino — who notably coached Louisville, Arkansas and even the Atlanta Falcons for 13 games — coordinated a Razorbacks scoring attack that ranked fifth in the SEC in 2025.

With Petrino serving as the Tar Heels’ OC, a unit that was listless for chunks of last season instantly breathed new life in this year’s season opener. UNC mounted 141 total yards of offense and 10 points in the first quarter. A pair of hookups between quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and tight end Jelani Thurman, one for 20 yards and then next for 35, slingshotted the Tar Heels downfield on their first drive of the day, setting up an early field goal. Thurman, an Ohio State transfer, clocked out with four receptions for 94 receiving yards.

Later in the frame, at that point down 10-3, Edwards piloted a touchdown drive, connecting with wide receivers Trech Kekahuna and Jordan Shipp along the way. Shipp’s 18-yard pickup on fourth-and-7 set the stage for a nine-yard scoring run authored by running back Jaylen McGill.

Speaking of the ground game, TCU flexed its rushing attack overseas. The Horned Frogs’ new OC, Gordon Sammis, came from UConn and ushered in a run scheme that was working against Belichick, who was calling defensive plays for UNC with his son, DC Steve Belichick, on medical leave.

TCU running back Jeremy Payne shredded the Tar Heels in the first half, including on the Horned Frogs’ third play from scrimmage when he rumbled for a 48-yard carry. He wound up with 142 yards on 25 rushing attempts.

It was fellow back Jon Denman, though, who found the end zone for TCU in the first quarter, on a 2-yard tote not long after Ed Small’s 33-yard punt return.

Slick conditions contributed to some sloppy play in the second quarter. With the game tied 10-10, TCU longsnapper Aaron Bowers sailed the ball over the head of punter John Hoyet Chance.

Chance, in attempt to not make a bad situation worse, tracked the rock down in the middle of the end zone before booting it out of bounds to take the safety.

With an opportunity to build on its two-point lead, UNC gave the ball right back to the Horned Frogs, losing the first of its two fumbles on the day. Linebacker Max Carroll jarred the ball loose from Kekahuna.

That said, TCU couldn’t put more points on the board prior to intermission.

The Horned Frogs also failed to capitalize on their second fumble recovery. That one came in third quarter, thanks to safety Kaden McFadden punching the ball out of the grasp of UNC running back Benjamin Hall. In turn, Sonny Dykes’ team ended up with great field position. But on fourth-and-1 from the the Tar Heels’ 5-yard line, Payne was met in the backfield for a 1-yard loss and undeniable gut punch.

The drive before that, UNC extended its advantage to 15-10, courtesy of a takeaway created by Melkart Abou Jaoude. The standout pass rusher swiped and dipped off the edge and then caved in on TCU quarterback Jaden Craig. By the time the Harvard transfer saw Abou Jaoude, it was too late. Abou Jaoude’s strip sack paved the way for another Tar Heels field goal, a 28-yarder from Aeron Burrell.

The Tar Heels couldn’t put the game out of reach on a drive that dipped well into the fourth quarter and was spurred by a pair of TCU penalties, the second of which was an unnecessary roughness infraction that resulted from edge rusher Paul Oyewale not pulling up on a grounded Edwards, who had slipped.

Ultimately, Edwards was a foot away from completing a touchdown pass to Shipp, and then Burrell was wide right on a 42-yard field-goal attempt.

Fortunately for UNC, its lead remained intact because of an additional Horned Frogs blunder. After orchestrating a promising drive, Craig passed up potentially running for a first down on a fourth-and-2 from the Tar Heels’ 10-yard line and instead threw on the move, misfiring behind wide receiver Jeremy Scott.