How Bill Belichick, Tar Heels offered best defense in upset against TCU

Who looks more comfortable in a defensive struggle in slip-and-slide weather overseas?  

Bill Belichick was certainly in his element at the Aer Lingus Classic at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, on Saturday. North Carolina beat TCU 15-10 in the 2026 college football season opener – a victory that temporarily takes some heat off the second-year Tar Heels coach. 

It was quite the role reversal from the 48-14 loss to the Horned Frogs on Labor Day in 2025. North Carolina showed progress from last year's 4-8 disaster. The ESPN broadcast featured minimal conversation about general manager Michael Lombardi, defensive coordinator Steve Belichick or Jordon Hudson. This was about football, and Belichick delivered a vintage coaching performance. 

North Carolina made fewer killer mistakes than TCU on sloppy, rainy conditions – and it didn't look all that different from a lot of those victories in inclement weather during his time as a six-time Super Bowl championship coach with the New England Patriots. 

Does that mean there is reason for hope for the Tar Heels (1-0) heading into a grueling first half of the season? A closer look at how Belichick – at least for a week – silenced the critics against TCU (0-1).

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Bill Belichick guides tough UNC defense  

Belichick took over defensive play-calling duties from Steve Belichick, who is on medical leave. Bill Belichick was dialed in against the Horned Frogs and quarterback Jaden Craig, a Harvard transfer who was making his first start. 

TCU receiver Jordan Dwyer was out with a foot injury, which limited the Horned Frogs' passing game. Running back Jeremy Payne had 25 rush attempts for 142 yards, but that did not lead to points after the first quarter. The Horned Frogs had just 26 rushing yards after halftime, and the Tar Heels were great in game-changing situations on fourth down in the red zone in the second half. 

Payne was stuffed for a 1-yard loss by Isaiah Johnson and Xavier Lewis on a fourth-and-1 at the 6-yard line 2:55 left in the third quarter. Craig missed a Jeremy Scott in the end zone on fourth-and-2 from the 10-yard line with 4:02 remaining. The Horned Frogs were 1 of 5 on fourth down, and that was a difference. 

The Tar Heels flashed a strong defensive line around Lewis – who had two sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss – and Melkart Abou Jaoude – who forced a turnover on a strip sack. Linebacker Derek McDonald finished with 11 tackles. The conditions certainly helped – but it's a group Belichick can work with. 

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Billy Edwards Jr. does enough at QB 

Edwards Jr. – a sixth-year quarterback and three-time transfer from Wake Forest, Maryland and Wisconsin – had a strong first quarter with new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Edwards Jr. hit 6 of 10 passes for 122 yards in the first quarter – including three completions of 20 yards or more. 

There were kinks. The Tar Heels' passing game, however, did not get another chunk play until the fourth quarter and struggled on third down. Edwards was 2 of 7 for 16 yards and two conversions on third down – but here was the difference. Edwards Jr. finished 16 of 28 for 232 yards with no TDs and no interceptions. He helped seal the victory late with a 25-yard pass to tight end Jelani Thurman (4 catches, 94 yards). Jordan Shipp (5 catches, 71 yards) made a clutch fourth-down catch in the first half that set up a 9-yard TD run by Jayen McGill in the first quarter that tied the score at 10. 

The running game – which had 90 yards on 3.1 yards per carry – needs work, but this offense should improve under Petrino. No, Edwards Jr. is not the second coming of Tom Brady, but he's an experienced, functional quarterback who outplayed Craig, who finished 20 of 32 for 175 yards. This is an upgrade for the Tar Heels. 

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North Carolina was the less-self destructive team 

Belichick won with defense, special teams and not messing up in critical situations. The Tar Heels did have two lost fumbles, but the Horned Frogs could not convert those turnovers into points. North Carolina had just three penalties for 20 yards – which also was a vast difference from last season. 

No, this was TCU that had a meltdown in the rain. A bad punt snap led to a safety at the end of the first half that gave North Carolina a 12-10 lead with 1:49 left in the first half. That ultimately proved to be the final go-ahead score. 

TCU had 11 penalties for 90 yards, which included an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Payne after a first down and a personal foul on Paul Oyewale, who hit Edwards after he slipped on the turf late in the third quarter. 

The Horned Frogs looked like the self-destructive team that North Carolina was last season, and the Tar Heels were the ones who adjusted to the elements in Dublin. The game fittingly ended when Edwards Jr. drew TCU offsides on fourth-and-1 in the final minute. 

What does that mean for Belichick? It's a reprieve from the constant offseason criticism, and there is a two-week break before the Sept. 12 home opener against East Tennessee State. The schedule ramps up afterward at Clemson (Sept. 19) and at home against No. 4 Notre Dame, but there is no denying the upset against the Horned Frogs marks progress for Belichick. 

Should that really be unexpected in that kind of weather?