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TCU quarterback Jaden Craig thought he had it. But he said postgame that he wished he’d just trusted his eyes.
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Craig had the University of North Carolina defense backpeddling, rolling to his left with receiver Jeremy Scott open — and a lane to run — for the first down on a pivotal fourth down with fewer than five minutes remaining in a five-point game.
And of course he did. These were the cardiac moments that sunk UNC all last season. And sophomore defensive lineman Xavier Lewis was a part of the debacle against TCU last season, too, which was more of a sobering look at the state of the program than anything. But Saturday was, in many ways, different.
“We just was playing this game,” Lewis said. “We weren’t really worried about last year.”
Because it wasn’t UNC on the crushing end of a late-game sequence. Craig’s pass sailed above his receiver and UNC simply had to run out the clock for a 15-10 win over TCU at Aviva Stadium, to which Lewis said he simply yelled “let’s freaking go.” A few plays later on a game-clinching penalty (TCU’s 11th of the game in a sloppy effort) the broadcast showed UNC coach Bill Belichick pump his fist. His team played clean enough, and the emotion of winning his first season opener at North Carolina came through for the entire sideline.
“I was screaming probably some bad words out there,” Tar Heels quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. said. “Just emotional. Just hype.”
The offense looked good, led Edwards’ 16-for-28 passing for 232 yards and no turnovers. And the defense, despite allowing a 48-yard run on the first drive, held TCU to 106 rushing yards the rest of the contest.
For better or for worse — enduring a dreadful 4-8 campaign last year to get there — Saturday felt like a fresh start for the Tar Heels. It was a second chance: the second season-opener in the Bill Belichick era in Chapel Hill, and a second opportunity against the opponent that embarrassed his team in his first.
There was a lively contingent of UNC supporters taking over pubs 3,112 miles from Chapel Hill, hopeful for a new group and a legendary coach figuring it all out. The fans got their wish. And while nothing about Saturday’s tone-setter in Dublin was perfect, it was a step in the right direction for the Tar Heels.
“Certainly, we didn’t play competitively enough last year,” Belichick said. “But you know, this year, these guys came out with a whole different attitude, and they were going to fight for 60 minutes.”
One year after the 48-14 shellacking, it was TCU that looked out of sorts. It even had several mishandled snaps and misthrown passes as Craig struggled at times, going 20 of 32 passing for 175 yards. What looked like a massive swing for the Tar Heels happened after Craig threw a pass behind wide receiver Jacobe Hayes — a would-be first down that TCU then had to punt away. The ensuing long snap, though, wasn’t even close. It sailed over the Horned Frogs punter, who just kicked it out of the end zone to avoid disaster and give UNC a 12-10 lead with a safety.
Belichick said, though, that UNC can’t “control” what opposing teams do with penalties. But they can not commit penalties themselves, and it only sacrificed 20 yards in the game on three penalties. Because UNC still made mistakes. The Tar Heels were putting together a drive before the half when Edwards connected with slot receiver Trech Kekahuna for a first-down pass, but after a massive collision as Kekahuna was headed to the ground, the ball popped free. But TCU mismanaged the clock, the Tar Heels still entered the half with their first lead over a power-conference opponent in Belichick’s tenure.
After taking a 15-10 lead with a field goal and getting the ball back, Tar Heels running back Benjamin Hall gave TCU an opportunity it couldn’t miss, fumbling the ball at North Carolina’s 24-yard line. But UNC allowed no points again, with a fourth-down run stuff. Edwards even slipped dropping back for an unforced sack on the ensuing offensive drive, and a TCU defender ran right into him for a late hit that wiped Edwards’ stumble away.
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It was quickly becoming an opportunity UNC couldn’t miss either. With a staleness around a program that looked to make a splash with the hire of Belichick last offseason, it was also proof of concept. There were errors abound in Dublin, but UNC had fewer. North Carolina made the plays it had to.
And year two of the Belichick era showed in its first game some progress.
Here are some observations from UNC’s season-opening win:
Edwards. has played a lot of football at the collegiate level. Belchick said he went with the signal-caller because he was the most consistent over 1,000s of reps. He was the starter at Maryland and (briefly) at Wisconsin before an injury ended his season, granting him a sixth season and an opportunity at North Carolina.
Two things were clear from the opening drive: Edwards’ poise in that spot is as advertised, and a lot can be credited to finding his security blanket.
“Being able to come in here in the offense, be able to be a key player in the offense, be able to be a highlighted player in the offense, being able to catch some balls from Billy, man, be coached by one of some of the best coaches in the game,” Thurman said. “I mean, I can’t complain.”
On the first drive of the game, which ended in a UNC field goal, Edwards connected with tight end Jelani Thurman for completions of 20 yards and 35 yards. Thurman finished with four catches for 94 yards, and looks the part as a big receiving threat in his 6-foot-6, 245-pound frame.
To those hoping for a fresh start, TCU’s first drive of the game provided some eerie familiarity. The Tar Heels opened with a scoring drive, but when the Horned Frogs got the ball, running back Jeremy Payne found a hole on the right side and burst through. He kept going for 48 yards, which put TCU right in position — quick. TCU eventually settled for a field goal, and the big plays in the rushing game never quite matched that again. But UNC still showed it may have a problem.
The Tar Heels allowed 106 rushing yards to the Horned Frogs, who were the Big 12’s 14th-ranked rushing offense a season ago. It caused a massive divide in the two teams’ rushing success, as the Tar Heels struggled to create any room at all.
Handing the ball to Payne was a consistent area where the TCU offense could find some movement in a game that was low on scoring, and it is something UNC will have to address. It almost made a difference, but it only required steady improvement to keep TCU from getting a second score. TCU coach Sonny Dykes said the penetration started to make an impact, and his running backs were “confused” with where to run. And one big second-half run stop might have been one of the last few plays it needed.
“TCU’s got a good running game,” Belichick said. “It certainly gave us problems in the first half, but then I thought we settled down.”
Of course, it was Xavier Lewis. The 6-foot, 260-pound former preferred walk-on was in the midst of a breakout game when North Carolina needed a fourth-down stop with fewer than three minutes remaining in the game. He had a pair of sacks already and another tackle for loss. Running up the middle looking for a yard was usually a good strategy for TCU. Not with Lewis hitting the gap.
Lewis joined Isaiah Johnson and they each took down TCU behind the line to gain, turning the Horned Frogs over on downs. Like the last errant throw by Craig, UNC’s defense kept coming up in these spots. Kicker Aeron Burrell missed a 42-yard attempt with 11:58 left on the clock to keep the score at 15-10. TCU drove the length of the field as the defense appeared to be running out of gas.
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But it made the play it needed to in the end, and UNC ran out the clock.
“Long way to go,” Belichick said, “but good start and really proud of our team.”
This story was originally published August 29, 2026 at 3:44 PM.