Perhaps because there isn’t much else to talk about so far in Week 0, North Carolina is getting more praise than it deserves by a wide margin after a squeaker of a win over TCU. While analysts on social media would like everyone to believe Bill Belichick is “back,” the Tar Heels still looked like the Tar Heels for most of their 15-10 win, and that should make Notre Dame fans feel just fine about the upcoming October 3 matchup.
To be fair to North Carolina, it didn’t look like as big a mess as the program was every single week in 2025. The Tar Heels’ defense especially looked like a group that can at least cause problems for opposing offensive lines. However, the UNC offense didn’t look much better than it did a year ago, despite what so many people on the internet want people to believe.
Sure, Billy Edwards and his crew looked decent in the first quarter when they battled TCU to a 10-10 tie heading into the second period. Edwards finished the game with 232 yards while completing 16 of 28 passes. However, he didn’t throw a single touchdown pass and had at least one attempt where the Tar Heels got inside the Horned Frogs’ 20 and couldn’t do more than a field goal.
In fact, UNC’s offense couldn’t do better than a field goal after the first quarter. A snap through the end zone on a TCU punt and that single North Carolina field goal was how they won the game 15-10. Edwards was also sacked three times and often had hands in his face. Notre Dame defensive line had to have been licking their chops watching a Horned Frogs defense that isn’t considered among the best in the country shut the offense down for three quarters.
Everyone wrote Bill Belichick’s coaching obituary this summer headed into Year 2 at North Carolina.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) August 29, 2026
Then he took a team across the Atlantic and showed that maybe didn’t win those six Super Bowls by accident
Column for @yahoosports https://t.co/Lp2yVF6rej
North Carolina offense gives Notre Dame football little to fear after 15-10 TCU win
Then there’s North Carolina’s run game, or lack thereof. New offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino tried to get the ground game going, ending with a near-even 29 carries to 28 pass attempts. Petrino’s attack managed just 90 yards on those 29 carries, with the leading rusher, Benjamin Hall, tallying 36 yards on 11 carries. Edwards had the longest run of the day on an 11-yard scramble.
After all the drama, Bill Belichick's surest bet is Bobby Petrino. Imagine that. https://t.co/c7mCtX9YgC
— Matt Hayes (@MattHayesCFB) August 29, 2026
There were plenty of things for the Notre Dame offense to like in what it saw from Belichick’s defense, even if it did hold TCU to 10 points. First and foremost, a Fighting Irish squad still trying to figure out how it will mix and match its running backs saw Jeremy Payne carry 25 times for 142 yards (5.7 YPC), including a 48-yard dash.
It’s impossible to conclude a team is either good or bad based on the first game of the season. Still, while some talking heads believe that North Carolina’s win in Ireland makes them a “much better” team than they were a year ago, the Tar Heels didn’t show anything that should scare a Notre Dame team with the talent this one has.
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