North Carolina tight end Jelani Thurman (45) carries the ball against TCU. Image courtesy of UNC Athletics.

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After one of the most hectic offseasons in recent memory, the college football season is officially underway. For the fifth consecutive year, the season kicked off in Ireland, and this year North Carolina took on TCU. The ACC walked away with a victory over the Big 12 in this one.

Things got off to a quick start as the teams traded field goals and touchdowns, finishing the first quarter tied at 10 apiece. UNC had 141 yards of total offense, as new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino and quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. looked very good in their new roles. 

However, things would settle down in the second, as the rain brought both offenses back down to earth, and even caused the snap on a TCU punt to go flying over John Hoyet Chance’s head, giving him no choice but to take the safety. 

A fumble would turn into three points to open up the second half for UNC, and that proved to be enough to secure a statement 15-10 win in the first game of Bill Belichick’s second season.

There were numerous deciding factors to the game, but there are a few that stand out. TCU didn’t execute in the red zone, turning it over on downs on their final two drives of the game, and they committed 11 penalties for 89 yards. 

UNC looked like the better-coached team, playing a controlled style of football and taking advantage of TCU’s mistakes. Its pass rush looked good and Edwards looked composed leading the offense.

The Tarheels also got big performances from Ohio State transfer Jelani Thurman, who caught four passes for 94 yards, as well as sophomore walk-on Xavier Lewis, who had seven tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks in his first career start.

Despite the poor performance, it’s too early for TCU to panic. Its pass protection needs to improve, and the return of its leading returning receiver Jordan Dwyer, who missed the game with a foot injury, should give quarterback Jaden Craig help to turn things around offensively.

No matter what your takeaway is from this game, there is no question that North Carolina looks like a completely different squad than last season. The Tarheels’ schedule only gets tougher from here, but maybe this team has what it takes to make it to six wins and go bowling for the first time under Belichick.

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