North Carolina pulled off an upset on Saturday to kick off the 2026 season.
The Tar Heels, who have dealt with adversity on multiple fronts in recent weeks, defeated TCU 15-10 in Dublin, Ireland.
Carolina was without general manager Michael Lombardi and defensive coordinator Steven Belichick due to administrative leave and medical leave, respectively. Head coach Bill Belichick led an impressive defensive performance for the Tar Heels as they avenged an embarrassing blowout loss from last season to this same TCU program.
TCU was favored by as many as 9.5 points at many sports betting apps this week.
Both teams scored just one touchdown apiece in this one. The game was tied 10-10 after the first quarter, but the teams struggled to move — and keep — the ball over the final 3 stanzas due to weather and consistency issues.
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The Tar Heels took the lead with a safety on a botched punt snap by TCU in the second quarter and never looked back. They added a field goal in the 3rd quarter, which proved to be enough to earn the win.
TCU averaged just 4 yards per play and went 1-for-5 on 4th down conversion attempts. Quarterback Jaden Craig struggled, throwing for 175 yards on 32 pass attempts.
Tight end Jalani Thurman was the big playmaker for UNC, putting up a game-high 94 receiving yards on 4 catches. His final reception of the day was a crucial first-down pickup that let the Tar Heels drain more clock in the waning minutes of the game.
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Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
