Monday's 48-14 rout by TCU was North Carolina's worst football loss since 2018, and the 48 points were the most Bill Belichick (above) has allowed as a head coach.
Monday's 48-14 rout by TCU was North Carolina's worst football loss since 2018, and the 48 points were the most Bill Belichick (above) has allowed as a head coach.Chris Seward/Associated Press
Bill Belichick has performed in far bigger environments than the one Monday night in Chapel Hill, when North Carolina hosted Texas Christian, but for Carolina football, this was as big as it gets.
A sold-out Kenan Stadium. A national TV game. UNC royalty Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor, and Roy Williams watching from the suites.
Belichick, the six-time Super Bowl winning coach, launching a new era of major college football with his signature cut-off hoodie.
“It’s kind of my thing,” he wryly told ESPN before the game.
Yet a night that began with fireworks ended with jokes about a running clock and fans emptying out the stadium midway through the third quarter. TCU and head coach Sonny Dykes, unranked but 3½-point favorites, took it to the Tar Heels in a 48-14 victory.
“Playing, coaching, all three phases of the game, just wasn’t up to what it needs to be,” Belichick said. “They outplayed us, they outcoached us, they were better than us tonight. That’s all there is to it.”
Belichick and the national attention are new, but it was the same old Carolina football, which hasn’t won an Atlantic Coast Conference championship since 1980.
Actually, it was worse than same old. Mack Brown, the previous coach, didn’t lose by 34 points last year. Or ever. This was the Tar Heels’ worst loss since 2018 under Larry Fedora. The 48 points were the most Belichick has allowed in 50 years of coaching.
For UNC officials, there was some egg to wipe off their faces. For Tar Heels fans, this was a punch in the gut. We paid $50 million for this?
College football, it turns out, isn’t simple to master, even for a legendary coach. Belichick, as Patriots fans learned his last few years in Foxborough, isn’t a miracle worker if he doesn’t have the players. The Tar Heels, 6-7 last year with 70 new players this year, are a long way from being the type of program everyone envisioned.
The new-look Heels did provide a brief thrill. The opening script was great — a few nice runs, a couple of big passes, 83 yards in seven plays, and a quick 7-0 lead. Belichick had the internet roaring with his stoic, expressionless reaction. Followed by a quick three-and-out for UNC’s defense? Belichick made it look easy.
TAR HEELS TOUCHDOWN TO START THE BELICHICK ERA 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pvmqGY4gFJ
— ESPN (@espn) September 2, 2025
Then, reality took over. The Heels gained just one first down on their next five possessions. They threw a pick-6. Bill and Steve Belichick’s defense got shredded by TCU quarterback Josh Hoover.
The second half was a complete meltdown, right from the Frogs taking the first play 75 yards for a touchdown. TCU finished with 542 yards of offense. They scored a second defensive touchdown. UNC dropped easy passes and went 1 for 10 on third down. The quarterback got hurt. ESPN put Kirk Herbstreit’s golden retriever on the air just to make the game interesting.
“We’re better than what we were tonight,” Belichick said. “We’ll use the time best we can to correct mistakes tonight and get ready for Charlotte.”
75-YARD TOUCHDOWN RUN FOR TCU 🐸
Watch now on ESPN and the ESPN App ➡️ https://t.co/CFYySAqkwB pic.twitter.com/peUHUzex2O
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 2, 2025
This wasn’t an unrealistic result after 49 years in the NFL. Belichick took over a middling team, with an entirely new roster and coaching staff, with no preseason games or joint practices to prepare for the season. TCU isn’t a powerhouse, but it’s formidable, receiving preseason poll votes. UNC is beginning a multi-year rebuild.
But it’s selling instant excitement by hiring Belichick. Carolina is marketing itself as the “33rd NFL team.” Fans thought they were getting “Football Yoda,” whose team would play smart, tough, and not beat itself.
Instead, Tar Heel fans left the game feeling disillusioned about their new coach, and no NFL owner said to himself, “Perhaps we made a mistake.”
Coincidentally, it was Belichick’s former disciple and another former Patriot whose debut was the talk of college football’s opening weekend. New Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia quickly endeared himself to the Buckeye faithful with a masterful defensive game plan in a 14-7 win over No. 1 Texas.
Patricia, a two-time Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator, ruined the first start for heralded Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, holding him to 17 of 30 passing for 170 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. The Buckeyes pitched a shutout for the first 56 minutes, and held Texas to 1-for-5 on fourth down, including two stops inside the 10-yard line.
“Their ability to disguise coverages in the first half was at an elite level,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I wouldn’t say good level, I’d say elite level.”
It took just one game for Patricia to turn into a hero in Columbus.
“Ohio State’s MVP? How Matt Patricia shut down Arch Manning and Texas,” wrote The Athletic.
“Matt Patricia’s Ohio State debut should open critics’ minds, mine included,” wrote the Toledo Blade.
“Michigan football fans now have one more big reason to hate Ohio State,” wrote the Detroit Free Press.
"You don't get that kind of noise in an NFL game" 🌰🔥@OhioStateFB's defensive coordinator Matt Patricia on the high energy and atmosphere inside the Shoe Saturday vs Texas pic.twitter.com/kKmyXOTRyd
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 1, 2025
Saturday’s game was Patricia’s first in college in 22 years, to when he was a graduate assistant at Syracuse (2001-03) before joining the Patriots. After Saturday’s win, Patricia is becoming a college guy.
“It’s loud, man. I absolutely love it,” Patricia said. “You don’t get that kind of noise in an NFL game. So I’m super appreciative of that.”
Belichick might also be a college guy now, but his big debut turned into a big dud, leaving UNC fans wondering what exactly they’re getting.
Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.