4 takeaways from TCU football’s annihilation of North Carolina, Bill Belichick
TCU spoiled the debut of legendary coach Bill Belichick at the collegiate level with a dominating 48-14 win at North Carolina in the season opener Monday.
“I think we all felt a little disrespected, maybe, coming in,” head coach Sonny Dykes said. “There was a lot of conversation and none of it was about us. I think we all were highly motivated. Our players were certainly excited to play.”
Things looked shaky early, as the Tar Heels took a 7-0 lead on their first drive. It was an eerily similar start to TCU’s season opener in 2023 when Deion Sanders and Colorado stunned the Horned Frogs in Sanders’s first FBS game.
But TCU showed this is a much different program, as the Horned Frogs bullied Belichick and the Tar Heels after the opening drive. Long touchdown runs from seniors Kevorian Barnes and Trent Battle lifted TCU to a 34-7 lead midway through the third quarter that wouldn’t be challenged.
“North Carolina comes out and drives right down the field and goes up seven, and our guys never blinked,” Dykes said. “I told the guys before, we left the hotel today that I was really felt like they were prepared well. They’ve done a great job of doing everything we’d asked them to do, and we had a lot of confidence that they would go out and play well. And I thought we did overall for the most part.”
Defensively, the Horned Frogs were dominant, with multiple defensive scores and three-and-outs. After the opening drive, North Carolina only had two more drives where it crossed midfield until the fourth quarter.
Here are four takeaways from the Horned Frogs’ easy win over the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach:
Josh Hoover vs. the GOAT
Playing a Belichick defense can be daunting for any quarterback. Just look at Texas quarterback Arch Manning, who struggled mightily against Belichick’s former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia in the Longhorns’ 14-7 loss to Ohio State on Saturday.
But Hoover was unfazed going up against one of the best defensive minds football has ever had. He completed 11 of his first 13 passes, including a beautiful fade to junior receiver Jordan Dwyer for a 27-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Hoover responded from an interception with a textbook two-minute drill, effortlessly leading TCU down the field with 53 seconds left to set up a field goal to put the Horned Frogs ahead 20-7 at the half. Hoover finished the first half with 193 yards on 20-of-25 passing.
“I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t think about it much,” Hoover said of the matchup with Belichick. “I was just focused on doing my job, and, you know, obviously he’s been a great NFL coach and, you know, props to him, but I’m just out here playing football and doing my job playing against North Carolina. For me, I’ve never really cared who the head coach was, didn’t really have much of an impact on what I do.”
Hoover completed just seven passes in the second half as he let the running game take over and finish the game. But the redshirt junior once again showed why he should be considered one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
Kevorian Barnes’ debut
All eyes were on Barnes after a long running back battle during fall camp. Barnes’ debut couldn’t haven’t gone any better as he showed why he earned the starting job after transferring from UTSA. With TCU leading 20-7, Barnes opened the second half with a 75-yard touchdown on the first offensive snap to break the game open.
Before his big touchdown run, Barnes’ physicality stood out, as he rarely let the first defender bring him down. It wasn’t always flashy in the first half, but Barnes’ ability to pick up tough yards was what TCU was missing last season. He also made a great block against the blitz to give Hoover time to find Dwyer for a touchdown pass in the first half.
Barnes finished with 113 yards on 11 attempts. Barnes only rushed for 221 yards last season with UTSA but had a bounce-back performance for the ages on a national scale.
“It means a lot. It’s just a testament to the hard work we put in.” Barnes said. “Some people don’t know the struggles that people go through when they have a down season like that. So just to come out here and come to a new program and be loved and brought in and get opportunities to make some plays, it’s just an amazing feeling.”
His success also opened up rushing lanes for Battle and Jeremy Payne, who combined for 56 yards when they gave Barnes a break. For a run game that struggled so much last season, it was an impressive performance for Barnes and the rest of the running back room to pile up 258 yards against a Belichick defense.
Defensive growth?
TCU’s defense got off to a shaky start, as North Carolina marched 83 yards with ease on the first drive of the game. Gio Lopez connected on a 39-yard pass to set up the Tar Heels’ first score on an 8-yard run by Caleb Hood. UNC averaged almost 12 yards per play on the seven-play drive to take a 7-0 lead.
TCU’s veteran defense rallied to turn the game around. After the 83-yard drive, TCU forced three straight three-and-outs, holding North Carolina to -10 yards. After a Horned Frog turnover, senior safety Bud Clark erased the mistake with a 25-yard interception returned for a score to put TCU in front 17-7. It was the 12th interception of his career.
Clark wasn’t the only defender to score, as senior edge Devean Deal scooped up a fumble and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown after junior edge Jonathan Bax had a strip sack on Lopez. Deal’s scoop and score made it 41-7 with 6:56 remaining in the third.
Jordan Dwyer dazzles
Dwyer didn’t receive a lot of hype in the transfer portal when he signed with TCU despite having 1,192 yards last season at Idaho at the FCS level. Dwyer showed he’s more than capable of excelling at the Power Four level with a breakout performance against the Tar Heels.
With North Carolina double-teaming senior receiver Eric McAlister, that opened up more one-on-one opportunities for Dwyer. In the first half, Dwyer torched North Carolina for 92 yards while catching all seven of his targets.
Dwyer was known as a deep threat at Idaho, but his route running and strong hands that stood out against Carolina. Dwyer finished with nine receptions for 136 yards.
This story was originally published September 1, 2025 at 10:19 PM.
