CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s high-point moment in its first game under coach Bill Belichick came early.
A festive pregame atmosphere led to a roar from the crowd at kickoff. And a season-opening drive moved at a crisp pace to the end zone.
After that, well, Monday night’s hyped-up debut turned into a romp by TCU — along with a reminder that even an NFL icon with six Super Bowl titles as a head coach can’t just magically turn the Tar Heels into winners after decades of also-ran status.
“We played competitively but then just couldn’t sustain it,” Belichick said in a familiar low tone from his NFL news conferences after the 48-14 loss. “Obviously, we have a lot of work to do. We need to do a better job all the way around — coaching, playing, all three phases of the game.”
The blowout put a major damper on a night buzzing with optimism for the 73-year-old Belichick’s college debut, only to see the Horned Frogs dominate so thoroughly they drove UNC fans to the Kenan Stadium exits by midway through the third quarter.
“It was a great environment tonight,” Belichick said. “I mean, the fans were awesome. There was great energy in the stadium. We just didn’t do enough to keep it going. We’ve got to play better for the energy to be sustainable.”
By the end of the game, Kenan was a ghost town and the Tar Heels had given up more points than in any previous opener in their history, according to Sportradar.
It was a jarring result, even amid uncertainty as to exactly what to expect from UNC with roughly 70 new players between transfers and incoming recruits. There were few highlights after that opening drive beyond Kaleb Cost’s athletic reeling in of a deflected ball for an interception, and quarterback Max Johnson returning in relief from a serious leg injury sustained in last year’s opener at Minnesota.
“We’re just moving forward, just moving forward,” said Cost, offering an unintentional callback to Belichick’s famous “We’re on to Cincinnati” response to reporters’ questions after a blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014.
UNC was picked to finish eighth in the 17-team Atlantic Coast Conference, though that seemed almost entirely predicated on Belichick’s mere presence. This is a man, after all, who teamed with legendary quarterback Tom Brady to win six world titles in his 24-year run with the New England Patriots. Someone who won more regular-season and playoff games in the NFL (333) than anyone other than Don Shula.
So there was spectacle to Belichick’s debut as he took the field sporting a familiar look from the pro sideline with a gray hoodie — only this one bearing the name “Carolina Football” in that distinctive shade of light blue.
An estimated 5,000 fans packed onto a main campus quad for a pregame concert and throngs lined the team’s walk to Kenan, where UNC has sold out all its season tickets — at an elevated price with Belichick’s arrival — and single-game seats for the season. The game attracted ESPN to hold a pregame studio show from the sideline with a crew that included former Alabama coach Nick Saban, with Belichick popping over briefly to say hello.
There were notable former UNC athletes from years past, including NBA legend Michael Jordan — who won a national championship under Dean Smith here in 1982 — and former UNC star linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who played under Belichick when he was an assistant and eventually defensive coordinator with the New York Giants during the 1980s.
And it wasn’t hard to spot Jordon Hudson — Belichick’s 24-year-old girlfriend who has generated her own tabloid-level curiosity — as she walked the pregame sideline sporting Carolina blue pants shimmering with sequins-like additions on the legs.
Belichick roamed the field during pregame warmups for the better part of a half-hour. At one point, he stood on the UNC end of the field with general manager Michael Lombardi, then shared a quick handshake with ACC commissioner Jim Phillips as he made his way toward midfield.
Once there, Belichick shook hands with members of the officiating crew and watched the Horned Frogs warm up.
The Tar Heels got off to a sprint of a start with an 83-yard drive that ended with Caleb Hood scoring through the right side from 8 yards out, followed by forcing a quick punt. But things soon started getting away.
TCU — which lost in a similar scenario as the “other” team in Deion Sanders’ debut at Colorado two years ago — never looked rattled or thrown. Bud Clark provided a highlight by jumping Gio Lopez’s sideline throw for an easy 25-yard pick-six as TCU took a 20-7 lead into the break.
It quickly got worse after halftime. Kevorian Barnes sprinted through the right side and down the sideline for a 75-yard touchdown on the first snap. Trent Battle added his own big run, slipping through the left side untouched and going 28 yards for a TD.
And finally, Devean Deal had a 37-yard scoop-and-score on Lopez’s fumble to make it 41-7 and start the Kenan exodus.
By the end, UNC had just 222 total yards, 320 fewer than TCU, and a short week to fix problems before visiting Charlotte on Saturday.
“They were clearly the better team tonight,” Belichick said. “They deserved to win and they did it decisively.”
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