North Carolina opens Bill Belichick's second season with 15-10 win over TCU in Ireland

DUBLIN -- New North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. threw for 232 yards, Aeron Burrell kicked two field goals and the Tar Heels opened coach Bill Belichick’s second season with a 15-10 win over TCU on a rainy Saturday in Ireland for the Aer Lingus Classic.

TCU didn’t score again after going up 10-3 on its first two drives. The Horned Frogs got the ball eight more times, and were stopped on fourth-and-short deep in Tar Heels territory on their last two drives.

The 74-year-old Belichick, who won six Super Bowls coaching the New England Patriots, was 4-8 in his college debut with the Tar Heels last year. That season began with a 48-14 home loss to TCU in prime time on Labor Day.

“I’m just happy for the players. They’ve worked really hard,” Belichick said. “To have positive results back up that hard work, reinforces it. I think they've been believing in what we're doing, but I think this just gives everybody a little bit more belief and we've just got to keep building.”

The Tar Heels ran out the final 4:05 after new TCU quarterback Jaden Craig threw an incompletion when rolling left on fourth-and-2 from the 10, when the Harvard transfer may have been able to run for a first down. Craig finished 20-of-32 passing for 175 yards.

Jeremy Payne, who ran for 142 yards, was stuffed on fourth-and-1 from the 5 on TCU's previous drive.

“Looking back now obviously, I wish we had kicked the two field goals, but at the time, it makes sense to try,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. “When you’re not moving the football, you’ve got to try to get the ball in the end zone.”

After Payne was stopped, the Frogs got the ball for the last time after North Carolina had a 13-play drive that ended with Burrell missing a 42-yard field goal attempt.

Payne had a 48-yard run on TCU's opening drive and the Frogs had 111 yards on the ground by halftime. They had only 26 after halftime.

“Once we kind of got settled down a little bit on the outside runs ... we kind of forced him to cut back and those guys did a good job inside,” Belichick said about his defensive front. “They hit the quarterback, they didn’t really let him step up in the pocket and throw much.”

North Carolina last season never had a halftime lead against a Power Four opponent, but went ahead 12-10 on a safety with 1:49 left in the first half of the first major college football game this season. TCU punter John Hoyet Chance kicked the ball out of the back of the end zone after the snap sailed over his head.

Edwards, a transfer from Wisconsin, completed 16 of 28 passes. Jordan Shipp had five catches for 71 yards and Jaylen McGill had the Tar Heels' only TD, on a 9-yard run in the first quarter after they had converted a fourth-and-7.

Heels strong on defensive front

Burrell's second field goal, a 28-yarder that made it 15-10 early in the second half, was set up by Melkart Abou Jaoude’s blindside sack of Craig that forced a fumble recovered by Jaylen Harvey at the TCU 31. Abou Jaoude had 10 1/2 sacks last season.

Xavier Lewis had 4 1/2 tackles for loss with two sacks.

Big game for Small

TCU's only touchdown was set up by Ed Small's 33-yard punt return to the UNC 25, then he had a 13-yard catch. Jon Denman scored on a 2-yard run for a 10-3 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter. Small had nine catches for 65 yards.

The takeaway

North Carolina had 10 points and 141 total yards in the first quarter with new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. The Tar Heels scored 10 points in the first quarter only once last year but never had more yards. They finished with 322 total yards.

TCU had scored at least 30 points in its last 10 season openers, which was the longest active FBS streak.

Up next

Both teams have an open date before their home openers Sept. 12. North Carolina hosts East Tennessee State, and TCU plays Grambling State.

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