Tar Heels stumble 48-14 in Belichick’s first game in the college ranks

SPORTS

CHAPEL HILL, NC – On Monday afternoon Chapel Hill was abuzz with tailgates, excitement and cheer for a new season under a new coach with new hope. Until the game went on too long.

The game started fine enough for Carolina. Senior running back Caleb Hood found the end zone on a red zone rush from eight yards out and the first quarter ended with a competitive score of 7-7.

In the second quarter, however, matters took a turn. TCU scored 13 unanswered points and the Tar Heels’ last two drives ended dismally.

Heralded as a potentially great transfer pickup for UNC, sophomore quarterback Gio Lopez failed to live up to his hype in his debut as a Tar Heel. The South Alabama transfer threw an interception on the penultimate drive for a pick-6. It was a bad read on a simple out route where the defensive back easily jumped the route for one of TCU’s two defensive touchdowns in the game.

UNC’s last drive of the first-half ended with a bad snap on third down that helped lead to an incompletion, and then another bad snap that nearly resulted in a blocked punt.

The word of the day for the Tar Heels was sloppy.

Lopez’s other drives didn’t pass the eye test and his stats did not fare any better. After leaving the game late with an injury he finished 4-of-10 with 69 yards and an interception.

UNC’s defense was no help either. They surrendered 29 first downs and over 500 yards of total offense. Including 258 on the ground. TCU went on to run up the score and run fans out early as well. By early in the third quarter, many of those in that festive pregame atmosphere in Kenan Stadium were making their way to the exits.

Las Vegas predicted the game to be close, with a spread of -3.5 in favor of TCU. In a game that was supposed to be within a touchdown, this was a bit of a surprise.

UNC’s lone shining bright spot was Max Johnson’s triumphant return to play.

Johnson, last season’s opening game starter, suffered a catastrophic season-ending leg injury after his own poor opening performance against Minnesota last year. Making his return, Johnson came in for relief of Lopez and passed for 103 yards on 9 of- 11 passes and even threw a touchdown to his younger brother Jake Johnson, a tight end for the Heels.

It was surely a big moment for Johnson and for his family after a rocky year of health and being demoted to QB2 upon returning to practice.

Head Coach Bill Belichick commented on the team’s performance after his inaugural game as the Tar Heel head coach.

“We played competitively, and then just couldn’t sustain it,” the six-time Super Bowl champion Belichick said. “So, obviously we have a lot of work to do. We need to do a better job all the way around: coaching, playing, and all three phases of the game. Just wasn’t up to what it needs to be.”

The Tar Heels will play a road game at Charlotte this weekend, where they will face off against former UNC starting quarterback Connor Harrell. The redshirt junior started a few games for the Tar Heels last season after Max Johnson went down before losing the starting gig to Jacoby Criswell. Harrell transferred to Charlotte this offseason. Charlotte looks to bounce back after losing to Appalachian State in their opener 34-11. Harrell went 13 for 24 and threw for 142 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Given both his injury and Monday night’s lopsided score, Lopez’s poor performance must be leaving Tar Heel fans wondering if it’ll be the second season in a row where the Tar Heels’ quarterback options begin the season in flux.

Thomas Hicks is a journalist with video, PR, and writing experience who studied at UNC and the Hussman School of Journalism and Media. Thomas is always looking for work and the next story! He loves working with his camera or with his pen. This reporter can be contacted at thomasjhicks55@gmail.com, LinkedIn: Thomas Hicks and X: ThomasJ_H