Sonny Dykes: TCU felt 'disrespected' in build up to North Carolina opener
Monday night’s game between North Carolina and TCU was billed as Bill Belichick’s debut as the Tar Heels head coach. In the end, the Horned Frogs dispatched of UNC 48-14 during the season opener.
After the game, TCU head coach Sonny Dykes was honest about his feelings about the matchup. He noted the fact that his Horned Frogs were flying under the radar during the matchup.
“I think we all felt a little disrespected, maybe coming in by there was a lot of conversation, and none of it was about us,” Dykes told ESPN’s Holly Rowe on the field after the game. “And so I think we’re all highly motivated. Our players were certainly excited to play. Thought we did a great job. North Carolina came out and executed really well the first drive. We got down early, and, man, it didn’t look great for us.
“Our guys just hung in there. And we really prepared well. Really proud of our guys, and they put a lot of work in, and we showed up today.”
North Carolina struck first, driving the ball 83 yards on seven plays capped by a Caleb Hood touchdown run. For the rest of the half, they went just 20 yards across 17 plays. TCU would score the next 40 points in the matchup.
TCU put together 542 yards of total offense against the Tar Heels — 284 through the air and 258 on the ground. Horned Frogs QB Josh Hoover completed 27-of-36 passes for 284 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
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On the ground, Kevorian Barnes led the was with 11 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown. That included a 75-yard touchdown rush on the first play of the second half for TCU. Fellow RB Nate Palmer rushed for 61 yards to boot.
“Thought we ran hard at the running back position,” Dykes said. “I thought we blocked. Really happy to see us do that.”
TCU went on to score three touchdowns in the first 10 minutes of the third quarter, effectively putting the game out of reach before it was over. The Horned Frogs will move forward and look to improve to 2-0 when TCU hosts Abilene Christian during Week 3.
They’ll enjoy an early Week 2 bye following their blowout performance against the Tar Heels. TCU opens Big 12 play against Arizona State on Sept. 26. For UNC, they’ll look to regroup on the road at Charlotte in Week 2.