UNC’s Focus On Physical Presence Fizzles in Season Opener

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Throughout the preseason, North Carolina talked about building its new offensive identity around a sturdy rushing attack that would spearhead a physical presence as a team.

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But in Monday night’s season opener, that presence materialized for only a singular drive, before evaporating as the Tar Heels were dominated by TCU in the trenches the rest of the way, while stumbling to a deflating 48-14 loss at Kenan Stadium.

“They just outplayed us, they outcoached us, they were just better than we were,” UNC coach Bill Belichick said. “That’s all it was to it. They controlled both sides of the line of scrimmage.”

Unable to establish an effective ground game, the Tar Heels ran for 50 total yards, with only 19 coming across the game’s final 56-plus minutes. On the other side of the line of scrimmage, UNC faired no better. TCU cranked out 258 yards on the ground to TCU and quarterback Josh Hoover operated from a clean pocket most of the night. UNC’s inability to establish a physical presence in the trenches contributed to the lopsided victory for the Horned Frogs, who piled up the most points any of Belichick’s teams have allowed during his long head-coaching career.

After finding running lanes during the game’s opening series — a seven-play, 83-yard march to the end zone, capped by Caleb Hood’s touchdown run from 8 yards out — the Tar Heels fizzled out the rest of the game. UNC’s aim to be the enforcer lasted fewer than four minutes of game time, before the Frogs adjusted and stuffed UNC.

As a group, UNC’s running backs carried for an average of just 2.8 yards per attempt and a 23-percent success rate. Five times, Carolina’s offensive line allowed TCU to bring down a runner in the backfield, leading to a quarter of the Tar Heels’ rushes being dropped for no gain or a tackle for loss.

The lack of run production on early downs Monday night made passing difficult for the Tar Heels, who posted three straight three-and-outs in the first half.

“If you don’t make yards on first down, then you’re in second- and third-and-long,” Belichick said. “We ended up with too many three-and-outs there in that second quarter. First down really helps you a lot on second and third down, and we just didn’t do a good enough job on first down.”

Across the way on the defensive line, UNC also proved punchless. The Frogs had their way with UNC’s front seven, creating consistent holes that produced 7.4 yards per carry. In the third quarter alone, TCU broke off touchdown bursts of 75- and 28-yards, with both Kevorian Barnes and Trent Battle breezing into the end zone untouched by any Carolina defenders.

It became such a letdown of a performance so marred by letdown that the Tar Heels’ pregame preparation was questioned in the post-game press conferences. To which UNC backup quarterback Max Johnson and defensive back Kaleb Cost maintained the team was ready for the moment, but failed to deliver.

“I thought we were prepared for the game,” Johnson said. “We prepared for a week and a half now for TCU specifically, and we’ve been working on our fundamentals for this whole past year. But it didn’t go our way. We’ve got to do a better job executing.”