Bud Clark had a first-half pick-six and Kevorian Barnes had a 75-yard touchdown run on the first second-half snap to help TCU spoil Bill Belichick’s college coaching debut by rolling past North Carolina on Monday night, 48-14.
The 73-year-old Belichick won six Super Bowl titles in a 24-year run as head coach of the NFL’s New England Patriots. His Tar Heels (0-1) scored on the game’s first possession, but the Horned Frogs steadily took control to drive a full-house hostile crowd to the exits well before the fourth quarter.
Clark’s 25-yard return late in the second was the first of two defensive touchdowns for the Horned Frogs (1-0), the other being Devean Deal’s 37-yard scoop-and-score in the third.
TCU’s Josh Hoover threw for two scores while Jordan Dwyer finished with nine catches for 136 yards and a 27-yard first-quarter touchdown. Trent Battle added his own score by running untouched around the left side for 28 yards as TCU built a 41-7 lead.
Caleb Hood ran for a score for the Tar Heels’ first touchdown under Belichick. South Alabama transfer quarterback Gio Lopez completed 4 of 10 passes for 69 yards before exiting the game after halftime with a back injury.
TCU outgained UNC 542-222 in total offense.
The buildup to the season here had included plenty of added buzz, including the school selling out all its season tickets — at an elevated price — and single-game seats for the season. The game also attracted ESPN to hold a pregame studio show from the Kenan Stadium sideline, where Belichick popped over before the game to share a hello with former Alabama coach Nick Saban and the rest of that crew.
Belichick also roamed the field during pregame warmups as though taking it all in 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 watching the Tar Heels, then shared a quick handshake with ACC commissioner Jim Phillips as he made his way toward midfield.
Once there, he shook hands with members of the officiating crew and stood near midfield watching the Horned Frogs players as they went through warm-up drills.
The game attracted notable former UNC figures from years past, including NBA legend Michael Jordan — who won a national championship under Dean Smith there 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 in the 1980s.
Other sports figures and celebrities in attendance at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill include New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone and NFL icon Randy Moss, who was spotted sharing a suite with Belichick’s 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson. Country singer Chase Rice, who played linebacker for UNC from 2005-08, performed ahead of kickoff. Others in attendance were Mia Hamm, Julius Peppers, Eric Church, Blake Snell and Jimbo Fisher.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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