Kirk Herbstreit's Dog Stole the Show Late Into Bill Belichick's Lackluster UNC Debut

Karl Rasmussen | Sep 1, 2025

Kirk Herbstreit's dog wore the headset during the TCU-UNC game. / Screenshot via nocontextcfb on X

The spotlight was firmly fixated on Bill Belichick during his debut as head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. Belichick's first foray into head coaching at the college level started sweet, but quickly turned sour.

The Tar Heels jumped out to an early lead, 7–0, after scoring on their opening drive. From there, things couldn't have gone worse. TCU scored 41 straight points and blew UNC out of the water. Things got so bad that the ESPN broadcast effectively gave up on the game.

Kirk Herbstreit took his headset off and comically placed it on the head of his dog, who was then lifted up and postured as if he was calling the game.

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— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) September 2, 2025

With two minutes left, and just about every Belichick talking point already checked off the list, there wasn't much to discuss from the commentary team. Rather than try to chat their way to the final whistle, Herbstreit decided to have a bit of fun with his beloved pet, giving him the headset and letting him get to work.

It was just that kind of night in Chapel Hill.

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