Bill Belichick on UNC’s Offense: ‘A Long Way To Go’

Saturday was an up-and-down performance by the North Carolina Tar Heels, who dragged to a 15-10 win over the TCU Horned Frogs in Dublin, Ireland.

It was a polar-opposite experience for both sides of the ball. The defense struggled initially, allowing 10 points on the first two drives before shutting out TCU for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, the offense was firing on all cylinders out of the gate before being a non-factor the rest of the way. During his postgame press conference, head coach Bill Belichick explained what he saw from the offense.

Belichick's Thoughts

Aug 29, 2026; Dublin, Co. Dublin, IRL; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick at Aviva Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Laszlo Geczo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“We have a long way to go. So, we’ll go back and we’ll get to work," Belichick said. "There’s a lot of things we can fix, do better, and improve on, and we’ll certainly work on those, so that’s going to certainly be the way it is after every game early in the season."

"I think once you get to the fifth, sixth, seventh game of the year, somewhere in there in October, then you kind of hit your stride a little bit, and then you start playing the second half of the season," Belichick continued. "So, we’re not there yet. There’s a lot of things that we need to coach better, that we need to execute better.”

How Far Does the Offense Have To Go?

Aug 29, 2026; Dublin, Co. Dublin, IRL; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. (9) hands off the ball to running back Benjamin Hall (7) in the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Aviva Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Laszlo Geczo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Belichick's not wrong in his assessment of this unit. Yes, the first quarter was incredibly impressive, and the weather conditions hampered its operation, but the offense is far from a finished product.

For instance, North Carolina went 3-for-11 on third downs, and Billy Edwards Jr. was a major component in those struggles. Third down is when you see the tightest coverage in obvious passing situations, and against contested opportunities, Edwards Jr. was 1-for-10.

Ball security was another issue for the Tar Heels, who coughed up the ball twice and were fortunate that none of those turnovers led to points for TCU. Trech Kekahuna and Benjamin Hall each committed those aforementioned turnovers. Sometimes a defender makes a really good play on the ball, which was the case in both of these instances, but moving forward, North Carolina needs to prioritize protecting the football. It may not have cost them in this game, but it will in ACC play.

Overall, the Tar Heels' offense showed glimpses, but consistency was lacking, as the offense totaled three points in the final three quarters.

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