'Good Team Defense.' Belichick Highlights UNC's Defensive Prowess

The North Carolina Tar Heels crawled through the finish line on Saturday, defeating the TCU Horned Frogs 15-10 in Dublin, Ireland.

Considering the circumstances, North Carolina had plenty of positives, but the defense deserves the lion's share of the credit for stifling TCU multiple times in daunting situations. During his postgame press conference, head coach Bill Belichick spoke about the defensive adjustments and the pass rush stepping up.

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

“It was the same plays, and I just think we probably did a better job of playing it," Belichick said. "We got used to the speed of it. You know, TCU is a good outside running team. They certainly hurt us with that early with that in the game with some formation in the boundary and got us out of position, so we could have done a better job of coaching that I would say."

"But we got a few things settled down there, and then you know these guys played hard. We got a lot of plays up front and from the guys on the edge, So yeah, you don’t stop the running game without good team defense.”

Aug 29, 2026; Dublin, Co. Dublin, IRL; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Jaden Craig (1) breaks the tackle of North Carolina Tar Heels defensive lineman Jaylen Harvey (11) in the first half at Aviva Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Laszlo Geczo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Good team defense," Belichick continued. "It’s not one guy that does it. If you play good team defense and force a runner to go, someone is there to tackle him. So, everybody just has to take care of their responsibility. TCU is a good, really good outside running team. Payne’s a good back. Again, it’s team defense. Somebody’s got to make the tackle, and so whoever it is, it’s just a result of good team defense that keeps those plays from being explosive.”

Assessing North Carolina's Defensive Performance

Aug 29, 2026; Dublin, Co. Dublin, IRL; TCU Horned Frogs running back Jeremy Payne (26) is tackled by North Carolina Tar Heels defensive back Coleman Bryson (16) in the second half at Aviva Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Laszlo Geczo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There were certainly positives and negatives to take away from the Tar Heels' defensive outing. Stopping the run was clearly an issue, as TCU set the tone early, imposing their will in the trenches. Jeremy Payne continuously gashed the Tar Heels' defense, totaling 142 yards on 25 carries. That is worrisome considering that TCU is nowhere near the level of competition North Carolina will face in conference play.

However, as Belichick discussed in his postgame presser, the Tar Heels adjusted in the ensuing three quarters. There were still stretches when the Horned Frogs infiltrated past North Carolina's defensive line; after three carries for 55 yards in the first quarter, Payne ran for 87 yards on 22 carries (3.9 yards per carry), which is still efficient but not as potent, obviously, as he was in the opening 15 minutes. The Tar Heels' ability to adjust speaks to the personnel they have on defense.

As for positives, North Carolina's pass rush was stout throughout the game, consistently generating pressure. While the Tar Heels didn't get home every time, the ability to collapse the pocket around Jaden Craig led to the Harvard transfer completing 20-of-32 passes for 175 yards. Yes, Craig was abysmal on Saturday, but part of that was correlated with the Tar Heels' front four.

Melkart Abou Jaoude was his normal self, recording a sack and a forced fumble on the same play, which Jaylen Harvey recovered. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Xavier Lewis totaled two sacks. Overall, it was a solid performance from North Carolina's defense, with the pass defense being the clear highlight against TCU.

Watch Our Latest Podcast

Add us as a preferred source on Google