Sonny Dykes Says TCU Felt 'Disrespected' by Bill Belichick Talk Before UNC Blowout

TCU spoiled Bill Belichick's college football coaching debut with a 48-14 win over North Carolina on Monday.

Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes said his players were motivated by the fact that most of the attention was on Belichick and the Tar Heels rather than his squad coming into the game.

"I think we all felt a little disrespected, maybe, coming in," Dykes said on the ESPN broadcast. "There was a lot of conversation and none of it was about us. I think we all were highly motivated. Our players were certainly excited to play."

Things started off strong for Belichick's squad as the Tar Heels marched 83 yards down the field and scored on their opening drive, but from there it was all TCU. The Horned Frogs scored 41 unanswered points before North Carolina finally scored again in the fourth quarter.

North Carolina's starting quarterback, Gio Lopez, completed just four of his 10 passes for 69 yards before exiting in the second half with an injury. Lopez also threw a pick-six. Veteran Max Johnson came in for Lopez and played well, throwing for 103 yards and a touchdown on 9-of-11 passing, but it was too little too late.

The Tar Heels finished with just 172 passing yards and 50 rushing yards.

TCU's offense, meanwhile, was in midseason form. The Horned Frogs collected 542 yards of total offense, with quarterback Josh Hoover leading the way behind 284 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns. Running back Kevorian Barnes had 113 rushing yards and a score on the ground.

One of the biggest storylines coming into the 2025 college football season was Belichick's arrival in Chapel Hill. After all, he won six Super Bowls as the head coach of the New England Patriots and was entering the collegiate world for the first time in his career.

Naturally, most of the attention coming into Monday's matchup was centered around Belichick as fans wondered whether he would have the Tar Heels looking like playoff contenders after a 6-7 season in 2024.

While Belichick has plenty of time to turn things around, Dykes reminded the college football world that he and TCU had a solid season last year and are looking to reestablish themselves as College Football Playoff contenders this year.