TCU Trolls Bill Belichick, Lawrence Taylor, JJ Watt, Pundits After Spoiling UNC Debut

Rome wasn't built in a day, as North Carolina found out the hard way with a 48-14 loss to TCU in Bill Belichick's first game as Tar Heels head coach on Monday night.

Despite all of the hype and enthusiasm around Belichick's arrival in Chapel Hill, TCU played spoiler in dominant fashion. They outgained North Carolina 542-222 and scored 41 unanswered points after the Tar Heels scored on their opening possession.

The stars were out in full force at Kenan Memorial Stadium for Belichick's first game as a college head coach. Lawrence Taylor, Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm, Julius Peppers were among the notable UNC alums in attendance.

TCU had some fun after the win by trolling Belichick and responding to many of the pundits and former athletes, including JJ Watt, who predicted North Carolina to shine in the season opener.

Monday night was arguably the most anticipated football game in the University of North Carolina history.

Belichick, the most successful head coach in NFL history with six Super Bowl titles, made his return to the sidelines for the first time since parting ways with the New England Patriots in January 2024. He coached at the professional level for 45 consecutive seasons from 1975 to 2023.

The hiring of Belichick led to a reshaping of the Tar Heels roster. They added more than 70 new players between incoming freshman and the transfer portal.

Per 247Sports' transfer portal rankings, North Carolina had the ninth-best class in the nation entering this season. The group was being counted on to improve the program coming off a 6-7 record under Mack Brown in 2024.

Instead, the results looked similar to the 2024 Tar Heels. Their 34-point loss to TCU was the program's worst since a 47-10 defeat against Miami in September 2018.

It also tied the second-largest margin of defeat in Belichick's career as a head coach. His two worst losses as a head coach prior to Monday night came in back-to-back weeks during the 2023 season.

This is going to be a process for Belichick and North Carolina. He is learning how to coach a different game. For all of his football expertise in general, the college level is very different than the NFL. He is also rebuilding a program on the fly and still finding players who properly fit his system.

There's no reason to think Belichick won't eventually have the program at least competing with the top teams in the ACC, but his first game was a reminder there's a long way to go to get there.

Meanwhile, after entering hostile territory feeling like the other team, TCU was able to send an emphatic message to everyone watching. Head coach Sonny Dykes has an explosive offense that can score points in bunches, as it showed in a true road game to kickoff the season.

Belichick and the Tar Heels have a quick turnaround as they look to regroup after this loss. They will travel to Jerry Richardson Stadium for an in-state showdown with Charlotte on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.