When North Carolina and TCU kick off in Dublin, Ireland, on Saturday, it’ll be quite the crossroads in Bill Belichick‘s career.
Belichick, an eight-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots, is entering his second season as a college football coach and it’ll once again begin with Sonny Dykes and the TCU Horned Frogs. Last August, the Tar Heels endured a home loss to TCU, setting the tone for a disappointing 4-8 season marred by a sputtering offense and off-field distractions.
College football reporter Bruce Feldman raised the question of Saturday’s Dublin contest, and whether his Week 1 performance could indicate the end of the legendary coach’s short tenure in Chapel Hill. In his report, a source close to CFB believes the Tar Heels coaching job could open again soon without drastic change on the field.
North Carolina welcomed new, and controversial, offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino following his second stop at Arkansas, where he followed Sam Pitman’s exit as the team’s interim head coach last year. It was about the only semi-positive offseason news after team general manager Michael Lombardi was placed on administrative leave following a human resources complaint, and defensive coordinator Steve Belichick went on medical leave earlier this month.
Roster-wise, UNC will feature a stronger quarterback candidate in Maryland transfer Billy Edwards Jr., but questions linger around an offensive line with limited experience protecting LSU running back transfer Demon June. Their first task is a big one, too, with a TCU defense featured seven different players with starting experience, including three returning upperclassmen along the defensive line. The Frogs are especially strong at safety, with Jamel Johnson (Second Team All-Big 12) back.
Even with its recent fall camp woes, the Horned Frogs are the deeper program entering this contest on Saturday. Unless UNC can get under Jaden Craig’s skin and solve some drives for itself early, the Tar Heels could be in for the Dublin curse.
