Bill Belichick’s North Carolina opens season with 15-10 win over TCU in Ireland

College football is back, and Bill Belichick's second season at North Carolina is off to a winning start.

The Tar Heels defeated TCU 15-10 Saturday in Dublin, Ireland, opening the 2026 season with a defensive performance that kept the Horned Frogs off the scoreboard for most of the game.

Played at Aviva Stadium as part of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, the matchup was North Carolina's first international football game in program history.

North Carolina's defense takes over

TCU appeared to have control early.

The Horned Frogs built a 10-3 lead, but North Carolina's defense changed the game from there.

TCU did not score again.

The Tar Heels held the Horned Frogs scoreless for the final 49 minutes, forced three turnovers on downs and recovered a TCU fumble.

North Carolina also recorded a safety during the second quarter before adding a field goal in the third to complete the scoring.

The performance ended a remarkable TCU streak.

Before Saturday, the Horned Frogs had scored at least 28 points in 30 consecutive nonconference regular-season games, the second-longest such streak by an FBS team over the past 45 years.

North Carolina held them to 10.

Billy Edwards Jr. leads the Tar Heels

Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. threw for 232 yards in the victory as North Carolina worked through difficult weather conditions in Dublin.

Rain fell intermittently during the first half before becoming a downpour during portions of the second.

The conditions contributed to a low-scoring game in which defense and field position became increasingly important.

Rather than relying on an explosive offensive performance, North Carolina protected its lead and allowed its defense to control the second half.

Belichick begins Year 2 with a victory

The game marked the beginning of Bill Belichick's second season as North Carolina's head coach.

Belichick arrived in Chapel Hill following one of the most successful NFL coaching careers in history.

He won six Super Bowls as head coach of the New England Patriots and two more as a New York Giants assistant before eventually making the surprising transition to college football.

That move immediately made North Carolina one of the most closely watched programs in the country.

Now the attention turns to whether Belichick's second Tar Heels team can take a significant step forward.

A season-opening victory over TCU gives North Carolina a promising start.

College football returns

Saturday's game also helped kick off Week 0 of the 2026 college football season.

The opening-day schedule includes several other notable games, including No. 14 USC against San Jose State, Virginia against NC State, Florida State against New Mexico State and a late matchup between UNLV and Memphis.

Most of the country's biggest programs begin their seasons next week, when the race toward the 12-team College Football Playoff begins in earnest.

North Carolina, however, already has its first result.

A historic win in Dublin

The victory improved North Carolina to 1-0 and gave the Tar Heels a win in their first football game played outside the United States.

North Carolina also improved to 4-1 all-time against TCU.

For Belichick and the Tar Heels, the trip across the Atlantic accomplished its primary objective.

They are coming home with a win.