The North Carolina football team got shellacked by TCU on Monday, losing 48-14. It was the worst way imaginable to start the Bill Belichick tenure in Chapel Hill. Belichick is back in coaching, and immediately suffered one of the worst losses in his long, storied career.
“They were clearly the better team tonight,” Belichick said about TCU, per the Associated Press. “They deserved to win and they did it decisively.”
He was right on the money with that statement. North Carolina now has to move on quickly from this debacle, but it won't be that easy. With the ACC schedule looming, as well as another power 4 non conference game, it is quite reasonable for North Carolina football fans to panic right now.
Here are three reasons why it is reasonable to believe this TCU loss is a sign of even worse things to come.
North Carolina's defense looks lost at sea
North Carolina had a very difficult time moving the football against TCU. The Tar Heels defense, however, appeared to be even worse.
North Carolina football allowed a whopping 542 total yards of offense to the Horned Frogs, who weren't even ranked before the game. North Carolina was also hosting TCU, and clearly had home-field advantage. The defense though appeared to be lost in coverage throughout the night, and things got worse as the game wore on.
TCU posted 29 first downs in the game, and averaged nearly eight yards per play on offense. North Carolina, who has several new faces on the roster, couldn't make open field tackles.
The struggles were perhaps most apparent when North Carolina's defense allowed a 75-yard touchdown run to open the second half. TCU's physical back Kevorian Barnes galloped down the field nearly untouched on an explosive play.
North Carolina must find some players immediately on their roster who are able to tackle, or this season will be a very long one in Chapel Hill.
Who is North Carolina's starting quarterback?
North Carolina's starting quarterback Gio Lopez went down in the TCU game, with an apparent back injury. He was replaced by Max Johnson, who threw a touchdown pass for the Tar Heels.
Following the game, Coach Belichick left the door open for there to be some controversy over who will be the starter moving forward.
“We'll see how Gio is,” Belichick said, per ESPN. “Max came in after being off for a long time and hung in there and made some plays in a tough situation. We'll take a look at it and see where things are at and go from there. It's too early to tell now.”
Johnson finished the game with just 103 passing yards, but he led the team in that category. North Carolina football finished the contest with just 222 total yards of offense.
Johnson's performance, combined with Lopez's injury, presents the North Carolina coach with quite a challenge. Who is the starter for this team? That is a question that good teams usually don't have to answer. Unfortunately for Belichick, he is faced with that puzzle moving forward. Due to the instability at the quarterback position, it is reasonable for North Carolina fans to be worried as the season marches on.
There's one final reason why Tar Heels fans are right to panic.
North Carolina football faces a multitude of other distractions
The Tar Heels face an extraordinary amount of pressure. Television cameras are constantly on the players, because North Carolina is filming a Hulu docuseries this season.
There are also all sorts of people commenting and posting about Belichick's personal relationship with his younger girlfriend, Jordon Hudson. While that commentary may or may not be affecting Belichick, it is certainly a topic that the players are constantly asked about.
Hudson was also seen on the sidelines during Monday's loss to TCU. She was standing near Belichick. Her appearance once again caused a stir in the media, as several news outlets wrote stories about her appearance near the North Carolina coach.
North Carolina plays Charlotte on Saturday. Time will tell if the Tar Heels are able to pick themselves back up off the mat.
