Going into their season opener, the TCU football team was a big favorite over North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland. However, when it comes to college football, especially early in the season, expect the unexpected.
TCU rolled over the Tar Heels last season, 48-14, in the season opener on Labor Day night in Chapel Hill in 2025. It spoiled the first game at UNC for former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. It didn’t take long for Belichick and the Tar Heels to get some revenge.
After a high-scoring first quarter that saw each team put up 10 points, the Tar Heels added a safety and a field goal over the final 49 minutes to escape with a 15-10 win. It wasn’t always pretty on either side, but it got the job done for Belichick and North Carolina. After the game, TCU head coach Sonny Dykes voiced his displeasure with the officials in the game.
TCU Coach Sonny Dykes Rips ACC Officials After Loss To North Carolina
There were a number of areas when TCU lost the football game. They went 1-for-5 on third downs and 1-for-4 in the red zone. Dykes passed on potential field goals multiple times, which could have been the difference in the game.
“Looking back now obviously, I wish we had kicked the two field goals, but at the time, it makes sense to try,” Dykes said, per the Associated Press and ESPN. “When you’re not moving the football, you’ve got to try to get the ball in the end zone.”
However, when it came to penalties, TCU was flagged 11 times for 89 yards. UNC was flagged just three times for 20 yards. The officials were ACC officials, which is the conference that North Carolina plays in. Dykes was asked postgame how to correct the penalty issue and he didn’t mince words.
“Not have ACC officials,” said Dykes, per Tar Heel Tribune. “Then I think we got to do a better job of getting more disciplined. We got to a better job of keeping our hands on the inside where we had some holding penalties.
There were some penalties that killed some Horned Frogs drives. However, blaming the ACC officials is certainly not a great look on Dykes after they were upset. If they had converted one or two of their fourth downs or finished one more drive in the red zone with a touchdown, then Dykes isn’t answering questions about officiating.
TCU Has a Long Two-Week Break
It’s one thing to have to endure a long flight home from Ireland; then it’s another thing to have to wait two more weeks to play again. TCU will open the home portion of their schedule on September 12 against Grambling. They will then host Arkansas State a week later before Big 12 Conference play begins.
As for North Carolina, Belichick and his team get two weeks off before they open the home portion of their schedule against East Tennessee State University on September 12. If either team needed the win on Saturday, it was UNC, as after ETSU, they will travel to Clemson and host No. 4 Notre Dame for their next two games. A 2-2 record after four games would have a different feeling than 1-3 in early October.
TCU Coach Sonny Dykes Drops Blunt Answer on Officials After Loss To UNC