No sequence in Bill Belichick’s North Carolina debut signified how poorly things went for the Tar Heels than the beginning of the second half. Right after Kirk Herbstreit stressed the importance of a good start to the third quarter, the exact opposite happened.
While North Carolina scored on the game’s opening possession, TCU dominated the rest of the first half and took a 20-7 lead into the locker room at halftime. After a touchback on the second-half kickoff, Herbstreit stressed how important the first drive of the second half was for the Tar Heel defense.
“In my opinion, the way that first half went, this is a big drive for the North Carolina defense,” Herbstreit said.
What ensued wasn’t much of a drive and went as poorly for North Carolina as one could imagine. On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, TCU’s Kevorian Barnes took a handoff and got through the trenches with very little resistance. From there, he kept going, sprinting down the sideline for a 75-yard touchdown run.
“In my opinion, the way that first half went, this is a big drive for the North Carolina defense.”
Kirk Herbstreit barely finished that sentence before TCU’s Kevorian Barnes sprinted to a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half. pic.twitter.com/YfPM16XM6x
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 2, 2025
Herbstreit couldn’t help but note the timing of it all.
“As I just finished the sentence about how big of a drive this is for the North Carolina defense, Kendal Briles and company said, ‘It’s a pretty big drive for us. We got a shot here,'” Herbsreit said, referencing TCU’s offensive coordinator.
From there, things got worse for North Carolina. Much worse.
TCU scored on its next possession to go up 34-7. Then, just after North Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez completed his first pass in more than two hours of real time, TCU’s Devean Deal recovered a Lopez fumble and went into the end zone, giving the Horned Frogs a 41-7 lead.
“And to borrow from my friend Rich Eisen, TCU has busted out the whoopin’ stick.”
Rece Davis with the call as TCU’s Devean Deal scores on a fumble recovery to put the Horned Frogs up 41-7. pic.twitter.com/4xpTNKOgSi
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 2, 2025
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