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Dabo Swinney Had Classy Reaction To Bill Belichick's First Loss

Originally posted on The Spun | By Daniel Bates | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 2:14 PM ET

The Chapel Bill era got off to about as bad of a start as anyone could've imagined on Monday night.

After marching down the field and scoring a touchdown on their very first drive of the game, North Carolina's offense didn't complete a pass for the next six en route to an embarrassing 48-14 loss at the hands of TCU.

Nearly nothing went right for the Heels outside of the first five minutes, leaving many UNC fans and high-profile alumni stunned as they watched what looked to be a competitive game quickly slip away from them.

If there was any silver lining for UNC, it was the return of quarterback Max Johnson who took the field in the second half and completed 9-of-11 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown after nearly losing his leg a year ago. But beyond that, this was one that the school and its players will want to put behind them quickly.

Sep 1, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick on the sidelines in the first quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images© Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

'They did a lot more things right than we did.'

Speaking to the media after the game, Bill Belichick was very upfront about what went wrong with his team in their highly-anticipated Week 1 opener, admitting that the Tar Heels were "outplayed" and "outcoached" in every phase of the action last night.

"They outplayed us, outcoached us, and they were just better than we were tonight," Belichick said. "That's all there was to it. They did a lot more things right than we did."

"We're better than what we were tonight, but we have to go out there and show that and prove it," he added. "Nobody's going to do it for us. We're going to have to do it ourselves, and that's what we're going to do."

UNC certainly didn't look like a team being coached by a six-time Super Bowl champ. But one of Belichick's ACC rivals is giving the legend some grace as he continues to make the transition to college football.

Dabo reacts to UNC's blowout

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was one of the many watching North Carolina in its standalone opener, and the longtime Tigers HC has faith that Bill will be able to turn things around with enough time.

Per The Post and Courier's John Blau, "Dabo Swinney on Bill Belichick's debut, says UNC will get better. And results like the Tar Heels' blowout loss to TCU are just part of coaching."

"Some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug," Dabo said, via the Clemson beat reporter.

Dabo Swinney on Bill Belichick's debut, says UNC will get better. And results like the Tar Heels' blowout loss to TCU are just part of coaching.

"Some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug."
— Jon Blau (@Jon_Blau) September 2, 2025

The Tar Heels will have a handful of games to get right before Oct. 4's matchup with Swinney and Clemson at home. In the meantime, UNC will face Charlotte, Richmond and UCF — all of which Carolina will likely be favored in.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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