Three Things UNC Must Improve in Week 2

North Carolina’s run game never found traction in its 48-14 loss to TCU on Monday night. The Tar Heels finished with just 50 rushing yards, nearly 200 fewer than the Horned Frogs, and averaged only 1.8 yards per carry. Caleb Hood scored UNC’s lone rushing touchdown and led the team with 31 yards on 10 attempts.

As a group, the running backs averaged 1.8 yards per attempt with a 23-percent success rate. The offensive line allowed five tackles for loss, with a quarter of UNC’s rushes ending in no gain or negative yardage. That lack of production on early downs set up a string of three straight three-and-outs in the first half.

The struggles up front were reflected in Pro Football Focus grades. True freshman left tackle Eidan Buchanan earned the lowest offensive grade on the team (43.7 overall, 52.8 run block), while left guard Aidan Banfield graded fifth-worst overall (49.7) and posted the lowest run block mark (48.9). UNC's overall run blocking grade for the game was 53.3, ranking it in the bottom 15% nationally among FBS teams.

Defensively, UNC’s front offered little resistance. TCU piled up 258 rushing yards at 7.4 per carry, scoring twice on runs of 20-plus yards. The Tar Heels’ defensive line did not record a single tackle for loss and pressured quarterback Josh Hoover only six times, finishing with a pass rush grade of 59.6.

Tailor the Offense Around the Quarterback's Strengths

After Gio Lopez opened with two completions for 58 yards, North Carolina went 34 minutes of game time without another completion — the lone exception being a pick-six to TCU’s Bud Clark. Lopez finished 4-for-10 for 69 yards, while Max Johnson went 9-for-11 for 103 yards and a touchdown in his first appearance since a season-ending injury last fall.

Lopez is expected to start against Charlotte, but another mediocre outing could force Belichick to turn to Johnson. The problem, though, isn’t just Lopez — it’s the system in which the Tar Heels run. His first drive featured play-action and RPO sets out of the pistol and shotgun, concepts that played to his strengths. But after snapping issues, the offense shifted toward a pro-style look that suited Johnson more.

Johnson thrived in that scheme — it’s what he ran at LSU and Texas A&M. Lopez, on the other hand, was forced into a structure that doesn’t match his mobility.

Offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens had him running an offense that didn’t fit, a stark contrast to other programs that lean into their quarterbacks’ strengths. Florida State built its attack around Thomas Castellanos’ legs in an upset of Alabama. Georgia Tech has done the same with Haynes King, maximizing his power-run ability.

Yet Lopez had just four rushing attempts against TCU, one being a sack. That’s not adaptation — that’s rigidity. If UNC is going to run a pro-style system, Johnson should be the quarterback. If Lopez is the choice, the offense must adjust. Until Kitchens commits, the Tar Heels will remain stuck between two mismatched styles.

WRAP UP!

Defensively, the biggest issue throughout the TCU game was tackling. The Tar Heels committed 19 missed tackles, and to be honest, there was probably more. Of the 258 rushing yards the Horned Frogs gained, 141 of them were after contact (an average of 4.03 yards after contact).

The biggest area where the Tar Heels had the most trouble was on the perimeter, where the Horned Frogs gained 208 of their 258 rushing yards and averaged 10.9 yards per carry.

TCU's rushing attempts to the outside

• Left tackle: 5 attempts for 30 yards (6.0 yards per carry), 3 first downs, one 10-plus run, long of 16 yards.

• Left end: 8 attempts for 52 yards (6.5 yards per carry), 1 TD, 3 first downs, two 10-plus runs, and a long of 28 yards.

• Right tackle: 2 attempts for 29 yards (14.5 yards per carry), first down, 10-plus run, long of 26 yards.

• Right end: 4 attempts for 97 yards (24.3 yards per carry), 2 first downs, two 10-plus runs, long of 75 yards (TD).

If UNC wants to improve defensively, it starts there.