Monday night may or may not be the biggest opening night in the history of the Carolina football program, but nobody told that to Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels. When Belichick and selected players spoke with the media in the Kenan Football Center Wednesday afternoon, the college-aged kids sounded remarkably like their 73-year-old head coach.
Defensive back Thad Dixon has been one of the most outgoing and talkative players during the offseason. But when asked about the buzz surrounding Monday night, Dixon deferred on any sort of pregame proclamations.
“It’s a lot of hype going on, but I haven’t really felt it too much,” Dixon told reporters Wednesday. “I’m not really too big on offseason hype. I’m more in-season production. I’m just waiting until Monday to really show what we can do.”
Then, there’s the case of newly named starting quarterback Gio Lopez. The South Alabama transfer claimed he hadn’t felt any hype at all.
“I don’t really pay attention to the buzz,” said Lopez. “When I walk around campus, I’ve got headphones on, listening to music. I’m just making sure I’m good in academics when I’m on campus. I’m not really paying attention to any of that.”
FILE – South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez (7) throws during an NCAA football game against LSU on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton, File)
There was a time in the not-so-distant past when the star quarterback of the UNC football program stood at the podium during the week and repeated schoolyard taunts about rival schools in the Triangle. But the administration of head coach Mack Brown, whose penchant for chattering was reflected in his players, has come and gone. There’s a new head man in town, and any bulletin board material for the opponent will come over Bill Belichick’s dead body.
“However many people are here or not here [Monday night], however many hours they talk about it on a network show or not talk about it, is not anything in our control,” Belichick said Wednesday. “It’s irrelevant to us. We’re trying to focus on what we can control and what helps us win and helps us prepare for the game. The rest of it is, with all due respect, just noise for us.”
And with all due respect to Belichick, Monday night will probably be the “noisiest” game in the history of Kenan Stadium. ESPN is pulling out all the stops, giving the Tar Heels and Horned Frogs a primetime slot as the only college football game of the night. Former Alabama head coach (and Belichick assistant in the NFL) Nick Saban will be in town to preview the game, as will media darling Pat McAfee. No matter how powerful Gio Lopez’s headphones are, he’d be hard-pressed not to at least take notice of some heightened rumblings around campus.
TCU, on the other hand, finds itself in its second high-profile opener in the last three seasons. The Horned Frogs served as the opponent for the first game of head coach Deion Sanders’ tenure with Colorado in 2023. Though TCU was coming off a run to the national championship game the year before and the Buffaloes would finish the 2023 season 4-8, it didn’t prevent Colorado from springing the upset.
The Frogs enter Monday night on the heels of a 9-4 season in 2024, one which ended on a four-game winning streak. Oddsmakers view TCU as a slight favorite on the road, giving the visitors a 3- or 3.5-point edge, depending on your sportsbook of choice.
Regardless, the Tar Heels will be the focus of ESPN’s coverage Monday night. Sophomore receiver Jordan Shipp at least admitted to the magnitude of his team’s stage, but still fell back on the well-known Belichickian refrain.
“College GameDay, ESPN primetime, I’ve never been part of something that big,” Shipp said. “But that’s where you just stay where your feet are. Right now, we’re not worried about going out there and playing. We’re worried about the prep going into the game. That’s all we’re focused on right now.
“We’re not worried about all the stuff going on outside, ESPN. We know all that’s there, but right now we’re worried about just making sure all our screws are tightened.”
In other words, the main focus for each and every Tar Heel Monday night is to “do your job.”
Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels indeed.
Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on Friday, Aug. 29.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
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