After spending much of Bill Belichick’s first season dealing with public embarrassments, North Carolina opened Year 2 by pulling off an upset against a team that beat the Tar Heels by 34 a year ago.The Tar Heels outlasted TCU 15-10 on Saturday in Dublin, Ireland, with a defense that repeatedly bent without breaking, two field goals, a safety and just enough offense from journeyman quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino.“Happy to start the season off on the right note,” said Edwards, whose 2025 season at Wisconsin — the third of his four college stops — was cut short by a knee injury. “We got a lot of stuff to clean up, but at least we can do it in the victory column.”TCU entered the first game of the FBS season as a 9 1/2-point favorite but gave the game away with 11 penalties for 100 yards, poor red zone execution and by failing on fourth downs. North Carolina lost two fumbles and outgained the Horned Frogs 322-312 on a sloppy, wet field.Here’s what we learned:UNC sets a new toneAround the time TCU scored its 41st consecutive point in last year’s opening game on UNC’s home field, excitement from the start of the Bill Belichick era had devolved into punchlines the Tar Heels never fully outran. Letting a Clemson team that finished 7-6 run up a 28-3 first-quarter lead in Chapel Hill a few weeks later didn’t help, either.There’s still a lot to prove, but Saturday’s opener sets a very different tone for Year 2 under Belichick after another offseason of distractions, including general manager Michael Lombardi being put on administrative leave. The schedule is more difficult this time around with games against teams like Notre Dame and Miami, but Saturday’s debut in Dublin showcased a base-level competency that was absent in the first month of last year’s 4-8 campaign.The defense played without coordinator Steve Belichick (who is on medical leave) but firmed up against TCU’s running game in the second half, and at times the pass rush embarrassed TCU’s offensive line. The offense wasn’t explosive and struggled in the red zone but was able to rack up 19 first downs and moved the ball more often than it didn’t. The Tar Heels also committed just four penalties for 25 yards, outperforming a mistake-prone TCU team on a slippery, rain-soaked field.Beating TCU doesn’t make a season, but this time UNC didn’t start by setting fire to an offseason of anticipation. Instead, the Tar Heels offered reasons for optimism after an offseason largely devoid of them. — David UbbenNorth Carolina held TCU to zero points after the first quarter Saturday. (Charles McQuillan / Getty Images)How much of an upgrade is Petrino?Petrino’s debut as Belichick’s offensive play caller didn’t produce a ton of points or yards, but it’s obvious North Carolina’s offense is headed in a better direction.Petrino had success at his last stop, Arkansas, in taking a limited offense and rebuilding it around mobile quarterback Taylen Green. Despite going 2-10 last season, the Razorbacks ranked 23rd in scoring (32.9 points per game) and seventh in yards per play (6.94).North Carolina ranked 120th in both scoring (19.3 points per game) and yards per play (4.94) last season with Freddie Kitchens calling plays.Edwards — a well-traveled dual-threat quarterback with an injury history — isn’t on Green’s level as a playmaker. But the Wisconsin/Maryland/Wake Forest transfer proved to be more than serviceable in helping the Tar Heels get the win in Ireland, completing 16 of 28 passes for 232 yards.North Carolina scored 10 points on its first three possessions in the opening quarter — something it accomplished only twice in the regular season last year (against Charlotte and Richmond). Petrino’s scripted opening drive was very good, including a 20-yard play-action pass to Ohio State transfer tight end Jelani Thurman on the first play. Edwards and Thurman hooked up four times for 94 yards. They resembled a new kind of connection that could become reliable.