TCU Ties North Carolina 3-3 With 31-Yard Field Goal in Dublin Opener
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 29
TCU Ties North Carolina 3-3 With 31-Yard Field Goal in Dublin Opener
3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 29
Summary
A 31-yard field goal pulled TCU level at 3-3 with 7:20 left in the first quarter of the 2026 season opener at Aviva Stadium.
TCU went 62 yards in seven plays on the response drive, with Jeremy Payne's 48-yard run setting up the chance before Jaden Craig's third-down incompletion forced the kick.
North Carolina had struck first on a 20-yard field goal after reaching second-and-goal at the 1, but a stuffed run and an off-target Billy Edwards pass kept the Tar Heels out of the end zone.
The Dublin matchup opens Week 0 and serves as a rematch of TCU's 48-14 win over North Carolina in Bill Belichick's first game as Tar Heels coach last season.
Will Harvard transfer Jaden Craig's Ivy League dominance be enough to lead TCU to another blowout victory against a desperate Tar Heels squad?
After stalling at the one-yard line, is North Carolina's highly hyped new offense already doomed to repeat last year's disastrous campaign?
With a massive contract and looming internal turmoil, can Bill Belichick and Bobby Petrino actually salvage North Carolina's crumbling football program?