​DUBLIN, IRELAND – AUGUST 29: Billy Edwards Jr #9 of the University of North Carolina attempts to throw for a first down during the Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium on August 29, 2026 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) | Getty Images UNC entered its season opener against TCU in Dublin with numerous questions on both sides of the ball. Would the offensive line hold up? How would the defense look without its defensive coordinator? What would Petrino’s offense look like? What would Billy Edwards Jr. look like? The list goes on and on. As I said to some Tar Heel fans in a chat earlier this week, I’ve been way more excited for opening games but never more curious.Expectations for this team were understandably low coming into this game, but there were discernible signs this team might have more of a pulse than many thought. That’s not to suggest we saw a team yesterday that will compete for an ACC title. First game overreactions are a time-honored part of any sport but especially college football. We’ll talk more about both the good and bad on Monday.But, UNC won a high profile game against a borderline top 25 (preseason) team. Yes, TCU contributed mightily to that, but college football has always operated on the axiom that more games are lost than won. UNC didn’t beat itself yesterday, and after last season’s team consistently shot itself in the foot, admit it — we were all wondering if a 17-15 heartbreak was just around the corner until Jelani took that third down pass over midfield to send UNC’s win probability up to 99%.So, after a long 0ff-season of wondering what this season might hold, yesterday’s game offers a lot to think about. For me, the biggest pleasant surprise was the offensive line holding up, even if 3.1 yards a carry isn’t anything to write home about. The worst case scenarios for this season all revolved around an offensive line limiting the playbook in fatal ways. The offensive line wasn’t necessarily good yesterday, but it was good enough.How about you? What player or aspect of the game surprised you the most?