​UNC’s win over TCU on Saturday afternoon could hardly be considered a masterpiece. The weather was messy, and both offenses ground to a halt after the first quarter. Both teams also made a fair number of mistakes; TCU, in particular, was exceedingly mistake prone. The Horned Frogs racked up 11 penalties for a whopping 89 yards, lost a fumble, and allowed a safety on a botched snap to the punter.While the rebuilt UNC offense could only muster 15 points (actually 13, accounting for the safety), the Tar Heel defensive line looked stout. After allowing almost 100 yards in offense and 10 points in the first quarter, the Heels shut down TCU for the final three frames. While most of the line contributed in one way or another, it was Xavier Lewis who really shone in this game and deserves the Player of the Game nod. The sophomore finished the game with seven total tackles, third on the team; his five solo tackles led the team. More importantly, he consistently put TCU in negative yard situations. Lewis was credited with 4.5 tackles for a loss as well as two sacks. For some context, Lewis had eight tackles and a half a sack total for his entire freshman year. Melkart Abou Jaoude was expected to be the best defensive player on this team, and Saturday’s game did nothing to dissuade that notion; but if Lewis is able to step up to the degree he did against TCU this could be a solid UNC defense.An honorable mention also goes out to Jelani Thurman. On a day when most of the offense couldn’t seem to get in gear, Thurman served as a reliable option in big situations. New UNC QB Billy Edwards Jr. looked his way both on third downs and in the red zone; Thurman ended up catching four passes for 94 yards. That might not sound impressive, but it’s more yards than any UNC tight end recorded in any game last season. Thurman also caught a huge third down pass late in the fourth quarter that basically sealed the win for the Heels. It’ll be easy to root for Thurman this season; he’s wearing the number 45 in honor of his mother, who died in a car crash earlier this year.Carolina will have two weeks to return home and rest before hosting East Tennessee State on Saturday, September 12th at noon.