Charlie Campbell
North Carolina 15 , TCU 10
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There were a few late-round defensive line prospects with upside on display in Dublin, Ireland as the college football season kicked off Week 0. North Carolina edge rusher Melkart Abou Jaoude had 10.5 sacks last season and could be a player on the rise during the 2026 season. TCU defensive tackle Ansel Din-Mbuh also has some ability as an interior disruptor. Both of them had good moments and quiet stretches in the season opener.
Early in the third quarter, Abou Jauode swiped the hands away from the left tackle and then dipped underneath him to hunt down Jaden Craig for a blindside strip-sack that was recovered by North Carolina. Abou Jauode has some power as a rusher, but could use more development in his repertoire of moves. He could be a late-round or undrafted free agent with potential, but if Abou Jauode improves throughout the season, he could rise.
In the first quarter, Din-Mbuh put together a nice rush, breaking the grip of the right guard and darting down the pocket to sack Billy Edwards on a third down. Later in the first half, Din-Mbuh flowed well down the line to help make his presence felt in run defense, but he was not getting off blocks in the pass rush. On some plays, Din-Mbuh was going up against the Tar Heel tackles, and he couldn’t get off the blocks. Din-Mbuh
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North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards and TCU quarterback Jaden Craig looked like undrafted free agents in this game. Craig had a good run at Harvard before landing with TCU, but he struggled against North Carolina and was very underwhelming in the second half. Edwards missed some throws and left some yards and points on the field. Both Edwards and Craig looked like training camp arms but not true competition to be a third-stringer.
Walt
