North Carolina Pushes No. 3 Notre Dame Before Falling 37-26
The short version
- No. 3 Notre Dame improved to 5-0 with a 37-26 win over 21-point underdog North Carolina (2-2, 0-1 ACC).
- Billy Edwards threw two first-half interceptions, and each was followed by a Notre Dame touchdown.
- CJ Carr accounted for five touchdowns as Notre Dame gained 475 yards and its most rushing yards of the season.
- UNC got 109 receiving yards from Jordan Shipp, two TD catches from Jelani Thurman and a 98-yard kickoff-return TD from Jaden Jefferson.
- The Tar Heels rushed for 77 yards on 23 carries and visit Pitt next.
The 21-point-underdog Tar Heels trailed by only a touchdown entering the fourth quarter before turnovers and Notre Dame's power run game decided a 37-26 loss.
North Carolina gave third-ranked Notre Dame a much stiffer test than the betting line suggested on Saturday, but the Tar Heels could not finish the job in a 37-26 defeat. A 21-point underdog at kickoff, UNC went into the fourth quarter trailing by just a touchdown. The loss dropped the Tar Heels to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in ACC play, while Notre Dame stayed perfect at 5-0. Many North Carolina fans had braced for a lopsided afternoon that never fully materialized.
The early signs pointed toward an upset bid. Notre Dame punted on the game's first possession, and UNC answered with a 74-yard touchdown drive to take a 7-0 lead, capped by a Billy Edwards connection with Shamar Easter on the first touchdown of Easter's career.
The Irish then scored on three straight possessions and reached the one-yard line midway through the second quarter, standing a single yard from a three-touchdown lead. North Carolina's defense held there to force a turnover on downs, and a 15-play drive ending in a touchdown brought the Tar Heels back within seven points.
Two first-half interceptions thrown by Edwards proved decisive, with each turnover followed by a Notre Dame touchdown. One snap after the first pick, CJ Carr threw a 12-yard scoring pass to Jaden Greathouse. Nine plays after the second, Carr hit Jordan Faison for a 39-yard touchdown.
Carr finished with a hand in five touchdowns, and the Notre Dame offense totaled 475 yards while leaning on the ground game to close things out. Jonaz Walton rushed for 120 yards, Nolan James added 65 and Aneyas Williams chipped in 42 as the Irish produced their best rushing day of the season, with Carr adding the team's only touchdown on the ground.
For all the defensive trouble, North Carolina's 26 points were the most Notre Dame has allowed in a game this season. Jaden Jefferson opened the second half by returning the kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, and the passing game kept clicking: Jordan Shipp posted a career-high 109 receiving yards, and Jelani Thurman caught two of Edwards' three touchdown passes after Easter's earlier score.
The running game was the missing piece on offense for UNC. Benjamin Hall, Demon June and Jaylen McGill, together with Edwards, managed only 77 yards on 23 carries. That imbalance placed more of the burden on Edwards' arm and blunted the play-action passing North Carolina viewed as essential to reaching its full offensive potential.
Defending the run has been a season-long concern, and the schedule offers no relief. Clemson rushed for 186 yards against UNC on Sept. 19, TCU's Jeremy Payne ran for 142, and although the Tar Heels limited ETSU to 77 yards on the ground, five different Pitt players already have rushing touchdowns this season.
North Carolina now heads on the road to face Pitt, where another defensive performance like Saturday's would put the Tar Heels in danger of a third consecutive loss.
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