Irish Reign In The Rain, Defeat North Carolina 37-26

The University of Notre Dame football team (5-0) dominated yet another second half to claim its fifth win of the season and second consecutive road game with a 37-26 victory over North Carolina (2-2) in a rain-soaked Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 

The contest was briefly in doubt early in the third quarter when North Carolina returned the second half opening kickoff for a touchdown to make the score 21-20. From there, however, Notre Dame seized control with two dominating drives that ate up 13 minutes of the clock in just the third quarter alone. 

CJ Carr was extremely efficient through the air, completing 21 of 29 passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns.

The Irish offense saw three drives dominated by three different players.

Jordan Faison caught five passes on Notre Dame’s first scoring drive, including a 28-yard score.

Jonaz Walton lugged the ball 12 times for 61 yards in the third quarter when Notre Dame took control of the game. The freshman running back finished the game with career-highs in carries (23) and rushing yards (120).

Nolan James Jr. carried six times for 49 yards on the final drive of the third quarter, then caught a touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter. 

The defense surrendered 208 yards through the air and three scores but shut down the Carolina rushing offense, holding the Tar Heels to 77 rushing yards. Defensive end Boubacar Traore was all over the field with six tackles, one tackle for loss and four quarterback hurries.

HOW IT HAPPENED

North Carolina won the toss and deferred to the second half. The Irish picked up one first down on the second play of the game on a CJ Carr pass to Jordan Faison. On third-and-five at the 40, Carr found Nolan James Jr. one yard short of the first down and Notre Dame punted. 

The Tar Heels scored quickly on their first possession with two long pass plays, a 13-yard pass on the first play, then a 44-yard pass on third down that ended up at the Notre Dame nine-yard line. 

The Irish looked like they had earned a third down chance after a dropped Tar Heel pass, but Jaiden Ausberry was called for an unsportsmanlike dead-ball penalty for defending himself after the whistle. North Carolina scored on the next play, a five-yard toss to the tight end for a 7-0 lead at 9:34 in the first quarter. 

Notre Dame answered just as quickly, primarily on the hands and legs of Jordan Faison. He started the drive with a first-down catch, then followed with a 14-yard catch across midfield. Faison then converted for a first down to the 35 and after a Nolan James Jr. seven-yard run caught a perfectly thrown 28-yard post-pattern touchdown. 

The Irish defense then made a play. Boubacar Traore beat three blockers, shoving the third to the ground with his right arm and hitting the quarterback as he was attempting a pass. The pass wobbled into the air and was plucked by Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa for an interception he returned to the UNC 12-yard line. 

Carr then found Jaden Greathouse on the first play for a touchdown and a 14-0 Irish lead at 3:20 in the first quarter. 

On its next drive, North Carolina ran the ball three times to earn a first down. They then looked long down the left sideline and it semed as though the Tar Heel receiver had a step on the Irish defense, but that was intentional. Luke Talich smoothly moved over from his safety position and intercepted his second pass of the season at the Notre Dame 23-yard line. 

Aneyas Williams started the Notre Dame drive with a short screen pass catch and followed with a 24-yard scamper down the right sidelines. Two short runs had the Irish facing third and nine, but Carr found Micah Gilbert for the first down. The next play, though, Gilbert committed a holding penalty on a Carr designed run to push the Irish back. 

It was the end of the first quarter at that point and on the first play of the second 15 minutes Carr pump faked and saw Faison streaking wide open to the end zone. There was no Tar Heel defender within 25 yards. Carr might have laid the ball out too far, but Faison caught up and made a spectacular diving catch in the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown. 

Notre Dame’s defense earned a stop to get the ball back in the offense’s hands and Notre Dame drove down the field powered by freshman running back Jonaz Walton. Walton would see seven touches on the drive for 56 yards (an even 28 yards each rushing and receiving) but the drive would stall at the one-yard line. A UNC tackle-for-loss on a Carr run on third down was followed by a fourth down incompletion to Cooper Flanagan in the back of the end zone. 

North Carolina took advantage of the momentum of the stop to get within one score at halftime. The Tar Heels did much of the damage through the air, marching 97 yards in 15 plays with receptions covering 13, 10, 12 and 14 yards before another 14-yard reception, this one in the end zone, made the score 21-14 at halftime. 

The game kicked up another level when North Carolina returned the opening kickoff of the second half 98 yards for a touchdown. The Tar Heels dropped the snap on the point after attempt and the score was 21-20.

The Irish needed a big drive and they responded with a 17-play, 75-yard drive that would consume 9:10 of the third quarter. The drive was powered by freshman Jonaz Walton, who would carry 12 times on the drive for 61 yards. Over the course of the drive Walton converted two fourth downs with powerful runs. His best jaunt of the marathon drive was an 18-yard run that started in the middle, saw him cut outside then another cut upfield to finish at the UNC five-yard line.

Notre Dame tried to keep the ball in Walton’s hands but he was stuffed on two runs, then Aneyas Williams was caught short of the end zone on a pass from Carr. Facing fourth down, Carr caught the Tar Heels offsides, dropped back, rolled to his right then cut up field and dove into the end zone. 

More pressure from the Irish defense forced a quick Tar Heel punt. Traore pressured the quarterback into an incompletion, then Francis Brewu recorded his second sack of the season on third down. 

Notre Dame tacked on a field goal in the fourth quarter before North Carolina was able to score through the air on their final drive. The Irish then melted all but seven seconds of game time off the clock to secure the program’s 15th consecutive win by 10 or more points.