North Carolina gave No. 3 Notre Dame considerably more trouble than most of the Fighting Irish’s opponents have this season. The Tar Heels just couldn’t slow down quarterback CJ Carr and the Notre Dame offense enough to finish the upset.
Carr threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score as Notre Dame remained unbeaten with a 37-26 win over UNC on a rainy Saturday at Kenan Stadium.
UNC (2-2, 0-1 ACC) scored more than three times the 8.3 points per game Notre Dame had been allowing and trailed by only a point early in the third quarter. But the Fighting Irish (5-0) answered with consecutive touchdown drives and controlled the football for more than 37 minutes.
🔑 How It Happened
UNC struck first when Billy Edwards Jr. found Shamar Easter for a 6-yard touchdown, but Notre Dame responded with three straight scores. Carr threw touchdown passes of 28 and 39 yards to Jordan Faison and another from 12 yards to Jaden Greathouse as the Irish built a 21-7 lead.
The Tar Heels didn’t go away, though. Edwards directed a 15-play, 97-yard touchdown drive late in the second quarter, finishing it with a 14-yard pass to Jelani Thurman with 21 seconds remaining before half. Then Jaden Jefferson returned the opening kickoff of the second half 98 yards for a touchdown, suddenly pulling UNC within 21-20.
But that’s where Notre Dame took control.
The Irish answered Jefferson’s return with a 17-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 9:10, with Carr scoring on fourth-and-goal from the 3. Notre Dame followed that with another touchdown drive spanning the third and fourth quarters, stretching the lead to 34-20.
UNC scored once more on Edwards’ second touchdown pass to Thurman with 2:36 remaining, but Notre Dame recovered the ensuing onside kick and closed out the win.
📊 Names and Numbers That Matter
CJ Carr (Notre Dame): 21-of-29 passing, 234 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for a touchdown, accounting for all five Notre Dame touchdowns.
Jordan Faison (UNC): Eight catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns, including scoring receptions of 28 and 39 yards.
Billy Edwards Jr. (UNC): Went 17-of-28 for 208 yards and three touchdowns, but two first-quarter interceptions proved costly. One gave Notre Dame the ball at the UNC 12, and Carr threw a touchdown on the next play.
Notre Dame’s ground game: The Irish rushed for 241 yards compared with only 77 for UNC. Jonaz Walton led Notre Dame with 120 yards on 23 carries.
Time of possession: Notre Dame held the ball for 37:04, including 13:18 of the third quarter. UNC possessed it for just 22:56.
⏭️ What’s Next
North Carolina goes back on the road next Saturday for a noon game at unbeaten Pitt (5-0). The Panthers are coming off a Friday night win over Virginia Tech where the Hokies missed a field goal as time expired.
Notre Dame returns home Oct. 10 to face Stanford. The Cardinal will arrive in South Bend after a 57-3 loss at Wake Forest on Saturday.
