No. 3 Notre Dame escaped a rain-soaked scare from North Carolina on Saturday, pulling away for a 37-26 win at Kenan Stadium to stay unbeaten at 5-0.
UNC struck first, forcing a Notre Dame punt on the opening possession before quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. capped a seven-play, 74-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Shamar Easter, putting the Tar Heels up 7-0.
Notre Dame answered with 21 unanswered points. Quarterback C.J. Carr threw a 12-yard touchdown to Jaden Greathouse after a UNC interception, then found Jordan Faison for a 39-yard score to make it 21-7.
Carr finished 21 of 29 for 234 yards and four touchdown passes, adding 15 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Faison caught eight passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
UNC’s defense held firm late in the second quarter, stopping Notre Dame on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line. The Tar Heels then drove 97 yards on 15 plays, eating more than seven minutes off the clock, and scored on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Jelani Thurman to cut the lead to 21-14 before halftime.
UNC’s Jaden Jefferson returned the second-half opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, but a botched snap on the extra point left the score at 21-20.
Notre Dame responded with a grinding 17-play, 75-yard drive that survived three separate fourth-down conversions, ending when Carr scrambled in for a 3-yard touchdown. The Fighting Irish then scored again on an eight-play, 68-yard drive finished by a 6-yard touchdown pass to running back Nolan James Jr., pushing the lead to 34-20 early in the fourth quarter.
A 31-yard field goal from Spencer Porath made it 37-20. Thurman’s second touchdown catch of the day, UNC’s first offensive score of the second half, narrowed the final margin to 37-26, but the Tar Heels ran out of time.
Notre Dame moves to 5-0 and hosts Stanford (2-3) next Saturday. UNC falls to 2-2 and travels to Pittsburgh next week.
