The Notre Dame football team went into Chapel Hill to take on the No. 19 Tar Heels, and came away with a crucial ACC victory inside Kenan Stadium.
The Irish got the ball to start the first half, but the offense looked out of sync, as the Tar Heels forced a three-and-out. With the ball in their hands, it did not take long for North Carolina to get on the board, as Sam Howell navigated a seven-play, 50-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead early in the fourth quarter.
It did not take the Irish long to respond, as Ian Book led a surgical drive that covered 75 yards in nine plays. In that drive, he leaned heavily on the run game, as both Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree did most of the work before Williams plunged in from two yards out.
In a half that would be a back-and-forth battle, the Tar Heels responded immediately, going 75 yards as well, but doing it in only seven plays. The narrative around the North Carolina offense is that they can score quickly, and in bunches, and that was evident on that drive, with Howell hitting Dyami Brown on a 51-yard strike down to the one.
Howell would cap off the drive with a one-yard score of his own.
As was the case every time one team scored, Notre Dame came right back, showing some big-play ability of their own. Book was terrific on the drive, avoiding traffic and hitting Javon McKinley for 43 yards. On the next play, Book scampered 33 yards down to the six, and two plays later, he would once again avoid the blitz and hit Williams for a four-yard touchdown.
Finally, the defenses for each team would step up, as there were four straight punts before back-to-back field goals ended the half at 17-17.
Notre Dame football wins likely final regular season test over UNC
Second Half
The Tar Heels got the ball to start the second half but could do nothing with it, as a penalty forced North Carolina into a third-and-9 that they could not convert. In their first possession of the second half, the Irish went nearly the length of the field, putting together a 97-yard drive that gave them a 24-17 lead that they would not relinquish.
North Carolina punted the next time they got the ball, and after an Irish missed field goal, the teams would trade off punts on five straight possessions. From there, the Irish put the game away, thanks to an eight-play, 89-yard drive that culminated in Kyren Williams’ third touchdown of the game.
The Tar Heels turned it over on downs, and the Irish were able to run out the clock, sealing a 31-17 victory over the last real test of their regular season. Plenty of things stood out in this one, including just how good this Notre Dame defense is against some of the best running backs in the country.
Against Travis Etienne and Javonte Williams, two players expected to go early in the 2021 NFL Draft, they held the duo to 28 yards apiece, which is an absolutely absurd achievement. Edge rusher Adetokunbo Ogundeji stood out in this one, as the defense stood up against one of the high-powered offenses in the country, and basically shut them down.
Notre Dame football wins likely final regular season test over UNC
Looking Ahead
The next time the Irish will take the field will be next Saturday, when they take on the Syracuse Orange inside Notre Dame Stadium. The Orange are one of the worst teams in college football, and they take a 1-8 record into their game against North Carolina State on Saturday.
That is a game that Notre Dame should have no problem with, as they look to continue their trek towards a College Football Playoff. In fact, the North Carolina game was their final big test before the ACC title game, so getting the win on Friday was paramount if they want to be one of the final four teams standing when all is said and done with the regular season, and conference championships.
Notre Dame kept their CFP hopes alive with this win on the road and will have to continue to stack wins as they make their way to the ACC title game. Trevor Lawrence and a fired-up Clemson team are likely going to be waiting for revenge, and they will need to play better than they did on Friday if they want to beat them for the second time this season.