Notre Dame football: Kyren Williams runs all over UNC in 44-34 victory
Notre Dame football: Kyren Williams runs all over UNC in 44-34 victory
4th Quarter
North Carolina failed to gain the first down and instead used Howell to drop kick a punt that rolled inside the 10. That didn’t matter, though. Kyren Williams, determined to prove his knee was fine, took a run up the middle with no room, reversed field, hit the edge, and took the ball 91 yards for an Irish touchdown. He stiffed armed a defender down in the backfield and got a massive block from Michael Mayer downfield. 38-27.
DJ Brown, Kyle Hamilton’s replacement, then immediately intercepted Sam Howell. Tack on an unsportsmanlike foul on North Carolina, and the Irish were in a position to bury the Tar Heels. Avery Davis took an end-around inside the five, but the drive stalled there. North Carolina made a stand and Brian Kelly opted to kick a short field goal to make it 41-27. Not quite a dagger.
The next drive started with another Notre Dame injury. Isaiah Foskey was injured making a tackle, and stayed down for a long time, before running off the field. That drive eventually ended in a Sam Howell touchdown drive to keep North Carolina in the game. Again, the Irish missed multiple tackles, including a potential sack. The next drive for Notre Dame became the Kyren Williams show, as he marched towards 200 yards.
With about three and a half minutes left and Notre Dame deep in Tar Heel territory, North Carolina started using their timeouts. Buchner misfired on third and long, but a flag came out for pass interference that gave the Irish life to end the game. Admittedly, it was a soft call. It did give Notre Dame time to drain more clock, though, which they did. However, they couldn’t find the endzone. Instead, with 1:40 left, Kelly called timeout and opted for a field goal to make it a two-score game. 44-34.
Sam Howell marched North Carolina downfield, but they ultimately ran out of time. Notre Dame wins 44-34.