Notre Dame went to Chapel Hill Saturday as a three-touchdown favorite, played in miserable weather, gave up a 98-yard kickoff return, allowed North Carolina to hang around far longer than anyone wearing blue and gold would have preferred—and won by double digits anyway.
Maybe this is just what good teams do.
The 37–26 final wasn't the demolition many expected. In fact, when UNC returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown, suddenly a game Notre Dame seemed to have under control was 21–20.
For a few minutes, every Notre Dame fan collectively had the same thought:
Are we really doing this?
No. We weren't.
Notre Dame responded by doing something championship-caliber teams need to be able to do: it took control of the football game.
And the biggest reason for optimism continues to be CJ Carr.
Carr finished 21-of-29 for 234 yards, threw four touchdown passes and ran for another. He didn't turn the ball over. He didn't panic when UNC grabbed early momentum. And every week he looks a little less like a talented young quarterback and a little more like one of the best quarterbacks in college football.
Jordan Faison was once again his favorite weapon, finishing with 132 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The first—a 28-yard score—answered UNC's opening touchdown and immediately settled things down.
But the most encouraging stretch came after halftime.
Notre Dame essentially decided it was done messing around.
Freshman Jonaz Walton carried the ball 23 times for 120 yards, including 12 carries for 61 yards in the third quarter alone. Nolan James Jr. followed with six carries for 49 yards on the next possession before catching a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. Those two drives consumed roughly 13 minutes of the third quarter and turned a one-point game back into something Notre Dame controlled.
That's the formula.
Carr can beat you through the air. Faison can stretch the field. And when Notre Dame needs to put a game away, the offensive line and running backs can apparently just lean on you until you stop moving.
There are complaints. The special teams touchdown was brutal. The defense allowed three passing touchdowns. A team with playoff aspirations probably shouldn't let a 21-point underdog remain within striking distance this long.
But here's the other side:
Notre Dame is 5–0. Carr just accounted for five touchdowns on the road. The Irish ran for 200-plus yards. And when UNC made its push, Notre Dame answered instead of unraveling.
Was it perfect?
Absolutely not.
But five games into the season, Notre Dame still is.
Go Irish. ☘️
