With a shot to upset the No. 2 ranked team in the nation on Friday at Kenan Stadium, the UNC offense was completely shut down in the second half as Notre Dame managed to leave Chapel Hill with a 31-17 victory over the No. 19 Tar Heels.
What began as an offensive shootout ultimately turned into a defensive battle as the game wore on.
UNC sophomore quarterback Sam Howell threw for a touchdown and ran for a touchdown in the first quarter, while Grayson Atkins added a field goal to help the Tar Heels (6-3) go into halftime tied at 17-17.
Notre Dame (9-0) clamped down defensively after the break, however, holding UNC scoreless over the final two quarters and making one of the nation’s top offenses look very average. A group that averages over 560 yards per game was held to a season-low 298 yards on Friday.
Even with the defense making enough stops to keep the Tar Heels within striking distance down the stretch, Howell and the offense struggled to find any kind of success in the second half—finishing with only 78 total yards over the final two quarters.
UNC head coach Mack Brown praised the Notre Dame defense as one of the best in the country heading into the game, and they proved to be even better than advertised.
“You saw it, I saw it,” Brown told reporters after the game. “It looked like they whooped us up front and they got too much pressure on Sam. He didn’t have enough time to get the ball to the guys. We knew that was an issue unless we could run the ball well enough in this game. We knew that we couldn’t protect well enough to get the ball down the field, and we had to throw the ball to win the game.”
Star running back Javonte Williams was held to just 28 yards on 11 carries for the Tar Heels, while Howell finished the game with a season-low 211 yards through the air.
UNC did find some success early on with the deep passing game, but Notre Dame made adjustments and was often able to get to Howell in the backfield before he had time to let those plays develop.
On the other end, Fighting Irish quarterback Ian Book flashed his improvisation skills too many times to count—avoiding sacks and keeping drives alive when his team needed them most. Book finished the game with 279 passing yards and 48 rushing yards, as he also moved into a tie for first place on Notre Dame’s all-time quarterback wins list.
“Ian Book was as good tonight as anybody I’ve ever seen,” Brown said. “We couldn’t tackle him. We harassed him, had people around him. There could have been six sacks. We could not get him on the ground.
“Then he made some unbelievable plays on third down,” the coach added. “I don’t know if he’s in the Heisman race or not, but he should be.”
There were plenty of areas where UNC could have been better against the Fighting Irish—specifically in pass protection—but this loss was simply a product of facing a team good enough to compete for a national championship this season.
The Tar Heels are still extremely young, but will need to develop the same kind of depth and physicality that Notre Dame has if they want to compete at the highest level in the coming years.
It was a respectable effort for UNC, although it also showed just how far the program still needs to go to reach Brown’s goals.
“We just absolutely got hit in the mouth in the second half and didn’t respond very well,” Brown said. “I told the team in the locker room that we don’t have moral victories, but I’m really proud of their effort.”
Up Next:
The Tar Heels host Western Carolina next Saturday, with the kickoff time still yet to be determined.
Game Notes:
- This is the first time UNC has lost by more than seven points since Mack Brown returned as head coach prior to last season.
- Michael Carter surpassed 3,000 career rushing yards in the game, becoming just the eighth Tar Heel all-time to reach that milestone.
- Javonte Williams was held without a touchdown for the first time in UNC’s nine games this season.
- UNC ended the day with nine penalties, which accounted for 90 yards.
Cover photo via ACC Media
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No. 2 Notre Dame Stifles Powerful UNC Offense to Seal Victory Over No. 19 Tar Heels - Chapelboro.com
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