Notre Dame at North Carolina

Notre Dame at North Carolina

This is Missed It. Notre Dame at North Carolina, Saturday, October 3, 72 and overcast at Kenan Stadium, with the Fighting Irish. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a big one tonight, folks. Notre Dame comes in at four and oh, North Carolina at two and one, and we've got the ball first. This is a team that's been building something special all season, and every game from here on out carries weight. The Tar Heels are hungry, they're at home, and they know a win over an undefeated squad would put them right back in the conversation. But we're not thinking about that. We're thinking about what we do. We've got the ball, we've got the momentum of a perfect start, and we've got a whole night ahead of us. Let's go.

Q1

We open with the ball, and the first drive is a feeling-out process. Seven plays, a punt, and we hand it over. Nothing flashy, just testing the waters. North Carolina takes over, and they waste no time. They march down the field, nine plays, and suddenly they're knocking on the door. Third down, and Edwards Jr. drops back, scans, and fires short right to Easter. The ball arrives at the seven, and Easter turns upfield, fights through a tackle at the goal line, and stretches the ball across. Touchdown, Tar Heels. Seven to nothing, and the home crowd is roaring. We've been punched first. But here's the thing about this team. We don't flinch. We take the ball back, and Carr is locked in. Eight plays, methodical, patient, and then he sees it. Deep middle, Faison is running free, and Carr lets it go. The ball hangs in the air, and Faison hauls it in at the goal line. Twenty-eight yards, touchdown, and just like that we're tied at seven. The sideline is alive, the bench is jumping, and we've answered the bell. And then it gets better. North Carolina gets the ball back, and on the second play, something goes wrong for them. A turnover. We take over with a short field, and Carr doesn't waste a second. First play, shotgun, short right to Greathouse, and he's got nothing but green in front of him. Twelve yards, touchdown, and we're up fourteen to seven. The swing is complete. Two touchdowns in the span of a minute, and the Tar Heels are reeling. They try to respond. Seven plays, they move the ball, but then another turnover. We're taking everything they give us. We take over at the end of the quarter, and this drive is a statement. Eleven plays, chewing clock, moving the chains, and then Carr drops back again. Deep right, Faison again, and this time it's thirty-nine yards. He catches it at the goal line, and we're up twenty-one to seven as the quarter comes to a close. Three touchdowns in the first quarter. This is exactly the kind of start we needed.

Q2

The second quarter opens with North Carolina trying to find their footing. They take over after our touchdown, and they're desperate to stop the bleeding. Five plays, they push, they probe, but our defense holds firm. Fourth down comes, and they go for it. They have to. And we stop them. Downs. The ball comes back to us, and the crowd that was roaring a few minutes ago has gone quiet. We've got all the momentum, and we're not letting go.

The Sequence

This is where the game gets decided. We take over after the stop, and we're driving. Ten plays, we're moving, we're in their territory, and then it stalls. Fourth down, we go for it, and we come up short. Downs. We hand it back, and North Carolina takes full advantage. Fifteen plays, they chew up the clock, and with twenty-one seconds left in the half, Edwards Jr. finds Thurman short right. Fourteen yards, touchdown, and just like that it's twenty-one to fourteen. The lead is down to seven, and the Tar Heels are right back in it. We get the ball back with fourteen seconds left. Three plays, we're just trying to run out the clock. But then it happens. The kickoff. Drescher sends it deep, and Jefferson fields it at the two. And then he's gone. Ninety-eight yards, all the way back, and the Tar Heels have scored on special teams. The extra point fails, but it doesn't matter. It's twenty-one to twenty, and the game has completely flipped. We went from controlling everything to holding on by a single point. But this team doesn't break. We take the ball, and we go to work. Eighteen plays. Eighteen. We're grinding, we're fighting, we're moving the chains. And finally, with five minutes left in the third, Carr keeps it himself. Rush right, three yards, and he's in. Touchdown. The two-point try fails, but we're up twenty-seven to twenty, and the sideline is breathing again. North Carolina gets the ball back, and our defense stands tall. Five plays, and they're punting it away. We take over, and this is the dagger. Eight plays, we're moving, we're in their territory, and then Carr finds James Jr. Six yards, touchdown, and the extra point is good. Thirty-four to twenty. The lead is fourteen, and the Tar Heels are running out of time and answers.

Q4

The fourth quarter opens with North Carolina desperate. They take over, six plays, and they're punting again. We've got them. We take over, and we're not letting up. Twelve plays, we're eating clock, we're moving the chains, and then Carr finds Gilbert short right. Fourteen yards, a first down, and the drive keeps rolling. We're in field goal range, and we're going to make them pay. The kick is good, and it's thirty-seven to twenty. A three-score game with seven minutes left. But North Carolina doesn't quit. They take over, and they start to move. Edwards Jr. finds Shipp short right, ten yards, a first down. Then again, twenty-one yards, another first down. Then he takes off himself, ten yards, and suddenly they're inside our territory. The crowd is stirring, the Tar Heels are driving, and with two minutes left, Edwards Jr. finds Thurman again. Ten yards, touchdown, but the kick is blocked. Talich gets a hand on it, and it's thirty-seven to twenty-six. They're still down by eleven, but they've got life. We take over with two minutes left, and we're not giving it back. Walton takes the handoff, rushes left, five yards, and a first down. We're chewing clock, we're moving, and North Carolina is running out of time. They get the ball back with nine seconds left, one play, and it's over. The clock hits zero, and we've done it.

Wrap-up

Final score, thirty-seven to twenty-six. We're five and oh. The Tar Heels fall to two and two. We came into their house, took their best punch, and answered every single time. Three touchdowns in the first quarter, a defense that bent but never broke, and a team that refused to let a special teams mistake define the night. The series moves forward, and we move forward with it. Five and oh. Still perfect. Still undefeated. And we're just getting started.

By the Numbers

The Fighting Irish by the numbers. Final score, Notre Dame 37, North Carolina 26. 475 yards of offense to their 285, 234 through the air and 241 on the ground. 26 first downs. 4 of 11 on third down. 0 turnovers for us, 2 for them. We held the ball for just over 37 minutes.

Outro

That was Notre Dame at North Carolina, from the Fighting Irish side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.

Notre Dame at North Carolina

This is Missed It. Notre Dame at North Carolina, Saturday, October 3, 72 and overcast at Kenan Stadium, with the Tar Heels. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a big one here in Chapel Hill. Notre Dame comes in four and oh, riding that perfect record, and we're sitting at two and one, looking to make a statement. The Fighting Irish have the ball first, and you can feel the tension in the air. This is the kind of game that defines a season, the kind where you find out what you're made of. We need this one, plain and simple.

Q1

The Irish open with the ball, and they move it a bit before we force them to punt. Good start. Then we take over, and it's our turn to make some noise. Edwards Jr. drops back, scans the field, and finds Easter on the short right side. Easter catches it at the Notre Dame seven and there's nothing but green ahead. Six yards, and he's in. Touchdown. Verhoff's kick is good, and just like that, we're up seven to nothing. The crowd is roaring. But Notre Dame answers. Carr drops back, and he finds Faison deep down the middle. Faison catches it at the goal line, twenty-eight yards, and he's in for the score. Seven to seven. We needed to hold, and we didn't. Then it gets ugly. Our next drive, two plays, and it's a turnover. Just like that, the Irish have it back. And they make us pay. Carr finds Greathouse on the short right, twelve yards, and it's a touchdown. Fourteen to seven. The air goes out of the building. We try to respond, but another turnover. Seven plays, and we give it right back. Notre Dame takes over, and they drive it down our throats. Eleven plays, and then Carr finds Faison deep right, thirty-nine yards, and it's another touchdown. Twenty-one to seven. We're reeling.

Q2

We get the ball back, and we need something, anything. Five plays, and we're facing a fourth down. We go for it, and we come up short. Turnover on downs. Notre Dame takes over, and the frustration is mounting. We can't get out of our own way.

The Sequence

The Irish have it, and they grind. Ten plays, and we hold them. They go for it on fourth down, and we stop them. Finally, a stop. We take over with just over seven minutes left in the half, and we put together a drive. Fifteen plays. We're moving the ball, eating clock, and then, with twenty-one seconds left, Edwards Jr. finds Thurman on the short right. Thurman catches it at the Notre Dame zero, fourteen yards, and he's in. Touchdown. Verhoff's kick is good, and it's twenty-one to fourteen. We're back in this thing. But then, the kickoff. Drescher kicks it sixty-three yards to the two, and Jefferson takes it. He's got room, he's got a lane, and he's gone. Ninety-eight yards for the touchdown. The crowd is losing it. The extra point is no good, but it doesn't matter. Twenty-one to twenty. We're within one. Notre Dame takes over, and they put together a monster drive. Eighteen plays. They're grinding us down, and finally, Carr keeps it himself, rushes right for three yards, and he's in. The two-point try fails, so it's twenty-seven to twenty. We need an answer. Five plays, and we come up short on fourth down. Turnover on downs. Notre Dame takes over, and they drive again. Eight plays, and Carr finds Nolan James Jr. for six yards and the touchdown. Thirty-four to twenty. This is the moment. We're down two scores, and the clock is our enemy.

Q4

We get the ball back, and we need to be perfect. Six plays, and we're punting. Not good enough. Notre Dame takes over, and they're bleeding the clock. Twelve plays, and they're in field goal range. Carr finds Gilbert on the short right, fourteen yards to our nineteen, and it's a first down. They're just grinding us. They kick the field goal, and it's thirty-seven to twenty. We're down seventeen, and there's seven minutes left. We need a miracle. We start moving. Edwards Jr. finds Shipp on the short right, ten yards, and it's a first down. Then again, Edwards Jr. to Shipp, twenty-one yards to the Notre Dame twenty-seven, out of bounds. The play is reviewed, and it stands. We're alive. Edwards Jr. keeps it himself, rushes left for ten yards to the Notre Dame thirteen, and it's another first down. The crowd is on its feet. Then, Edwards Jr. drops back, and he finds Thurman on the short left. Thurman catches it at the Notre Dame three, and he's in. Touchdown. But Verhoff's kick is blocked. Thirty-seven to twenty-six. We need two scores, and there's two and a half minutes left. Notre Dame takes over, and they're just trying to run out the clock. Walton rushes left for five yards to our thirty-four, and it's a first down. They're not giving it back. Eight plays, and we finally stop them on downs, but there's no time left. We get the ball back with nine seconds, and that's it. The game is over.

Wrap-up

Final score, Notre Dame thirty-seven, North Carolina twenty-six. The Irish stay perfect at five and oh, and we fall to two and two. It's a tough one to swallow. We fought back, we had our chances, but the turnovers and the slow start were too much to overcome. We're two and two now, and we've got to find a way to bounce back.

By the Numbers

The Tar Heels by the numbers. Final score, North Carolina 26, Notre Dame 37. 285 yards of offense to their 475, 208 through the air and 77 on the ground. 18 first downs. 5 of 10 on third down. 2 turnovers for us, 0 for them. We held the ball for just under 23 minutes.

Outro

That was Notre Dame at North Carolina, from the Tar Heels side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.