Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 10, 2026 21 in the middle eight, the Irish defeated them 37-26. With the win over North Carolina, Notre Dame improved to 5-0 for the first time in Marcus Freeman's five-year head coaching career. "We weren't gonna try to trick them," Freeman said. "We couldn't pass the ball. Too wet. And our guys were still able to sustain that drive and really change the game." James and junior Aneyas Williams combined for 107 yards on 17 attempts, but the real breakout star was freshman running back Jonaz Walton. He started the second half after a strong finish to the first, and finished with 23 carries for 120 yards. What the Notre Dame offensive line did to North Carolina's defensive front, though, stuck in Freeman's mind as well. The Irish ran many of the same concepts over and over again — in par- ticular, they leaned on counter with a pulling guard and a pulling tackle — and they kept working over and over and over again. Freeman said the Irish saw how the wet conditions affected a pass attempt and decided they couldn't win the game that way. Their only path was the run game, and the Tar Heels were powerless to stop them. "When they know you're going to try to run the ball and you're still able to run the ball because of the weather condi- tions, that's a reflection of your team and the toughness and the physicality," Free- man said. "And that's the pride we have. And that's what I'm most proud of." It was not without a brief scare. Notre Dame's start and finish to the first half kept North Carolina in the game, and a special teams disaster put the Irish in the danger zone. The Irish took the ball first and stalled on offense, and the Tar Heels marched down the field for a touchdown on their ensuing drive. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on senior linebacker Jaiden Ausberry — with which Freeman disagreed — aided UNC's efforts on a possession that ended with a Billy Ed- wards Jr. touchdown pass. Later, the Irish led 21-7 when they de- cided to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the Tar Heels' 2-yard line, but CJ Carr's pass to Cooper Flanagan fell incomplete. Edwards responded with a 97-yard touchdown drive, pepper- ing the middle of the field with star tight end Jelani Thurman. Thurman (6-foot-6) found himself matched up with senior safety Adon Shuler (6-foot) several times, and he took advantage. To make matters worse for Notre Dame, North Carolina's Jaden Jeffer- son returned the second-half kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. The Heels botched the extra point and the Irish kept the lead, but with rain coming down, Freeman's group was truly on the ropes. But when they got there, the Irish leaned back on said ropes and re- bounded with a never-ending series of jabs and haymakers. And they did it with a run game they had trusted all along, even as it scuffled through the first third of the regular season. "No," Carr said when asked if Notre Dame had to prove it could run the ball. "We know what we have in those front five offensive linemen. It's explosive, and we know what we have in our backfield with the running backs, so that's a very outside perspective. We know we can run the ball when we want to, and I thought we showed that today pretty well." FIRST QUARTER NOTRE DAME 14, NORTH CAROLINA 7 Top Moment: Senior defensive line- man Boubacar Traore planted North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. into the turf on the first play of North Carolina's second drive. The hit forced an errant throw that junior linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa intercepted. Feature Performers: Junior quar- terback Carr was on point, completing 9 of 13 passes for 96 yards with 2 touch- downs. Senior wide receiver Jordan Fai- son had one of those touchdowns, post- ing 5 catches for 70 yards. Stats: The Irish outgained the Tar Heels 145-88 in yards … Notre Dame intercepted Edwards twice. Items: North Carolina scored on its opening drive, making it just the second time this season the Irish have trailed. Senior wide receiver Jaden Greathouse scored his first touchdown since the na- tional championship game versus Ohio State on Jan. 20, 2025. SECOND QUARTER NOTRE DAME 21, NORTH CAROLINA 14 Top Moment: Faison's fast start car- ried over. On the first play of the quar- ter, he made a terrific diving catch for a 39-yard touchdown. Feature Performers: Freshman run- ning back Jonaz Walton checked in and had 5 carries for 28 yards and 2 catches for 28 yards. Traore added 5 tackles. Stats: North Carolina gashed the Irish defense on its final offensive drive, traveling 97 yards on 15 plays and scor- After compiling 108 yards on 16 carries in Notre Dame's first four games, freshman running back Jonaz Walton broke out with 23 carries for 120 yards to help the Irish beat the Tar Heels 37-26. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP