Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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24 OCT. 10, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT When Notre Dame failed to convert on fourth-and- goal in the second quarter, it led to a big swing in momentum. Not only did the No. 3 Irish leave the red zone without points, but North Carolina responded with a 97-yard touchdown drive of its own to close out the first half. After the Tar Heels opened the second half with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Jaden Jef- ferson, Notre Dame badly needed a scoring drive to respond. The Irish moved the ball with success into the red zone, but they faced a pivotal fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line. Once again, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Free- man opted to keep his offense on the field. This time, the Irish converted the opportunity with a 3-yard scramble by junior quarterback CJ Carr to swing the momentum back in Notre Dame's favor in an even- tual 37-26 victory for the Irish (5-0). But the play only happened because North Carolina (2-2) jumped offside, which prompted fifth-year cen- ter Ashton Craig to snap the ball. Then Carr managed to find a way into the end zone. Freeman revealed after the game the Irish were content with taking a delay-of-game penalty if Carr couldn't get North Carolina to jump offside. The out- come of a touchdown was a bonus. "It's just the awareness that he has," Freeman said. "He's pretty special." STATS OF THE GAME Notre Dame rushed for a season-high 241 yards on 45 carries (5.4 yards per rush). The Irish have increased their rushing total in each game starting with 111 yards against Wisconsin (118 vs. Rice, 161 vs. Michigan State and 177 vs. Purdue). Freshman running back Jonaz Walton led the way with a career- high 120 yards on 23 carries. Notre Dame limited North Carolina to just 77 rush- ing yards on 23 attempts (3.3 yards per carry). The Irish have limited opponents to fewer than 100 net rushing yards in six consecutive games, which is tied for the third-longest streak for Notre Dame since 1930. The two longer streaks occurred in 1973 (seven games) and 1993 (eight games). TURNOVERS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE Notre Dame needed every bit of the 14-point lead it built in the first half thanks to the Irish defense creat- ing two turnovers: interceptions by junior linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and senior safety Luke Talich. Senior defensive end Boubacar Traore hit quarter- back Billy Edwards Jr. as he threw, which resulted in the ball floating softly in Viliamu-Asa's direction. Notre Dame turned that interception into a 12-yard touchdown reception for senior wide receiver Jaden Greathouse. Talich picked off a deep pass attempt by Edwards on North Carolina's ensuing drive. That set up a 39- yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jordan Faison to give the Irish a 21-7 lead. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY TYLER JAMES QB CJ CARR The junior quarterback accounted for 5 touchdowns, 4 through the air, in another standout per- formance. Most of Carr's 234 yards passing came in the first half before the heavy rain hit Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill. He completed 21 of 29 throws with no interceptions and a pass efficiency rating of 185.7, just slightly higher than his season mark of 184.8 — 10th best in the nation — com- ing into the game. That performance came against a Bill Belichick defense that had an extra week of prep time to get ready for Carr. The 4 touchdown passes tied Carr's career high and gives him 37 in his career, good for ninth place on the Irish career list, with Rick Mirer (40) just ahead of him. Besides the two he threw to senior wideout Jordan Faison, Carr connected on scoring passes to senior wide receiver Jaden Greathouse and sophomore running back Nolan James Jr. Carr's 15th straight win as a starting quarterback trails only Tony Rice (23) and Ian Book (16) on Notre Dame's all-time list. WR JORDAN FAISON The one and only Irish player North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick made a reference to in his press conference heading into game week with Notre Dame ended up enjoying a career day against the Tar Heels. The former lacrosse player and football walk-on was an ongoing headache for Belichick and the UNC defense, especially in the first half. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior recorded career highs in receptions (8) and receiving yards (132) with 2 touchdowns as the Irish put up 37 points on the nation's No. 19 scoring defense. Faison heads into an Oct. 10 home game with Stanford leading the Irish with 25 receptions for 371 yards and 4 touchdowns — all team bests. It was Faison's 26th straight game with at least one catch, the longest such streak by an Irish wide receiver since Chase Claypool also had 26 in a row during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Meanwhile, Faison continues to climb the Irish career charts. He's now 16th in receptions with 123, and 18th in receiving yards with 1,689. RB JONAZ WALTON On a day when so many elements went right for an Irish running game that has been incremen- tally improving each game, the freshman running back was the central figure. Despite having a late 31-yard touchdown run wiped out by a holding penalty, Walton ran for 120 yards on 23 carries in third-ranked Notre Dame's 37-26 rain-soaked victory at North Carolina. Walton also had his first two receptions of the year, good for 28 yards. As a team, Notre Dame rushed for a season-high 241 yards on 45 carries, also a season high. Their previous best was 177 Sept. 26 at Purdue. Against UNC, the Irish averaged 5.4 yards per carry. In Notre Dame's first drive of the second half against the Tar Heels, the Irish rushed 14 times in a 17-play, 75-yard scoring drive, with Walton getting 12 of those carries. Two of those runs were suc- cessful fourth-down conversions. GAME BALLS BY ERIC HANSEN Junior quarterback CJ Carr accounted for all 5 touchdowns, including a 3-yard rushing score in the third quarter, in Notre Dame's 37-26 win over North Carolina. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP