North Carolina didn’t leave Notre Dame with a win, but the Tar Heels did leave with something else: proof that this thing is moving in the right direction. An 11-point loss is still a loss, and the 37-26 final against No.
3 Notre Dame won’t calm anybody down on its own. But for UNC, the performance suggested a team that is getting closer to mattering in the games that count.
That won’t be enough for everyone, especially in a Bill Belichick era where patience is thin and the standard is simple. Wins are the only currency that really buys belief.
Until then, talk about progress will keep sounding like noise to a fan base that has heard enough of it already. And on Saturday, the visitors’ side made that mood pretty clear, with most of it covered in Irish green and gold while there was still enough room to stretch your legs in the student section.
Still, the Tar Heels didn’t look like a team getting run off the field. They kept fighting, and the defense in particular continued to show the kind of effort that has kept UNC in every game this season.
The group isn’t elite, but it does bring physicality at all three levels and a willingness to rally and finish plays. The one area Notre Dame hammered was the middle of the defense, where the Tar Heels simply didn’t have enough size in the trenches to hold up against repeated dive and gap-run concepts.
That’s the kind of flaw that can get exposed fast against a heavyweight. It also doesn’t erase the broader picture: North Carolina has clearly taken steps forward.
The next chance to prove it comes on the road against No. 25 Pittsburgh, a game that comes with its own challenges.
Playing in the Steel City is never easy when the Panthers are rolling, but this version of Pitt is not the same as it was before losing star quarterback Mason Heintschel for the season to a torn ACL. The Panthers also weren’t especially sharp against Virginia Tech.
For UNC, that opens a door. A road win over a ranked ACC opponent would change the conversation in a hurry, even if plenty of people still doubt it can happen.
The Tar Heels have enough on offense with Jordan Shipp and Jelani Thurman, and they have Belichick’s defense to give them a chance if the game gets tight late. Billy Edwards Jr. being consistent would only make that path more realistic.
That’s where North Carolina sits now: not finished, not fixed, but closer than it was.
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Michelle Cooper has been called into the United States Womens National Team for October training camp and friendlies against Spain, while Carina Lageyre and Rader have earned invitations to the U.S. U-23 camp. Those younger Blue Devils will also take part in matches against the Dominican Republic U-23 team, giving Duke another chance to measure itself through the national team lens as the fall schedule gets going. [Read more 🡒]