North Carolina’s matchup with Notre Dame now has a start time, and it will be an early one for the Tar Heels again.
UNC and the No. 3 Irish will kick off at noon Saturday at Kenan Stadium, with ESPN carrying the game. It’s the fourth straight UNC game set for noon.
The timing also pushes the Chapel Thrill Concert Series earlier in the day. The Chase Rice show in front of Wilson Library will begin at 9 a.m.
The game had been placed on a six-day hold Monday by ESPN and the ACC, and the conference’s other six-day hold game, No. 7 Miami at Clemson, was later set for 7:30 on ABC.
Notre Dame comes in at 4-0 after a 49-10 win at Purdue on Saturday. The Irish are undefeated in September for the first time under coach Marcus Freeman.
For Carolina, the assignment is a familiar but daunting one. Notre Dame will go after its sixth straight win over the Tar Heels. UNC’s last victory in the series came in a 29-24 win on Oct. 11, 2008, though the NCAA later vacated that result because of NCAA violations.
Even with that win removed from the books, the rivalry has been lopsided. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 21-1, with UNC’s lone listed victory in Kenan Stadium coming on Oct. 8, 1960.
The rest of the ACC schedule around the league includes a full Saturday slate, with Duke, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Virginia, Miami, Florida State, N.C. State and SMU all in action. UNC, sitting at 2-1 and 0-1 in the ACC, now knows exactly when its biggest test of the young season will begin.
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Tar Heels Open ACC Play With A Road Win Fans Will Notice
Safi Hampton gave Carolina the balanced effort it needed to start ACC play on the right foot, finishing with 16 kills and 13 digs as the No. 24 Tar Heels beat NC State 3-1 in Raleigh. It was Hamptons first double-double of the season, and it came in a match where Carolina also found plenty of support at the net.
The Tar Heels set a season high with 15 blocks, a sign that their front line was dictating stretches of the night and making NC State work for nearly every point. Jackie Taylor and Bridget Malone were among the players who helped turn that into a road win Carolina will want to build on as the league schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
UNCs Bye Week Just Made Its Quarterback Decision Feel Urgent
North Carolinas early bye week arrived with a little more intrigue than anyone in Chapel Hill probably wanted. The Tar Heels are 2-1 after opening the season with two wins, but the loss to Clemson has sharpened the conversation around Billy Edwards Jr., whose play has been inconsistent enough to fuel speculation about whether the staff will stick with him or look elsewhere under center.
Miles O'Neill, the Texas A&M transfer, is now part of a decision that feels more immediate than it did a week ago. The staff has to weigh whether continuity gives UNC the best chance to steady itself or whether a change at quarterback could provide the spark it needs heading into the next stretch of games, and the uncertainty alone has made the bye week feel anything but quiet. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Malone May Have Revealed Isaiah Denis UNC Role
Michael Malone has already offered a small glimpse into how Isaiah Denis might fit with North Carolina this season, and it starts with a nickname. The Tar Heels coach has been calling the sophomore guard Bones, a nod to former Denver Nuggets guard Bones Hyland, while also using Denis at point guard in practice. For a player whose freshman year was slowed by injury, that is a meaningful sign of trust and a reminder that the staff sees more than just another guard in the rotation.
The point-guard work matters because it hints at a larger backcourt role, one that could let Denis operate as a versatile perimeter threat rather than a one-position option. If the comparison to Hyland is any indication, North Carolina may be preparing to lean on Denis for shot-making, pace and creativity as he gets healthier and settles in. The exact shape of that role is still unfolding, but the early usage suggests the Tar Heels have a clear plan in mind. [Read more 🡒]