Saturday had a little bit of everything for UNC, and not much of it felt like a clean win even in a loss. The Tar Heels were competitive, they flashed a few real bright spots, and they also ran headfirst into the same old problems against Notre Dame. That leaves a mixed bag of performances, plus a schedule that only gets more demanding from here.
Jordan Shipp was the clearest offensive bright spot. Carolina’s limited ability to throw downfield has muted one of its best weapons, but Bobby Petrino made it obvious early that Shipp was going to be featured.
He finished with seven catches for 109 yards, and his day opened with what was probably the best catch of the year for the Tar Heels. He was also central to Carolina’s first touchdown.
The only thing missing was the score itself, but the volume and impact were there, and it was the kind of outing that could end up mattering beyond this season.
Billy Edwards, Jr. also earned a spot among the winners. Against what will likely be the second-best defense Carolina sees this year - with Miami still ahead - the quarterback wasn’t the reason UNC lost.
The ball was slippery, the rushing game was stuck in neutral, and Edwards still managed to throw for three touchdowns while turning it over just once. He made plenty of solid decisions and did enough to keep the offense moving when the ground game could not.
His first giveaway helped set the tone, but he recovered well enough to quiet any talk about another quarterback, at least for now.
Notre Dame’s Jordan Faison belongs in the winner column too. He was the one who blew the game open early, piling up 100 receiving yards in a half before the weather changed the way the Irish approached the game.
His two first-half touchdown catches helped create the feeling that Carolina was headed for another rough afternoon in a hurry. Once Notre Dame shifted toward the run, the damage was already done.
The biggest loser was the entire UNC rushing attack. Benjamin Hall got 10 carries and only 36 yards, Jaylen McGill finished as the team’s second-leading rusher with 15, and the full ground game produced just 77 yards.
Hall, McGill and Demon June all had a chance to make something happen against one of the toughest fronts they’ll see, but the Heels kept ending up in bad down-and-distance situations. That was a dead end against a team like Notre Dame.
UNC’s defense also landed squarely in the loss column. Yes, Notre Dame is being talked about like a CFP contender for a reason, but surrendering 37 points still looks ugly, especially when the Irish barely had to throw at all in the second half.
The secondary looked confused too often in the opening half, and one of Faison’s touchdowns was the kind of coverage bust that can’t happen. If you’re blitzing, someone can’t just be left wide open with no resistance.
That wasn’t the only issue, either. Time after time, Carolina needed a stop against the run and got pushed backward instead, eventually allowing 245 rushing yards.
Giving up 475 yards and five touchdowns is a rough look for what was supposed to be the strength of this coaching staff.
Football itself also made the losers list, at least for anyone hoping this season would turn into something bigger. Carolina has been competitive in all four games, and there is real credit in the way the team fought back after falling behind 21-7.
A year ago, that kind of spot might have turned into a collapse. This group kept swinging.
But there are no moral victories in college football, and UNC is 6-10 over two seasons under Bill Belichick. The next stretch is brutal: Pitt, with its backup quarterback and an extra day to prepare; Duke, which looks like a dark horse ACC contender; Syracuse, which put up points against UConn; and Miami, fresh off what it did to Clemson on Saturday night.
A lot of Tar Heel fans may already be looking ahead to Michael Malone’s debut on Friday, and that says plenty about where things stand.
There were still a few honorable mentions worth noting. Jaden Jefferson made the most of his first touch in a UNC uniform, taking the second-half kickoff back 98 yards for a touchdown.
It gave the Heels a jolt right after they finished the first half well, and for a moment it felt like the game might tilt their way. Rece Verhoff didn’t do much beyond extra points, but his eligibility changes the equation.
Carolina can now take three points in spots where it would have had to go for it before, and that could matter in this stretch. Aeron Burrell also stood out, uncorking a 52-yard punt while taking a hit that should have drawn a roughing call.
And Jelani Thurman made his presence felt with 50 receiving yards and two touchdown catches, a performance that should force teams to pay him more attention down the line.
The schedule keeps rolling with no real pause. Next up, UNC heads to Pittsburgh for a noon kickoff on ESPN, and at this point it’s fair to wonder if the Tar Heels will play at any other time the rest of the way.
In Other News...
Clemson Just Made Miamis Poll Rise Even Harder To Ignore
Miamis rise in the polls got another push after a convincing win over Clemson, while Notre Dame also climbed following its 37-26 victory over North Carolina. For a Tar Heels team trying to keep pace in a difficult stretch, the loss to the Fighting Irish fit into a larger picture of how much every result is being magnified in the rankings race.
The updated AP Top 25 and AFCA Coaches Polls reflect that ripple effect, with both Miami and Notre Dame picking up points as the seasons weekly pressure keeps building. Their upcoming games and strength of schedule figures only add another layer to the conversation, because for North Carolina and the rest of the ACC, every matchup now carries the kind of weight that can reshape what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Billy Edwards Jr. Is Putting UNC In A Tough Spot
Billy Edwards Jr. gave North Carolina enough to keep things moving against Notre Dame, but not enough to steady the offense. He finished 17 of 28 for 208 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, a line that captured both the promise and the frustration around his play as the Tar Heels fell 37-26.
The turnovers were costly, and they also underscored a bigger issue for UNC: the passing game has not found the consistency it needs with Edwards at the controls. With the next week looming, he is already under pressure to clean things up and protect his role as the starter. [Read more 🡒]
ACC Teams Keep Winning But The Polls Still Say Otherwise
Miamis lopsided win over Clemson has only deepened the sense that the ACC has more quality than it is getting credit for this fall. Even with injuries on the field, the Hurricanes handled one of the leagues biggest names 41-13, a result that should have carried weight beyond the conference race and into the national conversation. Add in the leagues mixed but not empty out-of-conference rsum, including some victories over Big Ten opponents, and there is at least a case that the ACC has been better than the poll numbers suggest.
Still, the rankings have not budged much, and that is where the frustration really starts to show. Wake Forest, SMU, Pitt and Duke have all put together solid seasons, yet they remain either unranked or buried well below SEC and Big Ten programs that keep occupying the top spots even after taking losses. For ACC teams chasing respect as much as playoff positioning, the gap between what is happening on the field and what voters are rewarding is starting to look like the story of the season. [Read more 🡒]