North Carolina had a few bright spots in its 37-26 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday, but the night ultimately belonged to the kind of problems that tend to snowball fast: turnovers, a quiet run game, and no real answer for the Fighting Irish on either side of the ball.
The biggest offensive spark came from Jordan Shipp. A big chunk of his damage showed up right away, with two catches for 57 yards on the opening drive.
He kept rolling from there and finished with seven receptions for 109 yards, his first 100-yard receiving game of the season. Shipp still hasn’t found the end zone, though that’s more tied to Billy Edwards Jr. than anything else.
Edwards Jr. had moments that hinted at what he can bring to the Tar Heels’ offense, but the two first-half interceptions were brutal. Those mistakes helped put North Carolina in a double-digit hole early in the second quarter.
He did respond with a 97-yard drive just before halftime to pull the Tar Heels within 21-14, and his final numbers - 17-of-28 for 208 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions - look decent at a glance. But plenty of that production came once the game had already tilted away.
The Ohio State transfer who kept giving North Carolina a lift was Jordan Thurman. He came up huge on the final drive of the first half, hauling in three passes for 41 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown. Thurman’s final line settled at five catches for 50 yards and two scores, but even after the hot stretch cooled off, he looked like a major addition to this offense.
North Carolina also got a strong moment from Jake Easter. The tight end had been largely quiet in the passing game this season, but he wasted no time making an impact here and scored the Tar Heels’ first touchdown of the game. At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, he gave the offense a different look when it needed one.
The run game never got a real chance to settle in. Once North Carolina fell behind after opening with a 7-0 lead, the ground attack was mostly put on the back burner.
In the first half, Benjamin Hall, Demon June, and Jaylen McGill combined for 39 yards on 14 carries. The Tar Heels finished with just 64 rushing yards on 19 attempts.
The defense had its own issues. Even with Abou Jaoude back in the lineup, North Carolina couldn’t create consistent pressure, and Carr spent much of the night working from a clean pocket. The Tar Heels never recorded a sack.
And when Notre Dame crossed 200 rushing yards, the task only got harder. With Carr also operating so efficiently, that combination was too much for North Carolina to overcome.
As for Bill Belichick, his place in the “losers” conversation speaks for itself. This was North Carolina’s second straight loss, and the pressure is very much on entering Week 6.
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UNC Has A Bigger Problem Than Just Losing To Notre Dame
Jordan Shipp gave North Carolina a reason to keep watching, and Billy Edwards Jr. found ways to keep the offense moving, but the larger picture from the Notre Dame game was hard to ignore. The Tar Heels showed a few flashes from key players, and Jordan Faisons work stood out on the other side, yet the game kept circling back to the same concerns that have shadowed UNC for stretches this season.
The rushing attack never found much traction, which put even more weight on the passing game, and the defense had its own trouble handling the Irish. For a team trying to sort out what it really is, the loss looked less like one bad afternoon than another reminder that the issues run deeper than the final score. [Read more 🡒]
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 🡒]