What they’re saying about Notre Dame’s 45-32 win against North Carolina
Notre Dame is at .500 after knocking off North Carolina 45-32 on Saturday night, improving its record to 2-2 on the season ahead of a bye week.
In this article, we’ll take a look around at what the media is saying about Notre Dame’s win, including Blue & Gold’s Mike Singer and Tim Hyde giving their instant reaction in a postgame live YouTube show.
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Tyler Horka, Blue & Gold: Breaking down the Notre Dame football win over North Carolina
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman trotted into the visitor’s tunnel at Kenan Stadium with his hand held high.
The cacophonous sound of the crowd clad in blue, gold and green had probably never sounded so sweet. Sure, he heard it one week prior after the first victory of his career. But he didn’t leave the field at Notre Dame Stadium after that win over Cal in the same manner he did in Chapel Hill.
After beating the Bears, Freeman emitted a literal sigh of relief with widened eyes and the look of a man who narrowly escaped disaster.
There was nothing narrow about Notre Dame vs. North Carolina. And nothing diffident about Freeman’s postgame demeanor. He looked the part of a man who had decidedly won in convincing fashion.
The Fighting Irish got up by 24 points in the third quarter, and the result was never in grave danger from then on. Freeman and company cruised to a 45-32 victory in a game they were projected to lose by anywhere from one point to a field goal according to Las Vegas oddsmakers the morning of the game.
“For the entirety of the game, we played really, really well,” Freeman said. “We played really well. And the beauty of it is there is always room to get better.”
Patrick Engel, Blue & Gold: Notre Dame offense rolls in handling of North Carolina
Notre Dame reached the .500 mark in emphatic fashion Saturday, totaling 576 yards on 6.8 yards per play in a 45-32 defeat of North Carolina. Here are five thoughts from the Irish’s win, which improved their record 2-2 and dealt North Carolina its first loss of the season.
1. Drew Pyne’s steadiness
On paper, the quarterback advantage felt like it skewed toward North Carolina. Tar Heels starter Drake Maye, a former top-50 prospect, had the look of a dynamic playmaker in his first three games. Irish junior Drew Pyne, meanwhile, stepped into the job due to injury and dinked-and-dunked his way through his first start a week ago.
Then Pyne outplayed Maye until Notre Dame leaned further into its run game after taking a 38-14 lead. He piloted Notre Dame’s offense to four straight scoring drives to end the first half. The first three of those were touchdown marches of at least 75 yards.
The game plan for Pyne hardly resembled the prior weeks. Notre Dame didn’t turn into a vertical shot team, but it opened the intermediate area of the field and trusted Pyne to take care of the ball. He responded with a turnover-free game. He didn’t hit head-turning throws, but limited the misses and connected on nearly all the passes a quarterback recruited to Notre Dame should hit.
Pyne was 24-of-34 for 289 yards and two touchdowns. Excluding sacks, he rushed 5 times for 27 yards. Maye, meanwhile, began the game 9-of-20 with a fumble.
Douglas Farmer, NBC Sports: Notre Dame offensive explosion puts North Carolina on its heels early
Just as everyone expected, a dynamic offense could not be stopped at North Carolina on Saturday. To everyone’s surprise, it was Notre Dame’s attack that won the day, the Irish beating the Tar Heels at their own game, 45-32.
In every way, Notre Dame’s offense cruised in Chapel Hill, a 180-degree turn from the three weeks of ineffectiveness that had plagued the Irish (2-2). Five different players reached the end zone, led by sophomore running back Audric Estimé’s two one-yard rushes.
“It all starts with our O-line,” junior quarterback Drew Pyne said. “Our line has played and worked so hard. Coach (Harry) Hiestand gets them in a great position to be able to go out there and succeed. Those guys played their tails off for our backs and myself and our whole team.”
Even with those two scores, and a third one-yard ease from junior running back Chris Tyree, lowering the average, Notre Dame ran for 6.21 yards per carry (sack and kneeldowns adjusted, 298 yards on 48 rushes). Most notably, the Irish did not record a single pass attempt on a 12-play touchdown drive, ending early in the fourth quarter to give Notre Dame a 45-20 lead.
