Live game updates: Notre Dame at North Carolina
Notre Dame will try to get back to .500 and keep two ACC streaks alive Saturday vs. North Carolina. The Irish (1-2) play the Tar Heels (3-0, 0-0 ACC) looking for their 25th straight regular season win vs. ACC teams and 11th in a row on the road. A victory would also be the first away from Notre Dame Stadium for head coach Marcus Freeman.
Follow along for live updates throughout the afternoon.
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First quarter
• Notre Dame won the toss and deferred to the second half. North Carolina will start with the ball.
• North Carolina’s first play was a 28-yard pass. The Tar Heels had first-and-goal on the 1-yard line, but Notre Dame’s defense held and forced a fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line. North Carolina went for it on fourth down and scored on a Josh Downs 4-yard touchdown catch.
Score: North Carolina 7, Notre Dame 0
• The Irish went three-and-out on their first possession, and two of Drew Pyne’s passes were batted down at the line.
• A Rylie Mills sack led to a North Carolina three-and-out on the Tar Heels’ second possession.
• Notre Dame began its second possession on North Carolina’s 43-yard line, but a sack pushed it into second-and-17 and Blake Grupe’s 44-yard field goal attempt was no good.
• Notre Dame freshman linebackers Prince Kollie and Junior Tuihalamaka each saw action in the first quarter. Kollie’s tackle for loss on North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton (when Hampton slipped) helped the Irish get off the field after giving up one first down. The Irish are playing without linebacker JD Bertrand for the first half as a result of Bertrand’s targeting penalty Sept. 17 vs. California. His absence opened the door for the underclassmen.
Second quarter
• Great play design from Notre Dame using tight end Michael Mayer to take up attention/compromise a defender and free running back Logan Diggs for a lot of YAC. Three straight Chris Tyree runs set up a play action pass, which fooled North Carolina’s linebackers and left Mayer wide open for a 10-yard touchdown pass from Pyne.
Score: Notre Dame 7, North Carolina 7
• North Carolina goes three-and-out again, with Jack Kiser wrapping up Maye on a third-down scramble. The Tar Heels’ last three drives have totaled 11 yards on 11 plays.
• Notre Dame takes the lead on three plays: A Mayer 7-yard completion that was basically a jet sweep rush, an Audric Estime 29-yard run (the longest by an Irish running back this year) and Pyne’s first deep-shot completion of the year – to Lorenzo Styles for a 30-yard touchdown.
Score: Notre Dame 14, North Carolina 7
• North Carolina ties the game on a 3-yard Downs touchdown catch on a pick play. J.J. Jones’ 43-yard catch on third-and-3 with freshman Jaden Mickey in coverage set it up.
Score: Notre Dame 14, North Carolina 14
• A Tyree 19-yard run and a Diggs 17-yard run put Notre Dame in the red zone and set up a play-action throw to Mayer, which gets 19 yards and leads to a first-and-goal at the 2. Estime scores on a 1-yard touchdown.
Score: Notre Dame 21, North Carolina 14
• Cornerback Cam Hart breaks up a deep ball on third-and-10, forcing another North Carolina three-and-out. He closed on it nicely after initially losing a step or two on receiver Antoine Green.
• The Irish’s two-minute offense goes 12 plays and 52 yards, leading to a Grupe 40-yard field goal. Mayer had two catches on the drive, including a 16-yarder on third-and-4.
Score: Notre Dame 24, North Carolina 14
• North Carolina gets the ball back with 23 seconds left and runs it out.
Halftime: Notre Dame 24, North Carolina 14
Third quarter
• Notre Dame scores on its opening drive, going 75 yards in six plays. North Carolina’s defense left Diggs completely uncovered on a wheel route, and Pyne tossed to him for a 29-yard touchdown.
Score: Notre Dame 31, North Carolina 14
• Bertrand, on his first snap of the game, strip-sacks Maye and forces a fumble on first down that defensive end Justin Ademilola recovers at North Carolina’s 15-yard line.
• The Irish’s ensuing drive after the fumble recovery goes seven plays and 15 yards for a touchdown, though not without a big break on a questionable pass interference call that erased a fourth-and-goal pass breakup. North Carolina head coach Mack Brown argued it to the point of getting an unsportsmanlike conduct call. Estime scored on a 1-yard rush one play later.
Score: Notre Dame 38, North Carolina 14
• Defensive end Isaiah Foskey and linebacker Mairst Liufau combine on a third-down sack.
• Notre Dame marches inside North Carolina’s 30-yard line, but a fourth-and-1 Pyne sneak fails. One play later, North Carolina scores on an 80-yard Maye touchdown pass to Green, who ran past cornerback Clarence Lewis. The two-point conversion fails.
Score: Notre Dame 38, North Carolina 20
Fourth quarter
• A Tyree one-yard run caps a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive that did not contain one pass attempt that counted in the stat sheet.
Score: Notre Dame 45, North Carolina 20
• A second Bertrand targeting ejection in as many games has been upheld. He’s out for the first half of the BYU game in two weeks. He penalty added 15 yards on a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that ended with a Hampton 4-yard touchdown. Mickey breaks up the two-point attempt.
Score: Notre Dame 45, North Carolina 26
• Tosh Baker replaces Blake Fisher at right tackle for the Irish.
• Estime lost control of the ball as he was falling backward trying to break the plane of the goal line. North Carolina recovered.
• A fourth-and-21 last-ditch play leads to a 64-yard touchdown from Maye to Green. North Carolina attempts an onside kick, which Notre Dame recovers and the Irish run out the clock.
FINAL: Notre Dame 45, North Carolina 32
