Jonaz Walton ran for 120 yards and CJ Carr threw four touchdown passes as Notre Dame held off pesky North Carolina by 37-26. With Walton leading the way in a breakout performance, the Fighting Irish racked up 241 yards rushing. Carr was his usual efficient self. He completed 21 of 29 passes for 234 yards with two picture perfect scoring strikes to Jordan Faison. Nolan James and Jaden Greathouse also caught touchdown passes while Carr accounted for the only land-based score. Meanwhile, Notre Dame’s defense and special teams looked quite mortal.

The visitors led 21-7 in the second quarter and were driving for another score before momentum suddenly shifted. Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock surprised no one by getting too cute at the Tar Heel’s one yard line. His third and fourth down calls backfired badly. Carolina took over at its own three. Quarterback Billy Edwards then engineered a 97-yard march by picking apart Notre Dame’s zone defense. His touchdown pass to Jelani Thurman made it a game at 21-14 just 21 seconds before halftime.

Things became even tighter as the second half got underway. Freshman Jaden Jefferson took the kickoff and burst untouched through the stunned Irish. His score and Carolina’s subsequent botched extra point attempt narrowed Notre Dame’s edge to 21-20. Carr and Walton responded by leading a long Irish march. Once again, the drive bogged down inside the Heel’s five-yard line with more head scratching play selections. Carr ultimately bailed out Denbrock and the Irish with a desperate, diving scramble for a touchdown. Notre Dame’s special teams returned the favor with their own extra point miscue. This left the score at 27-20 with 5:36 remaining in the third quarter.

Edwards was unable to keep pace. Tackle Francis Brewu recorded the first and only sack for the Irish to end the next Carolina series. Once again, Notre Dame stuck primarily to the running game to move into scoring territory. Carr then hit Nolan James in the flat on the first play of the final period. James sidestepped a defender with a nifty move and scored to make it 34-20.

The Irish continued their dominant stretch as the defense forced another Carolina punt. Carr’s crisp passes and runs by Aneyas Williams moved the ball into scoring territory. This drive stalled, however, and Coach Marcus Freeman asked Spencer Porath to add a field goal. His 31-yarder extended Notre Dame’s lead to 37-20.

After the game, Freeman was asked about Notre Dame’s third quarter success on the ground. “It was so wet”, he said. “We knew we weren’t going to be able to throw the ball. We tried to throw it once and it was just those types of conditions. I thought just the ability to, at the point of attack, we were doing some gap-scheme runs and to get moving at the point of attack was huge. Backs were patient and trusted. We were really in rhythm that third quarter, just sustaining that drive, being able to run the ball when we needed to run the ball.”

Seven minutes remained and the Tar Heels refused to quit. Edwards continued to find holes in the Irish zone with quick passes. A fourth down conversion and a quarterback scramble set up another Edwards to Thurman touchdown. Notre Dame’s Luke Talich blocked the extra point try to leave the score at 37-26. The Irish proceeded to run out the clock after Carolina’s onside kick attempt was unsuccessful. Regrettably, a holding penalty negated an explosive 31-yard scoring run by Walton in the final minute.

North Carolina’s 26 points and defensive stands were not due solely to the uninspired play of Notre Dame. While the performance by the Irish lacked intensity, the Tar Heels earned their points. Offensive Coordinator Bobby Petrino devised effective protection schemes for Edwards and exploited weaknesses in zone coverage. Petrino created matchups for his receivers against linebacker Drayk Bowen and safety Adon Shuler, which paid dividends. Defensive Coordinator Chris Ash apparently had no answers for Notre Dame. Finally, the 98-yard kickoff return shocked the unfocused Irish as they emerged from the locker room.

Despite these lapses, the Irish executed when it was needed most. They held Carolina to 77 rushing yards and won total yardage by 475-285. Carr carries a heavy burden in this offense but Walton’s emergence should reduce the load. Walton should start at tailback going forward with James as a quality change of pace option. What bothers me most are Denbrock’s gimmicks in the red zone. Notre Dame’s offensive line needs to dominate in this area. Repeatedly getting cute inside the five-yard line effectively tells your linemen that you don’t trust them.

Let’s review the answers to our pregame questions:

• Will the Tar Heels be able to disrupt Carr in the pocket? They managed to flush him out of the pocket on occasion but CJ generally had plenty of time.
• Which team will run the ball more effectively? It is a relief to proclaim that the Irish dominated in this area.
• Can Notre Dame maintain the intensity they exhibited in September? I certainly did not see much intensity.
• Will the Irish defense continue to suffocate weak offensive teams? Not this week. Petrino scouted the Irish well and developed a good plan of attack.
• Which team will be most efficient on third and fourth down? Carolina was a combined six of 11 on third and fourth down while Notre Dame was seven of 16. One of those failures by the Irish turned a 24-7 lead into a 21-14 ballgame.
• Will special teams play tip the scales in favor of Notre Dame? No. Jefferson’s 98-yard scoring return was a complete embarrassment. Jasper Scaife almost had a punt blocked when he dropped the snap.
• Can Belichick spring any surprises on the Irish after a bye week? Belichick did a good job in scoring territory but he did not have the horses to stop Carr and Walton.
• Coaching matchup: Mike Denbrock vs. Bill Belichick: Who ya got? All I will say on this subject is Denbrock is fortunate to have Carr on the field. The larger mismatch was Petrino’s humbling of Chris Ash’s defense.

A few players stood out despite the subpar overall performance. Talich was a monster all day long. Boubacar Traore and Francis Brewu played well. On offense, Faison was brilliant, along with Walton and James. The left side of the offensive line (Black, Knapp, Craig) opened holes in the running game.

Once again, Notre Dame’s coaches have abundant opportunities to identify areas for improvement. The negative 14-point swing in the second quarter was followed by the long kickoff return. Carolina’s last scoring drive against the Irish defensive starters was also ugly. Next week’s game will probably not provide many answers. Stanford, a 57-3 loser to Wake Forest today, travels to South Bend for another beatdown. After that, things get much more interesting.