Notre Dame bludgeons North Carolina with unlikely source powering running game
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CHAPEL HILL, NC — Pulled into a tight game with North Carolina, which flipped the script midway through the second quarter of a would-be blowout with a goal line stand, a 97-yard scoring drive and a 98-yard kickoff return in less than one minute, No. 3 Notre Dame started running the ball.
And running, and running, and running.
With a major boost from a freshman seeing his most extensive action of the season, the Fighting Irish rode the running game to a 37-26 win over the Tar Heels at rain-soaked Kenan Stadium.
“When they know you’re going to try to run the ball and you’re still able to run the ball because of the weather conditions, that’s a reflection of your team and the toughness and the physicality,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “And that’s the pride we have. And that’s what I’m most proud of.”
In doing so, the Irish answered some questions about the state of their ground attack after losing two stars from last year’s team to the first round of NFL draft and averaging just 4.1 yards per carry through four games.
The decision to lean on the run and shift the focus away from quarterback CJ Carr was partly due to the wet conditions: “Yeah, it was so wet, we knew we weren’t going to be able to throw the ball. We tried to throw it once, and it just wasn’t those type of conditions,” said Freeman.
But there was also a need to take away the Tar Heels’ momentum after that 14-point burst leading into and just out of halftime.
After stopping Notre Dame at the 3-yard line, UNC marched 97 yards and scored with seconds left to turn what would have been a 28-7 deficit had the Irish punched in a touchdown into a 21-14 game at intermission. Freshman receiver Jaden Jefferson then returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a score.
But the Tar Heels would get no closer than that. The Irish would get in the end zone on their next two possessions and notch the next 16 points overall before a meaningless UNC score in the fourth quarter.
The UNC kickoff return “was a new scheme” and “something we haven’t seen,” Freeman said.
“But then our offense again responded, which was huge. And so, we needed that. We needed that response out of our offense, and our defense did a good job when they were on the field for the most part.”
Notre Dame ran the ball eight times for 49 yards in the first quarter and seven times for 26 yards in the second. Carr made 18 attempts in the first half, completing 13 for 168 yards and three scores.
In the third quarter, the Irish had 20 carries for 122 yards, held the ball for over 13 minutes, converted three fourth downs and had nine first downs, eight via the run.
In the second half overall, Notre Dame ran the ball 30 times for 166 yards, an average of 5.5 yards per carry, while Carr made 11 pass attempts.
“To get movement at the point of attack was huge,” said Freeman. “Backs were patient and trusted it, and so we were really in rhythm that third quarter of just sustaining that drive. Being able to run the ball when they knew we were going to run the ball.”
Down the road in December or January, the win in Chapel Hill may be remembered for being the moment Freeman and the Irish realized what they have in four-star freshman Jonaz Walton.
He didn’t play in the opener but debuted a week later with 48 yards in a 52-0 rout of Rice. After earning just one carry against Michigan State, Walton had 61 yards last week against Purdue. While he had shown flashes of potential, all but one of Walton’s carries before Saturday had come in the second half.
But he carried the ball five times for 28 yards as part of a scoring drive to put the Irish ahead 21-7 in the second quarter. In the second half, Walton had 18 carries for 92 yards, with only two gains longer than eight yards and a high of 18 yards.
Based on how he performed and his usage, Walton seems to have climbed ahead of Nolan James Jr. and into the primary backup role behind Aneyas Williams. Even that might not last for long.
“You know, I think there’s some similarities with Nolan and Aneyas, and Jonaz just gives you a different type of change-up,” Freeman said. “Maybe the speed. Nolan and Aneyas are both plenty fast, but Jonas has a different type of running style that gave us a spark, and he played really well today.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Notre Dame bludgeons North Carolina with unlikely source powering running game
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