Art’s Angle: Almost A Memory

There were no echoes to wake up on the hallowed grounds, but Carolina nearly made a memory that might have lasted forever.

Coming in with an 0-11 record in Notre Dame Stadium, the Tar Heels played like THEY were the No. 5 team in the country until a controversial penalty and killer turnover allowed the undefeated Fighting Irish to escape with a 50-43 victory and keep Carolina winless under the Golden Dome.

The game broke records for points scored by both teams with Touchdown Jesus watching. It was a far cry from past visits to South Bend for UNC, which had scored a TOTAL of 41 points in its last six trips to Notre Dame, dating back to 1959. Had the Heels held on to their fourth-quarter lead and upset the Irish, it would have been among the greatest victories in their football history. Those echoes would have lasted a long time in Chapel Hill.

And how they needed it to erase the bad taste from last week’s mistake-filled loss to Virginia Tech and to stop a losing streak that is now at four in a row. Carolina played smarter, faster and more physical than in any prior game this season against the toughest opponent on one of the toughest schedules in college football. Through their first five games, the Tar Heels had the 22^nd hardest slate, and that rank should rise significantly after the Irish moved to 6-0.

“All 71 players who made the trip felt they could win this football game, guys whose guts are ripped out of them right now,” Coach Larry Fedora said after another exasperating afternoon on the sideline. “They came here believing they were going to win, and they came up short.”

Kids will be kids, but it’s fair to asky why a football team can come out gangbusters and fly around the field one Saturday and not do it on others. After all, there are only 12 games to a college season.

Despite the gallant effort and outstanding play from a number of Tar Heels, it was a penalty and a turnover that turned a 36-35 lead into another loss. Fedora would not comment on the call in question, but it was bogus at best. When Norkeithus Otis was flagged for roughing the snapper on a Notre Dame punt, the Irish center was clearly up and in the blocking position to receive Otis’ hit. That call by the ACC officiating crew kept Notre Dame’s go-ahead drive alive.

Other penalties, turnovers and missed tackles were also part of the loss. Marquise Williams, who broke and tied a bevy of UNC records on the day, made his one poor decision, trying to backhand a short pass on the sideline that was picked off by the Irish while the Tar Heels were threatening to tie the game.  And two consecutive pass interference calls on cornerback Brian Walker helped Notre Dame put the game out of reach at 50-36. Carolina scored again with less than a minute to play, but failed to recover the on-side kickoff.

Notre Dame has the best home field winning percentage in college football history, and Carolina needed a fast start to have a chance. The Heels got it when Ryan Switzer ran 24 yards with Williams’ first pass and Elijah Hood pounded the ball in on two rushes. Ironically, it had been UNC’s opponents the last three weeks who had scored on their first, second or third plays of the game. The first of three Irish turnovers led to a field goal attempt by freshman Nick Weiler, who hooked it badly to the left, but Jeff Schoettmer picked off a poorly thrown pass by ND quarterback Everett Golson and took it to the house for a 14-0 lead.

Two opposing players involved in the opening burst have an interesting juxtaposition. Freshman Hood, from Charlotte, first committed to Notre Dame before being swayed to Chapel Hill by Fedora. And Golson, from Myrtle Beach, was a Carolina commit for a long time until the firing of Butch Davis and the impending NCAA probation turned him toward South Bend.

Despite their early turnovers, you knew the Irish would come back; but it was nice to finally start with that kind of cushion. It gave Carolina confidence to keep scoring when the game tightened up and Notre Dame eventually took a 28-20 lead in the second quarter.

The Tar Heels’ schedule doesn’t soften up quite like it did over the second half of last season, but this heartbreaker should still give them reason to believe they can defeat Georgia Tech, (at) Virginia, (at) Miami, Pitt, (at) Duke and N.C. State in their last six games. Winning four of them would qualify Carolina for a second straight bowl bid.

Though Fedora said it was not pre-scripted, he stayed with Williams at quarterback for the entire game, even though Mitch Trubisky was as close to his home in Ohio as he will be this season. Williams was magnificent for the most part, running it in for two scores, throwing for another and catching a TD pass from Quinshad Davis on a razzle-dazzle reverse. Williams continued to be Carolina’s leading rusher with 132 yards, averaging 7.3 yards per carry.

Clearly, Notre Dame knows it dodged another bullet (beating Stanford last week in the last minute) despite running its turnover total to 10 in the last three games. The Irish keep their quasi-ACC status next week when they go to Florida State, which beat Syracuse unimpressively enough to drop to No. 2 in the polls behind Auburn-slaying Mississippi State.

Carolina plays its third night game of the season, hosting Georgia Tech Saturday at 7 on ESPNU. The last time the Yellow Jackets came calling, they put 68 points up on the Kenan Stadium scoreboard. But despite winning their first five games before losing at home to 5-1 Duke Saturday, the Jackets lack the offensive firepower they brought with them in 2012.

With Carolina’s new-found confidence and a capacity crowd cheering them on, the Tar Heels may be ready to start winning again.