Don’t let the 45-32 final score deceive you: this was one of the most disappointing days in the history of Kenan Stadium and Carolina football.
Mack Brown has done a tremendous job reigniting the enthusiasm around his sport, and Saturday was supposed to be the game that proved his program could compete against the best in the ACC and pick up some national recognition.
The situation was perfect.
His Tar Heels won their first three games and were improving on both sides of the ball against mid-major competition. Then came an off week to calibrate where they were with coaching from his staff and executing by his players.
And the opponent was ripe for the high-profile pickings. Notre Dame had been unimpressive going 1-2 in its first three games. The Fighting Irish lost their starting quarterback, and their usually stout defense was showing some holes.
Every ticket at Kenan was sold long ago. ABC decided to televise the game in the prime 3:30 p.m. time slot. The weather even cooperated, with a cold front coming through to drop the torrid temperatures to the mid-70s.
Almost every seat was filled, and those that were not belonged to people in a traffic jam outside. In all my years of covering Carolina football, I could not remember a more electric atmosphere. The old lady in the pines was all but swaying to the beat of the marching band.
And the mood might have risen to the indisputable best when Drake Maye led the Heels on a 78-yard drive that momentarily appeared to stall in the red zone before he hit returning receiver Josh Downs on fourth down with his first of two TD catches.
Maye completed four passes on the 5-minute drive with the opening kickoff and ran for 33 yards in what looked like an offense with the answer to the Irish’s big and quick defense. But Carolina did not score again for 13 minutes.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame’s coaching staff was implementing a game plan designed to dominate the Tar Heels’ interior lines, apply pressure to keep Maye from staying comfortable, and out-scheme Gene Chizik’s defense by making reserve quarterback Drew Pyne the equal of UNC’s freshman star on this day.
The ND offensive line took control of scrimmage even earlier than it had in the much closer victories over Carolina the last two years. Audric Estime, Chris Tyree and Logan Diggs combined for 264 yards and rushed for three touchdowns, averaging 6-plus yards per carry.
That, in turn, opened up the run-pass option for Pyne, who wound up throwing and completing more passes than Maye, whose five TD tosses gave him 16 for the season.
Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer (87) goes past North Carolina defensive back DeAndre Boykins (16) for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
“They ran the ball, we didn’t. We had the ball for only 21 minutes, and that’s the way to beat us, keep our offense off the field,” Brown said after Notre Dame’s 26th consecutive win against an ACC school. The Heels begin conference play this Saturday against Virginia Tech, and that’s good news because the ACC Coastal is a maddening mess so far this season.
Early in the second quarter, those watching closely realized that Notre Dame had just gotten Carolina’s goat and was not planning to give it back, as the Irish grew more visibly confident with every ensuing offensive and defensive play.
The visitors scored 38 points on six straight possessions to lead 38-14, which was insurmountable because their athletic, hard-charging defense was on the way to sacking Maye three times while holding the Tar Heels’ running game to a season-low of 66 yards.
That’s when it hit the sellout crowd and the air began coming out of the big balloon that had been inflating all weekend in Chapel Hill and beyond. The signature nationally-televised win that Brown coveted was gone along with the unmistakable buzz in the stadium and for many fans who began heading up the aisles for the exits.
Those who left early missed seeing the chippy fourth quarter when Brown went ballistic over a pass interference call in the endzone and several Tar Heel defenders were seen yelling at each other on the field and sideline. “That’s called passion,” Brown explained.
North Carolina head coach Mack Brown argues a call with an offical during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
It is fair to say that Notre Dame outcoached and outplayed Carolina. The Irish, who are deeper in those interior lines, began substituting from the beginning; they could not have grown tired as the game progressed with the interminable timeouts, some for 3-plus minutes (one long enough for a couple to get engaged on the video boards).
Rookie Irish head coach Marcus Freeman, now 2-0 since his conversion to Catholicism, and his staff seemed to know what the Tar Heels were going to do and countered with audibles before the ball was snapped. “Tonight, Notre Dame was better than we are,” Brown said. “And you know they have great players with top-ten recruiting classes every year. They just hadn’t put it together yet.”
One has to wonder what Brown, Chizik and offensive coordinator Phil Longo talked about at halftime. They had a week to get their units ready, but wound up with their fifth straight defeat after an open date and were bettered by rival coordinators Tommy Rees and Al Golden.
Having figured Carolina out, Notre Dame went ahead for good with a surgical 78-yard drive late in the second quarter. Then, after a UNC three and out, the Irish took a two-score lead by driving 52 yards on 12 plays for a field goal just before halftime.
While the difference was only 10 points, the gold-helmeted visitors could take complete command of the game by scoring with the first possession of the second half. Not only did the Irish do that, but they also forced a Maye fumble on first down and scored again in seven plays. Carolina cosmetically cut the deficit to 13 points with Maye’s last two TD passes in the final four minutes.
At halftime, UNC’s basketball team and Olympic sports champions from last spring were honored, personifying how the oldest state university stands out across the board in athletics while Brown has been trying to get football to that level since he returned before the 2019 season.
Carolina continues to have the same obstacle, save Clemson over the last eight years, as most ACC schools, with some very good players but not enough of them. Many alumni and fans would be happy with a winning team every season, competing for a conference title and going to a bowl game. Unlike most other sports at UNC, that has been the gridiron standard here for decades and decades.
“This is a big step for us,” Brown told Jones Angell before the kickoff. “We need to start making big steps in major national games like this one.”
He concluded his interview with heart-felt thanks to the fans, who bought out the stadium before he ever walked the sideline here for a second time and have filled Kenan for most home games. Everyone who works for, plays for and cheers for Carolina football wants it to be the best it can be without having to prostitute NIL payouts or jump to a more-monied conference.
Hopefully, being disappointed on Saturday won’t mean they will also disappear.
Featured photo via AP Photo/Chris Seward.
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Amazing! A “Hall of Fame” coach outcoached by a man who has won one game and lost to Marshall at home. Regarding conference re-alignment, maybe we could join Wingate, Gardner Webb, etc… I believe we could win 8 games. Maybe!
It ain’t over til Chantsky chants, and while I think there is a nugget of truth in his sad song about Mack Brown and the muted expectations of Tar Heel football fans about the team’s dismal performance, I offer a different interpretation of history. I expect Carolina to be competitive in every game. I expect the players to be well conditioned to meet the level of their opponents. And, I expect them to be well coached. This team is not well coached. It has a great public relations program, but the coaching sucks.
Bubba made a mistake, and Bubba needs to fix his mistake. A winning season is not 6-7. Which is where the Tar Heels are headed again this year.
We are fortune that Drake Maye is a legacy player. In today’s world a stranger might just go to Mack and say, “Get me a new defensive coaching staff by the next game or I’m in the transfer portal by halloween
Nail meet head. The Tar Heels blew another GREAT opportunity. Another banger Art… there is a reason why many call you the Poet Laureate of Chapel Hill.
This didn’t add up though, “Rookie Irish head coach Marcus Freeman, now 2-0 since his conversion to Catholicism…”
Freeman is now 2-2, Art! lol I’ll let it slide…