CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — It wasn’t 40 points, but it was another destructive quarter nonetheless. And this time, North Carolina’s offense couldn’t overcome it.
The Tar Heels (3-1) were upended by a 24-point second quarter and fell to Notre Dame, 45-32, on Saturday before a sold-out Kenan Stadium crowd.
Carolina held Notre Dame (2-2) to 40 yards in total offense in the first quarter, and the Fighting Irish looked every bit the inept unit that entered the game averaging just 300 yards per game.
They got a spark of confidence on the final play of the first quarter. A Carolina blitz appeared to have Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne contained with the pocket collapsing around him. Linebacker Cedric Gray could only manage to swipe one arm at Pyne as he scrambled left, then found an opening to the right to scramble for a 12-yard gain.
Pyne’s run gave the Irish just 13 total rushing yards in the quarter, but it set off an avalanche to come.
Pyne found running back Logan Diggs out of the backfield for a 34-yard completion on the first play of the second quarter. Notre Dame scored on the drive and added three more scores in the quarter.
The second quarter was by far the best of the season for the Irish offense. When it was over, they’d rolled up 261 total yards in the quarter alone.
The drive that they took the lead for good at 21-14 was a study in moving the ball in chunks. A 13-yard reception by Jayden Thomas, followed by a 19-yard run by Chris Tyree, a 17-yard run by Logan Diggs and a 19-yard catch by Michael Mayer. It set Audric Estime up for a 1-yard touchdown run.
When Blake Grupe kicked a 40-yard field goal with 23 seconds left, it capped off a the second-most points they allowed in a quarter this season. Appalachian State scored 40 in the fourth quarter of the Heels’ 63-61 win.
The difference came down to Notre Dame’s dominance on the line of scrimmage. Carolina tried generously rotating its defensive linemen to keep everyone fresh, but it didn’t matter against the Irish upfront.
They paved the way for huge openings as Notre Dame averaged 9.7 yards per play in the second quarter.
The break for halftime and adjustments Carolina made couldn’t disrupt its momentum either. The Irish scored on their opening two drives of the second half — aided by a Drake Maye fumble — to hold a 38-14 advantage.
Pyne made just his second start for the Irish after replacing starter Tyler Buchner, who was injured late in their loss to Marshall. His previous career-best for passing yards was just 150 yards and two scores. He finished Saturday 24-for-34 passing for 289 yards and three touchdowns, which were all personal bests.
Estime also had a career-high with 134 yards rushing on 17 carries for two scores. Estime averaged 7.9 yards per carry.
Carolina allowed 578 yards in total offense, which was second only to the 649 yards it allowed against App State this season.
