Notre Dame Outslugs North Carolina, Moves to 5-0: Instant Takeaways

It wasn't perfect, and some decisions on the road were questionable, but Notre Dame is 5-0 after beating North Carolina 37-26 on Saturday, continuing its domination in the all-time series.

Notre Dame's evolving run game had its best game to date, while the defense struggled to get off the field at times.

While true, Notre Dame now essentially has one more week to get things together before the schedule takes a sharp turn in difficulty.

So what did we see against North Carolina, and what did we learn?

Here are the instant takeaways from Notre Dame's 15th straight victory by a margin of 10 points or more.

To Take the Points, or Go For It

To be or not to be, that is the question.

Or perhaps its "to go, or not to to go"...

Notre Dame held a 21-7 advantage in the second quarter, as it had the ball at the North Carolina one yard line. Then tight end Ty Washington missed a block, getting CJ Carr stopped for a loss, and Notre Dame went for it on fourth down, only to have a pass attempt fall incomplete.

I get the thinking in making North Carolina have to go the length of the field to score a touchdown, but there are levels to this thinking.

I'm not going to act like I was furious about this decision by any means, but if you can extend the lead to three possessions with the field goal, I have trouble believing that's not the right move.

Again, blame the defense in part for not making a stop after, but that sequence was a massive turning point in the game.

Run Game Development, Jonaz Walton Growth

We've been hearing for sometime that freshman Jonaz Walton is the potential difference maker in the Notre Dame backfield. On Saturday, we saw that play out in a huge way.

Not only did Walton rush for 120 yards in the game, but he was also the go-to back almost the entire third quarter, and was who Notre Dame called on when converting a pair of fourth down attempts in the third quarter.

He's got a level that Aneyas Williams and Nolan James, Jr. don't appear to have and reminds me a bit of Audric Estime a few years back.

I would only assume we will see more of Walton as we get deeper into the fall.

Protecting CJ Carr, and Carr Delivering

Massive credit goes to the offensive line for its performance against what is the best defensive line its seen to date. While the running game had it's most impressive showing to date, the pass protection was great.

That can be a chicken or egg type thing, but the biggest benefactor was probably quarterback CJ Carr.

Made it happen 👏#GoIrish☘️ | @13Cjcarr

📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/ARd7lLGNP2
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 3, 2026

The starting quarterback was phenomenal, throwing for four touchdowns and 234 yards, while rushing for an additional score.

It all works in cohesion, and is usually the case under Joe Rudolph, the unit up front appears to be taking a step in the right direction as the leaves start really changing colors across the midwest.

Jordan Faision Stars in Front of His Biggest Fan

There goes that man!! 🔥#GoIrish☘️ | @Jordan6Faison

📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/d83fQgJ5lT
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 3, 2026

It's no secret that North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick is a fan of lacrosse players on the football field, and he got to see an outstanding one up close Saturday.

Faision led the Notre Dame receiving corps with eight receptions for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Notre Dame passing game continues to improve as the year goes on, as Faision and Micah Gilbert have gone back and forth on being the prime playmaker the last few weeks.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thoughts

Notre Dame didn't dominate on the scoreboard and it failing to cover will leave some upset, but when you look at game control, the Fighting Irish held it for the vast majority.

The goal line stop by North Carolina, followed by the 97-yard touchdown drive, into the second half kickoff being returned for a touchdown kept this closer on the scoreboard than the game felt.

It was far from a complete game by Notre Dame, but it was still a strong road showing against a North Carolina team that looks to be improving under Belichick.

Notre Dame now has one more week to get things right as lowly Stanford comes to town ahead of a trip to BYU for a potential top 10 showdown.

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