Notre Dame Fighting Irish at North Carolina Tar Heels

Carr, ground game help No. 3 Notre Dame push past North Carolina 37-26 for 15th straight win

So the third-ranked Fighting Irish made it simple: get a hard push from the offensive line, open lanes and pound the ball through those gaps again and again.

It added up to regaining control after halftime in Saturday’s 37-26 road win, along with offering a promising leap for a rushing attack that looks very different from the one from last year that produced two first-round NFL draft picks.

“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,” Freeman said.

CJ Carr threw for four touchdowns and ran for another for the Fighting Irish (5-0), who ran for a season-best 241 yards.

The Irish were on the verge of going up 28-7 before the Tar Heels (2-2) came up with a goal-line stand and turned it into a long touchdown drive right before halftime. Then UNC came out of the break with Jaden Jefferson sprinting through the rain for a 98-yard kickoff return that brought the Tar Heels to within 21-20.

That's when Carr and the Irish offense went to work with a series of methodical and physical drives, leaning on the run in wet conditions to carry the ball right into the heart of the defensive front and consistently move the chains.

“Super impressive with the way the offensive line kind of just drove the ball down the field,” Carr said. “They couldn’t really stop us. It felt like we were imposing our will on them whenever we wanted to.”

Notre Dame responded to Jefferson’s big play with a 17-play, 75-yard drive lasting more than nine minutes by the time Carr got around the right side for a fourth-down TD keeper.

Then, after forcing a three-and-out, Notre Dame went to work again in pummeling fashion. Nolan James Jr. did most of the work on the ground, then caught Carr’s short pass in the left flat and juked a would-be tackler off his feet to go in for a 6-yard TD and a 34-20 lead to open the fourth quarter.

Carr threw for 234 yards, with Jordan Faison making eight catches for 132 yards and two scores.

Billy Edwards Jr. threw for three touchdowns for the Tar Heels but was picked off twice. North Carolina also struggled to get anything going on the ground (77 yards on 23 carries).

“We were certainly competitive, we missed some opportunities,” coach Bill Belichick said. “We just need to do a better job of coaching and playing, take advantage of those opportunities. They’re a good team; it’s not like anything was easy today."

The takeaway Notre Dame: The defense had its hiccups in the Fighting Irish's 15th straight win. The Irish entered Saturday ranked No. 1 nationally by surrendering 199.3 yards per game and second in scoring (8.3), yet the Tar Heels came within seven points of matching the total the Irish had allowed through four games.

“Our guys didn't play crisp in the pass game and their guys made some plays, so we've got to go back and get that fixed," Freeman said.

UNC: The Tar Heels started 2-0 before blowing a two-touchdown lead in a loss at Clemson on Sept. 19, then had an open week to prepare for this one. Finding ways to generate more downfield passing gains was a focus, and Edwards found more success. The primary targets were wideout Jordan Shipp (seven catches for 109 yards) and Jelani Thurman (five catches for 50 yards and two TDs) as the Tar Heels flirted with a marquee win in Belichick's second season.

“The passing game’s really about team execution,” Belichick said. “It's not just the quarterback.”

The Irish's run game stepped up Notre Dame entered ranked 98th in the Bowl Subdivision in rushing offense at 141.8 yards. That was down from 17th last year (203.4) behind the nation's fifth-leading rusher in Jeremiyah Love (114.3) and Jadarian Price, the two eventual first-round picks.

But on Saturday, freshman Jonaz Walton posted a team-high 120 yards while James added 65. The Irish’s rushing output included 122 yards in the third quarter alone in stymieing UNC’s momentum.

“We were doing some gap-scheme runs and to get movement at the point of attack was huge,” Freeman said. “The backs were patient and trusted it. We were really in rhythm that third quarter of just sustaining that drive and being able to run the ball when they knew we were running the ball.”

Up next Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish host Stanford next Saturday.

UNC: The Tar Heels visit Pittsburgh next Saturday, the first of back-to-back road games against teams that are a combined 9-0.

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here