Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 3, 2026 35 GAME PREVIEW: NORTH CAROLINA "When you seek the opportunity and you prepare the right way and those two meet then you have a chance to be successful." A SOLID START North Carolina named Edwards the winner of its starting quarterback com- petition 11 days before the Tar Heels opened their season in Dublin, Ireland, against TCU. To say Edwards led the Tar Heels to a 15-10 victory over TCU would prob- ably be giving him too much credit. He completed 16 of 28 passes (57.1 percent) for 232 yards. The Tar Heels reached the red zone four times but scored just one touchdown (a 9-yard touchdown run by running back Jaylen McGill) and settled for a pair of field goals. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Edwards found much more consistency and suc- cess in a 35-3 win against East Tennes- see State Sept. 12. He completed 15 of 20 throws (75.0 percent) for 244 yards with 2 touchdowns. "He continues to show that he has a good understanding of the offense," Belichick said on his Coach's Corner show after two games, "and how to take advantage of certain tools in the offen- sive system, how to take advantage of certain looks and just as importantly how to get out of some bad looks, so we don't run a bad play into a defense that really is not giving us a very good chance on that particular play. We can find something else to do. He's done a nice job of that. He's made good deci- sions and been decisive with the ball." Edwards put North Carolina's offense in good positions even if it couldn't take advantage of them. Pro Football Focus assigned just one turnover-worthy pass to Edwards through the first two games. He was credited with only one big-time throw as well. Edwards relied on his pass catchers to make plays after securing his throws. Tight end Jelani Thurman (8 catches for 165 yards and 1 touchdown) and wide receiver Jordan Shipp (7 for 96) were Edwards' favorite targets in the first two games. "We've had some excellent catch- and-run plays from particularly Jelani but also our running backs where we were able to turn some short passes into some pretty sizeable gains," Belichick said. "Every quarterback loves that. Just give them the ball and watch them go. But that's part of it is getting the ball to those guys. Todd D. Burlage: Notre Dame 31, North Carolina 9 North Carolina opened its season with a 15-10 upset win against TCU Aug. 29 in Dublin, Ireland. Then three weeks later, it had Clemson on the ropes with a 20-15 lead inside of seven minutes, before giving up two late touch- downs to lose 28-20 in a game that could've pushed the Tar Heels to 3-0. North Carolina may be a dangerous opponent coming off of a bye week while Notre Dame plays its second straight true road game, and the Tar Heels could make things interesting early. But with the Irish's terrific defense work- ing against a North Carolina offense that averages only 23.3 points, Notre Dame will steadily pull away. Steve Downey: Notre Dame 30, North Carolina 10 The Tar Heels' defense is legitimate, which will help them remain competi- tive early. North Carolina produced 10 sacks and allowed only 13.7 points per game while surrendering touchdowns on just 2 of 8 opponent red-zone possessions in its first three games this season. Sophomore defensive line- man Xavier Lewis amassed 8.5 tackles for loss and 6 sacks in those first three contests. Led by Lewis, that Tar Heel defensive front will test the weakest part of Notre Dame's offense. The Irish averaged only 130.0 rushing yards per game during their 3-0 start, although Nolan James Jr.'s 121-yard performance against Michigan State suggested improvement. If UNC can create long- yardage situations and force Carr to operate under pressure, Bill Belichick's team could keep the score close into the second half. North Carolina's extra week of preparation and defensive front could create a difficult first half, but the Irish outscored their first three opponents 48-3 in the second half. They possess more talent than the Tar Heels and will pull away in the final 30 minutes for another decisive victory. Eric Hansen: Notre Dame 34, North Carolina 3 The Tar Heel football program under second-year head coach Bill Belichick has become a soap opera, which is at least an upgrade from being a laugh- ingstock. And at least North Carolina had a bye week to let the latest ugly off-field storylines settle. On the field, UNC suffered a come-from-ahead loss to Clemson, which doesn't offer the solace it once did when the Tigers were perennial national contenders. Despite defensive coordinator Steve Belichick being pressed to resign over off-the-field issues, the North Carolina defense held up reasonably well in its first three games. The offense has struggled in all of those games, especially in the fourth quarter. The Tar Heels have scored three points all season in the final period. The Irish will have put away their 22nd win in the 24-game series long before then. Tyler James: Notre Dame 31, North Carolina 13 North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick could use a statement win in his second season leading the Tar Heels. And the setup for this meeting with Notre Dame could be a favorable one for Belichick. North Carolina will be coming off an extra week of preparation for the Irish before hosting Notre Dame for just its second true road game of the season. But these Tar Heels need a lot more than circumstance to beat Notre Dame. North Carolina should have a good defensive game plan, but it can't slow down the Irish offense all day while its own offense can't put drives together with any consistency. Kyle Kelly: Notre Dame 37, North Carolina 13 Does the North Carolina game look tougher than it did before the season? Maybe. Should it now be considered a trap game? Not exactly. I still like a veteran Notre Dame team to overmatch a rebuilding North Carolina squad, even on its own turf. Give me the Irish by three scores thanks to a dominant second-half effort. Mike Singer: Notre Dame 40, North Carolina 16 North Carolina gets a bye week before facing Notre Dame, but it shouldn't matter. The Fighting Irish should dominate this matchup on offense, defense and special teams. I'm not particularly impressed with this Tar Heels program under Bill Belichick. Jack Soble: Notre Dame 34, North Carolina 6 North Carolina strikes me as somewhat similar to Wisconsin and Michigan State. That is, the Heels' defense could give the Irish problems, but I have a difficult time seeing them scoring points. Unlike in those two games, I like Notre Dame to clean things up on the back end and prevent the big plays that led to the Badgers' and Spartans' only touchdowns, while the offense takes a step forward as well. Staff Predictions