Tar Heels edge Irish

Staff photo by Robert Willett

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CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina capitalized on four second-half turnovers Saturday afternoon for a program-building, 29-24 win over Notre Dame at Kenan Stadium.

On the first play of the third quarter, linebacker Quan Sturdivant returned an interception of Jimmy Clausen 32 yards for a touchdown to cut an eight-point, halftime deficit to 17-16.

Aleric Mullins stripped Clausen and recovered at the Notre Dame 42 to set up another touchdown. Deunta Williams' interception with 4:50 remaining in the fourth quarter clinched the win for the 22nd-ranked Tar Heels (5-1).

Notre Dame got 383 passing yards from Clausen and led 17-6 in the second quarter. But the Irish (4-2) were held without a score over the last 25 minutes of the game.

North Carolina appeared to have the game won when a replay review overturned a 29-yard, third-down Brooks Foster reception that would have iced the game.

Replay ruled that Foster did not hold onto the ball, and North Carolina punted the ball to Notre Dame with 1:48 remaining.

On fourth-and-13 from the UNC 33, Clausen completed a 26-yard pass to Michael Floyd that led to another replay review after North Carolina fans had stormed the field.

This review showed that Jordan Hemby stripped Floyd to cause a fumble, and Trimane Goddard recovered to end the game.

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Give the third-quarter game ball to the North Carolina defense.

Quan Sturdivant opened the quarter with a 32-yard interception return for a touchdown. Then Aleric Mullins stripped the ball out of Jimmy Clausen's hands for a fumble that Mullins recovered at the Notre Dame 42.

That set up quarterback Cameron Sewton's 4-yard hurdle over safety Kyle McCarthy for a touchdown on the opening play of the fourth quarter, giving the Tar Heels a 29-24 lead.

North Carolina's injuries continued to mount, though. Tight end Zack Pianalto was removed from the field with an injury to his right leg after a holding penalty nullified a Shaun Draughn touchdown run, but didn't stop the Tar Heels from scoring on the drive.

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Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen didn't let the momentum stay with North Carolina for long after Quan Sturdivant returned and interception 32 yards for a touchdown.

Hew drove the Irish down the field and made a remarkable, scrambling, 16-yard throw to Duval Kamara to convert a third-and-10 deep in UNC territory.

Two plays later, James Aldridge tunneled into the end zone on a 2-yard run, stretching Notre Dame's lead to 24-16.

On the drive, North Carolina linebacker Bruce Carter took a hard hit from Kamara while trying to intercept a tipped pass. Carter came off the field under his own power and seems OK. So does quarterback Cameron Sexton, who was hit hard late in the first half but continued to find Hakeem Nicks open against the Notre Dame secondary.

After getting sacked, Sexton completed a 19-yard pass to Nicks on third-and-18 to keep a North Carolina drive alive. Seven plays later, Houston rolled over a blocker into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run.

Down by two with 5:14 remaining in the third quarter, Butch Davis decided to go for two points on the conversion. Sexton's pass was broken up, and North Carolina trailed 24-22.

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You knew they couldn't let this many people gather at North Carolina without bringing basketball into the picture.

At halftime, Tyler Hansbrough came to midfield with ACC commissioner John Swofford and North Carolina athletics director Dick Baddour to accept some hardware.

Hansbrough received the ACC male athlete of the year award and was presented The Sporting News' national player of the year award by writer Mike Decourcy.

And on the first play of the second half, North Carolina linebacker Quan Sturdivant changed the game. He stepped in front of a Jimmy Clausen pass intended for Kyle Rudolph and returned 32 yards for a touchdown. The extra point cut Notre Dame's lead to 17-16.

It was the first interception in 132 pass attempts for Clausen, the second-longest streak in Notre Dame history.

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The key matchup on the first half has been Notre Dame wideout Golden Tate against North Carolina cornerback Kendric Burney.

On their first drive, the Irish scored on third-and-10 when Tate got open for a 19-yard strike from Jimmy Clausen in the end zone.

Late in the second quarter, Clausen found Tate in man-to-man coverage against Burney, who was in perfect position. But Tate stole the ball out of Tate's hands for a 47-yard reception.

Three plays later, Clausen hit Michael Floyd for 7 yards and a touchdown. Floyd probably got away with a pushoff on the play against Jordan Hemby, but no flag was thrown.

Clausen reached halftime with impressive passing stats: 16-for-23 for 192 yards and two touchdowns.

But UNC wideout Hakeem Nicks had an excellent first half himself. He made three catches to set up a career-long 42-yard field goal by Casey Barth nine seconds before halftime.

Nicks reached halftime with seven catches for 116 yards. That makes a school-record eight straight 100-yard receiving games for Nicks.

But Notre Dame led 17-9 at the half, and North Carolina quarterback Cameron Sexton retreated early to the locker room as Barth missed a 52-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the half.

The Tar Heels had recovered a fumbled kickoff return, but Sexton got up slowly after getting hit on a first-down throw and came off the field holding his right arm awkwardly.

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Freshman Casey Barth continues to impress at North Carolina the way his brother Connor did en route to the school's career field goals record.

After Cameron Sexton recovered his fumbled snap on third down, Barth nailed a 34-yard field goal with 5:22 remaining in the third quarter to cut Notre Dame's lead to 10-6.

The bad news for North Carolina? Brooks Foster has dropped two passes. Brandon Tate is out for the game with a sprained knee, and Notre Dame has moved the ball effectively with the run and the pass.

The good news? The Tar Heels only trail by four.

And by the way, how long before Butch Davis realizes Shaun Draughn is the best back he's got and starts him ahead of Greg Little? This is the second straight week in which Draughn has given the Tar Heels a spark off the bench.

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North Carolina couldn't catch a break when Notre Dame place-kicker Brandon Walker took the field.

He'd been 1-for-7 so far this season, but kept his job even though coach Charlie Weis opened it up for competition this week. On fourth-and-4 from the 24, Weis might have been inclined to keep his offense on the field.

Instead, he sent Walker out again. He drilled a 42-yard field goal that traveled awkwardly through the air but split the uprights for a 10-3 lead early in the second-quarter.

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Bruce Carter nearly got another one.

He'd blocked four punts over the last two games for North Carolina. On Notre Dame's first punt - necessary in part because of a Carter sack for a 15-yard loss — Carter dived toward the ball but couldn't quite get it.

Unfortunately for the Tar Heels, returner and wide receiver Brandon Tate headed to the locker room with a sprained right knee injury after the play and was lost for the game.

Notre Dame's strategy on offense has been unorthodox in that over its first 18 plays, as it lined up with five receivers and has yet to line up a running back behind quarterback.

Without Tate, North Carolina turned to Hakeem Nicks for a big play. He made a 31-yard catch and had a 15-yard face masking penalty tacked on.

A holding penalty stalled the drive, but Casey Barth kicked a career-long 41-yard field goal, and Notre Dame's lead was cut to 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.

At quarter's end, though, the Irish had 11 first downs, and the Tar Heels had three offsides penalties.

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North Carolina appears content to rush the quarterback with just four (and sometimes three) players, as Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis predicted. Early in the game, that worked out better for the Irish than the Tar Heels.

Jimmy Clausen stood in the pocket for long periods without pressure and waited for receivers to come open in a five-wide set. Clausen was fortunate when Trimane Goddard dropped what should have been an interception deep in North Carolina territory.

But on the next play Clausen hit Golden Tate for 19 yards and a touchdown when he got open beyond cornerback Kendrick Burney. Notre Dame led 7-0 with 10:27 remaining in the first quarter.

Incidentally, North Carolina's Lowell Dyer made his second consecutive start at center Saturday. It appears that Aaron Stahl may be back at guard almost exclusively.

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This is why North Carolina hired Butch Davis.

The pre-game atmosphere at Kenan Stadium rivals that of a game at the Smith Center. Notre Dame is in town, and though both teams are 4-1, the Tar Heels are ranked (No. 22) and the Irish are not.

Representatives from the Gator Bowl are here. North Carolina is a possibility for them from the ACC, and they are trying to explain the convoluted formula by which they could select Notre Dame.

Trust me, it's not worth explaining.

Forty-five minutes before kickoff, the Tar Heels lined up to do calisthenics while Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" blared over the loudspeakers.

ACC commissioner John Swofford, a former North Carolina player, was on the field talking to Davis before the game. Later, Swofford fondly recalled his trip to Notre Dame as a Tar Heel.

He said the spirit and history of the place was special.

"We lost (16-0)," he said, "but it was a memorable experience."

North Carolina senior associate athletics director Larry Gallo, a former Notre Dame baseball coach, was on the field predicting that the Irish are going to be very good in the next couple years because the current team is so young.

Moments before kickoff, the stadium shook as a B-2 bomber flew over the stadium. It made you forget that basketball practice is about to start Friday.

And that's a good thing for football at North Carolina and in the Triangle.