The Tar Heels were nearly a four touchdown underdog to mighty Notre Dame Saturday, but posted some big plays and kept the game close for three quarters before finally succumbing to the Irish 45-26.UNC's Brandon Tate returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, and true freshman receiver Hakeem Nicks had a career day with 6 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns. But it was still not enough as Notre Dame quarterback and Heisman trophy candidate Brady Quinn threw for 349 yards and four touchdowns.
This game had all the earmarks of a blowout entering the game. The Irish are having a great season and clearly had more all around talent than the Heels, who are playing under lame duck coach John Bunting.
But North Carolina fought hard to answer each Notre Dame score and trailed by just 12 points early in the fourth quarter. This effort speaks volumes for both the Tar Heels players and coaching staff who have little to play for other than pride and now sit with a season record of 1-8.
The Tar Heels' final three games are against Georgia Tech, NC State, and Duke respectively. And if they play as hard as they did today, they could realistically win two of those three games before John Bunting steps down as coach.
