North Carolina rallies to beat Clausen, Notre Dame

 

VIDEO PLAYLIST

• Sexton Rallies No. 22 UNC Past Notre Dame

WERE YOU THERE?

Did you attend this game? If so, start chronicling your sports memories today with ESPN's Sports Passport. Enter the games you attend, upload your photos and share your memories! I was there »

Also See

• UNC's Tate to undergo MRI to evaluate knee injury

Top 25 Overview

It was over when... Trimane Goodard recovered a Notre Dame fumble in UNC territory with just seconds remaining. Gameball goes to... Cameron Sexton, who threw for 201 yards and ran for a 4-yard TD early in the fourth quarter for what proved to be the game-winning score. Stat of the game... 4. Notre Dame led 17-9 at halftime, but four second-half turnovers allowed UNC to get back into the game. Complete Top 25 Overview

Team Stat Comparison
1st Downs	27	21
Total Yards	472	322
Passing	383	201
Rushing	89	121
Penalties	4-33	7-55
3rd Down Conversions	10-16	6-13
4th Down Conversions	0-2	0-0
Turnovers	5	0
Possession	33:05	26:55

Air/Ground Leaders
Notre Dame Passing   C/ATT YDS TD INT Clausen 31/48 383 2 2	North Carolina Passing   C/ATT YDS TD INT Sexton 18/32 201 0 0
Notre Dame Rushing   CAR YDS TD LG Allen Jr 11 60 0 16 Aldridge 4 23 1 15	North Carolina Rushing   CAR YDS TD LG Draughn 17 91 0 20 Houston 8 28 1 9
Notre Dame Receiving   REC YDS TD LG Tate 5 121 1 47 Floyd 6 93 1 32	North Carolina Receiving   REC YDS TD LG Nicks 9 141 0 31 Foster 3 28 0 11

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER				ND	UNC
	TD	10:27	Golden Tate 19 Yd Pass From Jimmy Clausen (Brandon Walker Kick)	7	0
	FG	02:49	Casey Barth 41 Yd	7	3
SECOND QUARTER				ND	UNC
	FG	12:53	Brandon Walker 42 Yd	10	3
	FG	05:22	Casey Barth 34 Yd	10	6
	TD	00:52	Michael Floyd 7 Yd Pass From Jimmy Clausen (Brandon Walker Kick)	17	6
	FG	00:09	Casey Barth 42 Yd	17	9
THIRD QUARTER				ND	UNC
	TD	14:48	Quan Sturdivant 32 Yd Interception Return (Casey Barth Kick)	17	16
	TD	10:43	James Aldridge 2 Yd Run (Brandon Walker Kick)	24	16
	TD	05:14	Ryan Houston 1 Yd Run (Two-Point Conversion Failed)	24	22
FOURTH QUARTER				ND	UNC
	TD	14:55	Cameron Sexton 4 Yd Run (Casey Barth Kick)	24	29

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina started the second half with an interception return for a touchdown and sealed the game with a last-second fumble recovery. In between the Tar Heels did just enough to beat Notre Dame for the first time in a generation.

Fast Facts

• Hosting Notre Dame for the first time since Joe Montana came to town in 1975 and playing as a ranked team at home for the first time in 10 years, UNC forced five turnovers, including one pick returned for a touchdown.

• UNC QB Cam Sexton, at one point third-string, passed for 201 yards and WR Hakeem Nicks had nine receptions for 141 yards as the Tar Heels beat the Irish for just the second time in 18 all-time meetings.

• In a losing effort, Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen threw for 383 yards and two TDs as the Irish outgained UNC 472-322 and converted 10-16 third downs.

• At 5-1, the Tar Heels are off to their best start since 1997, Mack Brown's last season.

-- ESPN research

Cameron Sexton scored on a leaping 4-yard keeper to start the fourth quarter and Quan Sturdivant had the momentum-changing 32-yard interception return to help the No. 22 Tar Heels beat the Fighting Irish 29-24 on Saturday, providing another boost to coach Butch Davis' rebuilding effort.

The Tar Heels (5-1), off to their best start since going 8-0 in 1997, beat the Fighting Irish (4-2) for the first time since 1960.

Hakeem Nicks had nine catches for 141 yards and freshman walk-on Casey Barth kicked three field goals, helping North Carolina rally from an 11-point first-half deficit.

The Tar Heels' offense failed to reach the end zone in the first half while their defense struggled to slow Jimmy Clausen and the Notre Dame passing game. But their knack for forcing turnovers -- four after halftime -- was enough to help them hang on in a game that came down to a wild finish.

Graham: Irish Handle Loss

Charlie Weis didn't like the way his Notre Dame team lost to North Carolina on Saturday, but he liked they way they handled it, writes Graham Watson. Blog

"It takes everybody buying in," Davis said. "Our kids have got a lot of fight, a lot of perseverance and keep scratching to try and find a way to win."

North Carolina came in ranked for the first time in seven years, and playing at home as a ranked team for the first time in a decade, a sign of how badly things have gone since Mack Brown departed for Texas after the '97 season.

It was also Notre Dame's first game in the state of North Carolina since unheralded sophomore Joe Montana led a comeback win here in 1975.

The teams certainly provided a memorable finish, with Notre Dame reaching the North Carolina 7 in the final seconds before officials ruled -- after a review -- that receiver Michael Floyd fumbled the ball in what appeared to be a frantic attempted lateral. Trimane Goddard recovered, giving the ball back to North Carolina for a joyous kneel-down with 3 seconds left.

Clausen threw for a career-best 383 yards -- his third straight career game -- and touchdowns to Golden Tate and Floyd that helped the Irish take a 17-9 halftime lead.

Notre Dame finished with 472 yards, but couldn't overcome two interceptions and two lost fumbles in the second half.

"I told them it's a different team than I've seen in the last year and change," Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said. "That team in there today expected to win. They didn't come here hoping to win. ... The reason they feel really bad is because they're starting to get it. This is not the same team that everyone saw at the beginning of the year."

The Tar Heels went most of the way without big-play receiver and returner Brandon Tate, who sprained his right knee in the first quarter. Nicks picked up the slack with another big day against the Irish after tallying six catches for 171 yards and a score against them two years ago in South Bend. Converted safety Shaun Draughn added his second straight solid game, finishing with 91 yards rushing on 17 carries.

Sexton, the one-time third stringer filling in for injured starter T.J. Yates, threw for 201 yards. But he made his biggest play with his feet, scrambling right on third down and jumping through a hit from Kyle McCarthy at the goal line for the 29-24 lead with 14:55 to play.

"We don't get real rah-rah in the locker room," Sexton said. "We're a pretty composed team, and we just kind of stick to what we do, keep doing it and it's going to come around. We're not going to panic and freak out and draw plays in the sand."

Clausen looked sharp most of the day behind a line that gave him plenty of time. But the sophomore made three costly second-half mistakes.

It started when Sturdivant jumped in front of Kyle Rudolph for the pick on Clausen's first pass. The 32-yard return cut the deficit to 17-16. Later in the period, Aleric Mullins stripped Clausen and recovered the fumble to set up the go-ahead drive. Then, after the Irish had driven to North Carolina's 36 with about 5 minutes left, Deunta Williams picked off Clausen on the right side to set up a drive that took 3 minutes off the clock.

North Carolina -- which came into the game leading the nation with 12 interceptions -- also recovered a fumbled kickoff late in the first half and did not committ a turnover.

"[Defensive coordinator Everett Withers] stresses to us all week during practices to just be in the right spots and turnovers will come," Mullins said. "Just do the little things: 'Don't bite the cheese,' he always says. Just wait for it and the interceptions and picks will come to you."

Once Notre Dame got the ball back at its own 18 with 1:47 to play, Clausen guided one more drive, pushing to the North Carolina 33 with 11 seconds left before finding Floyd over the middle on what turned out to be the Irish's final play.

"I just wanted one more chance to help this team win," Clausen said. "Too many mistakes to be able to win a big game like this."