College Football · FINAL

Notre Dame 37 · North Carolina 26

October 3, 2026 · Kenan Stadium

Kenan Stadium · 2026-10-03

The final score was Notre Dame 37 · North Carolina 26. The breakdown below uses this game’s figures, separate from season averages.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

North Carolina Tar Heels

The scoring path

Q1ND +7point differential in this period

Q2EVEN 0point differential in this period

Q4ND +4point differential in this period

Quarter scoring
Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Notre Dame Fighting Irish	14	7	6	10	37
North Carolina Tar Heels	7	7	6	6	26

This game · football box score
Measure	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	North Carolina Tar Heels
First downs	26	18
Total yards	475	285
Passing yards	234	208
Rushing yards	241	77
Third-down conversions	4-11	5-10
Giveaways	0	2
Possession time	37:04	22:56

Third-down conversion is shown as its own measure. It is not a substitute for overall play success rate. A dash means the source did not supply that field.

The Lab’s result test

Notre Dame Fighting Irish won by 11 points. Q1 supplied the largest scoring swing in the winner’s favor, a +7-points period. The chart shows the result’s path; the box score helps explain what created it.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish produced 475 total yards; North Carolina Tar Heels produced 285. Yardage describes how much ground was gained, not whether the most valuable drives were finished.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish committed 0 giveaways against the opponent’s 2. That possession advantage gave the winner fewer mistakes to overcome.

The next test is repeatability. Separate staying on schedule from long gains, then examine field position and drive finishing. A large yardage total can coexist with missed scoring chances; a short field can make a modest drive valuable.