Basketball Betting

11th-ranked Irish rout Tar Heels

Football Betting Lines

11/05/2006 - South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brady Quinn threw for 346 yards and four touchdowns as 11th-ranked Notre Dame toppled North Carolina, 45-26, at Notre Dame Stadium.

Quinn finished 23-of-35 passing and Jeff Samardzija had six catches for 177 yards and a touchdown for the Fighting Irish (8-1), who have won six straight and posted their 11th consecutive victory over North Carolina in South Bend.

Samardzija's TD-reception is the 23rd of his career with Notre Dame, which is the most in school history.

Darius Walker rushed for 86 yards on 20 carries and also scored for Notre Dame, which has won eight of its first nine games for the first time since 2002.

Joe Dailey completed 14-of-22 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns for the Tar Heels (1-8), who have dropped their last six games. Hakeem Nicks hauled in six passes for 171 yards and two scores while Ronnie McGill ran for just 61 yards on 13 touches.

With just under two minutes remaining, Quinn found John Carlson, who was almost taken down at the two-yard line, but extended his arms and placed the ball on the goal line for the score. The touchdown broke a 7-7 tie, and the Irish would never look back. Notre Dame faced two third-and-longs during the 10-play, 74-yard march, but Quinn hooked up with Carlson for 28 yards and McKnight for 16 to keep the drive alive.

Following a three-and-out by the Tar Heels, Notre Dame drove 57 yards down the field in just under three minutes, as McKnight's 14-yard dash into the end zone put the Fighting Irish up 21-7 early in the second. The big play came when Samardzija hauled in a 46-yard toss on 2nd-and-22.

Carl Gioia's 27-yard field goal capped a seven-play, 45-yard possession to give Notre Dame a 24-7 advantage with 6:33 left in the second. However, North Carolina's Brandon Tate returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to cut the Tar Heels' deficit to 24-13. The extra-point attempt, though, was blocked by defensive tackle Derek Landri.

Later in the frame, the Fighting Irish took a commanding 18-point lead. Faced with a 4th-and-18 from its own two, North Carolina punted the ball to Tom Zbikowski, who shook a tackle and scampered 52 yards to the end zone with 2:54 until halftime.

The Tar Heels opened the third quarter with a 10-play, 83-yard possession that resulted in a Nicks 13-yard TD catch. Landri again blocked the PAT attempt to keep the game at 31-19. Nicks also caught a 42-yard pass from Dailey during the drive, which ate up just over five minutes.

Notre Dame needed just three plays on its next series to score as Samardzija took in a 42-yard TD throw from Quinn, but North Carolina wouldn't be denied. On the first play of its ensuing possession, Dailey threw a short pass to Nicks, who scampered 72 yards down the sideline to make it a 38-26 contest with 7:25 left in the third.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Fighting Irish padded their lead, 45-26, when Walker punched it in from one yard out, capping a 10-play, 61-yard march. Quinn converted a 3rd-and-4 with a seven-yard run to advance the drive. The Tar Heels never threatened the rest of the final quarter.

Notre Dame wasted no time in scoring, as Quinn hit Rhema McKnight for a seven- yard touchdown pass near the front-left pylon 2:03 into the first for a 7-0 lead.

After each team traded punts, North Carolina orchestrated an eight-play, 80- yard scoring march, capped by Jesse Holley's 12-yard TD catch to tie the contest with 6:04 to play in the opening quarter.

Game Notes

Notre Dame has won six straight against UNC. They also lead the all-time series, 16-1...Carlson finished with eight receptions for 91 yards...McKnight had six catches for 56 yards...Holley had 14 yards on two receptions...The game marked the first meeting between the two schools since October 11, 1975 when the Fighting Irish defeated the Tar Heels, 21-14 in Chapel Hill.