North Carolina starts 2nd half with a bang, returns kickoff for TD vs. Notre Dame
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North Carolina had just got back within 21-14 against No. 3 Notre Dame with a touchdown pass in the final seconds of the first half, and the Tar Heels were feeling a lot better going into the locker room.
Then North Carolina was feeling a whole lot better still after the opening kickoff of the second half, which freshman Jaden Jefferson took back 98 yards to get the underdog Heels within a point as the home crowd went crazy on Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill.
The extra point failed but North Carolina had succeeded in snatching the momentum after things looked bleak with Notre Dame (4-0) taking a 21-7 lead deep into the second quarter. But 13 points in a 35-second span changed the vibes quickly, and suddenly it was getting very interesting as Bill Belichick‘s 2-1 team was threatening to pull a gigantic upset.
Here is Jefferson’s scintillating TD return that sent the home crowd into bedlam and sent Notre Dame fans worrying:
Once Jefferson bounced it out to the left sideline he was gone, with no Fighting Irish player having a chance to bring him down. He cruised into the end zone and suddenly we had a bona fide ballgame after Notre Dame had threatened to pull away late in the second quarter.
There was a lot on the line on Saturday in Chapel Hill, including a potential spot in the College Football Playoff for both teams. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the best odds to make the 12-team CFP field come December:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
