Irish Stay Perfect in Chapel Hill Despite Close Game.

 Irish Stay Perfect in Chapel Hill Despite Close Game.

Notre Dame 37, North Carolina 26

Notre Dame entered Week 5 with one goal: get out of Chapel Hill with a win.

The Irish did exactly that.

It wasn't always pretty, and North Carolina made Notre Dame work for it, but Marcus Freeman's team ultimately pulled away for a 37-26 victory over the Tar Heels.

Notre Dame is now 5-0 on the season and continues to build its case as one of the best teams in the country.

But while the final score looks comfortable, this game showed that Notre Dame still has things it needs to clean up.

 CJ Carr Continues to Shine

The biggest positive from Saturday was once again CJ Carr.

Carr finished the afternoon 21-of-29 for 234 yards and four touchdowns, while also adding a rushing touchdown.

He didn't turn the ball over, which has become one of the most important parts of Notre Dame's offensive success.

Carr continues to look more comfortable every week.

He's making the throws Notre Dame needs, taking care of the football and showing that he can be the quarterback who leads this team through the biggest games of the season.

And with Texas coming up, that's going to matter a lot.

 Jordan Faison Comes Up HUGE

If Carr was the engine of the offense, Jordan Faison was the difference-maker.

Faison finished with:

8 receptions
132 receiving yards
2 touchdowns

He gave the Tar Heels problems all afternoon, including touchdown catches of 28 and 39 yards.

Notre Dame desperately needed someone to step up in the passing game, and Faison did exactly that.

If he can continue producing like this, the Irish offense becomes significantly harder to defend.

 The Run Game Gets the Job Done

Notre Dame also controlled the game on the ground.

The Irish finished with 45 rushing attempts and 232 rushing yards.

Jonaz Walton led the way with 120 rushing yards on 23 carries.

Notre Dame didn't necessarily have one massive rushing performance that jumped off the stat sheet, but the consistent ground game helped the Irish control possession and keep North Carolina's offense on the sideline.

Notre Dame ultimately possessed the ball for more than 37 minutes.

That's exactly what you want from this offense.

 The Defense Still Has Questions

The biggest concern coming out of this game is the defense.

Giving up 26 points to North Carolina isn't necessarily disastrous, but the Tar Heels were able to move the ball more effectively than Notre Dame would've liked.

North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. threw for 208 yards and three touchdowns.

Notre Dame did force two interceptions, which helped swing the game, but there were still moments where the defense looked vulnerable.

Against Texas, Georgia, Alabama or another elite playoff-level opponent, those mistakes could become much more costly.

The Irish have to clean that up.

 The Numbers Tell the Story

Notre Dame finished with:

475 total yards

North Carolina finished with:

285 total yards

Notre Dame also won the turnover battle 2-0.

That's a huge reason the Irish walked out of Chapel Hill undefeated.

Even when North Carolina made plays, Notre Dame consistently answered.

That's what good teams do.

 Notre Dame Stayed Composed

One of the biggest takeaways from this game wasn't necessarily a specific player.

It was Notre Dame's ability to stay composed.

North Carolina jumped out early and kept fighting throughout the afternoon.

The Tar Heels even cut into the Notre Dame lead late in the fourth quarter.

But the Irish never allowed the game to completely flip.

They continued to run the football, control the clock and eventually closed things out.

That's an encouraging sign for a team with championship aspirations.

 What Does 5-0 Really Mean?

Notre Dame is undefeated.

That's the most important thing.

But now the standard has to change.

The Irish aren't trying to simply make the College Football Playoff anymore.

They're trying to win the whole thing.

And if that's the goal, Notre Dame has to become more consistent defensively.

The offense looks increasingly dangerous.

Carr looks confident.

Faison is emerging as a major weapon.

The running game is reliable.

But the defense has to be ready for the elite teams that are coming.

 Stanford Is Next

Notre Dame now returns home to face Stanford.

On paper, this should be a game the Irish control.

But the Stanford game is more important than it looks.

Notre Dame needs to use it to clean up the mistakes from North Carolina before the schedule gets significantly tougher.

Because after Stanford?

Texas.

That's the game everyone is waiting for.

 Final Grade: B+

Notre Dame did what it needed to do.

5-0.

475 yards of offense.

Four touchdown passes from CJ Carr.

Two touchdowns from Jordan Faison.

120 rushing yards from Jonaz Walton.

The Irish aren't perfect, but they're undefeated and continuing to improve.

The next two weeks will tell us a lot.

Stanford should be about preparation.