ESPN Independents and Others Blog

Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson

	AP Photo/Sara D. Davis
	North Carolina's Aleric Mullins (97) dives after a loose ball while Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen (7) looks on during the Tar Heels' 29-24 win over Notre Dame.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - - 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.

North Carolina recovered a fumble from Notre Dame freshman wide receiver Michael Floyd with three seconds remaining to halt an attempted comeback and seal a 29-24 win by the Tar Heels.

It was a devastating outcome considering the Irish had dominated the first half and led the game going into the fourth quarter. But three costly turnovers, two of which the Tar Heels turned into touchdowns, swayed momentum in North Carolina's favor and the Irish were never able to recover.

But it was when the locker room door was closed, and the Irish players were left to listen to their coach and think about what had just transpired, that gave Weis hope.

"That team today expected to win," Weis said. "They didn't come here hoping to win, they expected to win. And they didn't. Give credit to North Carolina. And I'm not saying that to be disrespectful. But that team in that locker room today, it's the first time in a long time that I've looked into their faces against a good opponent and there's a team that really feels bad. And the reason they feel really bad is because they're starting to get it."

Weis said the team that stepped on to Kenan Stadium on Saturday was a different team than the one that opened the season. And though the Irish came away with a loss, Weis said that the game -- aside from the turnovers -- was probably the most complete game his team had played all year.

Still ,the turnover margin was the largest in a game by the Irish since committing five against Boston College in 2002. In both of the Irish's road games this season, turnovers have played a major factor. Against Michigan State, the Irish's only other loss this season, Notre Dame had three turnovers to one for the Spartans.

On Saturday, all three turnovers in the second half came off the hand of quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who played a great game despite the mistakes. He completed 31 of his 48 passes for 383 yards, all career highs. He helped Notre Dame to 472 yards of total offense, the most for the Irish since racking up 663 at Stanford in 2005. He threw two touchdown passes, one to give the Irish the lead and one to extend it.

And he might have led the Irish to a win in the final seconds had Floyd not attempted to lateral. Both receivers Golden Tate and Duval Kumara said Floyd was attempting to lateral the ball after he caught it at the 7-yard line because he didn't know how much time was remaining.

"He was just trying to lateral it back to someone," Tate said. "I don't think he fumbled it just because they knocked it out. He was looking for somebody because he didn't know how much time was on the clock."

Added Kumara: "That's what [Floyd] said. He was trying to make a play on the ball after the catch. I guess that's what he was trying to do, but I'm not for sure."

Now, Notre Dame goes into a bye week, which is a good thing and a bad thing.

The week off will give the Irish time to regroup, refocus, re-energize for the game at Washington on Oct. 25. But it will also give them time to think about the opportunity lost.

"This was such an emotional loss that I think whoever we would play this week, it would be tough this week to crank it back up," Weis said.