Notre Dame's Kyren Williams (23) rushes past North Carolina's Jeremiah Gemmell (44) during the fourth quarter of Friday's Fighting Irish win in Cha;pel Hill (AP photo)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Ian Book kept scrambling to buy time and help No. 2 Notre Dame put together multiple long touchdown drives. The Fighting Irish’s defense allowed little room for Sam Howell and No. 25 North Carolina’s potent offense to do the same.

Book threw for a score while the Fighting Irish defense locked down the Tar Heels for the final three quarters in a 31-17 victory on Friday. The win kept Notre Dame on course to earn a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Both teams scored two first-quarter touchdowns and went into halftime tied at 17, only to see Notre Dame gradually take over in a performance coach Brian Kelly called “one of those road wins that really shows the mettle of your football team.”

“It felt like it was going to be a shootout in the beginning,” said Book, adding: “Our defense did an unbelievable job in the second half and gave us a lot of opportunities, and we were able to capitalize on it.”

Book threw for 279 yards and ran for 48 yards for the Fighting Irish (9-0, 8-0 ACC, No. 2 CFP), using his mobility and elusiveness to keep plays alive on a night when both offenses frequently faced long fields.

Receiver Ben Skowronek got Notre Dame its first lead with his 13-yard run around the right side midway through the third quarter. Kyren Williams ran for 124 yards — including a 47-yarder with about 5½ minutes left as the Irish burned clock.

Williams closed that drive with his second rushing TD, a clinching 1-yarder with 1:20 left that kept the Fighting Irish alone atop the ACC standings ahead of No. 4 Clemson and No. 10 Miami. He also had a 4-yard scoring catch in the first quarter after Book corralled a low snap and scrambled to buy time before finding him on the right side.

More impressive, though, was a defensive effort that forced Howell and the high-scoring Tar Heels to work for every gain after the opening quarter.

UNC (6-3, 6-3, No. 19 CFP) sprinted to touchdowns on its first two drives, but Notre Dame surrendered only one field goal from there. The Tar Heels came in averaging 43 points and 563 yards, yet they were unable to protect Howell nor open running lanes for a pair of backs averaging better than 100 yards rushing each in Javonte Williams and Michael Carter.

UNC finished with a season-low 298 yards while Howell — one of the national leaders in passing yardage and touchdowns — threw for just 211 yards and a score. He also ran for a touchdown.

NO.15 IOWA STATE 23, NO. 20 TEXAS 20

Breece Hall scored on a 3-yard run with 1:25 remaining, and No. 15 Iowa State held off last-minute drive by Sam Ehlinger and No. 20 Texas to remain in first place in the Big 12

After Iowa State sacked Ehlinger on third down, Texas’ Cameron Dicker barely missed left with a 58-yard field goal attempt as time expired.

The Cyclones (7-2, 7-1) have almost locked up a spot in the Big 12 championship game for the first time.

Hall gained 91 yards on 20 carries, his first game under 100 this season, but had 30 on the final 69-yard touchdown drive. Quarterback Brock Purdy connected with tight ends Charlie Kolar and Dylan Soehner for the other 39 yards.

Iowa State trailed 20-16 early in the fourth quarter after bad two-play sequence for Texas (5-3, 4-3) helped the Cyclones get a field goal by Connor Assalley.

First, the Longhorns came up 3 yards short throwing the ball on a fake punt on fourth-and-8. Then Purdy found Kolar for 44 yards. A holding penalty by the Cyclones forced them to settle for the Assalley’s field goal to make it 20-16.

The Longhorns also were stopped inches short on a fourth-and-2 at the Iowa State 13 with 8:05 left in the fourth quarter when a field goal would have made it a seven-point game.

Purdy completed 25 of 36 for 312 yards and one touchdown. Kolar made six receptions for 131.

NH NATIVE/OSU COACH DAY TESTS POSITIVE, GAME CANCELLED

No. 3 Ohio State’s game at Illinois today has been canceled because the Buckeyes have had a spike of COVID-19 cases this week.

The cancelation Friday came about seven hours after Ohio State announced coach Ryan Day had tested positive and wouldn’t travel with the team to Champaign, Illinois.

The team did not fly to Illinois as scheduled Friday night so additional COVID-19 testing could be conducted in Columbus, Ohio. After returning additional positive tests, the game was called.

Ohio State did not reveal how many members of the program had tested positive as has been the school’s policy all year.

“I have spoken with Coach Day, and he is doing well physically,” Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said. “I feel terrible for Coach and for the members of the program who have been diagnosed with a positive test. Coach Day and this team have been true leaders in handling things so well throughout this pandemic.”

This is the second game of the Big Ten season Ohio State has had canceled, putting the Buckeyes in a precarious position to compete for a Big Ten and national title. The Buckeyes were fourth in the first College Football Playoff rankings released earlier this week.

Big Ten rules require teams to play at least six game in this abbreviated season to be eligible to play in the conference championship game.