Top 25 Match-Up: Fighting Irish Head to Chapel Hill to Take on Tar Heels
Notre Dame (8-0, 7-0 ACC) heads to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina (6-2, 6-2 ACC) in the final road test this season. North Carolina will also be the last team the Irish face that will be ranked this regular season. The Tar Heels come into the game ranked 19th in the nation. North Carolina’s strength is their offense, as they are averaging 563 yards of total offense per game. The Tar Heels are led by their sophomore quarterback Sam Howell, who has thrown for 2,631 yards this season. Though North Carolina has an outstanding one, the Irish might have an even more impressive defense. The Irish defense is holding opposing teams to 304 yards of total offense. The stat that jumps out about the Fighting Irish defense is that they are holding opposing teams to less than 100 yards rushing per game. It is not just up to the Irish defense to make sure the Irish leave undefeated, Ian Book and then Irish offense will also need to step up to the plate Friday. The offense got things rolling vs Boston College two weeks ago and cannot let the bye week stop the momentum.
Here are my 4 Irish players to watch Friday afternoon:
- Michael Mayer – The freshman tight end has been producing game after game. Only 8 games in and Mayer has the nickname “Baby Gronk.” Mayer is the 3rd leading receiver on the Irish with 247 yards. I think Friday could be game where Mayer takes over as the go to receiver for Ian Book. Yes, he is a freshman going into his 8th game, but with the big catches that he seems to have every game it’s not crazy to think that he could take over the game on Friday.
- Kyle Hamilton – The playmaking safety will need to do just that on Friday. Sam Howell has the ability to make big plays and it will be up to Hamilton to make sure that does not happen. The Tar Heels are led at receiver by Dyami Brown who has 829 yards receiving, who along with Howell, Hamilton will need to contain. Hamilton leads the defense with 39 total tackles but is without an interception yet this season. North Carolina likes to throw the ball, so I would not be surprised if Hamilton gets his first pick of the season.
- Kyren Williams – The running back did not have the game he wanted to vs Boston College, only rushing for 47 yards. Williams will need to have a bounce-back game if the Irish offense will want to keep the ball away from the high-powered North Carolina offense. The sophomore has shown that he can take over a game like he did vs Clemson. I am expecting the Irish leading rusher to have a game that we have been accustomed too seeing all season.
- Drew White – If the Irish are going to win, it’s going to be because the Irish defense held the North Carolina offense in check. The senior linebacker will have a leading role in making sure that happens. The Tar Heels do have a great passing game, but they are not one dimensional. The Tar Heels average 233 yards on the ground. It will be up to White to keep Javonte Williams of North Carolina from not having a big game. White is second behind Hamilton on the team with 37 total tackles. I am expecting a big game from White and the Irish defense.
With no disrespect to Syracuse next week, this is the last big test for Notre Dame this season. Clemson was the biggest game of the year, and today’s game vs North Carolina is easily right behind it. If Notre Dame wants to keep its spot in the College Football rankings, this is a must-win. Notre Dame has gotten better and better as the season has progressed. After beating Clemson, they did not let up vs Boston College, which was a major trap game. This team has played a lot of football together and knows what’s at stake. I fully expect the Irish to leave Chapel Hill on Friday undefeated but it is going to be a dog fight.