Friday, October 10, 2014

Week 6 Preview: Notre Dame vs. North Carolina

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (5-0, 6th ranked) will look to continue their undefeated season when they host the North Carolina Tar Heels (2-3) tomorrow afternoon. When the season began this game looked like it would be one of the tougher matchups on the schedule, but North Carolina has struggled mightily on defense which has hampered their success. Despite that, the Tar Heels still possess a prolific offense and could challenge the Irish if they are looking ahead to next week’s tilt at Florida State.

The Irish faced the nation’s top defense last week, but they will now see one of the worst units in the country. North Carolina has allowed a staggering 42 points and 505.8 yards per game, so expect Notre Dame to have a ton of success. My only concern in this game would be if the Irish came out flat after last weeks’ emotional high from beating Stanford. To avoid any let down, I hope and believe that Brian Kelly will be very aggressive early on to try and score a quick touchdown or two in the first quarter. Considering that the Tar Heels are efficient on offense as well, Notre Dame will need to score early and often to keep North Carolina from staying in this game. I expect Everett Golson to have another great performance in the passing game against 121st ranked passing defense, but it would be encouraging to see a turnover free afternoon from the quarterback. If everything goes as planned, the Irish should have a decent lead in the second half which will allow Notre Dame to work on their running game. We all know that Cam McDaniel is a reliable back, but the Irish need more explosiveness from their running backs. I’d love to see either Greg Bryant or Tarean Folston break a 50+ yard run at some point tomorrow to showcase that the Irish are capable of big plays out of their running game. Stanford dropped 8 defenders on many occasions last week because they were much more fearful of the pass than the rush. If Notre Dame wants to be at their best offensively, they need to be more balanced with their big play potential. If not, then Golson will continue to see extra defenders in his throwing lanes which will make it difficult to move the ball consistently.

While Stanford was unquestionably Notre Dame’s toughest opponent of the season, North Carolina will probably be the best offense the Irish have seen so far. The Tar Heels are averaging 36 points and 415.4 yards per contest, so Notre Dame’s 3rd ranked scoring defense will certainly be tested. North Carolina owns the 89th ranked rushing offense at 138.6 yards per game, so I don’t think they will be able to pound the ball against Notre Dame’s 10th ranked rushing defense at 95.8 yards per game. In addition, it is likely that North Carolina will be playing from behind most of the afternoon, so expect the Tar Heels to rely heavily on their passing game which checks in at 35th in the country with 276.8 yards per game. The Tar Heels are led by their quarterback Marquise Williams who has been outstanding this season with 1,083 yards passing, 243 yards rushing, and 11 total touchdowns. Williams is undoubtedly the Tar Heels’ best player on offense and containing him will be the key for Notre Dame’s defense. Considering how mobile Williams can be, I would expect defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder to be less aggressive in his play calling then he was last week. While the heavy blitz packages may disrupt any college quarterback, it could also free up a ton of running room for the quarterback if he can make the first guy miss. In any event, I’m sure Jaylon Smith will be asked to shadow Williams on some plays and he should be able to run him down in most instances. Notre Dame has yet to allow more than 17 points in a game this season, but they’ll have to be at their best to keep that streak going.

After an emotional victory last week against Stanford, the Irish could come out sluggish, but Notre Dame’s offense will be way too much for North Carolina to handle.

Prediction: Notre Dame 48, North Carolina 24


Twitter: @etichel07

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