Notre Dame at UNC – 1st Quarter Notes
- Great start for the Irish defense forcing a three and out on the road. The UNC offense hasn’t been able to sustain offense this year and getting them off the field quickly will be key.
- Love the Irish coming out in the spread offense and throwing it all over the field against this defense. Clausen has looked sharp, but has had two picks dropped in the red zone. Luckily Clausen took those gifts and turned them into an Irish touchdown on a perfectly thrown ball.
- Second offensive drive and still no sign of a running back for the Irish offense. It’s working so far, but at some point we will have to run the ball.
- Wow, great play call on 3rd and 5 with the QB draw, but on the next play Olsen got abused and gave up a sack for a loss of 15. UNC sent 5 for the first time and got to Clausen, looks like Davis is going to start sending some pressure.
- First punt of the day for Notre Dame and UNC didn’t block it and Brandon Tate didn’t get much of a return. UNC nearly got to Maust thanks in part to a bad snap.
- Brandon Tate is actually heading to the locker room right now. That would be a huge loss for UNC if he is unable to return. ABC is reporting that there is something wrong with his right knee.
- With Brandon Tate out, UNC has one legit playmaker – Hakeem Nicks – and we just let up a 31 yard play to him with a face mask tacked on. ND might want to think about double covering Nicks while Tate is out for UNC.
- Outside of the long pass to Nicks, the UNC offense isn’t having a whole lot of success moving the ball, but Draughn is looking pretty good running the football. We need to score some point early to force UNC to pass more and run less.
- Third dive of the game and we have a tailback in the game for the first time this game. First tow runs have netted 8 yards and set up the Irish in a third and short situation.
- After coming out and chucking the ball all over the field, UNC started to adjust so the Irish have countered with 5 straight runs to start this drive and have moved the balled into UNC territory in the process.
- Did the announcer just say Casey Clausen? Yes, he did. Good job Brad Nessler.
- ABC just announced that Brandon Tate will not return for UNC. That is a major loss for the Tar Heels on offense and special teams. Without Tate their offense becomes a lot less dynamic and the Irish secondary can give Nicks more attention.
- Irish driving at the end of the first quarter. A score to start the second quarter would really take this crowd out of the game. Offensive line has been doing a great job so far and if they keep this up the offense should be able to keep moving the ball.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
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