Matchups: Notre Dame Football Faces NFL Legend Bill Belichick at North Carolina
A closer look at how Notre Dame stacks up with North Carolina in Chapel Hill, from CJ Carr’s edge through the air to the Tar Heels’ red-zone defense.
Notre Dame invaded West Lafayette and came away with its fourth win of the season, defeating the Boilermakers into submission. The 49-10 victory anointed Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman as the first head coach in Notre Dame history to win 14 consecutive games by double digits. That tied the Irish with Florida State and Clemson for third all-time with 14 straight wins by 10 or more points, behind only Florida (15) and Miami (17). Historically, teams with 14 or more straight wins by double digits have gone on to win the national championship.
This weekend, Freeman and the Irish will face a North Carolina team led by a coach with accolades of his own, as Bill Belichick’s five career Super Bowl championships are more than any head coach in NFL history.
Skill Talent and Scoring Outlook
TE Jelani Thurman vs. Notre Dame Tight Ends
While the Tar Heels offense has not accomplished much as a whole this season, one offensive player has, and that’s Jelani Thurman. After three games, the 6-foot-6, 245-pound tight end has caught 11 passes for 183 yards and one touchdown.
In comparison, after four games Notre Dame has completed nine passes to three different tight ends for 69 yards and three touchdowns. Three of those receptions were recorded last weekend against Purdue for 38 yards and a score. Edge: North Carolina
Scoring Offense – North Carolina vs. Scoring Defense – Notre Dame
North Carolina has struggled mightily when it comes to adding points to the scoreboard. The Tar Heels are currently ranked 102nd out of 138 teams in scoring offense, averaging 23.3 points per game. That includes their game against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, when they scored a season-high 35 points.
This weekend’s game will likely reduce the Tar Heels’ scoring average when they face Notre Dame’s stingy defense. After four games, Notre Dame has the second-highest scoring defense in the nation, allowing 8.25 PPG. In addition, the Irish defense has allowed 199.2 yards per game and a modest 3.62 yards per play. Edge: Notre Dame
CJ Carr Against the Tar Heels Secondary
Passing Defense – North Carolina vs. CJ Carr – Notre Dame
The defensive side of the ball is more of Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick’s specialty, and the statistics reflect that. North Carolina’s pass defense is allowing 189.3 passing yards per game, which has them 47th in the nation in that category. Those catches were recorded at a rate of 9.02 yards per completion.
In fairness, the Tar Heels’ defense has not faced a quarterback like the one it will encounter this upcoming Saturday. Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr has himself in the mix for the Heisman Trophy. He’s completed 67 of 95 attempts for 963 yards, nine touchdowns, and one interception on the season. His impressive 184.83 passing efficiency rating has him 11th in the country. Edge: Notre Dame
Red Zone Battle and Pressure Up Front
Red Zone Defense – North Carolina vs. Red Zone Offense – Notre Dame
A big reason for North Carolina’s early success this season has come on the defensive side of the ball. The Tar Heels’ red zone defense is ranked fourth in the nation, allowing opponents to score just 62.5 percent of the time. In eight red zone attempts, their opponents managed to add two rushing touchdowns and three field goals.
On the other side of the ball, the Irish will bring the 23rd-ranked red zone offense. Notre Dame scored on 18 of its 19 trips to the red zone via eight rushing and six passing touchdowns, with four field goals. Edge: Notre Dame
Xavier Lewis – North Carolina vs. Offensive Line – Notre Dame
One of the rising stars for North Carolina can be found on the defensive line in Xavier Lewis. He recorded 0.5 sacks during his freshman campaign a year ago, but this season he leads the FBS with six sacks. He’s averaging two sacks per game and has recorded 17 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss after three games.
Lewis will be facing his toughest opposing offensive line to date, as Notre Dame’s front will enter Chapel Hill with the nation’s fourth-ranked offense in sacks allowed. The Irish have allowed just two sacks through four games. Saturday will decide who wins this battle. Edge: Tie
Daniel Mingea III (pronounced Ming-E as the name gets butchered a lot) began following Notre Dame football in 1993 at the age of 13. He later served as a sports writer for The Vermilion newspaper while at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and parlayed that into a recruiting analyst role for LSU football with Tiger Rag magazine and TigerSportsDigest. Shortly after graduation, he put down the pen and the pad for a gun and a badge to become a probation officer in New Orleans. Three major surgeries set Mingea back forcing him to step away from the field of law enforcement. Now he is focused on getting back to a few of his passions, Notre Dame football and writing.
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