Notre Dame’s offense has started to find its rhythm, but Saturday brings the kind of challenge that can tell you whether that surge is real.
After three solid showings to open the year, the Irish delivered their most complete effort yet in last weekend’s 49-10 win over Purdue. Now they head into a matchup with a North Carolina defense that has been stingy in all the right places, ranking first nationally in passing touchdowns allowed, fourth in red zone defense and eighth in yards per completion allowed.
For offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, this is the kind of game that will show whether Notre Dame’s improvement can travel. The Tar Heels are 2-1, and Bill Belichick’s defense gives the Irish a very different kind of problem than the ones they’ve seen so far.
Notre Dame has faced quality units already, but none with Belichick calling the shots. That makes this, by far, Denbrock’s biggest test to date.
The ground game is one of the clearest places to start. Against Purdue, Notre Dame posted its best rushing performance of the season, rolling up 177 yards, scoring twice on the ground and averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
That’s a step in the right direction for a run game that still has room to grow, especially with the Irish ranked 91st in the country in yards per rush at 9.1. North Carolina’s run defense has been steady, allowing 3.4 yards per rush, good for 46th nationally, but it can be vulnerable to bigger gains.
If Notre Dame can run the ball effectively here, it won’t be easy to dismiss.
Up front, the Irish will get another serious test. North Carolina’s defensive line has been productive, with Isaiah Johnson, Leroy Jackson, Xavier Lewis and a group of defensive ends causing problems for the three offensive lines they’ve seen so far.
Notre Dame’s front hasn’t looked as dominant as expected coming into the season, but this is a chance to steady things against a real challenge. If Melkart Abou-Jaode plays, that only improves the outlook for the Irish.
One of the key individual matchups comes at center, where Ashton Craig will line up against Johnson. Johnson is listed at 6-2, 320 pounds and functions as a true space eater, helping linebackers Derek McDonald and Peyton Seelmann clean up run plays.
Craig has been one of Notre Dame’s better linemen through four games after returning from his second knee injury, but this is one of the toughest assignments he has faced. He has to keep Johnson from disrupting the run game and from creating any pressure in pass protection.
The Irish also have a receiver who is starting to look like a legitimate go-to option. Micah Gilbert has broken out over the last two games, catching 10 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown.
The junior wideout, a North Carolina native, gets what amounts to a homecoming against cornerback Jaiden Patterson, one of the Tar Heels’ most experienced defensive backs. Patterson has allowed just 83 receiving yards this season and hasn’t given up a touchdown.
That should make for a sharp battle as Notre Dame tries to keep the passing game moving.
Cooper Flanagan is another name to keep an eye on. The 6-6, 253-pound tight end has scored touchdowns in each of the last two games, finding the end zone against Michigan State and Purdue.
He’s become a red-zone option for CJ Carr, and he’ll also be important in the run game against North Carolina’s multiple defensive looks. Notre Dame will need him to contribute as both a seam threat and a blocker if the offense is going to keep building on what it showed last weekend.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Stayed At No. 3 But A Bigger Concern Is Growing
Notre Dame handled North Carolina 37-26 and kept rolling in the polls, staying at No. 3 in both the AP and Coaches rankings for a fifth straight week. The win also pushed the Irish to 22-2 all time against the Tar Heels, another reminder that the program has usually taken care of business in this matchup even when the game has not always looked clean.
The bigger issue is what comes next, because the ranking steadiness has not quieted the questions around a team that still has to sharpen up before the end of the regular season. With college football around it shifting in the standings and Stanford up next, Notre Dames margin for error is getting thinner, and the next stretch will say a lot more about its national standing than the poll number did this week. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Had To Earn This One Against Bill Belichick
Bill Belichicks postgame takeaway from North Carolinas 37-26 loss at No. 3 Notre Dame was familiar to anyone who watched it unfold: the Tar Heels were competitive, but they left too much on the field. Notre Dame still had to grind for this one, leaning on a strong rushing attack while quarterback CJ Carr helped steady things for the Irish in a game that stayed uncomfortable longer than the home side probably wanted.
Billy Edwards Jr. gave North Carolina enough offense to keep the pressure on, throwing three touchdown passes in defeat, and that was part of what made this one feel more like a test than a stroll. For Notre Dame, the result matters more than the style points, but it also served as a reminder that even against a team coming in under Belichick, nothing is getting handed over in South Bend. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Defense Just Got The Wake-Up Call Fans Feared
Notre Dames defense came out of its 37-26 win over North Carolina with plenty to unpack, and not all of it was comfortable. The unit gave up three long touchdown drives, even as it also produced stretches that looked like the kind of disruptive football the Irish have been trying to build around. On the other six Tar Heel possessions, Notre Dame held firm, limiting North Carolina to 41 yards and forcing two interceptions.
Senior safety Luke Talich was right in the middle of it, making an interception and blocking an extra point while playing with a wrist brace. Defensive coordinator Chris Ash still had execution issues to sort through afterward, and the bigger takeaway was less about celebration than correction. For a defense heading into a tougher stretch, the game looked like a reminder that the floor is higher when the unit is focused, but the margin for error is still too thin to ignore. [Read more 🡒]