Through four games this season I can confidently say that Notre Dame is home to one of the best defenses in college football. To start the season, the Irish rank 2nd in the country in points per game allowed (8.3), 1st in the country in yards per game allowed (199.3), 2nd in the country in yards per play allowed (3.6), 5th in the country in rushing yards allowed (53.6) and have only allowed three touchdowns total all season.
This weekend, they'll be going against a North Carolina offense that, on paper, shouldn't be able to hurt this defense. But they have a couple of players that could do some damage include a one-two punch in the pass game and a stable of running backs. If the Fighting Irish defense wishes to maintain its streak of dominance, then you'll want to pay attention to these three biggest storylines, two crucial battles and one player to watch.
1. Run Defense Will Be Tested
When you look at the numbers, North Carolina's rush offense won't blow you away. They rank 81st in the country in yards per game (155.0), 45th in the country in yards per rush (4.9), and 130th in the country in runs of 20 yards or longer (1). But this rushing attack can come at you with three different backs in Demon June, Benjamin Hall and Jaylen McGill. It's not an explosive rushing attack by any means, but it has a 'death by 1,000 cuts' type of feel to it when you pop on the film. The Notre Dame defense has been exceptional against the run through four games. That will have to continue tomorrow afternoon.
2. The Best One-Two Punch Yet
I'd argue that the Tar Heels have the best one-two punch in the passing game that the Irish have faced yet. There's a strong case that it could be the two Purdue receivers they faced last weekend, but both of those players did their best work out of the same position, the slot. Tomorrow, they'll be going against tight end Jelani Thurman and wide receiver Jordan Shipp who was on our All-Opponent team this offseason. Both the cornerback room and the safety room will be tested against this pass-catching duo and they'll have to prevent them from becoming game wreckers for the North Carolina offense.
3. Ash vs Petrino Round Two
This matchup has very intriguing contests on the sideline. Offensively, you have Mike Denbrock vs a Bill Belichick-led defense. On this side of the ball, we get a rematch between Notre Dame defensive coordinator Chris Ash and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino who came over from Arkansas earlier this offseason in January. Last season, we noted that the defensive turnaround for the Irish came against Petrino's Arkansas offense. This weekend, we'll get the opportunity to watch these two duke it out again.
1. Bryce Young vs Jordan Hall
Notre Dame defensive end Bryce Young has had a dominant start to the season. Currently, he's their best defensive lineman and that's not because Boubacar Traore isn't having the season we thought he would have. The 6-6, 260-pound North Carolina native has recorded 14 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss which leads the team, 3.0 sacks which leads the team and 11 pressures according to Pro Football Focus which is No. 2 on the team. This weekend, he'll be going against left tackle Jordan Hall who has struggled in pass protection so far this season. This should be another matchup Young wins and wins handily.
2. Safeties vs Jelani Thurman
It's not a secret where North Carolina wants to go with the football. Thurman gets a heavy load of the targets in the pass game and has become a safety blanket for quarterback Billy Edwards. When the Tar Heels want to get going on offense, they get Edwards out of the pocket and hit Thurman in the open field and let him go to work after the catch. The Notre Dame safeties will have their hands full not letting the 6-6, 235-pound tight end wreck the game and become a red zone target for a quarterback with only three passing touchdowns on the season.
Senior captain Adon Shuler will have a two-fold impact on this game. Like I highlighted above, he's going to play a role in ensuring Thurman doesn't have a breakout performance against a Top 3 defense in college football. Shuler is also going to be key in the run game. North Carolina will come at you with three different backs, all of which are strong runners and get fall forward gaining extra yardage. The New Jersey native has been really good in run support all season and will have to, once again, to prevent this North Carolina ground game to generate any momentum tomorrow afternoon.
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