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Notre Dame Football

Game Thread | No. 2 Notre Dame at No. 19 North Carolina

November 26, 2020
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No. 2 Notre Dame (8-0, 7-0) at No. 19 North Carolina (6-2, 6-2)

Kenan Memorial Stadium | 3:30 p.m. ET | ABC

Game Week Articles | Roster| Depth Chart Schedule |Staff Predictions 


Offense, Offense, Offense

Friday will likely come down to a key defensive stop by the winning team, but make no mistake, this top 25 clash will be won with offense. Notre Dame and North Carolina bring very different offenses to the table, but neither has had an issue scoring points this season. 

Notre Dame has had some issues in the red zone this year and if the Irish settle for field goals over touchdowns, it could get dicey in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels will put pressure on Clark Lea’s defense all day as they have a premier quarterback in Sam Howell and a tough RPO scheme with weapons everywhere. 

The good news for the Irish is the UNC defense is poor, but they will be getting a key piece back in defensive back Storm Duck. Ian Book will need to continue to build on his last two games and he’s familiar with Chapel Hill as he made his first start there in 2017. 

In the end, the Irish can and should control the game with its run game against an average defensive front. Look for Kyren Williams and Michael Mayer to have big days on offense while safety Kyle Hamilton makes a few big plays in this one. 


Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame C Zeke Correll
He's replacing Jarrett Patterson, who was the best center in the ACC before his injury. It's unlikely that Correll will play up to that level, but Notre Dame needs for the drop off to not be significant to continue their strong play up front.

North Carolina RB Javonte Williams
An all-purpose monster who averages over 100 yards rushing per game, he's been the toughest running back to tackle in all of college football.

Notre Dame DT Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa
Quietly he's been a force versus the run and without Jayson Ademilola again, Notre Dame will need him to continue his stellar play to help put the UNC offense in 3rd and long.

North Carolina QB Sam Howell
He's putting up Heisman level numbers for the Tar Heels, but tends to hold on to the ball too long looking for the big play. He's been sacked 22 times in eight games and Notre Dame will need to get him on the ground as much as possible.

Notre Dame DE Ade Ogundeji
Two defensive linemen? Yes, that's how important the matchup is for Notre Dame. They need a dominant performance from the defensive line to help slow down a prolific UNC offense. Ogundeji has been the best one for the Irish all season and they'll need him to be at his best.


Quotes of the Week

Notre Dame WR Ben Skowronek:
"I actually picked up on it (Notre Dame’s offense) kind of fast, but there are so many new words from the offense I played in for four years that have different meanings in this offense and signals. You can only have so many hand signals and some of them look the same, but have completely different meanings. I think I was doing a lot of thinking in the beginning of the season and camp.

"I'm comfortable now. It's just coming to me very easy. There's so many differences between these two offenses. Learning it has been a lot of fun and spending the extra time learning it. Those signals were hard at first. Coach (Tommy) Rees was yelling at me quite a bit for confusing the signals. It's all good now."

Notre Dame DT Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa:
“It comes down to a game on dominance and depends who is going to be the most dominant front. For us as a defensive line, it's a challenge we like to take. It's probably going to be one of the bigger offensive lines we face, but as a defensive lineman, we definitely love the challenge up front.

"It's really going to come back to resetting the line of scrimmage, affecting the QB and affecting the throws he makes."

Notre Dame S Shaun Crawford: 
"One thing I wanted to focus on was narrowing my focus and staying on my keys. That will be huge. Reading him because he's definitely reading us. You can tell from the film and the games he's reading the safeties. He's pulling it and throwing it as soon as the safety makes the wrong step. We have to be patient. We're tied in on that and we're focused on that."

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly:
"I have a ton of respect for Mack and he's been a great mentor for me in a lot of ways. I got to know him back when I was a head coach at Grand Valley State and we coached together at the Hula Bowl back in the early 2000s. What I've always respected about him is he always had time for the guy that was coming in the ranks." 


For Your Nerves 

TEAM STATS Notre Dame North Carolina
Points Per Game 37.6 43.1
Points Allowed Per Game 16.6 30.8
Total Yards 462.3 563.4
Yards Passing 228.8 329.9
Yards Rushing 233.5 233.5
Yards Allowed 304.1 413.6
Pass Yards Allowed 219.0 261.8
Rush Yards Allowed  85.1 151.9

Game Thread | No. 2 Notre Dame at No. 19 North Carolina

128,763 Views | 820 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by sscott43
pbrad28
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I thought teams could run on NC? Need a way to keep their offense off the field
JMAC
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Any word on Crawford and Kiser?
dc irish
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Crawford used to be a good form tackler. This year he seems to lower his head and dive at the ball carrier. Not going to get it done that way. Really hurt ND in first half
mattfreeman
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Staff
GulfCoastIrish
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Not great pay calling on either side for us. Wasted drives, and so passive to start the game by Lea.

Now we get a 30-minute game against these punks, this time with no Kyle.
irishhope
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F'n chris fowler, I just hate his voice. I'd rather drink turpentine and piss on a brush fire, than listed to this anti-ND *****.
jtthedomer
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Book had Avery Davis open for a TD on the the last play before half,but he was locked in on the fade to Skow the whole way.
JMAC
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Are Crawford and Kiser out?
Cassin
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JMAC said:

Are Crawford and Kiser out?


Crawford went back into the game
tonyndnick
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Fowler is one annoying ******bag.
irishtank6900
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Have to score on essentially every drive in the second half, because they aren't going to get off the field much. Hamilton was making almost every positive play once they settled down.
JMAC
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Thanks!
ohiondfan
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What do we think Lea will do in terms of adjustments?
mattfreeman
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Staff
ohiondfan said:

What do we think Lea will do in terms of adjustments?
He's not Brent Venables.
jtthedomer
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ND's defense needs to be more opportunistic and force NC into some turnovers.Our defense needs to force a strip sack or get a pick.Games like this is where ND's defense could force a turnover or turnovers could make the difference.
irishtank6900
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ohiondfan said:

What do we think Lea will do in terms of adjustments?


I think he already made them. Heavy interior pressure on first and second down. They're in a really tough spot if Howell gets any more than 3 seconds to release it.
geckovip
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D needs a stop on this first drive. Set the tone of the second half.
citykcor
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Bit like a Navy game. Have to take every opportunity.
It was always going to be like this. If ND has title aspirations they've got to get the business done in the 2nd half.
ndrockland
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Well buckle up. Need to score 21 to 28 this half. Need to keep pressuring this QB as we have no answer one on one with NC WRs.
This is the way!
pjcaulfield
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Bingo. Receiver lowered his head. Hamilton was just going for a tackle and their helmets collided. He did NOT lead with his head. Total BS call.
mattfreeman
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Staff
Notre Dame and UNC specialists posing for pictures together at halftime lol
ndsean44
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No Hamilton?

Good lord I'm about as nervous as I've been for a 2nd half as I have been allyear
coachscott
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Am I the only one who wonders why Marist gets ANY snaps at all? Please don't misunderstand, I trust Lea knows LB play. But Marist must look like the 2nd coming of Lawrence Taylor in practice to get so many snaps over others on game day! Am I the only one who thinks that?
ohiondfan
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mattfreeman said:

ohiondfan said:

What do we think Lea will do in terms of adjustments?
He's not Brent Venables.


I'm confused. Only Brent can make adjustments?
MAS
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coachscott said:

Am I the only one who wonders why Marist gets ANY snaps at all? Please don't misunderstand, I trust Lea knows LB play. But Marist must look like the 2nd coming of Lawrence Taylor in practice to get so many snaps over others on game day! Am I the only one who thinks that?


I thought he actually made some plays today.
ejsjr
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The rule itself is BS, the part where the player is ejected. I know they want to protect the players but throwing a kid out for an unintentional act is too draconian against the kid and the team. I've always felt that way.
SWANSEA
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I get the feeling that we missed some opportunities, but I also think we do have the better team. We'll find out in the seconf half obviously.
Rwolf101
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coachscott said:

Am I the only one who wonders why Marist gets ANY snaps at all? Please don't misunderstand, I trust Lea knows LB play. But Marist must look like the 2nd coming of Lawrence Taylor in practice to get so many snaps over others on game day! Am I the only one who thinks that?

Did you not see that blitz in the 2nd quarter deep in UNC territory? I know that's only one play but flashes of that in his second year are a positive sign.
dunwoodyfan
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I thought he flashed a couple of times I there. At the time, we needed a lift, and he supplied it. I certainly thought like you do earlier in the season, but he made a contribution in the first half today.
tonyndnick
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Have to hope Notre Dame's maturity trumps North Carolina's youth in the 2nd half.
Chicubfannin
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I agree with many of the posters who are pointing the finger at the ND offense. Only two touchdowns against that bad North Carolina defense is simply not good.

If the Irish only manage 2 touchdowns in the 2nd half, they are going to lose.
irishbearcat09
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We need to play really well in the second half particularly in the be 3rd quarter on offense. Defense had a tough task at full strength today and losing Hamilton is a killer. No turnovers from our O, defense will be hard to watch but we have to make them work it down the field. Opportunistic play. FIND A WAY!!!
tonyndnick
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Maybe I missed something, but I don't remember Kyren Williams ever being in the dog house last year. I just remember him being an out of shape freshman.

Is Fowler just making crap up like his 50 play 7 yard North Carolina drive description
mattfreeman
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Staff
DJ Brown starts at safety
ND_Chelu
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Looked like he got that sack of Howell.
 
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