After a thrilling win against Miami, the UNC football team has had two weeks to prepare for one of its most challenging matchups of the season. Carolina fans have circled this weekend’s road game at Notre Dame since the 2021 schedule was released, and now it’s finally here.

The No. 11 Fighting Irish will be the first ranked opponent Carolina has faced this season, and the first of several top teams in a tough final stretch for the 4-3 Tar Heels. It will also be head coach Mack Brown’s first time coaching in the 77,000-seat Notre Dame Stadium, and Carolina’s first trip to South Bend since 2014.

The Irish have won 27 of their last 28 home games, and 37 straight against unranked opponents. Add in a national television audience in primetime, and the Tar Heels will be at center stage this weekend. Brown said after close calls against top-ranked teams in his first two seasons as head coach, this game stands as a measuring stick for his program.

“To get where we want to go, we’ve got to be able to play well and win these games,” he told reporters Wednesday. “We had Clemson as No. 1 in the country the first year, and we had our chance and couldn’t finish it. And then last year, we had Notre Dame and Texas A&M, No. 2 and No. 5, in the fourth quarter with a chance to win and we didn’t finish it. So, these are the games that are kind of the standard of where you want to be.”

Notre Dame comes into this weekend with a 6-1 record, their only loss being to current No. 2 Cincinnati. Though the Irish lost quarterback Ian Book, who helped beat the Tar Heels in last year’s matchup with Carolina, Brown said Notre Dame’s veterans and discipline are still a big factor.

“A lot of their guys are graduates or seniors, I think there’s 13 that are starting that are older,” Brown said. “And they lost a lot of guys last year. So, credit [head coach] Brian Kelly, because they are keeping players. And they’ve got a lot of really good football players that are smart and confident, and know what they’re doing. And they’re so well-coached, they’re hard to beat, because they don’t make many mistakes.”

One key returning piece on offense is running back Kyren Williams. In last year’s game at Kenan Stadium, Williams rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Williams’ numbers aren’t quite as gaudy this year, but he still poses a threat in both the running and passing games, with six touchdowns on the ground and three through the air.

With Williams and star tight end Michael Mayer leading the way, Notre Dame’s offense is averaging 31 points per game. UNC defensive coordinator Jay Bateman said Carolina’s defense, which is allowing almost 29 points per game, will have to think on its feet Saturday night.

“They do a really good job of adjusting. They have a really veteran, smart team,” Bateman said Monday. “And so I think you’ve got to constantly be able to blend your coverages, blend your pressures, have a plan for how they counter you. I have a lot of respect for Coach Kelly and his staff. So I think that’ll be the key, is our ability to counterpunch as they adjust to what we’re doing.”

Defensively, Notre Dame will be without one of its best players against UNC: preseason first-team All-American safety Kyle Hamilton, who has three interceptions this season. As a team, the Fighting Irish are tied for fifth nationally with 11 interceptions. That ball-hawking defense will challenge a UNC offense which has struggled with turnovers this season. Sam Howell and company will have to cut down the giveaways if they want to give Carolina just their second win in 21 tries against the Fighting Irish.

 

Featured image via USA Today Sports


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