Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com DEC. 5, 2020 21 NORTH CAROLINA RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Just like against Clemson while holding all-time leading ACC rusher Travis Etienne to 28 yards on 18 carries, the foremost emphasis by Notre Dame defen- sive coordinator Clark Lea against an offense that averaged 233.5 rushing yards and 329.9 passing yards was not permitting North Carolina to control the line of scrimmage, because all other derivatives played off the run. The dynamic tandem of Javonte Williams (11 carries for 28 yards) and Michael Carter (eight carries for 57 yards) that came into the game averaging more than 100 rushing yards apiece only combined for 85 yards on 19 carries. Just like Etienne, who had a 10-yard run on his first attempt, Carter rambled for 26 yards on North Carolina's first running play. Notre Dame's front wall was not pushed back thereafter and maintained gap control, allowing the fierce linebacker corps to consistently play downhill and record three of the top four tackle totals among the defenders. Sophomore Marist Liufau in particular was a constant presence on blitzes and taking correct angles along with senior Drew White. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame NORTH CAROLINA PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE To its credit, North Carolina did not abandon the run in the second half, and tried to get it established to better operate its run-pass option (RPO) pack- ages. The Irish defense was just too dominant up front, and that regularly put quarterback Sam Howell (17 of 27 for 211 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions) in challenging third-down situations — which then resulted in six sacks and numerous other plays where Howell did not have the time to go through progressions. The 51-yard completion to Dyami Brown on the second series accounted for nearly 25 percent of the passing yardage, with the other 16 completions netted a pedestrian 10.0 yards on a team that was averaging more than 15 yards per catch. Most amazing is that sophomore safety and All-America candidate Kyle Ham- ilton was ejected late in the first half for a targeting call, yet the Irish didn't miss a beat. In the second half, Howell was 7 of 12 for a meager 46 yards. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. NORTH CAROLINA RUN DEFENSE Notre Dame's two new starters along the offensive line, sophomore center Zeke Correll and senior right guard Josh Lugg, were tested early. Sophomore run- ning back Kyren Williams had only 50 yards on 15 carries the first three quarters, but a 47-yard burst set up the final touchdown drive to seal the verdict. The Irish were held 34 yards under their average on the ground, but the staff was resourceful to use fifth-year senior wideout Ben Skowronek on an end-around for the 13-yard go-ahead score, and fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book's skills with both improvisation and designed runs (eight carries for 48 yards) helped make a difference again. ADVANTAGE: Even NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. NORTH CAROLINA PASS DEFENSE Book's (23 of 33 for 279 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions) mobility and escape/improvisation skills continue to flummox defenses, includ- ing a four-yard scoring toss to Williams after Book had been chased 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage, plus a 10-yard backhand flip under duress to freshman tight end Michael Mayer to convert a third-and-six. Fifth-year senior Javon McKinley (five catches for 136 yards) continues to be a factor on both the deep and intermediate routes, highlighted by 43- and 53-yard grabs on deep first-down pass plays, while Mayer (four catches for 54 yards) has consistently become the man to move the chains on third down. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS North Carolina sophomore Ben Kiernan had one of the best stat lines you can see from a punter. His seven kicks averaged 50.6 yards and five of them pinned the Irish inside the 20-yard line. Irish sophomore Jay Bramblett had a quality outing as well with a 43.0 average while twice having punts downed inside the 5-yard line in the second quarter. A missed 32-yard attempt field goal attempt by Notre Dame senior Jonathan Doerer while holding a 24-17 lead late in the fourth quarter prevented an earlier opportunity at a two-score lead. ADVANTAGE: North Carolina THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS North Carolina's highlight on third down was on its opening series when on third-and-goal from the 6-yard line, wideout Emery Simmons made a sensa- tional diving catch of an underthrown fade pass into the end zone that junior cornerback TaRiq Bracy had well covered. On the field goal drive to put the Tar Heels ahead 17-14, a third-and-19 screen picked up 20 yards — and three plays later a targeting hit on Hamilton on third-and-20 also brought a new set of downs. After that, the Tar Heels failed to convert on their final seven attempts and were 0 of 6 in the second half to finish 2 of 11 (18.2 percent). Notre Dame was 4 of 11 (36.4 percent), with Mayer latching on to three of those conversions — most notably 15 yards on third-and-10 from midfield on the drive that put the Irish ahead 24-17. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame TURNOVERS Despite hard-hitting, intense action on both sides, neither team committed a turnover. ADVANTAGE: Even ANALYSIS Notre Dame's defense had two principal goals: Halt the run and limit the downfield chunk plays with the pass. Other than the first two series that fea- tured a 26-yard run and a 51-yard pass, it fulfilled both missions superbly over the final 48 minutes with the veteran unit executing coordinator Clark Lea's blueprint almost flawlessly. On offense, the Irish continued their modus operandi of physically wearing out teams in the fourth quarter, while Book's improvisation off scrambles also can mentally demoralize a defense. The rhythm, identity and symbiosis of all the units has made this a truly championship-caliber program. ON PAPER REVISITED BY LOU SOMOGYI The Fighting Irish defense limited the dynamic running back tandem of Michael Carter (above) and Javonte Williams to just 85 yards on 19 carries. PHOTO BY ROBERT WILLETT, THE NEWS & OBSERVER