Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1313320
22 DEC. 5, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT After forcing North Carolina to punt on the opening series of the second half with the score still 17-17, Notre Dame took possession at its 3-yard line and a short time later lined up as if it was going for it on fourth-and-one from its 24-yard line. The offense, most notably first-time starting soph- omore center Zeke Correll, baited the Tar Heels into an offside penalty that helped set up fifth-year senior wide receiver Ben Skowronek's end-around 13-yard touchdown run at the 7:05 mark to give the Irish a 24-17 lead. During that march, the Irish also converted third-and-10 from midfield with a 15-yard toss from fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book to freshman tight end Michael Mayer. North Carolina's golden opportunity to force Notre Dame to punt from its 10-yard line was squandered on that 97-yard scoring march that didn't seal the game, but definitely shifted the tide. STATS OF THE GAME There are so many to choose from, including limiting the Tar Heels' vaunted offense to 26 points under their average (43.1) and about 265 yards less in total offense (298) than what they had typically produced through the first eight games. This included just 78 total yards in the second half. Particularly impressive was slowing down the dynamic Tar Heels' running back duo of Michael Carter (57 yards on eight carries) and Javonte Williams (28 yards on 11 carries) to 85 yards. Both had entered the contest averaging more than 100 rushing yards and 7.0 yards per at- tempt. The inability to establish the run bogged down North Carolina's entire attack. Both teams were producing 233.5 yards per game on the ground entering the contest, but Notre Dame once again dominated the line of scrimmage with a 199-87 rushing advantage. CHAMPIONSHIP TIMBER This is the ninth time Notre Dame has started 9-0 in the 70 years since 1950. The others were 1964, 1970, 1973, 1988, 1989, 1993, 2012 and 2018. In each of those years, the final game for the Fighting Irish had national title implications on the line, including the semifinal of the 2018 Col- lege Football Playoff that would have advanced it to the title game. After Notre Dame defeated No. 1 Clemson on Nov. 7, projecting the Irish to face the Tigers again on Dec. 19 in the ACC championship game was easy. With the sheer physicality brutality, mental toughness and overall depth on this team, and provided Ian Book stays healthy, we can now see also winning at least one game in the College Football Playoff to reach the national title on Jan. 11 at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, just like on Jan. 7, 2013. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY LOU SOMOGYI OFFENSE: WR JAVON MCKINLEY Even when the Notre Dame offense was struggling in the first half, the fifth-year senior wide receiver remained a reliable target for fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book. He caught every ball thrown his way, reeling in six catches for 135 yards. The 6-2, 215-pounder had receptions of 43 and 53 yards, both on first-down passes that jolted the Tar Heels. McKin- ley is also an imposing blocker in the run game and only added to such a reputation with his performance at Chapel Hill. DEFENSE: DE ADETOKUNBO OGUNDEJI To limit North Carolina's vaunted offense, it was imper- ative that Notre Dame generate a consistent pass rush from its defensive linemen. The fifth-year senior defensive end did just that, recording two of the Fighting Irish's six sacks. In total, he recorded three tackles (two for loss), two sacks and applied pressure to Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell throughout the game. Ogundeji's third tackle came on a big third-down stop near midfield, where the 6-4, 268-pound defensive end ran stride for stride with North Carolina running back Javonte Williams, kept contain and came away with the takedown. SPECIAL TEAMS: P JAY BRAMBLETT Poor starting field position is often detrimental to an offensive possession. That's why, while the Notre Dame defense deserves the bulk of the credit for holding North Carolina to 17 points and fewer than 300 yards of total offense, the leg of the sophomore punter was also a con- tributing factor. On back-to-back possessions in the second quarter, he booted two punts that pinned the Tar Heels at their own 3-yard line. He also drilled two punts of 50 yards, with a long of 57. All told, Bramblett averaged 43.0 yards per kick on his five attempts. TOP PLAYERS OF THE GAME BY ANDREW MENTOCK Fifth-year senior wide receiver Javon McKinley notched six receptions for 135 yards against the Tar Heels. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS