Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1424555
26 NOV. 6, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 1. Kyren Williams' Big Day What's left to say at this point? The junior run- ning back is Notre Dame's spark plug, heartbeat and owner of a tireless motor. No one would blame you for fearing the worst when Williams went down on the sideline after landing awkwardly while being tackled on a third-quarter reception and heading into the injury tent. Half an hour later, he was bouncing and stiff- arming his way through North Carolina's defense for a 91-yard touchdown run. He ended the day with a career-high 199 rushing yards on 22 carries and a touchdown, two catches for 15 yards and a 47-yard punt return. It was his second straight game eclipsing 130 rushing yards after five sub-100 days to begin the year. With a stabilized offensive line in front of him, Williams is no longer running in a straitjacket or getting hit behind the line every other carry. As his 91-yard run showed, though, he's a constant threat to turn dead plays into positive ones. 2. Sam Howell's Running Ability Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly foreshad- owed the new element of North Carolina's offense multiple times during the week. Junior quarterback Sam Howell is a threat with his legs in addition to his arm. He had already surpassed his 2019 and 2020 season rush attempt totals in just seven games. He entered averaging 5.1 yards per carry. And sure enough, North Caro- lina featured him as a runner. Excluding sacks, Howell rushed 15 times for 115 yards and a touchdown. Some were scrambles. Others were designed runs, namely quarterback draws and read-option keepers. Notre Dame's shaky tackling didn't help the cause. Howell avoided multiple sacks where he seemed all but wrapped up. When adding his 341 passing yards, Howell accounted for 78 percent of North Caro- lina's offense. 3. An Old Connection And A Budding One A frequent connection in September had gone dry in October. Graduate student quarterback Jack Coan frequently lobbed downfield throws to senior wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. in the first four games. They linked up four times for completions on passes that went 20-plus yards past the line of scrimmage, including two touchdowns. In four prior October games, though, they had hit one such play. North Carolina offered an opportunity to change that. The Tar Heels played man coverage on Austin with no safety help a few times. Notre Dame attacked it to take a 17-10 second-quarter lead. On first-and-10 from the 21-yard line, Coan saw Austin alone with cornerback Don Chapman as his only obstacle. He lofted a back-shoulder pass to the front pylon, which Austin caught for a touchdown. Austin and Coan also connected twice for third- down conversions. Austin drew a pass-interference penalty in the end zone on third down. The field receiver spot, meanwhile, feels like it could be changing hands. Senior Braden Lenzy left in the first quarter with a concussion after taking a hit on a reverse. Fresh- man Lorenzo Styles Jr. stepped in and posted his second straight three-catch game. He had 74 yards and would have easily cleared 100 if not for a drop on a deep ball. Coan targeted him five times. With every play he makes, it's worth wondering if he will stay at that spot even when Lenzy is healthy. 4. Tackling Problems North Carolina's diverse and creative playbook can give most defenses fits. Its heavy run-pass option and zone-read usage is difficult to defend. Howell is an early round NFL draft prospect. Soph- omore wide receiver Josh Downs is a potential All-American. It's even harder to stop, though, when the defense is moderately interested in tackling on certain plays. Notre Dame could have doubled its three sacks had it not led Howell slip free behind the line of scrimmage so frequently. Howell's 31-yard touch- down run in the fourth quarter was a display of passive tackling attempts. Downs and graduate student running back Ty Chandler racked up yards after contact. It didn't cost the Irish the game, but it made a decent defensive effort in which they took away North Carolina's RPO game and steadily pressured Howell look a lot worse. Overall, Notre Dame missed junior safety Kyle Hamilton, who was out with a knee injury. No play illustrated it more than Howell's 33-yard touch- down pass to senior wide receiver Antoine Green when Notre Dame blew a coverage and left no one within at least 20 yards of Green. 5. Another Step Forward For The Offensive Line For the third straight game, Notre Dame eclipsed 170 yards rushing. It has allowed just two sacks in the last 11 quarters. None of the last three oppo- nents have posted more than four tackles for loss. Notre Dame has mounted five drives of 70 or more yards in consecutive games. In beating North Carolina, Notre Dame averaged a season-best 7.7 yards per play and rushed for a season-high 293 yards. The offensive line received the game ball for its role. Once Notre Dame unlocked something on the offensive line, it unlocked the rest of the offense. This unit still won't match last season's in talent or dominance, but it's effective enough for Notre Dame to run a balanced attack and put together long drives more often. The days of it bogging down the entire offense appear to be in the rear- view mirror. FIVE THOUGHTS ON NOTRE DAME'S 44-34 WIN OVER UNC BY PATRICK ENGEL The Tar Heels took advantage of the Fighting Irish's tackling problems and amassed 564 total yards. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER