Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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A one-year subscription includes: FRIED FRIED RICE RICE Notre Dame turns up Notre Dame turns up the heat and serves Rice the heat and serves Rice a 52-0 shutout a 52-0 shutout EST. 1981 EST. 1981 WWW.BLUEANDGOLD.COM WWW.BLUEANDGOLD.COM INCLUDES PREVIEWS FOR MICHIGAN STATE PAGE 18 ✦ PURDUE PAGE 34 SEPT. 19, 2026 • $5.95 SEPT. 19, 2026 • $5.95 VOLUME 46 • ISSUE 2 VOLUME 46 • ISSUE 2 Blue & Gold Illustrated magazine is the foremost source for analysis, information, and opinions on Notre Dame football, recruiting and other sports! Subscription plans start at $49.95 for digital-only delivery and $74.95 for print/digital delivery. First-class postage upgrades are available Sales tax may be added where applicable Give the gift of Notre Dame Sports with Blue & Gold Illustrated! Blue & Gold Illustrated! SUMMER 2026 • $5.95 SUMMER 2026 • $5.95 VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 17 VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 17 WWW.BLUEANDGOLD.COM WWW.BLUEANDGOLD.COM EST. 1981 Aneyas Williams headlines Aneyas Williams headlines new-look backfield in new-look backfield in Blue-Gold Game Blue-Gold Game NEXT NEXT MAN UP MAN UP EST. 1981 EST. 1981 INCLUDES PREVIEW FOR STANFORD: PAGE 32 NOV. 29, 2025 • $5.00 NOV. 29, 2025 • $5.00 VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 11 VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 11 WWW.BLUEANDGOLD.COM WWW.BLUEANDGOLD.COM BEATEN BEATEN TO A TO A PULP PULP Jeremiyah Love and Jeremiyah Love and the Irish show no mercy the Irish show no mercy and crush the Orange, 70-7 and crush the Orange, 70-7 EST. 1981 EST. 1981 INCLUDES PREVIEWS FOR NAVY ON PAGE 32 ✦ MIAMI ON PAGE 41 GREEN GREEN LIGHT LIGHT Jonaz Walton and Notre Dame Jonaz Walton and Notre Dame keep rolling with a 58-7 win keep rolling with a 58-7 win over Stanford over Stanford OCT. 17, 2026 • $5.95 OCT. 17, 2026 • $5.95 VOLUME 46 • ISSUE 6 VOLUME 46 • ISSUE 6 BlueGoldOnline.com BlueGoldOnline.com 18 Issues of Blue & Gold Illustrated The best analysis, features and more on Notre Dame football, recruiting and sports! Complete game previews emailed pre-game Wednesdays during football season. ✦ BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM ✦ 800-421-7751 GAME PREVIEW: NORTH CAROLINA Facts & Figures NOTRE DAME AT NORTH CAROLINA Date: Oct. 3, 2026 Site: Kenan Memorial Stadium (50,500) Kickoff: 12 p.m. Television: ESPN Radio: This game can be heard on Notre Dame IMG affiliates. Series Facts: Notre Dame leads 21-2 Head coaches: North Carolina — Bill Belichick (6-9, 2nd season); Notre Dame — Marcus Free- man (47-12, 5th season). Noting North Carolina: Sophomore defensive tackle Xavier Lewis finished Week 3 tied for the FBS lead in sacks (6.0) and in sole possession of first in tackles for loss (8.5) … North Carolina was tied for 10th in the country in sacks per game after Week 3 with 3.33 … North Carolina allowed just five scores on eight red zone trips for op- ponents in the first three games. The Tar Heels gave up two rushing touchdowns and three field goals. The 62.5 percent red zone scoring allowed was tied for 11th-best in the country following Week 3 … Only 13 FBS tight ends averaged more receptions per game through Week 3 than North Carolina's Jelani Thurman (3.67). 2026 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 6 vs. Wisconsin* W, 41-13 Sept. 12 Rice W, 52-0 Sept. 19 Michigan State W, 27-10 Sept. 26 at Purdue W, 49-10 Oct. 3 at North Carolina (ESPN) Noon Oct. 10 Stanford (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 17 at BYU TBA Oct. 31 vs. Navy^ (ABC/ESPN) 12 p.m. Nov. 7 Miami (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 Boston College (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 21 SMU (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28 at Syracuse TBA * at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. ^ at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. 2026 NORTH CAROLINA SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Aug. 29 vs. TCU* W, 15-10 Sept. 12 East Tennessee State W, 35-3 Sept. 19 at Clemson L, 28-20 Oct. 3 Notre Dame (ESPN) 12 p.m. Oct. 10 at Pittsburgh TBA Oct. 17 at Duke TBA Oct. 24 Syracuse TBA Oct. 31 Miami TBA Nov. 7 at Connecticut (CBSSN) 12 p.m. Nov. 14 Louisville TBA Nov. 21 at Virginia TBA Nov. 28 NC State TBA * at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland Staff Predictions Todd D. Burlage: Notre Dame 31, North Carolina 9 North Carolina opened its season with a 15-10 upset win against TCU Aug. 29 in Dublin, Ireland. Then three weeks later, it had Clemson on the ropes with a 20-15 lead inside of seven minutes, before giving up two late touchdowns to lose 28-20 in a game that could've pushed the Tar Heels to 3-0. North Carolina may be a dangerous opponent coming off of a bye week while Notre Dame plays its second straight true road game, and the Tar Heels could make things interesting early. But with the Irish's terrific defense working against a North Carolina offense that averages only 23.3 points, Notre Dame will steadily pull away. Steve Downey: Notre Dame 30, North Carolina 10 The Tar Heels' defense is legitimate, which will help them remain competitive early. North Carolina produced 10 sacks and allowed only 13.7 points per game while surrendering touchdowns on just 2 of 8 opponent red-zone possessions in its first three games this season. Sophomore defensive lineman Xavier Lewis amassed 8.5 tackles for loss and 6 sacks in those first three contests. Led by Lewis, that Tar Heel defensive front will test the weakest part of Notre Dame's offense. The Irish averaged only 130.0 rushing yards per game during their 3-0 start, although Nolan James Jr.'s 121-yard per- formance against Michigan State suggested improvement. If UNC can create long-yardage situations and force Carr to operate under pressure, Bill Belichick's team could keep the score close into the second half. North Carolina's extra week of preparation and defensive front could create a difficult first half, but the Irish outscored their first three opponents 48-3 in the second half. They possess more talent than the Tar Heels and will pull away in the final 30 minutes for another decisive victory. Eric Hansen: Notre Dame 34, North Carolina 3 The Tar Heel football program under second-year head coach Bill Belichick has become a soap opera, which is at least an upgrade from being a laughingstock. And at least North Carolina had a bye week to let the latest ugly off-field storylines settle. On the field, UNC suffered a come-from-ahead loss to Clemson, which doesn't offer the solace it once did when the Tigers were perennial national contenders. Despite defensive coordinator Steve Belichick being pressed to resign over off-the-field issues, the North Carolina defense held up reasonably well in its first three games. The offense has struggled in all of those games, especially in the fourth quarter. The Tar Heels have scored three points all season in the final period. The Irish will have put away their 22nd win in the 24-game series long before then. Tyler James: Notre Dame 31, North Carolina 13 North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick could use a statement win in his second season leading the Tar Heels. And the setup for this meeting with Notre Dame could be a favorable one for Belichick. North Carolina will be coming off an extra week of preparation for the Irish before hosting Notre Dame for just its second true road game of the season. But these Tar Heels need a lot more than circumstance to beat Notre Dame. North Carolina should have a good defensive game plan, but it can't slow down the Irish offense all day while its own offense can't put drives together with any consistency. Kyle Kelly: Notre Dame 37, North Carolina 13 Does the North Carolina game look tougher than it did before the season? Maybe. Should it now be considered a trap game? Not exactly. I still like a veteran Notre Dame team to overmatch a rebuilding North Carolina squad, even on its own turf. Give me the Irish by three scores thanks to a dominant second-half effort. Mike Singer: Notre Dame 40, North Carolina 16 North Carolina gets a bye week before facing Notre Dame, but it shouldn't matter. The Fighting Irish should dominate this matchup on offense, defense and special teams. I'm not particularly impressed with this Tar Heels program under Bill Belichick. Jack Soble: Notre Dame 34, North Carolina 6 North Carolina strikes me as somewhat similar to Wisconsin and Michigan State. That is, the Heels' defense could give the Irish problems, but I have a difficult time seeing them scoring points. Unlike in those two games, I like Notre Dame to clean things up on the back end and prevent the big plays that led to the Badgers' and Spartans' only touchdowns, while the offense takes a step forward as well. Important Delivery Update The USPS needs more than 6 days to deliver issues. Starting with issue 46-4 (Purdue game recap) our weekly magazine will include a preview for the game that is TWO weeks away instead of the upcoming game. We will still mail each Sunday with a recap on the night before. This newsletter will include all updates that happen between our print deadline and the matchup we are previewing. Visit BlueGoldOnline for more details. Blue & Gold Report Digital Newsletter The digital issues post the same day that each print edition goes to press! Online Access at BlueGoldOnline.com EST. 1981 Quarterback CJ Carr is Quarterback CJ Carr is among Notre Dame's among Notre Dame's biggest and most important biggest and most important keys to success in 2026 keys to success in 2026 DRIVING DRIVING FORCE FORCE PRESEASON 2026 • $5.95 PRESEASON 2026 • $5.95 VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 18 VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 18 BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM 2026 PRESEASON FOOTBALL ISSUE INCLUDES PREVIEWS FOR WISCONSIN PAGE 38 ✦ RICE PAGE 47 Magazine subscriptions MAKE GREAT GIFTS and can be enjoyed all year long! TWO EASY WAYS TO ORDER: CALL: 800-421-7751 10:00-4:00 ET, Mon.-Fri. Or call 919-688-0218 if outside the U.S. ONLINE: www.BlueGoldOnline.com Order 24 hours a day from our online store!