Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: NORTH CAROLINA On PaPer BY DOUGLAS FARMER NORTH CAROLINA RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Irish fans may remember the name Elijah Hood, a former Notre Dame commit. The freshman is one of four North Carolina ball carriers contributing to the Tar Heels' running game, chipping in a team-best 163 yards and two touchdowns on 36 rushes (4.5 yards per attempt) through four games. Hood has his best performance of the season against Clemson Sept. 27, producing 71 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Redshirt junior quarterback Marquise Williams ranks second on the team with 149 yards and two scores, while 5-10 junior Romar Morris has capital- ized on red-zone opportunities with three touch- downs in the season's first third. Despite the multi- faceted attack, the Tar Heels averaged only 142.0 yards per contest through the first four games. Notre Dame, on the other hand, held its first four opponents to 108.0 rushing yards per game, thanks in no small part to senior linebacker Joe Schmidt and junior linebacker Jaylon Smith combining for 61 tackles. On the front line, junior defensive linemen Sheldon Day and Romeo Okwara combined for 37 tackles. Under defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder's direction, the Irish defense gave up only one rushing touchdown in the season's first four contests, draw- ing comparisons to the 2012 unit. That comparison may be a bit early yet, but Notre Dame shouldn't have too much trouble keeping Hood and company in check. Advantage: Notre Dame NORTH CAROLINA PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE Williams used the constant threat of his running skills to keep defenses honest, throwing for 224.0 yards per game through the first four contests of 2014. His 63.6-percent completion rate paced the Tar Heels to the 30th-best passing game in the coun- try (296.5 yard per contest) heading into October, and he has connected with 15 different targets. Williams' receiving corps may be deep, but it is also inexperienced, with three sophomores and fresh- men listed on the two-deep depth chart. Williams had eight touchdown passes during UNC's 2-2 start, but he also threw four interceptions. Irish defensive backs will be licking their chops after Freshman running back Elijah Hood, a former Irish commit, had his best game of the season (13 car- ries for 71 yards and a score) against Clemson Sept. 27 and was UNC's leading rusher (163 yards) through four contests. PHOTO BY JEFFREY CAMARATI