UNC Football: Notre Dame Isn’t Just Great on Defense. They’re Great at Stopping Everything.
There are plenty of ways to describe what Notre Dame has done defensively through four games. The Irish are No. 1 nationally in total defense, allowing just 199.2 yards per game. They are allowing only 8.3 points per game and have surrendered just three touchdowns. Those numbers are impressive, but they don't fully explain what makes this defense so difficult.
The bigger problem for North Carolina is that Notre Dame doesn't appear to have one obvious weakness. The Irish stop the run, defend the pass, limit explosive plays, get off the field and make opponents work for points. Notre Dame isn't just great on defense. They're great at stopping everything.
Notre Dame Takes Away the Running Game
Every offense wants to establish the run, and Notre Dame has made that extremely difficult. The Irish are allowing just 53.8 rushing yards per game, putting them among the nation's best.
That matters for UNC because Benjamin Hall and the running game aren't just about gaining yards. They are about keeping Notre Dame from turning every passing situation into an opportunity to attack Billy Edwards Jr. If the Irish can eliminate the run early, UNC's offensive options become much more predictable.
Throwing Against Notre Dame Isn't Easy Either
Normally, the answer to a defense that shuts down the run is to throw it. Notre Dame isn't making that particularly attractive either. The Irish are allowing just 145.5 passing yards per game, meaning UNC can't simply abandon the running game and expect Edwards to throw his way through this defense.
Edwards can make plays, but Notre Dame has been good enough in coverage to make him earn them. UNC will have to create opportunities rather than wait for them to appear.
Notre Dame Doesn't Give Up Many Easy Plays
Explosive plays can change a football game in seconds. Notre Dame has been very good at preventing them. The Irish have forced opponents to put together drives rather than relying on one big play to flip the field. That means UNC may have to string together eight, 10 or 12 successful plays instead of waiting for Hall to break a long run or Edwards to hit a receiver behind the secondary. Against a defense this good, yards are going to have to be earned.
Notre Dame Gets Off the Field
Third down is where good defenses become great defenses, and Notre Dame has been excellent there. The Irish are allowing opponents to convert only 28 percent of their third-down opportunities. That puts enormous pressure on UNC to stay ahead of the chains. Penalties, negative plays and failed first-down opportunities become even more costly because Notre Dame has consistently shown it can finish drives when it gets an offense into third-and-long.
UNC doesn't have to avoid third down. It needs to avoid long yardage turnover worthy third downs.
Notre Dame Makes You Finish Drives
This may be the most important part of the entire equation. Notre Dame is allowing just 8.3 points per game, and opponents have scored only three touchdowns through four games.
Eventually, every defense gives up a first down. Every defense gives up a completion. Great defenses separate themselves by what happens after that. Notre Dame has consistently tightened up and forced opponents to execute when the field gets shorter.
For UNC, getting into the red zone won't be enough. The Tar Heels have to finish.
What Can UNC Do against the Irish?
That's the challenge for Bill Belichick, Bobby Petrino and the UNC offense. There isn't an obvious weakness to attack, so the goal has to be making Notre Dame defend the entire field and forcing the Irish to adjust.
That could mean using Hall to keep the running game credible, getting Edwards involved with his legs, using quick throws to slow the pass rush and taking calculated shots when opportunities appear. But the biggest thing may simply be avoiding wasted possessions.
Notre Dame has already faced four different offensive approaches this season. Wisconsin, Rice, Michigan State and Purdue all presented different challenges, and the results have been remarkably consistent. That's why Saturday is so intriguing.
UNC isn't facing a defense that does one thing really well. It's facing a defense that seems to do everything well, and the question for the Tar Heels is simple: Can they find something Notre Dame hasn't been able to stop yet?
