Notre Dame vs. North Carolina: No. 3 Irish eye huge win
No. 3 Notre Dame (4-0) visits North Carolina (2-1) on Saturday, Oct. 3, at noon ET at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C., to face Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels. Notre Dame vs. North Carolina airs on ESPN.
Notre Dame has won its first four games by an average of 34 points, including a 49-10 win at Purdue on Sept. 26. North Carolina is coming off a bye after a 28-20 loss at Clemson on Sept. 19.
Notre Dame vs. North Carolina game information
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
- Time: Noon ET
- Venue: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, N.C.
- TV: ESPN
- Series: Notre Dame leads 21-2 and has won five straight meetings
Notre Dame outlook
Quarterback CJ Carr has driven the Irish offense, completing 67 of 95 passes for 963 yards and nine touchdowns with one interception, according to ESPN statistics. That interception came in the Purdue win, when Carr threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another, per The Associated Press.
Aneyas Williams leads the ground game with 224 yards and four touchdowns on 52 carries, and Micah Gilbert leads the receivers with 15 catches for 334 yards and two scores.
The Irish also protect the ball. Notre Dame entered the week with a plus-8 turnover margin, second-best in the country, according to Sports Illustrated.
North Carolina outlook
Billy Edwards Jr. has completed 44 of 78 passes for 611 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Benjamin Hall has run for 215 yards on 33 carries, and tight end Jelani Thurman leads UNC with 11 catches for 183 yards and a touchdown, per ESPN.
Defensive back Greg Smith III has been North Carolina’s top playmaker in the secondary, with two of the team’s five takeaways. Sports Illustrated reported the Tar Heels hope edge rusher Melkart Abou Jaoude can return to bolster Belichick’s pass rush.
Key matchup in Notre Dame vs. North Carolina
North Carolina’s path to an upset likely runs through pressure on Carr and turnovers, according to Sports Illustrated. That is a tall order against an offense that has given the ball away only rarely. Notre Dame counters with the nation’s fifth-ranked run defense and a top-10 pass defense, so Edwards may need a career day through the air.
The betting market expects a lopsided result. Notre Dame is about a three-touchdown favorite, according to NC Football News, and ESPN’s Bill Connelly projected a 36-13 Irish win, per Yahoo Sports.
Players to watch in Notre Dame vs. North Carolina
CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
Carr has nine touchdown passes against one interception and is in the Heisman Trophy conversation, according to Yahoo Sports. He has led wins over Wisconsin, Rice, Michigan State and Purdue.
Greg Smith III, DB, North Carolina
Smith has two interceptions and will need to read Carr’s eyes if the Tar Heels are going to generate the takeaways they need.
What’s at stake in Notre Dame vs. North Carolina
A win keeps Notre Dame unbeaten and strengthens its College Football Playoff resume. History is not on North Carolina’s side: the Tar Heels are 1-45-1 all-time against top-5 opponents, according to NC Football News. For Belichick, it is a measuring-stick game and a chance at the kind of signature college win that Yahoo Sports noted he has not had since arriving in Chapel Hill. Belichick’s tenure has drawn plenty of criticism, including from Paul Finebaum.
Notre Dame hosts Stanford on Saturday, Oct. 10, according to its ESPN schedule. North Carolina visits Pittsburgh the same day. For more previews, see our Alabama at Mississippi State preview and the rest of our college football coverage.
Reporting from Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, NC Football News and The Associated Press contributed to this story. Statistics: ESPN.