Saturday Notre Dame takes their second road trip of the year fulfilling their part of a home/away series with North Carolina.
North Carolina head coach Butch Davis has the Tar Heels pointed in the right direction, fielding a talented, albeit young, team. The Tar Heels don’t necessarily impress in the statistics columns, but have four wins and only a single loss to go along with a top 25 ranking. Relying on opportunistic play, nearly half of North Carolina’s points have come off turnovers and special teams.
Despite losing the time of possession battle by nearly six minutes a game, the Tar Heels average over 30 points a game, mostly winning the second and third quarters. Combined that with a defense giving up under 20 points per game and you have the recipe for 4-1.
On offense a strong receiving corps is led by seniors Brandon Tate and Hakeem Nicks. Both have the ability to stretch the field and Tate is also a dangerous return specialist. North Carolina is strong inside the red zone converting 55 percent of their appearances into touchdowns and 75 percent into scores. Additionally, the offensive line has only surrendered six sacks through five games.
On defense the Tar Heels frequently drop seven and rely on a stout front four to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Having seven defenders in coverage has worked well, as the defense leads the nation with 12 interceptions on the year. Despite success in other areas, the defense has been generous in the red zone, allowing 53 percent of opponents’ opportunities to result in touchdowns and 84 percent in points.
Against such an opportunistic team Notre Dame must protect the football and play well on special teams, but the remaining keys to winning are more subtle.
Offense
1. Patience, patience, patience.
The Notre Dame offense must exercise patience, both in play calling and execution. The Tar Heels have an opportunistic defense that rushes four, drops seven into coverage, and forces opposing offenses to consistently execute to move the ball down the field.
Offensive coordinator Mike Haywood and quarterback Jimmy Clausen must take what the Tar Heel defense gives. Notre Dame has a tendency to take shots down field, evident by the fact that less than nine percent of the offensive plays have resulted in over 44 percent of the total yards. Against a defense that keeps everything in front of them, this won’t work well.
Additionally, it will take consistent execution, and a lack of mistakes to move the ball into scoring position. Clausen can’t force things and must continue to improve checking down to short routes. Hopefully the turnovers and mistake-prone play of the Michigan State and San Diego State games are gone for good.
2. Win the one-on-one’s.
The Irish offensive line has been exceptional protecting the quarterback this season. However, North Carolina’s defensive line will be a stiff test. The Tar Heels’ front four are big, athletic, and strong. Since there won’t be a lot of blitzing, pass protection will come down to winning matchups with the defensive line.
3. Score in the red zone.
It seems like an obvious key to winning (and it is), but the “bend but don’t break” defense North Carolina employs is an ideal match-up for an offense that lives on the big play. If the Tar Heels prevent big scores the Irish will be forced to work on a short field when they reach the red zone. Against a defense that drops seven there will be precious few windows in the passing game.
Notre Dame must prove they can run the ball in order to loosen up the defense and score points. A vertical passing game doesn’t work with little real estate to stretch the field. Additionally, the Irish must be competent in the kicking game. Otherwise, moving the ball into the red zone will be for naught.
Defense
1. Defend against the long ball.
For the first time all year the Irish do not have a distinct advantage matching up with the opposing receivers. North Carolina has at least two down field threats and they like to use them.
It will be critical for the Irish defense to get home early on blitzes. There will be one-on-one matchups down the field and Notre Dame’s secondary won’t win them all. When North Carolina calls a max protect pass to take a shot, the Irish must pressure the quarterback.
2. Force one-dimension.
North Carolina isn’t exceptional running or passing the ball. If the Irish defense can take one of these two away, it will be a huge advantage. Conversely, if Notre Dame’s defense allows the Tar Heel offense to continually mix in the run and pass, they could be in for a long day.
3. Don’t give any help.
While the Irish defense has committed very few penalties in 2008, the ones they do commit are remarkably untimely. The Tar Heel offense lives off momentum, not consistency. Giving first downs via penalty only adds fuel to the fire.
Additionally, Notre Dame has been able to force opponents into third and long a very high percentage of the time, only to allow a big play to convert the first down. Against North Carolina this must be remedied.
In short, the Notre Dame defense must make the Tar Heels work for everything, yards, first downs, and points. They cannot help the opposing offense by making mistakes of their own.
Summary
The Irish do not match up particularly well with the Tar Heels, especially offensively. The North Carolina defensive game plan is well suited to prevent scores from a team that cannot run the football and has a poor place kicking game. Turnovers and special teams should play a large factor in the outcome of this contest.
