The 22nd-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels are much improved under the guidance of head coach Butch Davis, and they will play host to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this weekend in a non-conference contest.
Notre Dame is attempting to improve to 5-1 for just the second time since 1998. The team was pushed to the limit by Stanford last weekend but managed to escape that home game with a 28-21 triumph. The Fighting Irish have now won two straight since their lone loss to Michigan State on the road.
North Carolina crushed Connecticut last weekend by a 38-12 final, the program's first win over a non-league ranked foe since 1997. The Tar Heels beat Miami two weeks ago, and their lone loss came by three points to a solid Virginia Tech squad. The remaining schedule is favorable for the Heels, who are very much alive and dangerous in the race for the ACC title.
Notre Dame holds a commanding 16-1 series advantage over North Carolina, including six consecutive victories over the Tar Heels.
Notre Dame is averaging 25.8 ppg and 353.2 total ypg, numbers that represent a huge improvement over last season's production. The Fighting Irish do most of their damage through the air, as sophomore quarterback Jimmy Clausen has been outstanding. Clausen has completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 1,248 yards and 12 touchdowns. One of the top recruits in the history of the storied program, Clausen is playing with a wealth of confidence. His top target on the outside has been Golden Tate, who has made 23 grabs for 397 yards and three touchdowns. Michael Floyd is close behind with 21 catches for 333 yards and three scores. The ground attack has produced modest results, but overall the offense has been solid.
Notre Dame only posted 83 rushing yards against Stanford last weekend, but Clausen more than made up for the deficiency by throwing for 347 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Floyd gained 115 yards and scored one on five catches. "Coming into every game, everyone's emotional and everybody getting hyped up is all it was,"
said tailback Armando Allen when asked about Notre Dame's intensity versus Stanford. "No bulletin board material, just a lot of emotion realizing we have something special going."
Opponents are scoring 19.0 ppg while gaining 376.8 total ypg against the Notre Dame defense, which has given the team a chance to win every week. The Irish are yielding 4.5 rushing yards per carry and over 11 yards per pass completion, so there is obviously room for improvement against both modes of attack. The fact that Notre Dame has 14 takeaways to its credit suggests that the defense has been extremely opportunistic. Kyle McCarthy paces the Fighting Irish with 52 total tackles, and David Bruton is second with 45 stops to go along with his two interceptions.
Stanford scored three offensive touchdowns and gained 343 yards against the Fighting Irish in South Bend last week, so which it is hard to say that Notre Dame played well defensively, the unit did put up a decent fight. "Last season a lot of people and teams lost respect for us,"
said McCarthy after the game. "We're Notre Dame, so people either love us or hate us and it's hard to earn back that respect, but I think we are getting it week by week."
North Carolina only managed 13 first downs and 263 total yards against Connecticut last weekend, so how did the team manage to post 38 points against the Huskies? Well, three UConn interceptions set the Tar Heels up with some outstanding field position. Also, UNC scored a touchdown on an interception return and also recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for another score. Cam Sexton made his first start of the season at quarterback and looked fairly solid, completing 9-of-16 passes for 117 yards with one touchdown and one interception. "I thought Cameron did an outstanding job of just managing the game," said coach Davis after the contest. Shaun Draughn did a nice job of running the football, as he finished with 109 yards and a score on 19 carries.
It is surprising that UNC is averaging 32.4 ppg this season considering that it is only gaining 326.2 ypg. The ground attack is accounting for only 3.7 ypc, but the passing game is gaining a staggering 15.8 yards per completion. T.J. Yates was off to a tremendous start at quarterback, but an ankle injury will keep him sidelined for at least another month. Therefore, Sexton has a chance to prove worthy of leading the offense.
Give a ton of credit to the North Carolina defense for its role in the victory over UConn. As mentioned, the group intercepted three Husky passes and took one back for a score. While 378 yards were surrendered, the fact that UNC held its then-ranked foe to 12 points is really the only stat that matters. The best player in a Tar Heels uniform was Bruce Carter, who blocked three punts. "I'm able to get a good jump on the ball,"
said Carter after the game. "With all the guys on the line going hard, you never know who's going to open up."
Opponents are scoring 19.0 ppg against UNC, which is surrendering 345.8 total ypg. The Heels are limiting foes to 3.8 rushing ypg, and the defense has intercepted a stellar total of 12 passes already. On a down note, UNC has only recovered one fumble and has a modest total of six sacks. Keep an eye on Mark Paschal, who has 41 tackles, including 5.5 TFLs. He has also tallied a pair of interceptions, two sacks and a forced fumble.
