Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Complete Game Preview

With Stanford in the rearview mirror and Florida State on the horizon, Notre Dame welcomes North Carolina to South Bend, a matchup short on glamour but worth the same as the rest of them.

A week after double-digit underdogs toppled Top 10 teams like Oregon and UCLA, you can bet Brian Kelly will spend the week getting his team prepared for the Tar Heels. That means prepping for Larry Fedora's offense, a unit that's set over 40 school records since the third-year coach took over. 

Of course, as good as the North Carolina offense has been, the defense has been terrible. The Tar Heels are giving up 42 points a game, the worst defense of any power-five-conference participant. After Notre Dame struggled to put up points against the nation's top unit last weekend, a date with North Carolina might be just what the doctor ordered. 

At 2-3, the Tar Heels have underperformed, especially for a team some saw breaking into the Top 25. But last year's squad started glacially slow before closing the season winning six of seven, making Saturday's upset bid a perfect springboard to turn around the season. 

Let's get you ready for Notre Dame and North Carolina this weekend.  

Date: Saturday, October 11

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

Place: Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana

TV: NBC

Radio: IMG College Sports, SiriusXM Channel 129

Spread: Notre Dame by 16, according to Odds Shark.

Notre Dame Keys to Victory

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Take Care of the Football

The Irish are trending in the wrong direction when it comes to turnovers and red-zone conversions, two key indicators for offensive performance. After Everett Golson played all but flawlessly through the season's first three games, he was sloppy with the football against Syracuse and Stanford. 

Against the Orange, it didn't hurt Notre Dame, with the Irish still winning handily. But against Stanford, Golson's early fumble set the Cardinal up for their first touchdown, and his interception in the red zone took points off the board.

The Irish also need to sharpen their focus in the red zone. After starting the season a perfect 14-of-14, Notre Dame has dropped from the top team in the country to 45th from an efficiency point of view, according to NCAA.com. That's what happens when you turn the ball over and fail to execute field-goal attempts. 

With a home game a week before going to Tallahassee, Golson and the Irish offense need to play more efficiently and eliminate the mistakes. 

Stop Another Dual-Threat Quarterback

The only way North Carolina likely sees themselves staying in this game is by scoring points. And right now the Irish scoring defense is ranked third in the country, the top program in the country when you eliminate teams that have played FCS opponents. 

The Tar Heels present a true challenge to the Irish defense, averaging 36 points a game. Steering the ship is dual-threat quarterback Marquise Williams. The junior from Charlotte is a physical challenge at 6'2" and 220 pounds. He's also the team's leading passer and runner, throwing for nine touchdowns already while having 18 more carries than any back on the roster. 

Williams nearly ran for 100 yards against Virginia Tech last weekend. He threw for four touchdowns and 345 yards against Clemson. While Fedora is still committed to giving redshirt freshman Mitch Trubisky work, Williams is the most dangerous quarterback the Irish have faced this season. 

North Carolina Keys to Victory

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Find a Way to Score a Lot of Points

Averaging 36 points a game is nothing to sneeze at, but it's going to be much tougher sledding for North Carolina this weekend. The Tar Heels face only their second Top 25 defense of the year. Virginia Tech was able to limit the Tar Heels to just 323 total yards, with North Carolina's 14 fourth-quarter points making the 34-17 loss look more respectable.

After struggling to slow down Liberty and escaping with an end-zone interception to beat San Diego State, The Tar Heels haven't shown an ability to play good football against an opponent at Notre Dame's level. And while their defense will likely continue to struggle, the offense needs to be clicking on all cylinders from the start of Saturday's game. 

Eliminate the Big Play on Defense

Notre Dame's offense has thrived thanks to the big-play potential of its key playmakers. Will Fuller has beaten defenses over the top. Everett Golson has the arm to make any throw and the legs to keep a play alive. And the Irish seem primed to break through after a better-than-expected performance against Stanford, even if the scoreboard's 17 points didn't show it. 

If North Carolina is going to win on Saturday, the Tar Heel defense needs to find a way to eliminate big plays. Against East Carolina, North Carolina gave up a staggering 789 yards and 70 points, also giving up a dozen plays that went for 20 yards or more. 

Against Clemson, five different receivers had receptions of 27 yards or longer, leading to another 500-plus-yard day and 50 points on the scoreboard. 

The Irish offense only broke 40 points against Rice in the season opener. But against a defense that is giving up an average of six touchdowns a game, the Tar Heels need to dig in and play better, or they're in for another tough Saturday. 

Notre Dame Players to Watch

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Greg Bryant

If ever there was a game to get the young running back jump-started, Saturday's feels like it. While the Tar Heels' run-stoppers are a better unit than their passing defense, establishing some rhythm in the running game is key for Notre Dame this weekend, especially after the offensive line struggled at times against Stanford.

Bryant's season hasn't gotten off to the quick start many anticipated, but he's still the team's leading rusher with 188 yards and 4.8 yards a carry. While he's been the third back into the game behind Cam McDaniel and Tarean Folston, Bryant's ready to take on a bigger load and produce better numbers. Expect that to start happening this weekend, with the sophomore ready to head to Tallahassee with some momentum.

Max Redfield

Notre Dame's free safety should have some opportunities to make plays against this North Carolina offense. The Tar Heels have already thrown seven interceptions this season, and Redfield will likely get a few 50-50 balls to convert. He missed on a few of those chances with Kevin Hogan and Stanford, and you can bet Brian Kelly and Brian VanGorder are letting him know about it this week. 

In what is essentially his first season of competition, the sophomore has been solid without senior captain Austin Collinsworth playing next to him. But as the Irish approach the midpoint of the season, Redfield will be a key component of this defense moving forward, capable of providing more than the 18 tackles and one interception he's put together through five games. 

North Carolina Players to Watch

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Ryan Switzer

The sophomore wide receiver was one of college football's most electrifying players last season, returning five punts for touchdowns while scoring three times as a receiver as well. A week after facing Ty Montgomery, one of the best kickoff return men in the country, the Irish need to make sure Switzer doesn't beat them as a punt returner. 

After making 32 catches as a freshman, Switzer is off to a quick start this season, already tallying 24 catches for 269 yards and a touchdown. The Tar Heels will get him the football as a runner as well, and he's thrown for a touchdown pass both this year and last. 

The diminutive receiver is one of college football's top playmakers and a human highlight reel Notre Dame will want to keep in check. 

Elijah Hood

The former blue-chip running back was committed to Notre Dame before making the flip back to his hometown Tar Heels, robbing the Irish of a running back in the last recruiting cycle and taking one of the more talented players in the country out of the Irish backfield. 

Hood has put up solid numbers in the first five games, averaging 4.3 yards per carry on 39 totes while scoring three touchdowns. Hood led the Heels in rushing against Clemson, gaining 71 yards on 13 carries. The rest of the team only managed 13 yards on 17 attempts. 

A big back at 220 pounds, Hood also has home run speed. While he only managed three yards on three carries against Virginia Tech, you can expect him to try and play his best against the team he almost played for. 

What They're Saying

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

"We’ve got a tremendous opportunity ahead of us this week, we get a chance to go to Notre Dame, the No. 5 team in the country and play on national TV. It’s exciting and it should be a lot of fun." —North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora

"I think our guys, they really know that when teams come into play Notre Dame, they play their best, and I think they've gotten a taste of that when we played Purdue. They certainly realized that they're going to get the opposition's best." —Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly on the challenge they expect from the visiting Tar Heels

"We need to take care of the details. The small things... The focus needs to be on us, that’s how it needs to be. Fortunately or unfortunately we’re fixing to play a really good football team, so I look at it as a tremendous opportunity; other people might not look at it that way right now, but I think it’s a great thing that we get an opportunity to go on the road and play the No. 5 team in the country on national TV." —Larry Fedora 

Prediction

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If we've learned anything these past few years it's that Notre Dame has a habit of playing down to its opponents. While Brian Kelly and the Irish might look at that as getting another team's best shot, Saturday has all the makings of a trap game, even if it shouldn't be considered one because most have had this game circled as a trap since August. 

But distractions will likely be center stage this week, and not just because the Irish travel next weekend to Tallahassee to take on the defending national champs. With the university finally concluding the academic probe into DaVaris Daniels, Eilar Hardy, Kendall Moore, KeiVarae Russell and Ishaq Williams, life after the investigation can finally begin. 

That might mean incorporating a few new players into this weekend's game plan or taking questions about some severe discipline that could cost some key parts of this roster the opportunity to participate during the 2014 season. 

Regardless of the subplots, the main event on the field will ultimately be one that Notre Dame controls. With the Tar Heel defense a historically bad unit, it's just hard to picture a way that North Carolina can keep up with the Irish, especially if the offense isn't scoring 30 or more points. While this game will test Brian VanGorder's defense, it's tough to see how Tar Heels will manage to win this one. 

Ultimately, Everett Golson and the Irish attack will be too much to stop. 

Final Prediction: Notre Dame 38, North Carolina 17

*Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand.