UNC vs. Notre Dame: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More
During a weekend in which some of the best took a nosedive and seriously wounded themselves on the hunt for the inaugural College Football Playoff, No. 6 Notre Dame stood tall and took down the Stanford Cardinal.
The reward is a breather against North Carolina.
Brian Kelly's Fighting Irish have just once left the state of Indiana this season to great success. A match with the ACC's 2-3 Tar Heels is perfectly timed before Notre Dame must finish the season with four of its six games on the road.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Larry Fedora and the Tar Heels bring with them to South Bend, among other things, a three-game losing streak and a dreadful defense that seems incapable of being fixed. It figures to be an exploitable unit for Everett Golson and Co., although after last week's events, it would be silly to write off the Tar Heels' chances entirely.
A Lopsided Encounter
Notre Dame got its first true test of the season last week. Michigan was in no way a test, and while Purdue always plays the rivalry tough, that did not count, either.
But a Stanford team with one loss to its name on the fringe of being eliminated from the CFP? A Stanford team that even after the loss still touts the No. 1 overall defense, which surrenders an average of 8.6 points per game?
That was a test. A test the Fighting Irish passed with flying colors.
Whispers about the Fighting Irish's chances at a CFP berth are now screams. Against the Cardinal, Golson threw for 241 yards and a pair of scores, including the game-winning toss in the waning moments. The defense limited the Cardinal to just 205 total yards.
On the other side of Saturday's matchup is a North Carolina defense that has allowed an average of 42 points per game, ranking the unit No. 142 overall. On the three-game losing streak, the unit gave up 70 points to East Carolina, 50 more to Clemson and another 34 to a defensive-minded Virginia Tech team.
Obviously those are major issues, but Fedora sounds dialed in on a Notre Dame defense that quietly ranks No. 3 overall with an average of 12.0 points allowed per game, as captured by Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
For a bit of perspective, digest a note from GoHeels.com's Adam Lucas:
So no, on paper at least, North Carolina does not stand a chance. On paper.
Eye on the Ball
The only thing that can stop Notre Dame at this point is Notre Dame.
Golson almost gave the game away last week after his red-zone interception took points off the board, and an early fumble allowed the Cardinal to get in for their first touchdown. In the red zone, the offense now ranks 45th in terms of efficiency, per NCAA.com.
Those are negatives that can certainly be corrected against a miserable defense.
"We're not there yet. We're going to continue to work, continue to work with the same five guys and continue to work on building some continuity there," Kelly said, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com.
Again, a young Notre Dame team can hurt itself by overlooking the Tar Heels entirely. After all, a week after Saturday's duel, the Fighting Irish travel outside of the state for the second time—for a showdown against Jameis Winston and the No. 1 Florida State Seminoles.
Kelly has surely stressed focus all week. A slight mishap against a team that now hinges its season on playing the spoiler can be quite dangerous, indeed.
When: Saturday, October 11, 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
Television: NBC
Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):
- Over/Under: 64.5
- Spread: Notre Dame (-17)
Team Injury Reports
| Jon Heck | T | 10/05/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Notre Dame | Questionable | leg |
| Landon Turner | G | 10/05/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Notre Dame | Questionable | leg |
| Nicky Baratti | S | 09/15/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | shoulder |
| DaVaris Daniels | WR | 08/15/2014 | is suspended indefinitely | Suspended | disciplinary |
| Jarrett Grace | LB | 09/03/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | knee |
| Eilar Hardy | S | 08/29/2014 | is suspended indefinitely | Suspended | disciplinary |
| Mike Heuerman | TE | 10/05/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against North Carolina | Questionable | hernia |
| Will Mahone | WR | 08/02/2014 | was dismissed from the team | Suspended | disciplinary |
| Kendall Moore | LB | 08/15/2014 | is suspended indefinitely | Suspended | disciplinary |
| KeiVarae Russell | CB | 08/15/2014 | is suspended indefinitely | Suspended | disciplinary |
| Ishaq Williams | LB | 08/18/2014 | is suspended indefinitely | Out | disciplinary |
Injury reports per Sports Network, via USA Today.
Prediction
Say hello to a trap game.
As bad as North Carolina has been, the offense, led by junior quarterback Marquise Williams, still averages 36.0 points per game.
While Notre Dame is sitting atop the collegiate world, it will continue to get the very best shot each program has. Not only may the Fighting Irish be overlooking the Tar Heels, there is a major distraction brewing over the five suspended players for academic reasons.
Notre Dame is going to win. But Kelly's team might just play down to the competition once again, so the final line may not end up as dominant as it could have been.
Prediction: Notre Dame 44, North Carolina 20
Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
