Notre Dame Football Grades: Offense vs. North Carolina

The Notre Dame football team defeated the Tar Heels en route to their fifth victory of the season.

With Ian Book under center, the Fighting Irish offense posted 33 points against a depleted North Carolina team. This scoring output was the second lowest of the season behind the 19 points the Irish scored against Georgia. What was the cause of this lower point total? The slow start that saw Notre Dame held scoreless in the first quarter did not help. The main reason may have been the inefficiency for the first time in the red zone. Without further ado, here are the grades for the Fighting Irish offense as it relates to their performance against North Carolina:

In his first start, Book was inconsistent overall. He completed 54.8% of his passes for 146 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. While these numbers are unimpressive, he did help Notre Dame move the chains several times on 3rd/4th and short. Book showed no fear in throws; trying to fit many into tight windows. His touchdown pass to Wide Receiver Cam Smith was an ultra aggressive and, perhaps, reckless throw. He broke one of the cardinal rules about Quarterback play: do not throw across your body. It worked out for Book this time but it might not in the future.

Judging Notre Dame’s Running Backs is difficult. For the most part, the Offensive Line drives the opposing defenders so far off the ball that many of the Notre Dame beat writers could scamper for a few yards. However, whoever the Irish coaching staff calls on this season emphatically answers the bell.

On Saturday, Redshirt Freshman Deon McIntosh stepped once again. He carried the ball 12 times for 124 yards with 2 touchdowns. Adams, the leader of the group, added 118 yards and a touchdown. Whether it is Adams, Jones Jr., Williams, McIntosh or Holmes, this group can definitely run the football.

Playing with a Redshirt Freshman Quarterback who is making his first start is difficult. Teams continue to double team or play a Safety over the top of Equanimeous St. Brown. This more anything shows that other teams do not respect the other Irish Wide Receivers. Sophomore Wide Receiver Chase Claypool caught 3 passes for 36 yards. Cam Smith added a touchdown.

The Irish Tight Ends continued to play well in both the passing and running game. Junior Tight End Alize Mack helped Notre Dame move the chains frequently. He led the Irish in receiving yards and receptions. Mack had 6 receptions for 38 yards. These are not impressive numbers but they really helped keep the Irish offense on track. Graduate student Durham Smythe added 2 catches for 22 yards.

The Offensive Line continues to dominate in almost every game that it passes in (with the exception of the Georgia game). Again, the group plowed the way for tons of rushing yards. On Saturday, the Irish rushed to 341 yards against the Tar Heels. In addition, they protected well for an inexperienced Quarterback. The group of McGlinchey, Nelson, Mustipher, Bars, Kraemer, Hainsey and Bivin all contributed to the success of the Notre Dame offense.

Overall, it was a solid performance for the Irish offense. They failed to execute as well as they have in the red zone. That really hampered their point total. But, the Irish played well enough to win and win easily.