Notre Dame defeated North Carolina, 33-10, last Saturday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Under the command of first time starter Ian Book, the Irish produced a workman like victory. The Irish defense played a huge role in the victory over the Tar Heels.
The Fighting Irish defense held North Carolina to 265 total yards. By no means is North Carolina is a great offense team. But, Notre Dame flexed their muscles and did not let the Tar Heels sniff success. Here are the grades for the Irish defense:
Despite only sacking the Quarterback twice, the Notre Dame Defensive Line pressured Quarterback Chazz Surratt 11 times. In addition to the pressures and sacks, the group snared one unbelievable interception and picked up a Carolina fumble. This group played very well. It is hard to believe that what was perceived as one of the worst a few months ago might be the best on the Notre Dame football team.
Drue Tranquill continued his excellent season with 7 tackles and 1 fumble forced. He led the team in tackles. Te’von Coney and Greer Martini added 6 and 5 tackles respectively. Middle Linebacker and Captain Nyles Morgan had a less than productive day. He tallied only 3 tackles. Morgan may be hurt or just in a slump currently. Luckily, he has several teammates who can pick up the slack.
The Defensive Back were very good on Saturday but not perfect. Nick Watkins has continued to have issues playing the ball in the air. Against a team like North Carolina, it will not matter. When the Irish play USC in a few weeks, it could mean the difference between a loss and win.
In the past, the Notre Dame defense would allow a team like this to hang around. However, this time the Irish suffocated the Tar Heels offense. This allowed the Notre Dame offense to get off the ground.