Notre Dame football: Irish offense will shut down Sam Howell and UNC

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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 27: Isaiah Foskey #7 and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah #6 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish pressure Sam Howell #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of their game at Kenan Stadium on November 27, 2020, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame football: Irish offense will shut down Sam Howell and UNC

North Carolina in 2020

Just as COVID-19 impacted everyone, it impacted North Carolina’s 2020 season as well. Their out-of-conference schedule was completely ruined, as UCF, Auburn, UConn, and James Madison all got shoved to the side for Western Carolina, a significantly easier opponent. They also had to remove Charlotte after adding them later on, as well as swapping the dates of certain games, though for the most they had fewer issues than most teams.

North Carolina just ran into one basic issue. Consistency. Their offense was explosive all season long, while their defense had a lot of athletic talent, even if it didn’t show up every single game. This led to games like their 56-45 home shootout against Virginia Tech and their 59-53 games against Wake Forest.

It also meant they did silly things, like losing to a bad Florida State while dominating a good Miami squad. Honestly, it’s a shame that they didn’t play Clemson, out of a morbid curiosity of which North Carolina variation would show up.

Still, there were a lot more ups than downs. Coming into their late November game with the Irish, North Carolina was ranked 19th in the country, with a 6-2 record, and at one point, they were ranked as high as fifth. Of course, they’d lose that game, before winning two more in the regular season.

When Notre Dame and Clemson both made the College Football Playoff, the Tar Heels found themselves as the highest remaining ACC team for the Orange Bowl bid.

It would be a loss in the Orange Bowl, in what was an exciting game between a North Carolina team trying to prove they belonged there and a Texas A&M team trying to prove they belonged in the College Football Playoff. The Aggies won, but the Tar Heels proved they aren’t going away. Better than their 8-4 record, North Carolina had a 2020 to build on.

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