Notre Dame football vs. UNC: Game preview and prediction in Week 9
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team takes on UNC in primetime on Saturday night, and here is our game preview and prediction for the matchup.
Coming out of their bye week, the Notre Dame football team played a rivalry game against the USC Trojans in primetime inside Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish were able to take care of business against the Trojans, dominating from the outset, before holding off a second-half rally.
This weekend, the Irish will look to continue their strong start to the second half of their 2021 season against the UNC Tar Heels, once again in primetime inside Notre Dame Stadium.
The Tar Heels went into this game loaded with expectations, as they were a preseason sleeper to actually make the College Football Playoff. All of that went out of the window in Week 1, as they went to Blacksburg and lost to Virginia Tech in primetime to get off to an 0-1 start to the season.
From there, it has been a so-so season for Mack Brown’s squad, but a win against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish would definitely be a high point. UNC is coming off their bye week, giving them two weeks to prepare for the Irish, so you can expect this one to be tight early on.
Notre Dame football rolls to an 8-1 start
Despite the Tar Heels coming off the bye week, and the Irish coming off a rivalry win against USC, I believe Notre Dame is going to roll in this one. The Tar Heels, despite a possible first-round pick in quarterback Sam Howell, lost a lot on offense with Michael Carter and Javonte Williams going to the NFL, and while Ty Chandler is solid, he is not in their class.
To win on Saturday night, the Irish have to get Kyren Williams involved early and often, as he looked the best he has all season against USC. The Irish are finally getting some push up front along the offensive line, and the Tar Heels defense is not good enough to stop the Irish offense for four quarters.
The Irish are the more talented team, and despite the loss of Hamilton, should be able to stop this Tar Heels offense. Howell should be able to find openings, and will likely throw for over 200 yards, but in the end, Williams should run wild, leading to a ten-point victory for the Irish.
Prediction: Notre Dame 27, UNC 17