Notre Dame football: Keys to victory against UNC in Week 4
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team takes on UNC in Week 4, and here are the keys to victory for them against the Tar Heels.
Week 4 brings another crucial matchup for the Notre Dame football team, as they travel to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to take on the UNC Tar Heels. The Tar Heels come into this game sporting a 3-0 record, but those wins have come against the likes of Florida A&M, Appalachian State, and Georgia State, not exactly a strong lineup of teams.
The Irish will be the best team they have played so far, and after finally notching their first win last weekend, they are possibly poised to go on a run. A win before the bye week would do wonders for their confidence, and here is how they can get the job done against North Carolina.
Notre Dame football: Keys to victory against UNC in Week 4
Establish the run game early
The key for the Irish will be establishing the run game early, as the Tar Heels have a high-powered offense that they are going to want to keep on the sidelines. Notre Dame saw both Chris Tyree and Audric Estime tote the rock more than 15 times a piece last weekend, a recipe that Tommy Rees needs to utilize again this weekend.
Tyree really came into his own against Cal and is now one of the focal points of this Irish offense. If he gets going in the run game, it will open up the pass for Drew Pyne, while also helping the Irish control time of possession.
Get pressure on Derek Maye
The Tar Heels have a terrific quarterback in Derek Maye, and he has gotten his season started on the right foot by throwing for over 900 yards and 11 touchdowns against only one interception. The Irish have to do whatever they can to get pressure on him, and the pass rush was solid last weekend, as Isaiah Foskey finally got to the quarterback a few times.
In Week 4, the Irish need to be in Maye’s face every time he drops back to pass because he can really hurt them if he has time. He has a large group of weapons on the outside, including a potential first-round pick in Josh Downs, another player that has to be accounted for every time he is on the field.
Continue to improve in the trenches
Last weekend, we saw a much better effort from Notre Dame football in the trenches on both sides of the ball, and they must control that aspect of this game to come away with the victory. Getting good push on offense will lead to them getting chunk yardage in the run game while getting a push on defense is going to make it very uncomfortable for Maye and this passing attack.
North Carolina also has a strong run game, led by Omarion Hampton, so it is a multi-faceted offense that has put up points in bunches this season. If they get rolling, it could be a long day, but if the Irish can control the line of scrimmage, they have more than enough talent to go into their bye week victorious.