Just ahead of Notre Dame’s first game in its abbreviated ACC schedule, the Fighting Irish learned the status of North Carolina pass rusher extraordinaire Melkart Abou Jaoude.
The defensive end, who broke out on the Tar Heel scene last year, is expected to play in Chapel Hill on Saturday afternoon. In the process, Abou Jaoude offers a tough test for an Irish offensive line still working to find the best combination, even if it’s allowed only two sacks so far this season. His return also gives Bill Belichick’s team a big lift for a game they enter as three-touchdown underdogs.
Melkart Abou Jaoude suffered an injury in North Carolina’s season opener against TCU in Ireland, a game he left but later returned to. Two bye weeks (one before back-to-back games against ETSU and Clemson and one after) gave him what might be the rest he needed to heal, allowing him to return closer to full strength against the No. 3 Notre Dame squad that has decimated every defense it’s faced so far this season.
The defensive end’s presence on Saturday afternoon is a massive boon for the Tar Heels' defense, as he tallied 47 tackles, 10.5 sacks, and one forced fumble.
Melkart Abou Jaoude returns to challenge Notre Dame football offensive line
In North Carolina’s season-opening win against TCU, Abou Jaoude looked like he picked up where he left off. Despite missing some of that game with the injury, he still racked up 4 tackles, 1 sack, and his second career forced fumble. The senior defender continues a pace that has seen him average nearly a sack a game over the last two seasons.
The return of Abou Jaoude is especially good news against Notre Dame because a Tar Heels offense that hasn’t been particularly impressive this year will need its defense to force a low-scoring slugfest.
Earlier this week, whispers suggested that starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. could be benched after he completed just 13 of 30 passes for 135 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception in his team’s 28-20 loss to Clemson. However, despite UNC blowing a 17-6 halftime lead by scoring just one field goal in the second half, Belichick said Edwards was still his man under center.
The question now is just how close Abou Jaoude is to 100%. Will his return mean he can play nearly every snap, or will Belichick and his defensive staff have to decide the right moments to insert him into the game? That’s certainly a situation to watch closely for Notre Dame.
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