North Carolina returns home for its fourth contest of the season, and first inside Kenan Stadium versus an FBS opponent, when the Tar Heels welcome Notre Dame to Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels have an open date the previous Saturday, so they will have two weeks to prepare for what could be a huge game if they take care of business against the first three opponents.
Playing a program the magnitude of Notre Dame will always garner hype and com with distractions. UNC Coach Mack Brown knows his team must block out all noise and focus on the task at hand.
"Instead of sitting here talking about what we're going to do and what we're going to win," Brown recently said in an interview inside Kenan Stadium. "We're going back to setting the standard that we need to do everything right to get there."
Taking on the Fighting Irish in late September could springboard the Tar Heels onto a quality season, and certainly generate some national attention. It could serve as a boon to the program, too. However, before this potential momentum-changing game occurs, THI will preview the matchup between the Irish and Heels.
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Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Sept. 24, Kenan Stadium
Head Coach:
Marcus Freeman is in his first year at the helm of the program after serving as its defensive coordinator last season. Freeman will attempt to fill the shoes of former Irish Coach Brian Kelly, who left for LSU after 12 years with the program. Though Freeman is new to the role, he will continue to preach Notre Dame values of the team over the individual.
"We will work tirelessly, but we will do it with the understanding that no one player, no one coach is more important than another," Freeman told the media when he was hired. "As a team and a family, we will accomplish all of our goals."
Recent Noteworthy:
Notre Dame won all four games against UNC in the Brian Kelly era, playing in 2014, 2017, 2020, and 2021. The Irish owns an 19-2 all-time series lead on the Tar Heels. UNC’s last win over Notre Dame came in 2008 at Kenan Stadium.
Returning starters:
The Irish return seven starters on each side of the ball. Notre Dame returns 49 percent of its total production on offense and 66 percent of its total output on defense. The Irish have one of the country's lowest offensive production return rates.
Star Players:
Michael Mayer has a chance to be the first tight end to hear their name called in the 2023 NFL Draft. Last season he caught 71 passes for 840 yards.
With the loss of star safety Kyle Hamilton in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Irish hit the transfer portal and got one of the most talented safeties in the country. Brandon Joseph, an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection while at Northwestern last season, joins the Irish after a season where he made 79 tackles and three interceptions.
Notre Dame's best pass rusher is back in South Bend for another season. Isaiah Foskey had his breakout season in his third year with the program, gaining eleven sacks.
Key stat:
The Irish must replace a lot of production from last season. According to ESPN, Notre Dame has 29 percent of its total passing yards, 28 percent of returning offensive linemen snaps, and only six percent of returning rushing yards back from last fall.
My thoughts:
There will be a lot of newness with the Notre Dame program, beginning with its head coach. A new starting quarterback, and replacing 1,000-yard rusher Kyren Williams. This might be UNC's best chance to end Notre Dame's dominance of the head-to-head record.
Notre Dame has usually recruited better players, and sometimes a lot more high-end talent, than UNC. Since Mack Brown's return to the program, however, Carolina has elevated its recruiting positioning itself to win a game like this. With this season being the fourth season of top-tier recruiting, the matchup with Notre Dame will help the fans see if there is any substance behind the program's potential.
