The North Carolina Tar Heels have one area that they can exploit against Notre Dame this weekend.
The North Carolina Tar Heels have a very tough test this weekend, welcoming in the No. 3- ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish to town.
After a long bye week, following a tough loss to the Clemson Tigers, the Tar Heels have had time to prepare for Notre Dame. However, there isn't a whole lot that North Carolina will be able to do to shut down the high-powered Fighting Irish.
But even though the Tar Heels are entering this game with many people not believing that they have a chance to upset Notre Dame, there is one way for it to happen. One of the bigger weaknesses of the Fighting Irish comes from the offensive line, and North Carolina has the pass rush to exploit it.
Notre Dame has a weak spot at right guard with Sullivan Absher, and the Tar Heels are likely to target this. Led by star defensive tackle Xavier Lewis, the Tar Heels can do some damage up the middle.
Lewis has been excellent for North Carolina this season, and he has recorded six sacks already this season. But Lewis has also registered 8.5 tackles for loss, showing an ability to disrupt opposing teams in the backfield.
North Carolina may also be getting back defensive end Melkart Abou Jaoude from injury and his presence would be massive. Last season, Abou Jaoude put up 10.5 sacks, which was second in the ACC.
Having both Abou Jaoude and Lewis leading the defense could give the Tar Heels a legitimate duo for the Fighting Irish to deal with. North Carolina is going to have to win this game against Notre Dame on the defensive end of the field, while hoping that the offense can do enough.
North Carolina's offense has been fairly stagnant this season, and it's been a problem at times. But the Tar Heels do have talent on offense that should be able to generate some yards against a tough Fighting Irish defense.
This game could be tough for the Tar Heels, but if they are able to pull off the upset, it could be a massive gain for the program. North Carolina has an opportunity to grab its first win over a top-five opponent since the 2004 season, and this could change the narrative around the team.
North Carolina has been dealing with a recent investigation into the football program, and while it's now over, there is still fallout from everything. This game is one of the biggest from the Bill Belichick era, and he has a chance to silence any doubters in the process.
