North Carolina must exploit CJ Carr’s first interception and a relentless three-headed rushing attack.
The North Carolina Tar Heels had a week off as they're now set to host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in one of the biggest tests they've faced in the Bill Belichick era.
Notre Dame comes into this one a perfect 4-0, having taken down Wisconsin, Rice, Michigan State, and Purdue.
That's not the most impressive quartet of opponents, but they still have the likes of BYU, Miami, and SMU on the schedule to end the season.
This battle against North Carolina could be seen as a trap game since it's at Kenan Stadium, but the Tar Heels are going to need to really step up their game as they're coming off a soul-crushing loss against Clemson.
In Week 4, Notre Dame crushed Purdue, 49-10, in a game where there's no doubt the Tar Heels were watching closely.
1. CJ Carr threw his first interception of the year
Any good defensive coordinator is able to find a hole in the quarterback's game, no matter who it is. CJ Carr came into the Purdue game with six touchdowns to no interceptions, but he left throwing one pick against one of the worst teams in the Big Ten.
Carr has thrown for 963 yards in his first four games. He has a nine touchdown to one interception ratio, and that's not even including the two touchdowns he has on the ground.
Regardless, the Boilermakers proved that Carr is indeed human, and that's something UNC must take advantage of.
2. Fighting Irish have an elite defense
No matter how good their first four opponents have been, it's incredibly impressive to think the Fighting Irish have only allowed 33 points this season.
In their last three games, they've only allowed 20 points, as 13 of those came in the Shamrock Series against Wisconsin.
Michigan State only managed to score 10 on this Fighting Irish defense, as did Purdue, so UNC's offense could be in for a rude awakening.
3. Three running backs have over 100 yards
The Fighting Irish have a trio of running backs who could change the game on any given play.
Jonaz Walton is third on the team with 108 yards, but he has the team's longest run of the year at 44 yards.
Nolan James Jr. is second with 46 carries for 197 yards, and his 4.3 yards per attempt average is the exact same as team leading rusher Aneyas Williams, who has 53 carries for 224 yards.
Notre Dame just rushed for 177 yards against Purdue, which is their most in a single game this season.
