Outside of the 28-point first quarter, college football fans missed out on the high-scoring affair many hoped to see in a matchup between two of the sport’s top offenses, both of which ranked in the top 10 per ESPN’s SP+.
Instead, just 20 points were scored in the final three quarters, 17 by the Fighting Irish, as No. 2 Notre Dame defeated No. 19 North Carolina on the road, 31-17.
What changed?
In addition to a few adjustments in how Notre Dame used its linebackers, the defensive line was able to turn up the heat.
On the first two Tar Heel drives of the game, the Fighting Irish failed to register a single sack.
But then the Fighting Irish pass rush got acclimated to the speed of the game, which was necessary coming off of a bye weekend, and produced six sacks throughout the remainder of the game, as the offense dominated time of possession and got several skill players involved in the passing game.
Irish Defensive Line Registers Five Sacks
North Carolina posed a unique threat to the Notre Dame defense. Coming into the contest, the Tar Heels averaged 563.4 total yards of offense, producing 329.9 yards through the air and 233.5 yards coming on the ground.
This meant that the Notre Dame defensive line needed to pressure prolific North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell without relying on blitzing linebackers and safeties for help, as they needed to remain in coverage more often than usual.
The defensive front four responded to such a challenge with five total sacks from six different linemen, the most this unit has produced in a game all season.
“They're doing a good job this year. I get to face them every day in practice, and I see it,” said Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book. “I see the potential that group has, and they showed that tonight and guys stepped up and made plays. It's a scary D-line so I feel for the other quarterbacks.
"They do an unbelievable job of putting teams behind the chains and giving our offense an opportunity.”
The defensive line was led by fifth-year senior defensive end Ade Ogundeji with two sacks and three quarterback hurries. This gives him 5.5 sacks on the season. That ties defensive end Khalid Kareem’s total in 2019, which led the team.
“Ade was relentless with the pressure,” said Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly.
Fellow captain Daelin Hayes didn’t register a sack, but he also finished with six quarterback pressures: one hit and five hurries. He also batted down a pass from Howell near the line of scrimmage on a second-and-five throw.
Fellow defensive ends Justin Ademilola and Isaiah Foskey also had big games. Ademilola recorded his first sack of the season and also chipped in two pressures.
Foskey, who played just six snaps as a pass rusher, still came away with a sack and now has 4.5 on the season. He was also stout against the run, with two big stops. His Pro Football Focus run grade was a team-high 93, which is considered elite.
Defensive tackles Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and Rylie Mills also chipped in with half a sack apiece.
This is the first career sack for Mills, a true freshman who has received an increase in playing time as the season has progressed. Thus far, he’s thrived with an expanded role.
The remaining sack came from linebackers Drew White and Marist Liufau, who each had half a sack.
This gives the Fighting Irish 27 sacks on the year (three per game) and puts them in a position to set a new high in the Kelly-era by eclipsing 34 sacks—a mark Notre Dame hit in each of the past two seasons.
Book Spreads Ball Around, Hits Nine Different Pass-Catchers
Early in the 2020 season, Notre Dame struggled to get its wide receivers involved in the passing game. For instance, in the season-opener against Duke, only three Fighting Irish wideouts recorded a reception. Instead, it was the tight ends and the running backs who received the majority of the targets from quarterback Ian Book.
As the season has worn on, Notre Dame has engaged more and more pass-catchers. This peaked on Saturday against North Carolina when Book hit a season-high nine different offensive skill players for 279 yards, targeting six athletes at least three times.
The leading receiver for Notre Dame was fifth-year senior Javon McKinley, who had 135 yards on six receptions, including the two biggest offensive plays for the Fighting Irish in catches of 43 and 53 yards.
But after the game, Coach Kelly was just as impressed with the other plays McKinley made.
“He had two really key plays that he made tight roping the sideline,” Kelly said. “And then if you add a third where he just makes a play out of nothing. He can do a little bit of everything for us, whether it's a drive route coming across the field, whether it's down the field or timing routes on the sideline.
“We've got a guy that can do a lot for us. As that continues to grow, Ian Book is looking for a guy like that.”
Freshman tight end Michael Mayer continues to be a major weapon and caught four passes for 54 yards against North Carolina. More importantly, three of those receptions resulted in third-down completions.
Running back Kyren Williams also totaled four catches for 20 yards and had the game’s lone receiving touchdown.
“Everybody's contributing,” Kelly said. “Everybody's got a piece of this. Everybody is excited about where we are.”
----
• Talk about it inside Rockne’s Roundtable.
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
• Sign up for Blue & Gold's news alerts and daily newsletter.
• Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts.
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @Rivals_Singer, @PatrickEngel_, @MasonPlummer_ and @AndrewMentock.
• Like us on Facebook.
