Notre Dame Football: 5 reasons the Irish will beat North Carolina

4. Josh Adams matches up well against UNC’s defense

Irish running back Josh Adams has embarrassed defenses much more capable than North Carolina’s up to this point, potentially setting up another great day for the junior. This Tar Heels defense currently ranks outside the top 110 in rushing yards allowed while the Irish come in at 8th in the nation in total rushing yards. It doesn’t take a whole lot of insight to see where this is going.

Notre Dame has done well against competition like North Carolina, putting up a combined 1,270 rushing yards against the likes of Temple, Boston College, and Miami of Ohio. If history is any indicator, which it often is in college football, Adams has a big day set before him. There is speculation that quarterback Brandon Wimbush may miss time due to injury, but Adams should flourish regardless.

Besides, North Carolina hasn’t seen a rushing threat like Adams since their Week 2 loss to Louisville. As will likely be the case against Notre Dame, the Tar Heels allowed both Lamar Jackson and Malik Williams to run over them for a combined 281 yards. The Irish offer a similar threat in the combination of Wimbush and Adams, a duo that has posted 1,060 yards on the season.

The Irish figure to hit the ground heavy and early against the Tar Heels in what could function as somewhat of a trap game after such a successful stretch. Miami of Ohio was a different story for Kelly who used the time to work on Wimbush’s pass game. There’s not a good chance we see this again considering North Carolina has a little more bite than the RedHawks.