Notre Dame Football: 3 hot takes from huge road win over North Carolina

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Nov 27, 2020; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell (7) is sacked by Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Marist Liufau (35) and linebacker Drew White (40) in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Notre Dame’s defense is top-five

We knew that Notre Dame’s defense was good. Heck, we knew that the Irish had one of the best units in the ACC and probably a top-20 unit nationally, but Friday’s game against North Carolina proved that we underestimated just how good they really are.

In fact, the Irish held a prolific offense to under 300 yards on the road. Sam Howell averages over 315 yards per game on his own and the Tar Heels have a two-headed monster in the backfield.

Howell was held to just 211 yards and a touchdown on 17-of-27 completions. He wasn’t given any time to throw as the Irish sacked him six times and some of those could be credited to the coverage in the secondary. They held the dynamic duo of Dazz Newsome and Dyami Brown to 10 catches for 148 yards. That’s how you limit damage through the air.

Against the two-headed monster of Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, who contribute to a run game that averages over 200 yards per game, the Irish were stingy. They allowed just 85 yards on 19 carries to those two.

This is a top-five defense in the country and it’s only getting better.

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