Keeping pushing forward: What to know for Notre Dame’s Week 5 game at North Carolina

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For the first time in the Marcus Freeman era, Notre Dame made it through September unscathed. The Fighting Irish didn’t just go unbeaten through one month, they dominated their competition.

Notre Dame is outscoring its opponents 169-33. Its wins aren’t buy games either. The Fighting Irish have clobbered three Big Ten teams in Wisconsin, Michigan State and Purdue.

The Fighting Irish’s win streak is now at 14 games. They seemingly continue to raise the bar with each performance and are getting strong contributions from just about every position. Notre Dame's next test will be a unique one in North Carolina.

The Tarheels (2-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) are coming off a bye week, giving them extra rest and preparation. That extra time for North Carolina could be crucial for it against Notre Dame, especially when the head coach utilizing that time is future NFL Hall of Famer Bill Belichick.

Notre Dame is still a big favorite heading to Chapel Hill as it aims to keep its win streak alive and continue pushing for a return to the College Football Playoffs. Here is everything to know before the Fighting Irish kickoff on Saturday at noon.

STAY DISCIPLINED

Freeman has stressed all season that Notre Dame can’t beat itself. That pertains to pre- or post-play penalties, mistakes and anything else that could be a negative for the program. That discipline will be extra important against North Carolina.

The Tar Heels are led by a coach who has won multiple Super Bowls and built a pedigree as one of the best coaches of all time. While the results aren’t there yet for Belichick, his teams are disciplined like they were with the New England Patriots.

The odds are that North Carolina will not beat itself and if that’s the case, enough mistakes from the Fighting Irish could keep the Tar Heels around or even lead to an upset. Facing a disciplined team like North Carolina means Notre Dame will have to match that on its end to avoid giving it any extra advantage.

“What I do know is that you don't win as much as he's won without being a great coach and a great leader,” Freeman said. ”You can see it in the way his team plays. Like, they're, they don't have substitutionaries. They don't have a lot of pre-snap penalties. It's a disciplined team. They are going to be exactly where they're supposed to be. And you've got to find a way to beat them. You're not gonna trick them. You're gonna beat them.”

HANDLE THE DEFENSIVE LINE

Freeman praised the Tar Heels’ defensive line all week as one of their biggest strengths. They do a good job of creating pressure, racking up 10 sacks through three games. Defensive lineman Xavier Lewis has accounted for six of those sacks.

North Carolina’s defensive front also limits the run game. The Tar Heels allow just 3.4 yards per carry and have allowed 110 rushing yards per game. The Fighting Irish have had issues with the run game this season, although it looked better against Purdue, as they averaged 5.5 yards per carry for 117 total rushing yards.

The offensive line was also a concern entering the season, but has improved each week. There were a handful of players at new spots upfront, notably Will Black stepping in at left tackle for the first time and Anthonie Knapp sliding over to left guard. The North Carolina pressure will be arguably the toughest test yet for a unit that has given up just two sacks all season.

“Those linemen and some of the tackles, you’re like, man, they look undersized,” Freeman said. “Nobody can block them. They're athletic and twitchy and they can twist. They're not a huge pressure team. They're not bringing a whole bunch of pressure, but they're twisting and doing different stunts that are causing some issues. So, we have to be on our stuff. We have to be ready. We have to try to look to see if there are some tells, and we have to make sure we stay connected.”

TALICH RETURNS

Notre Dame’s defense will receive a boost on the back end with safety Luke Talich slated to return from a left wrist injury that kept him out against Purdue last week. He is not listed on the injury report this week, meaning he should be all set to take the field on Saturday.

True freshman Joey O’Brien filled in for Talich and looked good in his first collegiate start. The former five-star recruit tallied five tackles and a half sack in the Fighting Irish’s 49-10 win against the Boilermakers.

Talich had been filling in for Brauntae Johnson, who suffered a left foot injury in Week 1. Notre Dame’s defense remains one of the best in the country, allowing just 8.3 points per game, which is the second-fewest in the FBS.

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