Notre Dame Takes 14-Game Win Streak to North Carolina for Saturday Noon Kickoff

Unbeaten Notre Dame puts a 14-game winning streak on the line at Bill Belichick's North Carolina, with kickoff set for Saturday at noon in Chapel Hill.

Notre Dame closes Week 5 on the road Saturday, visiting North Carolina in Chapel Hill for a noon kickoff. The Fighting Irish arrive with a 14-game winning streak and something the program had not produced in Marcus Freeman's tenure as head coach: an unbeaten September.

The month was not merely unbeaten, it was lopsided. Notre Dame has outscored its opponents 169-33, and the record includes wins over three Big Ten teams in Wisconsin, Michigan State and Purdue. The Irish remain a big road favorite as they chase a return to the College Football Playoff.

North Carolina (2-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) used last week as a bye, which handed extra preparation time to a staff led by Bill Belichick, winner of multiple Super Bowls with the New England Patriots. "You don't win as much as he's won without being a great coach and a great leader," Freeman said of the matchup. He described the Tar Heels as a disciplined team that draws few pre-snap flags, adding: "You're not gonna trick them. You're gonna beat them."

Freeman has stressed all season that Notre Dame cannot afford to beat itself, whether through penalties before or after the snap or other avoidable errors. That standard carries extra weight against a Belichick-coached side, and in Freeman's view enough Irish mistakes could keep the game close or swing it entirely.

The matchup Freeman singled out most is North Carolina's defensive line. The Tar Heels have 10 sacks through three games, six of them from defensive lineman Xavier Lewis, and the front has limited opponents to 3.4 yards per carry and 110 rushing yards per game.

Notre Dame's own running game has sputtered at times this season, though it looked sharper against Purdue, where the Irish ran for 117 yards at 5.5 per carry. The offensive line, a question mark entering the season, has improved weekly despite new assignments: Will Black stepped in at left tackle for the first time, with Anthonie Knapp sliding over to left guard. That group has given up just two sacks all season, and Freeman said North Carolina's linemen do not rely on heavy blitzing. "Nobody can block them," he said. "They're athletic and twitchy and they can twist," creating problems with stunts up front.

The Irish secondary gets reinforcements this week. Safety Luke Talich, who missed the Purdue game with a left wrist injury, is not on the injury report and is expected to play. Talich had been starting in place of Brauntae Johnson, who suffered a left foot injury in Week 1.

In Talich's absence, true freshman Joey O'Brien made his first collegiate start and recorded five tackles and half a sack in Notre Dame's 49-10 win over the Boilermakers. The former five-star recruit drew solid reviews for the performance.

The defense he plays on has allowed 8.3 points per game, the second-fewest in the FBS. Kickoff in Chapel Hill is set for Saturday at noon.