There have been many challenges for coach Bill Belichick in his two seasons at North Carolina.
Another big one comes when No. 3 Notre Dame visits Chapel Hill, N.C., on Saturday.
“It’s the same every week,” Belichick said. “Our performance is always about us. We have to be aware of who we’re playing and what their tendencies are. I’m sure they’ll do some things that present some problems for us. In the meantime, all we can do is prepare for what they’ve done and maybe what we think they’ll do.”
Notre Dame (4-0) is just North Carolina’s second ranked opponent in Belichick’s two seasons. The Tar Heels lost to then-No. 16 Virginia 17-16 in overtime last October.
North Carolina (2-1) was off last week after losing 28-20 at Clemson.
Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman, whose team will be on the road for the second week in a row following a 49-10 pounding of Purdue, expects to face a disciplined North Carolina team under Belichick.
“You don’t win as much as he’s won without being a great coach and leader,” Freeman said. “You see it in the way his team plays.”
Notre Dame has put together a solid rushing attack the past couple of games, but the Irish have yet to reach the 180-yard mark for a game on the ground.
“It’s improving,” Freeman said. “Some of those things are schematic. We’re coaching a little bit better based on what we believe the running backs and O-line do well.”
It’s possible that freshman running back Jonaz Walton could emerge with more opportunities, Freeman said.
The Irish have a 41.5% success rate on third downs, and they have converted five of their seven fourth-down plays.
“It’s the confidence I have in our offense and a punt fake,” Freeman said. “If that confidence is there, you have to trust it. It doesn’t always convert, but that doesn’t mean you’re not willing to do it. You make zero fourth-down conversions that you don’t try.”
Belichick sees few holes in the Fighting Irish.
“They’re sound all the way across the board,” he said. “They score a lot of points and they play fast.”
North Carolina is sticking with quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who struggled at times across the first month of the season. That became troublesome in the second half at Clemson.
“I don’t want to get into a musical-chair game there,” Belichick said of the quarterback position. “Offensively, we kind of stalled a little bit in that game. It’s a team execution. It doesn’t all come back to one guy even though everyone wants to focus on the quarterback.”
North Carolina kicker Rece Verhoff is cleared to play again in what has been an on-again, off-again situation regarding court rulings and his NCAA eligibility.
“He has continued to work hard regardless,” Belichick said. “We’ll see how it goes. He has done all he can do.”
Belichick said regarding the availability of receiver C.J. Sadler, who didn’t play against Clemson after he was issued three speeding tickets in less than two months, “Yeah, we’ll see.”
Notre Dame is 21-2 all-time against the Tar Heels, last losing in 2008 in Chapel Hill. That result, however, was later vacated by North Carolina due to NCAA violations.
