Tag: UNC

Notre Dame football: Another award for Kyren Williams

Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams was the recipient of another award this week after his stellar showing against North Carolina.

Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams has burst onto the national college football scene this fall as he’s gone over 1100 total yards while scoring 15 touchdowns for the Fighting Irish.

Part of the success is surely running behind a great offensive line but Williams has shown a talent level at running back that hasn’t been seen at Notre Dame in quite some time.

After his 124 rushing yards and three total touchdowns last week at North Carolina, Williams was named to the FWAA Fresh Four, which honors the best four freshmen or red-shirt freshmen each week.

Here is the release from Notre Dame on Tuesday:

Williams Named to FWAA Fresh Four

NOTRE DAME, Indiana — Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams was tabbed for the Football Writers Association of America “Fresh Four” list for his performance against No. 19 North Carolina. The list honors four true or redshirt freshmen with standout showings from the previous week. Williams, a redshirt freshman, totaled 144 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in the 31-17 win over the Tar Heels.

Posting 23 rushes for 124 yards and two touchdowns, Williams, also named ACC Running Back of the Week, added four receptions for 20 yards and a touchdown. His three total touchdowns ranked tied for third among all FBS players on the weekend. He was the only FBS player with three or more touchdowns this weekend to have at least one receiving touchdown and one rushing touchdown. His three touchdowns tied for most by a single ACC player (non-quarterback) on the weekend.

Williams’ 144 all-purpose yards were the most among any ACC running back on the weekend, and were the fourth-most among all ACC players. Ranking 16th among FBS running backs with his 144 all-purpose yards, Williams is the only running back who posted 122 or more all-purpose yards who also scored a receiving touchdown. Friday marked William’s fifth 100-yard rushing performance of the season, which ties for most in the ACC.

No FBS freshman had more than William’s 18 points on the weekend. Williams posted the most all-purpose yards (144) of any Power 5 freshman running back, and ranked third in all-purpose yards among all FBS freshman players on the weekend.

Williams and the Irish will again take the field Saturday, December 5, to close out their home schedule as they welcome Syracuse (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC).

Tweet, tweet! The best Notre Dame tweets in the second half vs UNC

A compilation of the best Notre Dame themed tweet during the second half of their road contest against North Carolina.

The first half started out fast, then both teams slowed down before ending in a 17-17 tie at halftime. The Irish are in a dogfight and here are the best Notre Dame themed tweets from the second half of the game against North Carolina.

Watch: Skowronek scores to give Notre Dame it’s first lead vs UNC

Ben Skowronek scores from 13-yards out on a jet sweep to give Notre Dame it’s first lead of the game against North Carolina.

Ben Skowronek has been used to making big plays through the air, but this touchdown was completely different. A great play call by offensive coordinator Tommy Rees got Skowronek in motion, Ian Book handed him the ball and the talented wide receiver did the rest to give Notre Dame its first lead of the afternoon.

This huge touchdown gives Notre Dame it’s first lead of the day, 24-17 over hosting North Carolina.

Tweet, tweet! The best Notre Dame tweets through halftime against UNC

The best Notre Dame themed tweets from their game at North Carolina from pre-game through halftime.

Even after a bye week, the Notre Dame social media staff is at it again. They have one of the best collections of content in all of college football and we have you covered. Here are the best tweet from pre-game though halftime of Notre Dame’s road contest against North Carolina.

Notre Dame at North Carolina: FIW Staff Predictions

Staff picks are up for Notre Dame vs. North Carolina. Will the Irish return to South Bend 9-0 or fall on the road? Expect a thriller…

A very happy Thanksgiving weekend to all of you out there as we exit the actual holiday and now plow ahead with what is likely to be a very non-traditional Black Friday.

Non-traditional not only because the doors at countless retails shops won’t be nearly as full this year but also because No. 2 Notre Dame is playing a regular season game on a Friday which never happens and they’re spending Thanksgiving on the east coast instead of southern California or the Bay Area out west.

Notre Dame looks to remain perfect on the year but the task ahead of them is anything but easy as they’re in North Carolina. Don’t let the two losses fool you by any stretch, this Tar Heels team can score points with the best of teams and no lead has been too big for them to not get back into a game this year.

So what happens Friday afternoon?  Do the Irish stay unbeaten?  Or does North Carolina put an end to the dreams of a perfect season and make the Irish path to the College Football Playoff that much more difficult?

Here is what the Fighting Irish Wire staff thinks, starting with Geoffrey Clark.

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BetMGM: Notre Dame slightest of favorites at North Carolina

Perhaps Notre Dame’s toughest remaining regular-season game comes this Friday when they travel to North Carolina. Find out the odds here.

No. 2 Notre Dame travels to North Carolina this Friday to try and keep their perfect season alive against the 6-2 Tar Heels.

Notre Dame sits at 8-0 and has perhaps the most impressive win of any team nationwide with their thrilling 47-40 double-overtime victory over then-No. 1 Clemson.

BetMGM has released their odds for this week’s games and has Notre Dame listed as a very slight favorite against Mack Brown’s Tar Heels.

No. 2 Notre Dame at North Carolina Line:
Notre Dame -3.5
Total:  64.5
Moneyline:  ND -189, UNC +155

Odds courtesy of BetMGM, The King of Sportsbooks. 

Those odds would project a final score of roughly 34-30 in Notre Dame’s favor.

We’ll have a lot to discuss in regards to Friday’s game but if there is one basic thing to know about North Carolina as the Irish prepare to try and win their 15th straight game it’d be that the Tar Heels have an offense that has been able to score on everyone, but that they’ll let just about everyone put a good amount of points on the board against them.

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Is Notre Dame the third best team in the ACC?

ACC Network analyst Eric Mac Lain ranked Notre Dame third in his conference power rankings. Find out why he’s off base.

This past weekend saw plenty of teams fall from the unbeaten ranks (Florida, Miami FL, and Tennessee) and others continuing their free fall (Texas and LSU). Inside the ACC obviously Clemson’s resounding win against Miami, FL was the headliner. North Carolina and Notre Dame give the conference 3 teams without a blemish.

With that in mind, former Clemson offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain ranked the conference’s teams.

Mac Lain isn’t really high on the Irish, as his week five rankings had Brian Kelly’s squad as the 4th best. With the Hurricanes losing to the Tigers, the Irish had no where but to move up. Is Mac Lain right about where he places the Irish?

Yes, the win over Florida State this weekend wasn’t as pretty as we would have liked, but what did you really expect after such a long layoff? The Seminoles have great individual talent, but as a whole they’re a mess.

As for the Tar Heels, they beat a very good Virginia Tech squad, but had to hold them off late, winning 56-45. The Irish haven’t given up that many points this season so far, just 39 total points, good for the 8th best scoring defense in the nation. North Carolina, on the other hand has given up over 24 points a game, 24th nationally.

Offensively, the Irish have the advantage as well, averaging just over 40 points a game, while the Heels are at about 37 points a game. Again, advantage Irish. Kelly squad is one of the least penalized in the nation, just 10 so far which is good for 5th nationally. UNC has almost doubled that number, they have 29 penalties on the year. Want to dig a little deeper? The Irish have a +.33 turnover margin, North Carolina has -1.

Sure, North Carolina boasts a “sexier” offense but that doesn’t tell the whole story between the two teams. In my estimation, Mac Lain is off base with his assessment of the top teams in the league, after Clemson of course.

The picks are in! Here’s how ESPN’s experts see the games playing out

Find out who the panel and former UGA DB Omari Hardwick selected at ESPN’s College GameDay as their winners for today’s slate of games.

It seems like it’s been an eternity since the Irish have played football. September 19 seem like it was so long ago, but that hasn’t stopped the college football world from continuing. ESPN’s College GameDay was in Athens, Georgia today for the SEC matchup between Auburn and Georgia. The guest picker today is Omari Hardwick, former Georgia defensive back and current actor who stars the show Power. Here are the picks made today by the panel.

 

Navy v Air Force

Omari Hardwick – AF

Desmond Howard – AF

David Pollack – Navy

Kirk Herbstreit – Navy

Lee Corso – Navy

 

Memphis v SMU

Omari – SMU

Desmond – SMU

David – Memphis

Kirk – SMU

Corso – SMU

 

NC State v Pittsburgh

Omari – Pitt

Desmond – Pitt

David – Pitt

Kirk – Pitt

Corso – Pitt

 

North Carolina v Boston College

Omari – UNC

Desmond – UNC

David – UNC

Kirk – UNC

Corso – UNC

 

Virginia v Clemson

Omari – Clemson

Desmond – Clemson

David – Clemson

Kirk – Clemson

Corso – Clemson

 

Missouri v Tennessee

Omari – Tenn

Desmond – Tenn

David – Missouri

Kirk – Tenn

Corso – Tenn

 

Baylor v WVU

Omari – Baylor

Desmond – Baylor

David – WVU

Kirk – Baylor

Corso – Baylor

 

TCU v Texas

Omari – Texas

Desmond – Texas

David – Texas

Kirk – Texas

Corso – Texas

 

Oklahoma v Iowa St

Omari – OU

Desmond – ISU

David – OU

Kirk – OU

Corso – ISU

 

Texas A&M v Alabama

Omari – Bama

Desmond – Bama

David – Bama

Kirk – Bama

Corso – Bama

 

Auburn v Georgia

Omari – UGA

Desmond – Auburn

David – UGA

Kirk – NO PICK

Corso – UGA

Gators News: September 17, 2020

Another Thursday has arrived and on the downslope towards a weekend filled with football action, we look forward to the schedule ahead.

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Another Thursday has arrived and on the downslope towards a weekend filled with football action, we begin looking forward to the gridiron schedule ahead. Week 2 of college football is now well in the rearview mirror, it is time to start thinking about Week 3.

The top story today comes out of Chapel Hill, N.C., where eleventh-ranked North Carolina has its game against Charlotte canceled due to COVID-19 quarantines. The decision to cancel was made as a result of a depleted roster due to quarantine following Charlotte’s COVID-19 contract tracing protocols.

In other news, Erick Smith and Paul Myerberg at USA TODAY Sports take a look at the winners and losers from the Big Ten’s decision start its football season this fall. The announcement by the Big Ten that the conference would start its football season Oct. 24 ended a contentious 36-day period where football coaches, fans, players and their parents and even President Trump pushed the league to play this fall.

Finally, the same duo tackles the five biggest questions to be answered in Week 3 of the college football season. Even with a few games of national impact, there are always questions that will be answered.

Around the Swamp

It’s great to be a Florida Gator!

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Notre Dame gets nice ranking in ESPN’s S+P

Another day and another preseason rating system is out. This one has Notre Dame just inside the top ten overall.

Here we go – another preseason rating is out and back we go to including teams that aren’t currently scheduled to play football this fall.

ESPN released their initial S+P rankings ahead of the 2020 season and Notre Dame checked in ninth overall, unless you only count teams who are actually playing – then the Irish check in sixth.

For what it’s worth, Ohio State took the top rating in the S+P as they nosed out No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Clemson.

Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State and No. 8 Wisconsin are the three teams not playing ranked above Notre Dame.

No. 18 North Carolina and No. 23 Miami are the only other ACC teams besides Clemson and Notre Dame to be included in the S+P’s top 25.

You can view the entire ESPN S+P preseason ratings on our colleagues page over at GatorsWire.