UNC At First Glance: Defensive Players Notre Dame Fans Need To Know
The North Carolina defense has been the weak point of the team. They haven't played Clemson and with the Notre Dame game this week, the Tar Heels defense hasn't really played any elite offenses. Despite this, North Carolina has given up 30+ points in four of their eight games.
Holding the Notre Dame offense in check won't be easy if the Fighting Irish can continue their offensive dominance. While North Carolina has some talented pieces, it could be a long day as they try to slow a team firing on all cylinders. Here are three players to watch on the North Carolina defense:
#21 CHAZZ SURRATT, LINEBACKER
2020 stats: 68 total tackles, 5 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FF
Surratt is the leader of the North Carolina defense and the team leader in sacks and tackles. He also has an interesting background.
Surratt will be playing on Sundays soon enough, but the linebacker is new to the position. Out of high school, Surratt was a three-star quarterback and played his first two seasons as a quarterback. In fact, Surratt was the starter at quarterback the last time UNC played Notre Dame. He then moved to linebacker and hasn't looked back since.
Surratt had 115 total tackles in 2019 and led the team in 15 tackles for loss. Now he is close to matching his career-high in sacks and continues to be the best playmaker on this defense. The athleticism that made him the 11th best dual-threat QB in his class has also been a major reason for his success on defense.
Surratt will have to be at the top of his game to handle the rare combo of speed and power from the Notre Dame running backs and the talent of the tight ends. A strong defensive showing has to start with Surratt.
#44 JEREMIAH GEMMEL, LINEBACKER
2020 stats: 58 total tackles, 2 sacks, 1 FF, 1 INT
Gemmel is another strong player right in the middle of the defense. While he doesn't have the QB background like his counterpart, Gemmel has been a force for North Carolina the last two seasons.
Gemmel was only a three-star recruit coming out of high school in Georgia; However, he had plenty of impressive offers including some SEC schools. Instead, the talented inside linebacker decided to head to North Carolina instead.
Gemmel had 84 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks last season. While he isn't much of a pass rusher, Gemmel has been solid as a run defender. This will be the best offensive line North Carolina will see this season. Gemmel will have to square off with some of the best interior linemen in the country and slow down the running game for Notre Dame. While both Gemmel and Surratt are talented guys, they look like they will be outmatched Saturday.
#56 TOMARI FOX, DEFENSIVE END
2020 stats: 38 total tackles, 4 sacks
Fox is only a sophomore but has really started to develop into a key player. As a freshman, Fox played in all 13 games as a role player. Now in 2020, Fox has moved into a more prominent role.
Fox is the leading defensive linemen in sacks and near the top overall among the team. The former three-star from Lawrenceville, Georgia is really starting to put it all together early on in his career. As is the theme with every pass rusher against Notre Dame, Fox will have his toughest test of the season.
With center Jarrett Patterson losing his season to a foot injury, the Notre Dame offensive line has some questions. While that won't have a huge impact on the tackles facing off against Fox, it could cause some confusion up front to help him exploit a possible weakness.
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