North Carolina @ Notre Dame preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 11, 2008 ) Notre Dame 24, North Carolina 29

With its stifling defense leading the way, No. 5 Notre Dame hosts North Carolina on Saturday in the Fighting Irish's final tuneup before visiting No. 1 Florida State the following weekend. Notre Dame has not given up more than 17 points in a game and enters this matchup having allowed the third-fewest points in the nation at 12 per contest. The Irish offense has endured ups and downs but came up huge late against Stanford last week as Everett Golson found Ben Koyack for the decisive 23-yard TD catch on fourth-and-11 with 1:01 remaining.

North Carolina has lost three straight games, allowing 154 points during that stretch, and enters Saturday's contest giving up 42 points on average this season. Marquise Williams has passed for 1,083 yards and nine touchdowns and also leads the team with 243 yards on the ground, which should pose a challenge for the Irish front seven. "They're very difficult to play offensively," said Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly. "They play very fast - probably the fastest offense in terms of tempo that we'll see this year."

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, NBC. LINE: Notre Dame -16.5

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA (2-3): The Tar Heels suffered a 34-17 loss to Virginia Tech last Saturday, when their problems included three turnovers, 10 penalties and a combined 2-of-17 conversion rate on third and fourth down. "There's frustration involved, but I don't think there's a lack of confidence in what we do or how we do things," said coach Larry Fedora, whose team produced a season-low 323 yards of offense last week. Williams posted his worst mark of the season in completion percentage (51.5) against the Hokies and has not rushed for a touchdown since doing so twice in Week 1 against Liberty.

ABOUT NOTRE DAME (5-0): Golson is emerging as a Heisman Trophy candidate with a 13-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, including scoring strikes to seven different players in 2014. The Irish employ a balanced rushing attack in which four players, including Golson, have between 39 and 48 carries. Sophomore cornerback Cole Luck has been one of Notre Dame's most active defenders, registering two interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble in addition to a team-high five passes defensed.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Notre Dame holds a 16-2 all-time lead in the series with North Carolina, which has never won in South Bend (0-11).

2. The Fighting Irish have not played a true road game this season, but next week's showdown at Florida State begins a three-game road trip for Notre Dame, which will also visit Navy and No. 20 Arizona State before returning home.

3. North Carolina WR Quinshad Davis has 18 career TD catches, three shy of Hakeem Nicks' school record.

PREDICTION: Notre Dame 33, North Carolina 13