Football To Host No. 3 Notre Dame Saturday

First and Ten
• Carolina is in its 136th season of football (139th year) in 2026 and the Tar Heels own an all-time record of 757-585-54.
• UNC welcomes the third-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish to Kenan Stadium this weekend for a noon tilt. It will be Notre Dame's 10th trip to Chapel Hill and first since 2022. Saturday's game will air live on ESPN with Wes Durham (PxP), Dusty Dvoracek (Analyst) and Taylor McGregor (Sideline) on the call.
• In its last outing, UNC came up short on the road at Clemson, as the Tigers rallied in the second half to earn a 28-20 come-from-behind win.
• Running back Benjamin Hall turned in a career performance in the contest, as he rushed 18 times for 130 yards - both career highs. He had nearly double his previous career best (68 yards) and also caught a touchdown pass against the Tigers.
• The Tar Heels lead the nation in fewest penalty yards through three games this season with only 95 yards yielded to opponents on 13 penalties.
• Carolina's red zone defense has been stout this season, as the Tar Heels rank fourth nationally with a 62.5 scoring percentage. Opponents have made eight trips to the red zone and have scored just two touchdowns with three field goals.
• UNC has recorded 10 sacks as a team this season, averaging 3.33 per game, which is the ninth most in the country and second most in the ACC.
• Sophomore Xavier Lewis leads the nation in sacks per game with 2.0 through Carolina's first three games this season. Additionally, his 2.83 tackles for loss per games is also the best among the FBS. Lewis has six sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in total this season.
• Carolina football will celebrate its decorated history on Saturday, Oct. 3, when the Tar Heels unveil new permanent displays inside Kenan Stadium honoring the program's College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame members during UNC's game against Notre Dame.
• The 2026 season marks the 100th season of Kenan Stadium and the program will recognize its history with a series of special events, facility enhancements and fan experiences to honor 100 years of one of the most picturesque athletic venues in the country.

A Win Over Notre Dame Would…
• Be Carolina's highest ranked win in program history.
• Give UNC its first top-five win since 2004 when the Tar Heels beat Miami at home.
• Give the Tar Heels their first ranked win since defeating Miami in 2023.
• Give Carolina a victory against Notre Dame for the first time since 2008.
• Be Carolina's first against a ranked Notre Dame team.
• Be head coach Bill Belichick's first ranked win at Carolina.
• Be Carolina's 758th all-time victory in program history.

Carolina Versus Top-Five Teams
• Saturday's game will mark the 45th time Carolina has faced a top-five opponent in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and the first time since playing second-ranked Notre Dame in 2020.
• The Tar Heels are looking for their second win in program history against a top-five team and the first since defeating No. 4 Miami, 31-28, on Oct. 30, 2004.
• Carolina is looking for its first win against an opponent ranked in the top three, as a win Saturday would mark the highest ranked win in program history.

Smart Football
• Carolina has committed just 13 penalties for 95 yards through three games this season, which leads the nation in fewest penalty yards.
• The Tar Heels had only three in their season-opening win against TCU, five penalties against ETSU and five in their last outing at Clemson.
• UNC's 13 penalties are the fewest by an ACC team and third fewest nationally behind Army and Notre Dame, each with 10 penalties.

Red Zone Defense
• The Tar Heels rank fourth nationally in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score on just 62.5% of their trips to the red zone.
• UNC has yielded just five scores in the red zone and only two touchdowns, while forcing two turnovers on downs and a missed field goal.

Getting to the QB
• UNC has tallied 10 sacks this season through three games this season, as the Tar Heels' 3.33 sacks per game average is the ninth best in the nation and second best in the conference behind Virginia Tech (4.25).
• Carolina had a season-high four sacks versus ETSU and three against Clemson and TCU.

Lewis Leading The Nation
• Defensive lineman Xavier Lewis leads the nation in sacks per game with 2.0 through Carolina's first three games this season.
• Additionally, his 2.83 tackles for loss per games is also the best among the FBS.
• Lewis has six sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in total this season thanks to 4.5 tackles for loss against TCU and two each versus ETSU and Clemson.
• The Rolesville, North Carolina, native has had two sacks in all three games this season.

Breakout Performance for Hall
• Running back Benjamin Hall turned in the best game of his collegiate career at Clemson, as the redshirt junior rushed for a career-high 130 yards on 18 carries.
• He also reeled in a 15-yard touchdown pass to finish the game with 145 all-purpose yards, as the Tar Heels came up short against the Tigers, 28-20.
• Hall had six rushes for 10+ yards, headlined by consecutive rushes in the fourth quarter of 16 and 17 yards.
• He nearly doubled his previous career high (68) in rushing yards and helped the UNC offense compile 11 explosive running plays.
• He graded out at 77.3, the highest graded offensive player for Carolina. Nine of his 18 rushes resulted in first downs.

Greg Smith Named to PFF National Team of the Week
• Following one of the best games of his collegiate career against Clemson, Tar Heel defensive back Greg Smith was named to the Pro Football Focus (PFF) National Team of the Week on Monday, Sept. 21.
• For the second consecutive game, Smith picked off a pass en route to compiling a career-best seven tackles with a forced fumble and tackle for loss, as UNC came up short against the Clemson Tigers, 28-20.
• He was Carolina's highest-graded defensive player with a 90.1 and played 69 of the team's 72 total defensive snaps. Smith's grade was the third highest among FBS safeties and he played more than double the number of snaps as the two players ahead of him.
• The Riverview, Florida, native forced a fumble early in the game, as UNC limited Clemson to just 51 yards through its first three drives.

Christo Kelly Named to PFF ACC Team of the Week
• From his center position, Christo Kelly directed a UNC offense that compiled 349 yards in a tough environment at Clemson to earn PFF ACC Team of the Week honors on Monday, Sept. 21.
• Kelly graded out at 74.9, according to PFF, and helped pave the way for the Tar Heels to rush for 214 yards, the most under head coach Bill Belichick.
• The graduate student's PFF grade was the highest for any center in the ACC and it was the 15th best among FBS centers during week three.

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Players Mentioned

Benjamin Hall

Christo Kelly

Xavier Lewis

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University of North Carolina Athletics