Tonight’s the night.
The new 12-team College Football Playoff kicks off in South Bend.
After the loss to Northern Illinois, Notre Dame (11-1) knew the only way to make the playoffs was to run the table, and they did just that in dominating fashion.
The blessing was the schedule. The curse was the schedule.
Programs like Florida State and USC cratered to no fault of Notre Dame. Georgia Tech and Louisville were solid but nowhere near playoff caliber.
Tonight’s opponent, Indiana (11-1), poses a challenge for the Fighting Irish, and that’s being recognized. Among the “experts,” Indiana is the most popular “upset pick.” The bettors have followed suit. Notre Dame has gone from an 8.5-point favorite to a 7-point favorite at the time of this article.
Keys:
Run the Ball: Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock has used the second half of the season to give Riley Freeman confidence in the passing game. That has brought mixed results as Denbrock sought out the best set of plays for Freeman and the offense. Notre Dame still doesn’t get enough shock plays in the passing game, but it is more than we were getting in the first half of the season.
With that being said, it’s time to stop experimenting. The game plan must center around winning the game, whether it’s 3-2 or 33-22. That means Notre Dame must be stout up front, and the running back core of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price must be front and center in the offensive game plan.
Limit Missed Tackles: One thing that hasn’t gotten enough attention because Notre Dame hasn’t played a close game is the missed tackles on defense. They were painfully noticeable in the USC game.
The first contact needs to be or lead to the end of the play. Gifting Indiana’s offense extra yards, even if it is two or three, is too much.
There’s a difference between 2nd-and-8 and 2nd-and-5. In a game that will be played in frigid temperatures, putting the Hoosiers behind the chains will limit their playbook and allow Al Golden’s defense to be creative.
Third Down Conversions: To take steam out of Indiana’s defense, convert on third down. There will likely be a spy on Leonard, which could help Notre Dame’s passing game in the middle of the field.
In a perfect world, the big boys upfront will keep Notre Dame in third and manageable and open up Denbrock’s playbook.
If Notre Dame gets in third-and-short and the offense has converted on third down via the running game, then the play-action fake portion of the playbook opens up.
