Opponent: Miami (FL)
Where: Miami
When: August 31, 7:30 pm
Line: Notre Dame -2.5
Notre Dame and Miami are replacing quarterbacks. The big difference lies in experience. The Fighting Irish will be rolling out CJ Carr. Carr has a grand total of zero starts.
For the Canes, Carson Beck is in his sixth year and has an impressive 24-3 as a starter at Georgia.
Turnovers
As CJ Carr prepares to see defenses he’s never seen before on the college football level, there is a concern about his aggressive manner making him susceptible to turning the ball over.
Of course, Mike Denbrock will need to lessen that possibility with his play selection which won’t look like the offense Fighting Irish fans saw last season with Riley Leonard.
Last season, Notre Dame was able to go on the road with a conservative game plan and win at Texas A&M. Part of the reason was the defense had to account for an experience quarterback, Riley Leonard, in the run game.
That won’t be the case at Miami (FL). The Hurricanes will show a lot of eight-man fronts to take away Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. When Denbrock dials up the right call to hurt the defense downfield, Carr must deliver.
What hasn’t been talked about nearly enough is the other side of the ball.
Can the Fighting Irish defense turnover Carson Beck and the Canes offense? Notre Dame lost a lot off of last season’s stout defense but, early on, Notre Dame will lean on this season’s unit to give time for the offense to grow.
The Fighting Irish could use, at least, two turnovers with one being a field-flipping turnover or a direct score.
Junior Christian Gray and sophomore Leonard Moore will be tested and with that, both will have a chance to make a play.
Win First Down
Notre Dame must win first down on both sides of the ball.
On offense, it’s getting four yards or more on first down to stay ahead of the chains. That would lessen the pressure on Carr to make a play. It also keeps Denbrock’s play selection open. This can be done with both the run and screen passes.
If Notre Dame can dial up a strong screen, it could limit how many stacked boxes the offense sees.
On defense, it’s a must the Notre Dame keeps the Canes’ play selection limited until it sees if this unit can get pressure without dialing up blitz packages.
At times, Notre Dame had problems tackling. That can’t be the case on Sunday night. The Fighting Irish can’t turn a two-yard game for Miami into a five- or six-yard gain. Those hidden yards will be a killer for this defense if it happens.
Keep an eye on Boubacar Traore plays and how effective he is.
Play Action Pass
Early in the season, Notre Dame’s offense can feast on play action fakes.
Any action that involves Love or Price is going to draw aggressive attention. This season’s wide receiving unit offers more of a threat than last seasons.
Jaden Greathouse has a great opportunity to build upon late last season’s momentum. Virginia-transfer, Malachi Fields is used to being WR1 and, even though, he won’t be leaned on in the same ways as he was with the Cavaliers, he has proven that he can make plays on this type of stage.
There’s also Will Pauling. Pauling transferred from Wisconsin where he put up impressive numbers in the Big Ten. Those weapons will give Carr an opportunity to make an impact in the passing game.
That’s something Leonard didn’t do in the first three weeks last season.
