For the first time this season (or so it feels like it), we aren’t starting with Chris Ash and the defense.
Last week in Arkansas, the offense was the headline stealer as, for the second week in a row, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price had the type of game the Fighting Irish dreamed of in the offseason.
Add that with the rapid maturation of CJ Carr, and slowly but surely, Notre Dame (2-2) is starting to look like Marcus Freeman envisioned before the season.
It remains to be seen, but Notre Dame is a victim of its schedule. Imagine if the offense and defense had Purdue and Arkansas to work out the kinks before facing Miami (FL) and Texas A&M.
Boise State (3-1) has responded with three wins in a row since its season-opening loss to South Florida.
Keys:
Keep a Clean Sheet In wins over Eastern Washington and Appalachian State, the Broncos easily won the turnover battle.
Love and Price will need to protect the ball while Notre Dame’s defense might have an opportunity to force some fumbles. The Broncos have fumbled the ball nine times this season and have lost three of those fumbles.
Notre Dame can’t simply try to strip the ball because that will lead to missed tackles, but what they can do is have the second or third man in dig for the ball.
Carr hasn’t thrown an interception since the ill-advised one he threw against Texas A&M. In the last two games, he has six touchdown passes and no interceptions. In the previous two games, the running game has been successful, and Mike Denbrock has dialed up good passing plays to complement that.
Chunk Running Plays As strange as it may sound to some, Price should have more opportunities for chunk runs than Love. Notre Dame’s offensive line is starting to get some chemistry with its run blocking, and Price’s eyes are beginning to see more holes quicker in the decision-making process.
Love shapes up as being the higher NFL prospect, but Price’s ability to be quick in and out of the hole gives him a chance at bigger plays on the collegiate level.
Pressure Madsen Notre Dame recorded three sacks against Arkansas, with Boubacar Traore and Jaylen Sneed getting one each.
The Fighting Irish would love to get more of a pass rush push up the middle without blitzing, but this defense is what it is.
That means the ends need to get pressure without losing contain when Notre Dame is sending just four.
Ash, Freeman, or whoever is calling the defense will need to be on point when deciding whether to blitz or not. That’s a lot of pressure on the coaching staff that could easily get passed down to the players, which needs to be avoided.
Yes, the players need to make plays so the coaching staff can reduce the amount of scheming they have to do, but both the players and coaches will need to help each other in that aspect for the rest of the season.
Against Boise State, reducing the chunk plays that they gave up, even in the win over Arkansas, is a must. The longer the Broncos stay in the game, the more confident they are in bringing out Notre Dame’s fourth-quarter demons.
