Saturday Spotlight
(3) Notre Dame Fighting Irish at (7) Miami Hurricanes
Notre Dame: I really like the make-up of this football team and when you look how they’ve played as of late, they’re playing just as good as any of the other elite teams in the country right now and if the playoffs were to start today, they’d be the three seed. They’re an old school group with a nice offensive line that can pull, open up holes, pass block and keep their quarterback protected. Brandon Wimbush got hurt last week, but they still got the job done against Wake Forest. They’ve also been one of the very best when it comes to running the football and Josh Adams has shown no signs of slowing down at all and because of his dominant season, he’s considered to be a Heisman candidate and if you sit down and watch him run, he wants each and every yard everytime he touches the football and he’s also a very hard runner that moves very fluidly when he’s able to get into open space with the ability to make people miss and take it to the house for six points. It’s been fun to watch this team play and win games and I really think that was the biggest knock on them coming into the year was could they get back on track after such a disappointing 2016 campaign. Here they are and they also have three big wins over ranked opponents. They defeated Michigan State in East Lansing in September and just last month, they were able to handle business against USC and North Carolina State in back to back weeks so saying that they don’t deserve to be a playoff game is quite absurd. This is another big game for them as they travel to Florida for a battle with a rival.
The U: Finally, they were able to dominate a game from the start to the finish last week against the Virginia Tech Hokies. Their defense is absolutely suffocating and just like most football teams at any level, they will give up their yards here and there but will make a stop, rush the passer and get a takeaway whenever it’s necessary. They handled their business last weekend holding the Hokies to 102 yards rushing and they picked off Josh Jackson twice. I’ve really enjoyed watching these Hurricanes. For the last few seasons, we’ve seen them go through coach after coach and the inconsistent football they played as a team, but this year’s group is so much different and Mark Richt is the reason behind the bounce back. I think it’s safe to say this program has a head coach that can keep this team headed in the right direction for many years to come. So, what exactly has been the reason behind the change besides the coaching? First and foremost, the swagger is back! This group has fun and I love seeing one of their players get the chain on the sideline whenever they do something on the field. One thing that I really took away from that game last week was their offense and how they struggled. They were awful on third downs, they struggled to throw the football at times with Malik Rosier throwing three interceptions. What Rosier will we see? Can he take care of the football? It just can’t be on the defense to bail them out each and every play because that will eventually catch up with a team when it’s all said and done. They will need to be much better on the offensive side of the ball tonight with an aggressive Notre Dame defense in town
Notre Dame Player To Watch: Chase Claypool– He’s a sophomore that had his best game of the year last week against Wake Forest recording 9 receptions for 180 yards for a touchdown. He’s a big guy that is a mismatch nightmare for most corners to defend. He has the build of a tight end with the speed of a slot receiver. His physical tools are phenomenal and he gives Wimbush a big weapon to get the ball too down the field.
The U Player To Watch: Christopher Herndon IV: If you watch him play and watch him closely, you’d automatically think he was David Njoku, but he’s actually replacing him. For Rosier to get comfortable early against this defense, Target your weapon over the middle of the field. He has good speed and can move in space. I see some Vernon Davis in him.
Final Analysis: These are two of the biggest football programs in the history of college sports and you think of all the legendary names these schools have helped develop as players. Notre Dame had guys such as Joe Montana, Tim Brown, Jerome Bettis and Joe Theismann. Miami has also produced its own legends as well. Jim Kelly, Andre Johnson, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Warren Sapp, Michael Irvin and Sean Taylor to name a few. There’s a lot of history between these two schools and hopefully, this battle doesn’t disappoint. This Miami offense needs to play better this will determine whether they come out on top. It’s key for Notre Dame to mix it up and keep Wimbush protected as that front seven of the Hurricanes will be looking to get after him.
Prediction: Notre Dame 31 The U 21
