Notre Dame Looks to Continue Dominant Run, Contain Talented NC State
- Liam Farrell
- Oct 10
- 4 min read
No. 16 Notre Dame is looking to stack their fourth consecutive victory against the young and talented NC State Wolfpack.
Photo by Notre Dame Athletics
Notre Dame is starting to look like a more polished football team every week they hit the field. The Irish defense turned in their best performance of the season last week against Boise State, as Chris Ash's unit looks to continue their dominant effort against an explosive NC State offense.
While CJ Carr sputtered in his worst game of the year, the redshirt freshman quarterback still delivered 189 yards and two touchdowns. The Irish offense was backed once again by their dynamic duo of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, as Notre Dame leaned on the ground to put the Broncos out of reach to the tune of a 28-7 victory.
While many Irish fans would still enjoy a 28-7 win, there was much left to be desired. Notre Dame got stuffed at the one-yard line to open the game and Carr missed Will Pauling streaking wide open in the end zone on a 4th & 8. Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame are still looking to put together their most complementary performance of the year, with the opportunity to do that this Saturday.
Here are three keys to victory for the Fighting Irish against NC State.
Limiting CJ Bailey's Legs
The first key to this game will be limited CJ Bailey's ability to keep plays alive and improvise outside the pocket. Last week against Boise State, Maddux Madsen showed an innate ability to make Notre Dame defensive lineman miss in space and turn negative plays into positive yards. This week, the Irish will be facing a significantly more dangerous athlete with 6-foot-6, 210-pound, Bailey.
While Bailey is credited with 40 rushes this season, he enjoys escaping the pocket out to his right to extend plays. Knowing this, the performance of Notre Dame defensive ends will be imperative. Boubacar Traore, Jordan Botelho, and Bryce Young need to be aware of setting the edge and not allowing Bailey to get outside the pocket.
If Notre Dame can force Bailey to beat them simply as a drop-back passer, then good things will be on the horizon for the Fighting Irish defense.
Putting Pressure Through the Air
While Notre Dame's passing defense has been far from stellar to begin this season, the NC State Wolfpack have struggled themselves defending the pass. Notre Dame ranks 110th in CFB in passing yards allowed per game (258 yards), while the Wolfpack rank 116th (267.6 yards). While the Irish have the excuse of playing two dynamic offenses to start the season, NC State doesn't necessarily have that same easy out.
Mike Denbrock and the Notre Dame offense will always be a run-centric team especially given the talent they possess in their backfield. However, Denbrock has shown great timing in mixing up the run and the pass early this season. A healthy dose of Love and Price earlier in the game can allow Carr to get one-on-ones all over the field, and the Irish will certainly need to capitalize.
In addition to poor passing defense, the Wolfpack have also struggled in stopping the run, ranking 104th in average yards per rush at 4.9 yards per carry. In short, if Denbrock can mix and match the run and pass the way he's been doing through the first five games of the season, the Irish will have a field day.
Exceptional Linebacker Play
The last, and ultimately most important piece of the puzzle this Saturday, will be the performance of the Notre Dame linebacking unit.
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa turned in his best game of the season last week against Boise State, as the talented sophomore co-led the Irish in tackles, along with another linebacker, Jaiden Ausberry.
This week, the Irish linebacking crew will be tasked with three tremendously difficult assignments. CJ Bailey, which was already mentioned, in addition to running back Hollywood Smothers and tight end Justin Joly.
Smothers is a physical back with a tremendous center of gravity that keeps him upright after being contacted. He is averaging 6.9 yards per carry and has already totaled five touchdowns this season.
Joly is NC State's featured receiving threat, as the 6-foot-3 tight end leads the team in receptions (28) and is tied for the team lead in touchdowns (3). Containing the Wolfpack's big three will be mostly put on the shoulders of Notre Dame's talented linebacking unit.
It should be interesting to monitor the percentage of snaps in this game, as the Irish could lean on Viliamu-Asa and Jaylen Sneed to counter the athleticism mismatches NC State presents. In the end, if the Irish can be sound fitting run gaps and keeping Bailey in the pocket, Notre Dame's defense could diminish another one of the nation's top offenses.
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