Notre Dame Looks to Turn Irish Wear Green Into a Statement Game

Liam Farrell
Oct 3
4 min read

No. 21 Notre Dame is looking to stack dominant performances as the Boise State Broncos stroll into South Bend for the annual Irish Wear Green game.

Tae Johnson, CJ Carr, Boubacar Traore pictured

Art by The Irish Tribune

Notre Dame is far from perfect, but the Irish garnered back respect from many in their 56-13 beatdown of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Arkansas' offense had many self-inflicted wounds that helped the Irish get a lead and forced them to play from behind. This made the potent Razorbacks offense one-dimensional, ditching the run and fully committing to an aerial attack. Chris Ash and the Notre Dame defense glued in and held Arkansas to zero points in the second half.

While the Notre Dame defense is beginning to figure it out, the offense is thriving more than ever. CJ Carr has matured at an abnormal rate and Mike Denbrock has had this offense clicking for the past three weeks. In fact, Notre Dame hasn't punted the ball once in the past two games.

With that being said, Boise State proves to be a new threat for the Irish. The Broncos bring a dynamic offense to Notre Dame Stadium and are hoping to get their season officially back on track after a disappointing loss to USF to open the season.

Here are three keys for Saturday's matchup in a sea of green.

Early Defensive Stops

Boise State has a dynamic offense this season. The Broncos are averaging 38.5 ppg along with an impressive 50% efficiency on third downs. Even without Ashton Jeanty, Boise State is running the ball with extreme success, averaging 221 rushing yards per game. Instead of one main work horse, the Broncos have a running back by committee with Dylan Riley, Sire Gaines, and Malik Sherrod.

Boise State also returns their starting quarterback, Maddux Madsen, who has thrown for 1,129 yards and 9 touchdowns this season. Madsen's main weapon on the outside is Latrell Capers, a big-bodied WR who has exceptional hands. Boise State also likes to utilize their tight ends in the pass catching department, especially Matt Lauter.

If Ash and the Notre Dame defense can get early stops and a bit of help from the Fighting Irish offense, they will force the Broncos to play from behind. When the Irish have had a lead, they have been more inclined to send pressure, instead of sitting in soft zones. In this one, expect Ash to dial up more pressure and force the Boise State offensive line into high-pressure scenarios.

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Continue Offensive Balance

It's hard to critique an offense that has been so exceptional over the past three games. Denbrock has figured out a way to strategically implement his All-American running backs along with elite pass catchers to get one of the most well-rounded offenses in the nation.

Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price have playing to their full potential, as they have collectively scored 15 touchdowns through the first four games. Their ability to interchange in the backfield and not skip a beat has allowed Notre Dame to strike big-play fear in every opposing defense. The emergence of CJ Carr has also freed up the defensive box allowing Price and Love to run freely.

Once teams do, in fact, load the box, Carr has been able to deliver balls accurately downfield. It is hard to determine Carr's favorite target on the early season because he has been so effective distributing the ball to multiple targets. Malachi Fields has been a steady presence as the boundary receiver, while Jordan Faison has been able to create space especially on quarterback rollouts. Jaden Greathouse and Will Pauling have slowly emerged as well, making more of an impact on a weekly basis. Eli Raridon has been Carr's escape route as well, as the senior tight end has been playing to the Notre Dame standard in that position group.

Create Havoc

While the Fighting Irish defense has improved since their performance against Texas A&M, Notre Dame needs to create more havoc. Whether that be created through rushing more than four, or creating better schemes, Notre Dame has to continue to be an aggressive defense.

While the transition from Al Golden to Chris Ash has been bumpy, the youth on the backend of the defense has become more experienced and playing freer. One person in particular who will be a star at the end of the season is Tae Johnson. Johnson's size and athleticism make him a unique player, but once the Fort Wayne, Ind. native understand the intricacies of the safety position, he will be a stud. Johnson has slowly but surely made progress in dissecting route concepts and instinctively putting himself in the correct position.

As far as the defensive line, Al Washington is starting to understand who his best players are. On the interior, Gabriel Rubio and Jared Dawson have been the best options, especially against the run. On the outside, Boubacar Traore and Jordan Botelho have been evolving, but the Irish are still waiting on Bryce Young to take that next step forward.

For tomorrow's game, expect Notre Dame's defense to be flying around with more confidence and more of an understanding of what the offense is calling. If the Irish can continue to elevate, creating turnovers and giving this potent offense more opportunities to score is a certified recipe for success.

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