Everything to Play For: Previewing Notre Dame and Miami's Epic Matchup
For Notre Dame, it does not get any bigger than this. The game that has been circled for months is finally here, and there could not be more at stake. It's No. 11 Notre Dame versus No. 1 Miami under the bright lights of prime-time Saturday night football.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The most intriguing aspect of this game came when news broke earlier this week that Miami's superstar wide receiver Malachi Toney will be out on Saturday with an ankle injury. Toney's injury changes the entire dynamic of this game. Not only is he the best player on Miami's roster, but he is undoubtedly the second-best wide receiver in the country. So far this season, Toney has impressively racked up 1,027 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. Miami will be without its motor offense, facing a defense that will be without some of its game-changers as well.
While Toney will dominate the injury narrative in this game, Notre Dame is not without their share of key injuries throughout the defense. It starts with Bruntae Johnson in the secondary, who has been battling an ankle injury he suffered in the first game of the season. Notre Dame fans hoped this game would mark his return, but they will have to wait at least one more week. In addition to Johnson, the Irish secondary will also be without cornerback DJ McKinney. McKinney was having a productive year with the Irish, serving as the second cornerback behind Leonard Moore. Unfortunately for him, an injury he suffered against BYU will keep him out of this week's matchup. Notre Dame will also be without linebacker Drayk Bowen, a captain and anchor of the defense. Bowen injured his ankle in last week's game against Navy when a player fell on his leg. Bowen will miss an extended period for the Irish, a key loss for a defense that has struggled in recent weeks. As if it could not get worse for Notre Dame's defense, two of their most important defensive tackles, Francis Brewu and Jason Onye, are both questionable on Notre Dame most recent injury report. Without either, it will leave Notre Dame without depth and some of its most talented players.
While injuries have taken over the narrative in this game, there is still a lot of talent on the field to give this game the potential of an instant classic. Looking at Miami, their high-powered offense is led by the most productive QB in college football, Darian Mensah. Mensah is a Heisman candidate who has been carving up opposing defenses with precision. Miami currently ranks No. 1 in scoring offense and No. 2 in yards per game. Mensah has everything to do with that success. This season, he recorded 2,425 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and only one interception, all while completing 80% of his passes. Without his best weapon, Mensah will have to find more playmakers to rely on, but everything he has done this season points to the notion that he will.
Looking at the Notre Dame defense, this Miami offense presents them with all sorts of problems. Against BYU, the Irish secondary looked tentative and slow to react for much of the game. Sitting in zone coverage, it allowed Bear Bachmeier to sit back and find easy passes all over the field. Miami will be a much tougher test, even without Toney. Notre Dame will have to bring additional pressure to Mensah, hoping they force him into tougher throws. Miami is just too good, and Mensah is too accurate to sit back and hope for mistakes. With a passer as accurate as Mensah, Notre Dame will have to close down throwing windows with tight coverage while providing pressure with Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young.
Along with Mensah, Notre Dame will also have to be ready to stop the physical run of Mark Fletcher Jr. and this Miami offensive line. Fletcher Jr. is averaging just under 5 yards per carry and has totaled nine touchdowns. He is a big, physical runner who usually takes more than one tackler to bring him down. While Notre Dame's run defense has been good this season, last week was a concerning performance leading up to this game. Navy was able to run all over the Irish for much of that game, leading to a 212-yard rushing performance. Yes, Navy has a unique rushing attack, but Notre Dame's defensive line was losing the point of attack for the entire first half. While Miami's offensive line is not as strong as last year's, they still have a strong line that Notre Dame must be ready for.
With Notre Dame's offense, there are signs that they could find success against this Miami defense. Miami's run defense is stout, but their matchup last week against North Carolina showed holes in their secondary. In that game, Miami gave up 341 passing yards and 35 points. For Notre Dame QB CJ Carr, this should be music to his ears, but he will have to be better than he was against BYU. Carr appeared to let the big-game atmosphere get to him in that game. The lights will only be brighter on Saturday, so Carr will have to stay true to his game. When Carr is on, he is extremely accurate and able to find receivers for big plays. Miami's defense is not immune to giving up big plays or giving QB's lanes to throw. It will come down to Carr's ability to remain accurate and composed while continuing to stay aggressive.
With College Gameday in town for the biggest game in Notre Dame Stadium in years, the home atmosphere should be an advantage for the Irish, but it will be important that Notre Dame does not let the multiple narratives of this game get in the way of their game. Yes, there is a lot of pressure on this game for the Fighting Irish. They are likely playing for their playoff hopes against one of their most heated rivals in a game the whole country will have its eyes on.
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