The day is finally here as Notre Dame begins it's quest for a national championship, but it begins on a really cold and snowy one in South Bend. Indiana is going to be the opponent which also makes this the unofficial "Battle For Indiana Bowl", but most importantly the first step in that quest. Indiana, led by Curt Cignetti, earned the 10 seed playing out a 11-1 season in the Big Ten and it's expected to be a good one.
Keys For Notre Dame To Win
Disrupt Kurtis Rourke
One thing that Indiana likes to do is control the tempo and they do it well. However, quarterback Kurtis Rourke is the main driver as to why the Hoosiers' control the tempo like they do. Rourke has 2,827 passing yards for 27 touchdowns and has only allowed four interceptions on the season, so he can sling it too. The question here is how to disrupt him and will the cold weather be a factor too? There's not much the Irish can do in controlling the weather, but it could be a decisive advantage for their defense. In terms of the defense and what the team can control, how they will disrupt Rourke is the question. Will they blitz a lot? Play man coverage mostly? Have the secondary in a mostly zone coverage? Mix things up having Rourke guessing a lot? Who knows, but containing him and disrupting his ability to control the tempo will be huge.
Utilize The Run Game As Much As Possible
It's no secret that the reason why Notre Dame's offense has been able to score as much as they've had this season is because of the three headed monster in Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, and Riley Leonard. Indiana will do everything it can to slow down the Irish's running game, but it's honestly very hard to contain. That being said, Indiana is the best at stopping the rush, however, most of the teams they faced on their schedule did not have good running games. Notre Dame is a whole other animal, but at least this will be great theatre to watch.
Get Indiana To Blitz, It Helps Riley Leonard
This may sound weird, but one of the worst things Indiana could do is blitzing on Riley Leonard as that allows him to get out of the pocket and get his legs going. The Hoosiers haven't seen a quarterback quite like him, so they have no idea of what's coming or how to play him. If a play is designed for the defense to take that bait, then Leonard is off to the races.
Have The Offensive Line Dig Into The Trenches
This may be an inexperienced offensive line, but they have steadily improved game by game, not to mention having got healthier. That being said, this defense they'll be facing might be the best they've seen all season long and it will be quite the test. Billy Scrauth, Aamil Wagner, and Anthonie Knapp have really stepped up this season and have shown how good this offensive line has been all 2024 campaign long. This will certainly be a test for them.
Take Advantage Of Home Field Advantage
It's going to be a hostile environment for Indiana, but it's also uncharted waters for them as they haven't played on this field for a very long time and never for all of these current players. Indiana doesn't know what to expect with how loud it will get in an obviously very pro-Notre Dame crowd. The weather is also going to play a role too as it's going to be super cold and snowy. How will Indiana fair against a cold Irish home game? Notre Dame should be feeling confident.
Rotating Players On Defense
Rotating the players on defense should be absolutely key in this game. The Irish have an elite defense, a top five in the entire nation, so rotating players in and out constantly should help with keeping them fresh. On the defensive line, use the depth there with Donovan Hinish, Junior Tuihalamaka, Howard Cross, Rylie Mills, Bryce Young, and Joshua Burnham, as they should help apply pressure any time on the field. Losing Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore to season ending injuries hurts with the depth, but rotation always helps. In the linebacking corps, Jack Kiser, Drayk Bowen, Jaiden Ausberry, Jaylen Sneed, and a hopefully healthy Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa should be lethal and that might be the key area where a rotation system will pay off the most dividends. And in the secondary, even players like Xavier Watts, Christian Gray, Leonard Moore, and Adon Shuler should hopefully get some rotation as they'll be running the most around on the field, but players like Rod Heard, Jordan Clark, Luke Talich, and Kennedy Urlacher should get opportunities and that will help a lot. Losing Benjamin Morrison hurts, but Notre Dame has shown how deep their roster depth really is all season long as they can even go to three safeties on the field at once and feel pretty good with the coverage.
Receivers Need To Help Out Leonard
It's also not a secret that the passing game for the Irish isn't exactly back breaking. However, the receivers here need to step up as much as possible when Leonard needs to throw the ball. There isn't any stand out receivers, but players like Beaux Collins, Jaden Greathouse, Mitchell Evans, Jayden Harrison, Jordan Faison, Kris Mitchell, Jayden Thomas, Eli Raridon, and Deon Colzie will need to help Leonard as much as possible. However, offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock will also have to find a way to incorporate them as much as possible. There has to be a lot of reliable options for Leonard to throws to if need be when the running game is being contained. If Leonard feels comfortable with whom to throw to especially if there is a long list of options to throw to, Notre Dame WILL win.
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