Notre Dame football has a clear advantage that they need to dominate in their home opening matchup against the Texas A&M Aggies
There is an advantage that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish offense needs to take advantage of during their home matchup against the Texas A&M Aggies
It has been a quiet week for Notre Dame football fans, still a little bit disappointed from the team’s opening season loss to the Miami Hurricanes a couple of weekends ago. With the bye week now behind the Fighting Irish, all eyes are on the Texas A&M Aggies for their matchup on Saturday night. From a vibes perspective, head coach Marcus Freeman’s squad could really use a big victory this weekend at home.
In order for Notre Dame to come out on top, their stars will need to be stars on Saturday night. There are a few spots where they have clear advantages in and they will need to showcase that against the Aggies. It is all going to start with the running game, led by superstar Jeremiyah Love.
It was a frustrating first game against the Hurricanes for the Irish running game, wanting to see Love much more heavily utilized in the offense. Jadarian Price is also a home run hitter in the running back room, and you should expect both to get more opportunities this week. That should include both in the run and passing game, and possibly feature both on the field at once at times.
The Notre Dame advantage
Love and Price will be tasked with trying to make plays in one-on-one situations against Aggie linebackers Taurean York and Scooby Williams. While they are both good players, they are also more of downhill players who want to make their presence felt in the running game. Neither is a great overall athlete, especially when compared to someone like Love.
It will be interesting to see if offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and the Irish offense tries to get on the edge in the running game more this week. That could include a heavy dose of outside zone, stretch, and even some toss looks. If Love or Price are able to turn the corner, that’s when their big-time speed can really be shown off.
Even though the game plan got disrupted a bit against Miami, there was a higher emphasis by the Irish to try and get Love involved in the passing game more. York is an outstanding communicator, leader, and good overall player, but space is also not his friend due to a lack of length and elite movement skills. Trying to get Love matched up against him in the passing game could be extremely advantageous.
At the end of the day, Notre Dame needs to get their running backs more involved in the action this week, no matter how they choose to do so. With redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr making just his second start, and first at home, being able to lean on Love and company would be a huge boost. They hold the key to leaving this weekend with a top-20 win over an SEC is coming for revenge.
College Football
The Texas A&M Aggies have an advantage that Notre Dame football will need to find an answer to heading into the home opener
There is a defensive adjustment that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish should consider against the Texas A&M Aggies offense
