(Photo: Joe Weiser/Fighting Irish Preview)
Six games, six double-digit wins. But the exhibition season is over, and Provo won’t be polite. An undefeated, eighth-ranked BYU team and a hardcore, hostile crowd await the No. 2 Irish. Notre Dame has spent six weeks taking control. Saturday will test whether it can keep control when the opponent hits back.
A national championship remains the goal, and winning games like this is part of the assignment. The Irish need a running game that holds up against a stout defense, disciplined pursuit of Bear Bachmeier and touchdowns when scoring opportunities arrive.
That’s the standard behind this weekly feature. These aren’t simply keys to victory. They’re keys to playing like a champion—a national champion.
This week brings three specific benchmarks and one overriding requirement: win.
MAKE BYU GIVE GROUND
BYU allows just 80 rushing yards per game. Notre Dame’s running game has made real progress over the last three weeks. Saturday will test how much of that progress travels.
Jonaz Walton doesn’t need another 97-yard touchdown to have a productive night. Four or five yards on first down would do plenty of good. Walton, Nolan James and Aneyas Williams need to keep the Irish ahead of the chains and give CJ Carr the entire playbook to work with.
The offensive line has shown it can take over when Notre Dame needs to settle a game. Doing that against this defense, in this stadium, would be another step forward. Keep moving the chains, and the crowd has to wait for its next opportunity to get involved.
What we want to see: At least 175 rushing yards and an average of four yards per carry or better.
KEEP THE BEAR CONTAINED
Bear Bachmeier ran for 109 yards against Iowa State. Notre Dame cannot let him turn a well-defended play into another first down with his legs.
Pressure matters, but getting into the backfield is only the beginning. Close the escape routes. Finish tackles. Make Bachmeier get rid of the football before he finds room to run.
With LJ Martin sidelined, BYU needs more from its quarterback. Make somebody else carry the offense. And when Bachmeier does extend a play, the secondary has to stay with its receivers. A defender abandoning coverage to chase the quarterback can turn a difficult situation into an easy completion.
The Irish have the speed and depth to handle this assignment. They need the discipline to finish it.
What we want to see: Bachmeier under 50 rushing yards.
FINISH DRIVES. PROTECT THE FOOTBALL.
BYU allows just thirteen points per game, but ranks 105th in red-zone defense. Getting close has been difficult for opponents. Notre Dame needs to make those opportunities count—and finish in the end zone.
Touchdowns on at least three of every four red-zone trips would put pressure on BYU’s offense to keep answering. Settling for field goals repeatedly would give the Cougars room to hang around.
Carr has sixteen touchdown passes against one interception. That care with the football has to travel—and it applies to every ball carrier and returner. Make the Cougars earn their possessions and their field position.
This crowd doesn’t need any gifts.
What we want to see: Touchdowns on at least 75 percent of red-zone trips, field goals on the rest and zero turnovers.
ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE, WIN
The benchmarks matter. The scoreboard gets the final word.
This is a tough matchup in a tough place. Notre Dame may have to handle an early deficit, a stalled offense or a fourth quarter with the crowd roaring and the outcome unsettled.
Championship teams win those games.
If the Irish fall short of the rushing target or Bachmeier gets loose a few times, the assignment remains the same. Make the next play. Finish the next possession. Find a way to leave Provo undefeated.
Sixteen straight double-digit wins have made comfortable victories feel routine. Saturday doesn’t have to be comfortable. Any kind of win will do.
What we want to see: Notre Dame 7–0 when the night is over.
Run effectively. Keep the Bear contained. Finish drives and protect the football. Then, whatever the numbers say, make the plays that bring a road victory home.
The opponent changes. The standard doesn’t.
Play like a champion.
A NATIONAL CHAMPION.