(Photo: Chad Ryan/Fighting Irish Preview)
Notre Dame is finally coming home.
The Irish handled Wisconsin 41-13 at Lambeau Field. Now comes the home opener against Rice and an offense that will present a very different challenge.
The Owls ran for 465 yards in their 31-3 win over Houston Christian and attempted just 10 passes. There isn’t much mystery here. Rice wants to run the football. Notre Dame needs to make them do something else.
Here are three keys to victory for the Irish.
1. Play Assignment Football
Rice had 11 different players carry the football against Houston Christian. This isn’t about finding one running back and stopping him. It’s about everyone on Notre Dame’s defense doing his job.
Rice’s shotgun option will test discipline. One defender loses his assignment, takes the wrong angle or gets caught looking in the backfield, and an ordinary play can become a big one.
Notre Dame is bigger, stronger and faster. The Irish defensive front needs to impose that advantage at the line of scrimmage, while Drayk Bowen and Adon Shuler have to diagnose the option, stay disciplined and tackle in space. And with Brauntae Johnson out, Luke Talich gets an opportunity to show why Marcus Freeman considers him a starter-caliber player.
Rice rushed for 465 yards last week. Fine. Make them throw the football Saturday.
Good luck with that.
2. Win First Down
This is where Notre Dame can take control of the game. Rice wants four or five yards on first down, manageable situations on second down and its entire option playbook available on third down.
Don’t let that happen.
Notre Dame needs to put Rice behind the chains. Stuff a run for one or two yards and suddenly the Owls are facing second-and-8 instead of second-and-5. Do it consistently and Rice has to start playing a game it doesn’t want to play.
That puts pressure on Jacurri Brown to throw the football against a Notre Dame secondary that should have an enormous advantage. Win first down, and Notre Dame can dictate everything that comes after it.
3. Get Another Receiver Going
Jordan Faison already looks like CJ Carr’s go-to target. He led Notre Dame with four catches for 81 yards against Wisconsin.
Now, who else steps forward?
Jaden Greathouse is the proven veteran, but Saturday is also an opportunity for Mylan Graham to establish himself as another weapon in this offense. Notre Dame has talked all offseason about the talent and depth in the receiver room. Against Rice, let’s see it.
Carr connected with nine different receivers against Wisconsin, which is encouraging. But spreading the football around isn’t the same thing as establishing another difference-maker. Get Graham involved. Get Greathouse involved. Find another receiver opposing defenses have to worry about.
Notre Dame knows what it has in Faison. Saturday is a chance to find out just how dangerous the rest of this receiving corps can be.
Rice isn’t hiding what it wants to do Saturday. Run the football. Shorten the game. Stay ahead of the chains. Keep Notre Dame’s offense standing on the sideline.
So don’t let them.
Take away the option. Put Rice behind the chains. Get another Irish receiver involved. Then make Rice do the one thing it doesn’t want to do:
Play Notre Dame’s game.