With a week off to step away, the Irish are back with a hefty challenge. Find a third victory and keep bowl eligibility alive with a win against Miami.
On paper, the odds aren’t that long. The Irish actually opened as a favorite this Saturday, though that turned quickly to two-point underdogs. It’s a common move these past few weeks—Vegas believing that Notre Dame will eventually snap out of this funk, though the betting public thinks otherwise. So far, the betting public has been right.
So while most fans look for a silver lining (one that won’t likely be coming until next season), this football team looks for a win. And as Kelly’s young depth chart seeks validation after some hard work and even harder losses, the Hurricanes are coming.
Let’s get to the Pregame Six Pack. Before a 3:30 NBC kickoff at Notre Dame Stadium, let’s look at six potential slump busters for the Irish as they look to break through.
COLE LUKE. Notre Dame’s senior cornerback needed a rest. And let’s hope he got it last week because one of Miami’s all-time receiving leaders is coming to town.
Luke may not draw Stacy Coley every snap, but he’s slowly returning to his spot as the playmaker in Notre Dame’s secondary. Coming off a big game that would’ve been even bigger had an early whistle not taken away a strip-and-score, Luke needs to find a way to make an impact against Brad Kaaya—who will likely be taking dead aim at the freshmen surrounding him.
Since Luke moved inside to the slot, he’s rejuvenated his game. And we saw that against Stanford, his best performance, though in a losing effort. And with Miami likely expecting to complete a high percentage of their throws, Luke needs to capitalize a few times, taking a shot—and cashing it in—when the opportunity presents itself.
JOSH ADAMS. Brian Kelly admitted this week what everybody watching Josh Adams was wondering all season. Is the sophomore running back really 100 percent?
No, he’s not—banged up and working through things since fall camp, a variety of soft-tissue issues making it difficult for Adams to display the horsepower and speed he showcased in the most impressive freshmen seasons in school history.
But against Miami’s beat-up defensive front, the Irish need to establish a running game to call off a pass rush that’ll want to pin its ears back and get after DeShone Kizer. And if Adams was able to catch his breath after a week off, he’ll be the best answer for a running game that’s looking for big, explosive plays.
TORII HUNTER. What’d you do on your off weekend? Well, Torii Hunter got married. The newlywed now needs to turn these next few weeks into a honeymoon (see what I did there?), five weeks to finish a regular season off strong after he had his year derailed in the season opener against Texas on a dirty hit in the end zone.
One tweak to Hunter’s game is where he’s lining up. The Irish featured Hunter less at the X receiver and more in the slot last week, an idea some blogging idiot around here (the one typing) had been advocating. It’s put Kevin Stepherson in a position to make more plays one-on-one, while putting Hunter into a spot where his skills and savvy can get loose over the middle.
Hunter’s best trait is his versatility, something that Kizer can also utilize. And while the offense had a poor outing against Stanford’s defense, Hunter found some openings, four catches for 70 yards. That’s momentum worth following.
SAM MUSTIPHER. After losing his mojo the last few weeks, Mustipher needs to get his shotgun snapping back under control. And just as important, he needs to get his mind off the mechanical first step of his job, because Miami’s Kendrick Norton will be looking to do some damage across from him.
Norton’s had a nice impact as a run defender this season and the Irish have struggled on the interior, with Mustipher, Colin McGovern and Hunter Bivin struggling. McGovern is healthy again, back in the lineup after missing the Stanford game. And for the Irish to keep the ball moving and stay ahead of the chains, they can’t afford any wayward snaps—or blown assignments on the inside—to derail them.
The staff believes Mustipher will pull out of his funk—watching him get right after sailing a safety past Malik Zaire against Stanford. Now he’s got to trigger a ground game that should have opportunities, the Hokies running for over 250 yards last week against Miami.
ISAAC ROCHELL. It’s been a quiet season from Rochell, a senior defensive lineman who made his best impact as an iron man last year, but a member of the supporting cast. So while he’s been steady this year, he hasn’t been spectacular, failing to make the leap to leading man that many of us expected this season. That’s not to say that Rochell has been bad, he’s excelled at times, and he was mostly anonymous against Stanford.
There’s an opportunity to change that. Miami’s offensive tackle depth chart is ravaged, with Sunny Odogwu out and Tyree St. Louis struggling mightily. Virginia Tech sacked the quarterback a ridiculous eight times last week—more than the Irish have on the season.
With the Notre Dame defense likely leaving defenders in coverage to slow down Kaaya and the passing game, it’ll be up to the defensive line to generate some pass rush. And while it’s not a trait that stands out for him, Rochell has a chance to win his one-on-one matchups, something he’s more than capable of doing.
DESHONE KIZER. Notre Dame’s chances to win or lose still likely ride on Kizer’s shoulders. After a tough couple of weeks and a poor performance against Stanford, expect Kizer to rally—and the Irish coaching staff to help him as they tailor a game plan that’ll play to his strengths.
That could mean added emphasis on getting the ground game going, knowing that Kizer is deadly working as a play-action passer. It’ll likely also include having protection shored up against Miami’s blitz, with Stanford’s pressure getting to Kizer.
Kizer’s second season as a starter has gone the way many go at this stage. Moments of greatness mixed in with a handful of struggles. So while many of us thought early in the year that Kizer was ready for the next level and the challenge of Sundays, this is a growth curve, hardly the straight line you’d sometimes predict.
So with a wounded Miami team in the middle of a three-game slide, it’s time for Kizer to see his opening. And a struggling Irish team that demands efficient and opportunistic play needs its best playmaker to get the job done.