Harry Douglas predicts Notre Dame will force three takeaways against Miami

On Sunday, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Chris Ash will make his debut with the Fighting Irish. ESPN analyst Harry Douglas expects great things from Ash’s defense. During an appearance on Get Up on Thursday, Douglas made a bold prediction for the Fighting Irish’s defense in their season-opener against Miami.

“I feel like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish defense, they’re going to force three takeaways,” Ash said.
“When you look at their secondary, it’s one of the best in the country. You have Leonard Moore, you have Christian Gray, DeVonta Smith, who came over as a transfer. They’re going to be able to force turnovers by Carson Beck, who struggled with that last season at the University of Georgia.”

Notre Dame’s defense is returning six starters from last season, including three members of its secondary. The Fighting Irish tallied 19 interceptions last season, the fifth-most in the country.

Interceptions weren’t the only way Notre Dame turned opposing offenses over in the 2024 campaign, either. The Fighting Irish’s defense recovered 14 fumbles last season.

In total, Notre Dame gained 33 possessions off opponent turnovers in the 2024 season, leading all of college football. After adding four defensive transfers this offseason, along with Chris Ash, Notre Dame has a chance to pick up where it off last season against Miami on Sunday.

After all, as Douglas mentioned, Carson Beck had a significant uptick in turnovers last season. After throwing just six interceptions in the 2023 campaign at Georgia, Beck tossed 12 picks last season. Beck is putting an emphasis on limiting turnovers this season.

“Obviously, you don’t want to turnover the ball and that’s pretty self-explanatory,” Beck said at ACC Media Days. “Last year, there were just times where I just tried to press too much. I tried to be Superman and save the day. That’s not what we need. I just need to be myself.

“So coming to Miami, I think the biggest thing and approach for me is prepare the best way that I can before the game, put myself in the best possible position and then ultimately just trust the guys around me. Just be me, right? Because when I’ve been myself in the past, we’ve won a lot of football games.”

The Fighting Irish certainly don’t plan on making it easy for Beck. No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 10 Miami will square off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. The game will air live on ABC.