Notre Dame will open its 2025 season on the road against the Miami Hurricanes, and here are five keys for an Irish victory.
While Notre Dame will have to wait an extra day than the majority of other college football programs around the country, it will be worth the wait to see the Irish back on the field.
Their Sunday road opener against Miami will be the game that every will watch, as its the only ranked contest of the evening. Notre Dame will once again have a chance on the national stage to impress the nation, and there are plenty of ways they could do that.
Below you’ll find five keys to an Irish victory, as they look to once again make the field of 12-teams in the College Football Playoff.
Establish the run early
You play to your strengths, and for Notre Dame’s offense it’s the line and running backs, especially considering that it will be CJ Carr’s first start in college. The five starters, plus one extra (as the right guard position is still a question but whoever isn’t the starter will still play) will have opportunities to open holes for running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. A third wave with Aneyas Williams will hit the Miami defense line late, when they are tired and he is fresh. The Irish have to get the run game going early and often.
Make Carson Beck beat you
If Beck was really viewed as a top-level prospect, he most likely wouldn’t have transferred from Georgia to Miami to play his final season of college football. He has two years starting under his belt, which is more than enough for NFL teams to make a judgement on his talent. To me, it’s telling that he’s not playing at the highest level, especially after throwing 12 interceptions last year. Notre Dame has to take advantage of that, and flip the field a few times to come out with a win.
Connect on deep shots
The run game will open up some passing lanes, especially over the top of the defense. If the Irish can force the safeties closer to the box, there will be opportunities for Carr to hit some deep balls. You have to believe that offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock will pick his spots to test the back-end of Miami’s defense, but you can’t just make attempts, you have to connect on them. If Carr shows the poise to make these plays, this one could get ugly for the home team.
Drown out the crowd early
Let’s be real here, the fans at Miami aren’t always into the game. There have been more than a few that I’ve seen where the stadium looks fairly empty. That won’t be the case in a season-opener against a top-10 opponent, but there isn’t as much tradition off-the-field as there would be in South Bend. Notre Dame will have an opportunity to quiet them early, and it would go a long way to helping out Carr get comfortable.
Dominate the line of scrimmage
The offensive line was around touched on, as they are one of the strengths of this Notre Dame team. Another is its defensive line, as they’ll surely rotate players to keep them fresh. Wearing down Miami on both sides of the ball is a must, as the games becomes much easier to manage when you can do you want on offense, and limit the oppositions with the line. Notre Dame does this, and they’ll be returning home to South Bend with a victory.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Five keys for a Notre Dame win in the opener over host Miami
Category: General Sports
