Impact Matchups To Watch: Notre Dame Offense vs Cincinnati

Breaking down the matchups for the Notre Dame offense that should have the biggest impact on the outcome

One thing is for sure, if Notre Dame is going to beat Cincinnati on Saturday, the Irish are going to have to light up the scoreboard. That won’t be easy against an athletic, physical and stingy Cincinnati defense. 

Here are the key matchups to keep an eye on for Notre Dame offensively as the Irish try to remain undefeated and pick up another win inside Notre Dame Stadium.

#75 OT Josh Lugg, #79 OT Tosh Baker, #68 OT Michael Carmody vs. #21 DE Myjai Sanders

It’s no secret that the Irish offensive line hasn’t had a great start to the season so far. Through the first four games, the Notre Dame quarterbacks have been sacked 20 times total. The Irish have given up at least four sacks in every game. Against Wisconsin, Notre Dame played its fourth different left tackle since the opener against Florida State. 

Unsurprisingly, Notre Dame has failed to generate an effective rushing attack up until this point even with the explosive backfield tandem of Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree. The Irish are averaging a meager 2.3 yards per attempt on the ground. The good news for the Irish is that sophomore backup left tackle Michael Carmody should return against Cincinnati after missing the last two games with an ankle injury.

Cincinnati has accumulated four sacks and 19 tackles for loss through its first three games, and boasts an aggressive style of defense that should challenge Notre Dame’s big men up front. Specifically, senior defensive end Myjai Sanders is someone who could give the Irish offensive line trouble. Though Sanders has yet to record a sack this season, he is tied for the team lead with four quarterback hurries and has been an anchor for a Cincinnati front seven that has been dominant in recent years. 

A season ago, Sanders was a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award, given to college football’s best defender, after he racked up 10.5 tackles for a loss and 7 sacks. Put simply, Notre Dame is going to have to block Sanders well if they are to succeed offensively, and that won’t be an easy task.

#23 RB Kyren Williams vs #20 LB Deshawn Pace, #0 LB Darrian Beavers

Though it’s true Notre Dame has yet to feature a successful rushing attack in a game this season, it’s also true that Williams has still played a central role in the Irish offense. Williams has found some success running the ball, with 244 rushing yards and two scores on the ground so far. But Williams’ impact has been felt even more greatly in the passing game as both a receiver and pass blocker. Williams is tied with fellow running back Chris Tyree for fourth on the team with 11 receptions, and has accumulated 155 yards and two touchdowns receiving. The former early enrollee has also done well to pick up blitzes and help protect Irish quarterback Jack Coan.

Though Williams has had a strong start to the season, he will likely be facing his toughest challenge yet come Saturday against the Cincinnati linebacker duo of Deshawn Pace and Darrian Beavers. Pace (25) and Beavers (23) are the Bearcats two leading tacklers, and have had the top two or three most tackles in all three games this season. 

They are two of the most disruptive defenders on a Bearcats defense that led the American conference in nearly every category a season ago. Pace has two tackles for a loss and an interception in the Bearcats most recent game. Beavers also has two tackles for a loss to go along with two sacks and a forced fumble in just three games. It will be a matchup you don’t want to miss between one of Notre Dame’s most dynamic offensive weapons against the stalwarts of the Cincinnati defense.

#87 TE Michael Mayer, #3 WR Avery Davis vs. #3 S Ja’von Hicks, #6 S Bryan Cook, #9 S Arquon Bush

Cincinnati has scored 18 touchdowns in just three games played. The Bearcats high-powered offense is led by dual-threat senior quarterback Desmond Ridder, the 2020 American Athletic Conference offensive player of the year. In all likelihood, Saturday will be an offensive shootout that will require both teams to score at a high clip to win. With that being said, Notre Dame is going to need a lot of production from its receivers, especially if the run game continues to struggle.

The matchups that will be featured in the slot will undoubtedly have a big effect on the outcome of the game. Irish fifth-year slot receiver and captain Avery Davis is on pace for the best season of his career by a wide margin. The veteran is third on the team currently with 12 receptions that have gone for 204 receiving yards and a touchdown. Davis will likely be guarded by Cincinnati cornerback Arquon Bush, one of the Bearcats’ best coverage corners. Bush is in the midst of the best season of his career as well, as the 6-foot junior has two interceptions and five pass breakups already this season to go along with nine tackles. One interception and two pass breakups came in the most recent win against Indiana.

Notre Dame sophomore star tight end Michael Mayer will also likely be lined up in the slot a good amount on Saturday. Mayer has been the most productive pass catcher for the Irish this season, leading the team in receptions (24), receiving yards (267) and receiving touchdowns (3-tied with Austin). Mayer has also received the most targets in every game outside of Purdue. Luckily for Cincinnati, the Bearcats have two talented and experienced safeties in Ja’von Hicks and Bryan Cook who won’t be making anything easy for Mayer. Hicks has made seven tackles this season and one of Cincinnati’s six interceptions. The senior Cincinnati native is known to have a nose for the ball. 

In 2019, Hicks led the American conference with five interceptions and also forced two fumbles en route to honorable mention all-conference honors. Meanwhile, Cook, who is also a senior and a native of Cincinnati, is tied for fifth on the team with 12 tackles and has an interception of his own. In Cincinnati’s most recent win over Indiana, Cook was third on the team with six tackles. Both safeties have good size, play physical and are strong in coverage, and they’ll need to be firing on all cylinders if they’re going to slow down Mayer.

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