Keys To Victory For Notre Dame In The Matchup vs BYU
Tonight the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-2) take on the 16th-ranked BYU Cougars (4-1) in hopes of earning the biggest win of the Marcus Freeman era. Notre Dame's schedule sets up well to go on a roll if the Irish can get past the Cougars. That won't be easy, with BYU going 7-2 against Power 5 teams over the last two seasons.
Notre Dame enters the game as a four-point favorite over BYU. If Notre Dame is going to earn this big win it will have to execute at a high level and play a four quarter game. In the video below we break down the keys to victory for the Irish.
Here is a look at those keys:
NOTRE DAME OFFENSE
1. Start Fast - There are several reasons why starting fast is key for the Irish offense. Starting fast has been a problem for Notre Dame all season, and this is a unit that needs confidence. Notre Dame built some offensive momentum against North Carolina, which came after three brutal games on that side of the ball. The psyche of this unit is still a bit fragile, and a fast start will build on the previous momentum and eliminate any self doubt that might still exist.
Practically speaking, a fast start also serves to support the Irish defense. If the defense makes early stops a fast start by the offense allows Notre Dame to jump out in front of BYU, and the Cougars will have a tough time coming from behind against Notre Dame. If BYU comes out hot, a fast start by the Irish offense is important to prevent it from falling behind, and Notre Dame hasn't shown itself to be a great come from behind team this season either.
2. Establish The Line Of Scrimmage - Notre Dame must control the line of scrimmage on offense, and do so in all phases. BYU has struggled defending the run this season, and it has given up over 200 yards in two of its last three games. Notre Dame must keep that going and run on BYU, which will be a key to the Irish starting well. Controlling the line of scrimmage in the run game will set up early down success, which is important in this game. It should also open up throwing game opportunities off play-action looks and RPOs.
Part of establishing dominance on the line of scrimmage includes providing time to throw for quarterback Drew Pyne. The junior makes his third start tonight and he's coming off the best game of his career. If Pyne gets time to throw he should have success against the Cougars and should be able to help complement the run game.
3. Big Plays Are Key - Notre Dame hasn't been much of a big play team this season, and it will need to hit some big plays against BYU. Of course controlling the line of scrimmage should open up some big run game opportunities. Notre Dame will also need to figure out some ways to generate big plays in the pass game as well. We saw that a bit against UNC, and the Irish need to continue that against BYU.
4. Complementary Players Must Step Up - BYU will have a plan to slow down star tight end Michael Mayer and will likely have a plan to handle the backs in the pass game. That is going to put complementary receivers like Braden Lenzy, Matt Salerno, Jayden Thomas and hopefully Tobias Merriweather, as well as freshman tight ends Eli Raridon and Holden Staes in position to step up and make plays. If those complementary players are able to make plays the Irish offense should thrive.
NOTRE DAME DEFENSE
1. Control The Line Of Scrimmage - This is also a key for the defense, and it starts with the run. BYU is more of a pass oriented team, but Notre Dame must focus on being able to shut down the run game with its box, much like it did against North Carolina. If BYU is able to come out with some balance it makes the pass game much harder to slow down. If Notre Dame can shut down the ground attack and make BYU pass happy out of necessity it gives the Irish defense a chance to slow the Cougars down.
Dominance up front also includes being able to get consistent pressure on the quarterback. That leads to point two ....
2. Contain Jaren Hall - Notre Dame cannot let veteran quarterback Jaren Hall take over this game. Hall has accounted for 35 touchdowns in 15 career starts, and he's completing 70.2% of his throws so far in 2022. When Hall gets rolling the Cougars are hard to defend. He's also capable of making plays with his legs, so the Irish defense must focus on keeping him contained, something the unit has largely struggled with for much of the 2022 season.
If Hall is held in check the Cougars will have a hard time scoring enough to win this football game.
3. Be Disciplined - BYU is a very creative offense with quality weapons across the board. There aren't any elite pass catchers on that side of the ball, especially if standout Puka Nacua is out or limited, but they have quality players on the depth chart. BYU's staff schemes this unit up well and they are impressive route runners. BYU will run a lot of screens, RPOs, play-action and will use plenty of double moves to create big plays in the pass game.
Defending BYU's pass game demands being disciplined and trusting the scheme. Bite up on a pump fake or double move and the Cougars will get behind you for big plays. They will run jet sweeps and misdirections as well, and the Cougars do a good job out-leveraging defenses. Notre Dame cannot allow this to happen.
4. Be Disruptive - This one is simple and it ties into point number one. Notre Dame needs to creates negatives and disruptive plays. That means tackles for losses, sacks, pass break ups and run stuffs. Of course, the ultimate negative play is turnovers. BYU has limited its own turnovers while the Irish have forced just one. If Notre Dame can change that in this game it would be huge.
Beyond those negatives, a key to being disruptive for Notre Dame is constantly getting pressure on Hall and not letting him get comfortable in the pocket. If he's comfortable he'll have success, if he gets pressured with some consistency he'll make mistakes and Notre Dame will make stops.
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