Notre Dame Opponent Roundup - Week 11 Edition

A look at how Notre Dame's 2023 opponents fared this weekend

It was not always pretty, but after some massive matchups in Week 11 we still have 5 undefeated teams, with Oregon, Texas, and Alabama waiting in the wings with plenty to play for.

• #1 Ohio State dominated Michigan State 38-3 and appears to be rounding into peak form two weeks away from a massive trip to Ann Arbor.
• #2 Georgia dominated #9 Ole Miss 52-17 as Brock Bowers returned from an ankle injury to bolster the Bulldog offense.
• #3 Michigan overcame the suspension of Jim Harbaugh to outlast Penn State 24-15. After that coaching performance, Nittany Lion fans may be planning ways that the conference could suspend James Franklin before Penn State’s next matchup against a top-10 opponent. Expect the Wolverine media spin/disinformation campaign to kick into overdrive next week, as in addition to defending what appears to be the worst cheating scandal in the sport’s history, they will be attempting to convince the nation a QB who threw for 60 yards that had 0 official passing attempts in the second half should be the Heisman Trophy frontrunner.
• #4 Florida State was sloppy for the second week in a row but survived rival Miami 27-20, setting up next week’s glorified scrimmage with North Alabama next week that you can watch between The Flash reruns on the CW Network.
• #5 Washington was tested by a gritty Utah team but prevailed 35-28 in Seattle. The Huskies have a tough trip to physical Oregon State on the docket next weekend.
• #6 Oregon controlled the game against reeling USC and won 36-27 in a game that was not as close as the score indicated. Behind QB Bo Nix, who is having a monster season, Oregon has all the makings of a team that will beat Washington in a Pac-12 title game rematch and compete for a national title.
• #7 Texas led 26-6 heading into the fourth quarter but just like last week against Kansas State, the Longhorns lost focus and surrendered 3 fourth quarter touchdowns to TCU before hanging on 29-26.
• #8 Alabama blasted Kentucky 49-21 behind 6 total touchdowns from QB Jalen Milroe, who after getting benched earlier in the season is playing as well as anyone in the country.

Notre Dame opponents had a rough week, finishing with an overall record of 5-7. Ohio State continues to dominate, Louisville was sloppy but found a way to win against Virginia, and NC State and Clemson have stabilized their seasons after rough Octobers, but Duke and USC are moving in the wrong direction and with how Wake Forest, Pitt, and Stanford looked this weekend, you could make fairly convincing arguments for why any of them is the worst team in the Power Five.

Notre Dame Opponent Overall Record: 69-51

Let’s take a look at the Week 11 action for Notre Dame opponents.

NAVY MIDSHIPMEN

Record: 4-5
Week 11 Result: Won 31-6 vs. UAB

Recap: Navy turned in arguably its most complete performance of the season on Veteran’s Day. QB Xavier Arline kicked off the scoring with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Regis Velez, and also paced the Midshipmen in rushing, accounting for 109 of Navy’s 269 rushing yards and scoring a touchdown. The Midshipmen defense also got in on the action, holding UAB to 321 total yards and forcing 2 turnovers, the second an interception that Rayuan Lane III returned 97 yards for a touchdown, ending any faint hopes of a Blazer comeback. With winnable games against East Carolina and Army sandwiching a tough road trip to Dallas to take on SMU, Navy’s bowl hopes are still very much alive.

TENNESSEE STATE TIGERS

Record: 6-4
Week 11 Result: Lost 30-17 at Eastern Illinois

Recap: Tennessee State dropped its second consecutive game with a tough road loss to a strong Eastern Illinois program. The Tigers fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter, but rallied to tie the game at halftime. A James Lowery field goal in the third quarter gave the Tigers a 17-14 lead, but Eastern Illinois scored the next 16 points, with a one-yard touchdown run by MJ Flowers with 5:38 remaining putting the contest out of reach. The Tigers were unable to get much going on the ground, with their typically strong rushing attack being limited to just 106 yards on 39 carries. Tennessee State wraps up the 11-game regular season at home against Tennessee Tech next weekend.

NC STATE WOLFPACK

Record: 7-3
Week 11 Result: Won 26-6 at Wake Forest

Recap: Brennan Armstrong returned as the starting QB after MJ Morris informed the Wolfpack coaching staff this week that he would sit out the remainder of the season to preserve a redshirt. The NC State offense didn’t miss a beat with Armstrong at the controls, and the Wolfpack cruised to their third consecutive victory. Armstrong accounted for 207 total yards and 2 touchdowns and the aggressive NC State defense limited Wake Forest to just 163 total yards (including only 7 yards rushing) forced 2 turnovers, and held the Demon Deacons to just 1-12 third down conversions, a big reason that NC State had a time of possession advantage of over 20 minutes (40:16-19:44). NC State currently sits at 4-2 in the ACC, and with games remaining against Virginia Tech and North Carolina, who are both also 4-2 in conference, the Wolfpack could play their way into a prime bowl destination.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS

Record: 5-5
Week 11 Result: Lost 38-28 at Western Michigan

Recap: Central Michigan saw its bowl hopes take a major hit with a road loss against Western Michigan that dropped the Chippewas to 5-5, with games against 7-3 Ohio and 9-1 Toledo remaining on the schedule. CMU spotted WMU an early 14-0 lead and trailed 21-7 at halftime, but QB Jase Bauer threw 3 third quarter touchdown passes to give the Chippewas a 28-21 advantage heading into the final quarter. After the Broncos tied the score at 28, Chippewa RB Marion Lukes handed the ball back with a fumble on the first play of the ensuing drive, giving the Broncos a short field for the go-ahead score. The Chippewas had a balanced offensive attack, rushing for 213 yards and throwing for 205, but the defense was unable to stop Western Michigan when it mattered most, allowing the Broncos to run up 484 total yards.

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

Record: 10-0
Week 11 Result: Won 38-3 vs. Michigan State

Recap: The top-ranked Buckeyes cruised to an easy win over lifeless Michigan State behind 3 touchdowns from Marvin Harrison Jr. and arguably the best performance of Kyle McCord’s young career. McCord threw for a career-high 335 yards and 3 touchdowns, with Harrison hauling in 7 catches for 149 yards to go along with his 2 receiving touchdowns and rushing score. With that performance, Harrison surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in 2023, and became the first Buckeye receiver to have 1,000 receiving yards in 2 seasons. Ohio State hosts a struggling Minnesota team next weekend before traveling to Ann Arbor for what is shaping up to be the most bitter version of The Game in decades.

DUKE BLUE DEVILS

Record: 6-4
Week 11 Result: Lost 47-45 at #24 North Carolina

Recap: Grayson Loftis provided a spark at quarterback, Jordan Waters rushed for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Jordan Moore hauled in 6 catches for 88 yards and 3 touchdowns, but the Blue Devil defense had no match for Tar Heel QB Drake Maye’s brilliance. Duke trailed 26-14 heading into the fourth quarter, before back-to-back rushing touchdowns from Waters gave the Blue Devils a 29-26 lead with just 5:21 remaining. Maye answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive capped off with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Bryson Nesbit with 1:55 remaining, but Loftis answered, finding Moore for a 30-yard score with 41 seconds remaining to lift the Blue Devils to a 36-33 lead. That proved too much time though, as Maye maneuvered the Tar Heels 50-yards into position for a 43-yard game-tying field goal from Noah Burnette. After the teams traded field goals in the first overtime, Maye rushed for a 5-yard score and converted the two-point try, pushing the lead to 47-39. Loftis found Moore for a touchdown on the ensuing drive, but the game-tying two-point conversion was unsuccessful. Despite the tough loss, this game did show the Blue Devils that there is some offensive life without Riley Leonard, and Duke will be favored to take down both Virginia and Pitt to close out the season.

LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

Record: 9-1
Week 11 Result: Won 31-24 vs. Virginia

Recap: Louisville saw a 14-0 halftime lead turn into a 21-14 deficit heading into the fourth quarter, and trailed 24-17 after a Will Bettridge field goal with 7:54 remaining. However, Cardinal QB Jack Plummer found Ahmad Huggins-Bruce for a 52-yard strike to even the score with 6:20 remaining, and after the Louisville defense forced a Cavalier punt, Isaac Guerendo took the ensuing handoff 73 yards for the game-winning touchdown. Despite the sloppy win, Louisville can still clinch a berth in the ACC Championship game with a victory next weekend at Miami, which would be a major achievement in Jeff Brohm’s first season.

SOUTHERN CAL TROJANS

Record: 7-4
Week 11 Result: Lost 36-27 at #6 Oregon

Recap: USC was gashed through the air by Bo Nix and the Oregon offense, surrendering touchdown passes of 77 yards and 84 yards on the first two Duck drives. Even though USC covered the spread and only lost by 9 points, this game was nowhere near as close as the score indicated. Oregon led 36-14 after a Bucky Irving touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter, and 2 late Trojan scores made this one look a little more respectable. Caleb Williams threw for 291 yards and accounted for 2 touchdowns, but since the Notre Dame game, he and the Trojan offense have been missing the magic that was present for the previous season-and-a-half. Were it not for a wild comeback that allowed the Trojans to squeak out a 50-49 win over Cal, this team would be heading into the season finale next weekend against UCLA on a five-game losing streak. The firing of defensive coordinator Alex Grinch during the week figures to be the first of many changes this offseason for the Trojans.

PITTSBURGH PANTHERS

Record: 2-8
Week 11 Result: Lost 28-13 at Syracuse

Recap: Any positive momentum from the surprising victory over Louisville is completely gone, as Pittsburgh was completely outclassed on the road at Syracuse, who was previously winless in the ACC. The Panthers led 13-7 at halftime but were outscored 21-0 in the second half. Pitt managed just 269 total yards and 11 first downs while turning the ball over 4 times – never a recipe for success. Pat Narduzzi has already made it clear he feels the current roster isn’t good enough, and if the university even gives if the chance to try to fix it, you can bet addressing the QB position is the top priority. Pitt closes the season with a visit from surprisingly competitive Boston College before the finale at Duke.

CLEMSON TIGERS

Record: 6-4
Week 11 Result: Won 42-21 vs. Georgia Tech

Recap: Clemson started slow against the Yellow Jackets before exploding for 42 unanswered points, turning a close game into a rout. Cade Klubnik threw for 4 touchdowns, Will Shipley returned from a concussion to combine with Phil Mafah to headline a Tiger rushing attack that piled up 260 total yards, and the Clemson defense held Georgia Tech to just 254 total yards and forced 4 turnovers. Clemson has a tricky game against #24 North Carolina next weekend before getting the chance to enact some revenge for last season’s loss to South Carolina.

WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS

Record: 4-6
Week 11 Result: Lost 26-6 vs. NC State

Recap: Wake Forest was dominated at home by NC State, as the offense managed just 163 total yards, 8 first downs, and didn’t find the end zone until there was just 7:15 remaining. The biggest issue for Wake Forest has been the lack of consistent quarterback play, as the Demon Deacons have played three signalcallers this season and none of them have been particularly effective. On Saturday, it was Michael Kern, who threw for 137 yards with one touchdown and one interception. It wasn’t all Kern’s fault though, as the Demon Deacons were completely one-dimensional, rushing for just 7 yards on 18 carries, a big reason the offense managed just 19:44 time of possession. Wake Forest travels to Notre Dame next weekend to take on former Deacon QB Sam Hartman before the finale against Syracuse. Wins in both games are required if a bowl is in the cards this season.

STANFORD CARDINAL

Record: 3-7
Week 11 Result: Lost 62-17 at #12 Oregon State

Recap: The Cardinal continue to be an enigma as one week after stifling a decent Washington State offense, they were gashed for 598 total yards by a physical Oregon State team. Beaver QB DJ Uiagalelei threw for 240 yards and 2 touchdowns and RB Damien Martinez was unstoppable on the ground, putting up 146 yards and 4 touchdowns. Stanford’s 4 turnovers, 3 of them interceptions from QB Ashton Daniels didn’t help matters either. The loss eliminated the Cardinal from bowl eligibility, but there is still plenty to play for, with rivalry games against Cal and Notre Dame to close out the season. 

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