Notre Dame Opponent Roundup: Week 7 Edition
We should have known that Week 7 in college football was going to be a great one Friday night, as after West Seattle High School clinched a playoff spot for the first time in a decade (shout out to the Wildcats!), Stanford overcame a 29-point halftime deficit to outlast Colorado in double overtime.
Then on Saturday, Washington took a major step toward a CFP berth with a 36-33 comeback victory over Oregon, Big Ten contenders Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State continued to look the part setting up a massive next month in the conference, and Notre Dame dominated rival Southern Cal in the nightcap, effectively ending Caleb Williams’s quest for a second consecutive Heisman Trophy.
It was another strong week for Notre Dame opponents, who had a combined record of 7-3, not counting Southern Cal’s loss to the Fighting Irish. Two of those losses were to another Notre Dame opponent.
Duke kept pace in the ACC with a dominating victory over NC State even without Riley Leonard, Ohio State played arguably its most complete game of the season against Purdue, and as mentioned earlier, Stanford gained some much-needed momentum in Troy Taylor’s first season at the helm. However, NC State wasted another strong defensive performance in what now looks to be a lost season for the Wolfpack, and Louisville proved unable to handle success in a 38-21 loss to a Pitt team that had just benched its quarterback.
Notre Dame Opponent Overall Record: 49-27
Let’s take a look at the Week 7 action for Notre Dame opponents.
NAVY MIDSHIPMEN
Record: 3-3
Week 7 Result: Won 14-0 at Charlotte
Recap: Navy got back to .500 on the season with a dominant defensive performance against the 49ers. The Midshipmen held Charlotte to just 265 yards and 3.1 yards per carry on the ground, forced 3 turnovers, and allowed the 49ers to convert just 3 of 16 third down attempts. The defensive performance outshined a rather pedestrian offensive effort, as Navy ran for only 173 yards on 40 attempts. Navy hosts #22 Air Force next weekend as they try to knock their undefeated rival out of the Group of Five race for a New Year’s Six bowl.
TENNESSEE STATE TIGERS
Record: 4-2
Week 7 Result: Won 24-17 vs. Norfolk State
Recap: Eddie George’s team improved to 4-1 against FCS opponents with a dramatic victory over Norfolk State. The Tigers jumped out to a 17-0 first quarter lead, but saw the Spartans slowly chip away before tying the game with 10:16 remaining. Tennessee State answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive capped off by an 18-yard touchdown from QB Draylen Ellis. The Tigers should take another step forward next weekend as they host winless Lincoln (CA).
NC STATE WOLFPACK
Record: 4-3
Week 7 Result: Lost 24-3 at Duke
Recap: Any hope that the benching of QB Brennan Armstrong in favor MJ Morris would give the Wolfpack offense a lasting spark was extinguished in a brutal loss at Duke. NC State won the time of possession battle by over 13 minutes yet was just 4-15 on third down and 1-4 on fourth down. After taking a 3-0 on the opening drive of the game (albeit needing a 57-yard field goal to do so), the Wolfpack offense could do nothing for the remaining 58 minutes. The offensive ineptitude wasted another strong defensive performance, as NC State limited Duke to just 301 total yards with 152 of the yards coming two long touchdowns. NC State’s season teeters in the balance, with Clemson and Miami looming after next weekend’s bye.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS
Record: 4-3
Week 7 Result: Won 17-10 vs. Akron
Recap: The Chippewas stayed alive in the race for the MAC title with a gutsy 17-10 win over Akron. The game was tied 3-3 at halftime, but third quarter touchdowns by QB Jase Bauer and RB Myles Bailey provided the needed cushion. There’s still plenty to clean up on offense for Central Michigan, who managed just 298 total yards against an Akron team that has only won 1 game, but it was good to see the defense rebound after giving up 37 points to Buffalo last weekend. Central Michigan travels to Ball State next weekend looking to stay just a game behind Toledo.
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
Record: 6-0
Week 7 Result: Won 41-7 at Maryland
Recap: Ohio State played arguably its most complete game against the season on the road against a Purdue team that always seems to play the Buckeyes tough. QB Kyle McCord threw for 276 yards and 3 touchdowns, WR Marvin Harrison Jr. had 105 yards receiving and a touchdown, and with the running back room banged up, Dallan Hayden stepped up with 76 yards and a score on just 11 carries. The Buckeye defense was dominant as well, holding Purdue to just 257 yards and 3-17 on third down conversions. Ohio State hosts #7 Penn State in a massive matchup next weekend that will have both Big Ten and CFP ramifications.
DUKE BLUE DEVILS
Record: 5-1
Week 7 Result: Won 24-3 vs. NC State
Recap: Duke rebounded from the heartbreaking loss to Notre Dame with a dominant 24-3 victory over NC State. With QB Riley Leonard sidelined with the ankle injury he suffered against the Irish, Duke leaned on its defense to win. Backup QB Henry Belin IV only completed 4 passes, but 2 of them went for touchdowns, and RB Jordan Waters broke loose for an 83-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 24-3 and put the game out of reach. Everything is still in front of the Blue Devils, as they are still undefeated in ACC play, but you can bet that Mike Elko hopes Leonard is back for next week’s road trip to Tallahassee to face #4 Florida State.
LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
Record: 6-1
Week 7 Result: Lost 38-21 at Pittsburgh
Recap: One week after dominating Notre Dame, Louisville proved unable to handle success, falling 38-21 in a sloppy loss to previously lifeless Pitt. The Panthers focused on shutting down the Cardinal rushing attack – a task made easier when the dynamic Jawhar Jordan pulled a hamstring – but still held Louisville to just 80 yards on the ground. That put the game on QB Jack Plummer’s shoulders, and he was unable to deliver. Plummer completed just 56% of his 52 passes and threw 2 interceptions (one of which was returned for a touchdown), and the Cardinals also went just 5-13 on third down and 0-4 on fourth down. Louisville heads into its bye week still alive in the ACC race, but coming out of the bye hosts Duke in what is shaping up to be an elimination game for the loser.
PITTSBURGH PANTHERS
Record: 2-4
Week 7 Result: Won 38-21 vs. Louisville
Recap: Pat Narduzzi benched Notre Dame transfer Phil Jurkovec during the bye week and handed the offense over to Christian Veilleux, who rewarded the vote of confidence by throwing for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns in the upset of Louisville. However, the story of the game was the Panther defense, who limited Louisville to just 80 yards rushing, forced three turnovers, and got on the board themselves with a pick-six. The Panthers constantly put Louisville behind the sticks with an attacking philosophy that generated 4 sacks and 8 tackles for loss. Even without Jurkovec playing there was still an Irish flavor in the Pitt win, as Notre Dame transfer C’Bo Flemister had 2 touchdowns. We’ll see whether the QB change continues to spark Pitt in next week’s trip to Wake Forest followed by the October 28th visit to South Bend.
CLEMSON TIGERS
Record: 4-2
Week 7 Result: Bye
Recap: Clemson returns to action on October 21st at Miami.
WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS
Record: 3-3
Week 7 Result: Lost 30-13 at Virginia Tech
Recap: The Demon Deacons dropped their third straight game after a 3-0 start, and it’s time to be concerned about this offense after the departure of Sam Hartman. QBs Mitch Griffis was benched after starting just 8-17 with an interception, and though backup Michael Kern was better, it’s hard to do much when the offense is completely unable to run the football. Wake Forest finished with just 35 rushing yards on 31 carries against a Virginia Tech defense that even after that performance, still ranks 107th in the country in rush defense. It doesn’t get much easier either, as after hosting Pitt next weekend, the Demon Deacons have a four game stretch of Florida State, Duke, NC State, and Notre Dame.
STANFORD CARDINAL
Record: 2-4
Week 7 Result: Won 46-43 at Colorado
Recap: Stanford had one of the best performances of the weekend with a dramatic victory over Deion Sanders’ Colorado team in 2 overtimes. The Cardinal were lifeless in the first half and trailed 29-0 at the break, with ESPN’s Win Probability giving the Buffs a 99.8% chance of victory. However, Stanford came alive in the second half as WR Elic Ayomanor became a household name. Ayomanor did not have a catch in the first half, but exploded for 13 catches for 294 yards and 3 touchdowns in the second half and overtime, including a play in which he pinned the ball against the back of CB Travis Hunter for a touchdown in overtime. Kicker Joshua Karty also showed mental toughness in addition to his NFL-level leg, kicking the game-tying 46-yarder as time expired and then the game-winning 31-yarder in the second overtime. Stanford will look to carry that momentum as they embark on a brutal closing stretch starting with #25 UCLA next weekend in Palo Alto.
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