Stacking Up The Notre Dame Defense and the Cincinnati Offense

Breaking down how the Notre Dame defense stacks up against the Cincinnati offense

The battle between the Notre Dame defense against the Cincinnati offense is the marquee matchup of this game. For Notre Dame, winning this battle is essential to victory.

Let's take a look at how Notre Dame stacks up against the Bearcat offense, and who holds the advantage.

Notre Dame Rush Defense vs Cincinnati Rush Offense

Advantage: Notre Dame

Notre Dame's rush defense numbers are a bit skewed by the opening game performance against Florida State, a game in which the Irish allowed 264 yards on the ground. Notre Dame has not allowed that many yards (259) in the last three games combined.

Cincinnati's rush offense also has skewed numbers, as the Bearcats racked up 247 yards on the ground in the season opener against Miami (Ohio). Cincinnati has rushed for just 248 yards and 3.6 yards per attempt in the next two games, combined.

In the video above we discuss this and the matchup of the Irish front four against the Cincinnati blockers. We also discuss how important it is for Notre Dame to win this battle, and how it impacts the other parts of the game.

Notre Dame Pass Defense vs Cincinnati Pass Offense

Advantage: Even

This is the good on good battle, and arguably the best good on good battle of the game. Notre Dame has been a strong pass rushing team all season and it has intercepted nine passes in four games. Notre Dame has three games with at least two picks this season, something the defense has not done in an entire season since 2014. 

Cincinnati has a quarterback in Desmond Ridder that many believe can be a first round pick, and he has talented weapons on the outside (Alec Pierce, Michael Young Jr., Tyler Scott) and inside at tight end (Josh Whyle, Leonard Taylor).

In the video above we break down the matchup, why it's dangerous and what the Irish defense must do to come out on top.

Notre Dame Scoring Defense vs Cincinnati Scoring Offense

Advantage: Notre Dame

If we are basing this battle just on paper the Bearcats absolutely have the advantage. When you look at it from a greater context (competition, trends) the Irish hold the advantage.

So we went a bit deeper into this matchup in the video above. We explain why Notre Dame actually has the advantage, but also why the Bearcats are a dangerous matchup for the Fighting Irish.

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