What To Look For From Notre Dame Against California

Breaking down the things to look for early in the Notre Dame vs Cal game to know the Irish are ready to get on track

Notre Dame will look to get on the board for 2022 when it hosts the 2-0 California Golden Bears. The Fighting Irish have not lived up to expectations thus far, but they will look to right the ship today, and we should know early on if the team has the emotion, plan and ability to execute in a way that will lead to victory.

Here are the things I'm looking for early in the game to know if head coach Marcus Freeman has been able to get his team ready to turn the corner on both sides of the ball.

NOTRE DAME OFFENSE

1. They actually made changes - What I don't want to see this week is the same players, the same game plan, the same schemes. Even if Notre Dame is able to eek out a win over a decent but far from great California team, simply doing what they've been doing, just a bit better, isn't going to be good enough to beat the better teams on the schedule.

Let's see the personnel change a beat, from both a usage standpoint and also who is playing overall. There are some dynamic players not getting the ball much, or not playing at all. That needs to change. Notre Dame also needs to adjust the personnel packages it has used the first two weeks and spread the field a bit more.

2. Spread and tempo - Notre Dame has to get into an early rhythm and using a bit more tempo and spreading the field are two ways to get that done. It would not only serve to get Notre Dame into a rhythm, assuming they execute, it would also get Cal's defense on its heels, which is a must.

3. Offensive line is playing well - The Irish line needs a big day against a big and quality California front seven. That means playings with more fire, with more purpose, moving their feet better, playing with more urgency and of course, being more assignment correct. That means giving quarterback Drew Pyne time to throw the football and the running backs room to get downhill.

If the line plays well the offense should have a chance to get rolling. If we see more of the same it will be a long day.

4. Drew Pyne needs to get rolling early - Pyne has struggled the last few time we've seen him, and he desperately needs a good start. He needs to build confidence, he needs to get trust from his teammates, and you only do those two things by making plays and getting the ball where it needs to go.

We just haven't seen the gunslinger that Notre Dame recruited in awhile. We saw it at times last year, but not in the spring and certainly not last week against Marshall. If that confident, 

5. Big plays - Outside of the first play of the season the Irish have struggled to hit big plays. The opportunities have been there, but they've been missed. Cal is going to take away the run game and quick game and force the Irish to hit some deep shots, and they need to happen. They also need to figure out ways to get players in space for chunk gains as well.

NOTRE DAME DEFENSE

1. Front has come to play - Notre Dame will not be the team it's capable of being this season if the defensive line doesn't figure out its issues, and that's especially true for end Isaiah Foskey and defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola. That pair of 2021 standouts have struggled early in 2021, and the Irish need them to dominate against an under-manned California offensive line.

2. Get the ball - Notre Dame has not been an overly disruptive defense this season, from both a turnovers and pass break ups standpoint. Keeping Cal quarterback Jack Plummer from getting into rhythm is a must, and this is the game to get on the board from a turnovers standpoint. Put Cal in second and third and longs and the defense will thrive.

3. Breakout from Cam Hart - The best corner for the Irish was supposed to be Cam Hart, but the talented senior hasn't been 100% so far and hasn't played to his ability. Against a talented California secondary the Irish will need him to be at his best. If Hart is back to playing his game he should be able to keep the Cal pass game in check, which will help the other defenders as well.

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