Notre Dame vs BYU: Preview, Predictions, Matchups
Notre Dame (2-2) and No. 16 BYU (4-1) square off tonight in a must-win match up for the Fighting Irish. Irish Breakdown has spent all week breaking down this matchup, and now game day has arrived. It's time to put the finishing touches on this matchup.
Notre Dame has a chance to earn the first victory of the Marcus Freeman era over a ranked opponent. It would also put the Irish in position to go on a run, which would help put its 0-2 start in the rearview mirror.
Here's our prediction show for this matchup.
Here is a look at the preview content from Irish Breakdown leading into this matchup:
Notre Dame Depth Chart
BYU Depth Chart
Recruiting Comparison: Notre Dame vs. BYU
Notre Dame vs BYU - Series History
ND Opponent Insider: First Glance Look At BYU
Stacking Up The Notre Dame Offense vs BYU
Stacking Up The Notre Dame Defense vs BYU
Matchups To Watch
A look at the matchups to watch for the Notre Dame offense:
#87 TE Michael Mayer vs. #31 LB Max Tooley, #49 LB Payton Wilgar - BYU's linebackers are quality cover players and you can expect them to be in matchups against Mayer quite often. If Mayer can dominate this matchup it will go a long way towards allowing the Irish to move the chains and will also go a long way towards opening up opportunities for other Irish pass catchers.
#0 WR Braden Lenzy, #4 Lorenzo Styles vs #18 CB Kaleb Hayes - Notre Dame's pass catchers have struggled for much of the season, and Hayes is one of the better corners the Irish will have faced thus far in the season. To beat BYU the Irish wideouts will likely need to make some plays, and if Hayes locks down his side of the field it will make that harder to do. If the wideouts can make plays on Hayes it will make the Irish offense hard to stop.
#54 OT Blake Fisher vs. #92 DE Tyler Batty , #94 DE John Nelson - Sophomore Joe Alt has been outstanding this season, but fellow sophomore Blake Fisher has been wildly inconsistent. We saw Fisher start to make strides against UNC, and he needs to get rolling on offense. Fisher will be matched up against these veteran BYU players, and if he can win this battle the Irish ground attack will be hard to stop.
#5 CB Cam Hart, #20 CB Benjamin Morrison vs. #1 WR Keanu Hill - The 6-4, 215-pound Hill has the kind of size to give the Irish corners problems. While he isn't a burner he is a big play threat because of his size. The Irish corners will need to be on top of their game to keep him from making big plays down the field.
#57 DT Jayson Ademilola vs. #76 RG Harris LaChance - On the left side is Clark Barrington, one of the best guards in the country. The Irish interior defenders need to hold their own against Barrington, but they need to dominate this matchup against LaChance.
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Irish Breakdown Content
Notre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Schedule
Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Offense
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Defense
Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense
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