Whenever you talk about a battle between two top teams in the country, the matchups that we see on both sides of the ball largely dictate who will be the victors and who will head home with a loss. This weekend, Notre Dame and Miami square off in a much-anticipated rematch from their 2025 season opener and if that didn't add as much drama, the allusion to their monumental matchup in 1988 is uncanny.
Since the start of 2025, Notre Dame's offense has been hit or miss in top games. They struggled against Miami last season, handled their business against Texas A&M last year and failed to capitalize on opportunities against BYU this season. The Fighting Irish offense, and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, have the opportunity to take control of this matchup on Saturday night, but in order to do so, they'll have to win these matchups.
Normally, I'm not one to pass down nicknames onto players, but 'Big Game Jaden' seems to fit given Jaden Greathouse's track record against top teams. Since 2024, Greathouse has totaled 68 receptions, 954 yards and six touchdowns. Within that production, the 6-1, 212-pound receiver has totaled 31 receptions, 528 yards and four touchdowns against the top ranked teams that he's faced (BYU '26, Texas A&M '25, Ohio State '24, Penn State '24, Navy '24, Louisville '24 and Texas A&M '24). He might not have the production we desire against opponents like Syracuse, Rice and Purdue, but he shows out in the biggest moments.
Matchup To Watch: Sophomore safety Bryce Fitzgerald for the Hurricanes is coming off a freshman campaign where he totaled 16 total tackles, two passes defended and six interceptions. Due to injuries and shuffling in the Miami secondary, Fitzgerald has been playing more in the slot and splitting time with Boston College transfer Omar Thornton. Greathouse will have his opportunities to impact the game against two of the better defenders in the Miami secondary.
Coming into the season, senior wide out Jordan Faison would be CJ Carr's go-to target in the offense and this season, he's lived up to that reputation. Faison leads the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns. The 5-11, 185-pound Florida native has recorded at least three receptions in every game this season and has also performed in the biggest moments of the season for the Irish going for 81 yards in the season opener, 132 receiving yards and two touchdowns against North Carolina on the road and 64 yards against BYU on the road. This Saturday, Carr will need his go-to guy to be at his best.
Matchup To Watch: Faison will have the opportunity to impact the game against two outside corners for Miami. Both Xavier Lucas and Ethan O'Connorhave lined up to the field. The Miami secondary has given field-boundary looks at times and has also played left-right at times. At the end of the day, Faison will likely square off with both players Saturday night. O'Connor and Lucas have combined to give up 25 receptions for 377 yards and three touchdowns according to PFF.
The outlook at tackle looks vastly different from the season opener in 2025. Sophomore Will Black (6-7, 316-pounds) and junior Guerby Lambert(6-7, 325-pounds) have had strong seasons through eight games for the Fighting Irish offensive line. Black has only allowed one sack and that came in the first half of the season opener. Since then, he hasn't allowed a single sack in seven consecutive games while Lambert hasn't given up a sack or hit on the quarterback all season. In fact, Lambert has only given up five pressures all season and only one in the last four games.
Matchup To Watch: The two outstanding Notre Dame tackles will be going up against a trio of edge rushers for Miami, one of them being Marquise Lightfoot who currently leads the team in pressures (31) according to PFF and sacks (7.0). Lightfoot has become their most reliable pass rusher, but Lambert and Black will also go against Damon Wilson, a transfer from Missouri, and Armondo Blount, who mostly resembles the two ends they had in 2025. This is going to be the biggest test of the season in pass protection for the two tackles. Last season, that position was a detriment to the offense against Miami. This season, it has the opportunity to be a strength against Miami.
When you get into big games like the one on Saturday night, the saying 'you need your dudes to be dudes' carries a lot of weight. There might not be a bigger 'dude' on Notre Dame's offensive line than left guard Anthonie Knapp. The 6-5, 305-pound Georgia native is their most experienced offensive line in terms of starts. Knapp is entering his 36th start against the Hurricanes and will need to be the most reliable player on the field, outside of Carr, Saturday night. The move to the interior proved to be extremely beneficial for Knapp who has yet to allow a single sack and only one hit on the quarterback at guard. That will be put to the test on Saturday night.
Matchup To Watch: Routinely throughout the game, Knapp will be matched up with Miami defensive tackle Justin Scott who has seven pressures, two sacks and nine run stops according to PFF. The 6-4, 303-pound interior defender is one of the biggest lineman on the roster for the Hurricanes and he plays like it. He's eats up space in the run game and has shown the ability to get after the quarterback and is coming off of his most productive game as a pass rusher against North Carolina. Knapp's move to the inside was to put him in a position to reach his ceiling. We'll know after Saturday's matchup what that truly looks like.
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