Some believe that we won't learn much more about the Notre Dame offense until they face Miami. I don't entirely agree. There's lessons to be learned about this unit schematically and personnel wise against Navy that will carry over into November and depending on how they perform against the Midshipmen will tell us a lot about how they'll look moving forward. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock will have to get away from the predictable, vanilla game plan despite playing an inferior opponent. Here are my three biggest storylines, two crucial battles and one player to watch in Saturday's matchup.
1. Let CJ Carr Loose
Over the last couple of games, junior quarterback CJ Carr has not looked like the preseason Heisman hopeful we thought he would look like through October. Carr has way too much on his plate pre-snap and it's affecting his playmaking ability post-snap. Notre Dame will have to move away from the 'perfect play' mentality and focus on getting the Saline, Michigan native going down the field. The Irish have done an exceptional job at not allowing negative plays, but their explosiveness took a major hit due to this mentality. It's time to get Carr loose and make some plays down field that he made last year as a first time starter.
2. Expand The Wide Receiver Rotation
Jordan Faison, Micah Gilbert and Jaden Greathouse combined to play 235 snaps against BYU in their last outing. The only other receiver that played on October 17 only played two snaps. That has to change and it has to change now. The coaches talk about how this was only an issue for the BYU game due to the situations the offense found themselves in. But when you look at the snap numbers, the issues are much deeper than just the BYU game.
Tomorrow is a crucial step in expanding the wide receiver rotation. Navy has one of the worst pass defenses in the FBS and if players like Mylan Graham, Bubba Frazier, Elijah Burress or a handful of others can't see the field early and during meaningful snaps against this defense, it's unlikely we'll see them the rest of the season in any meaningful capacity.
3. Get Creative Situationally
Third down, red zone and starting out halves have not been this offense's strong suit. If you're wanting to compete for championships like Notre Dame aspires to be, you can't rank 53rd in the country in red zone offense and rank 37th in 3rd down conversions. In the 12 halves of football the Irish have played against their six P4 opponents, they've only scored touchdowns on opening drives of either the first or 3rd quarter twice.
Once was against North Carolina in the second half and the other was to start the game against Stanford where the defense gave them an 18-yard field. Being more creative in these scenarios will go a long way towards generating a more explosive and efficient offense.
1. Micah Gilbert vs Irabonoise Oniha
Through the first four games, junior receiver Micah Gilbert was on a tear, but over the last three outings, his production has slowed down quite a bit. This weekend, he'll be going against cornerback Irabonoise Oniha who has struggled in coverage this season, like the entire Midshipmen secondary has. Oniha has given up 243 receiving yards on 16 receptions and two touchdowns. Gilbert needs to get back on track and give Carr a reliable weapon in the boundary and has the prime opportunity to do it on Saturday.
2. Mike Denbrock vs Eric Lewis
Navy defensive coordinator Eric Lewis is in his first year at the helm. The Midshipmen rush defense remains solid, but there's a lot to be taken advantage of in the pass game. Denbrock has to scheme up this Navy secondary and allow the offense to really take off. After struggling to generate a consistent offense against BYU through the air, this matchup against Navy comes at the perfect time. Denbrock has had an up and down season so far, but with Miami coming down the pipe, getting the pass offense going against Navy will be crucial.
We've heard a lot over the last couple weeks about the coach's desire to get Graham, an Ohio State transfer, more involved in the offense. This is the week to do it. After your top three players in their last game played a combined 235 snaps, there's no need for any one of Faison, Greathouse or Gilbert to play over 35 snaps in this game. Graham brings a different skillset to the table than the other three, as does several other pieces in the room. Getting Graham going tomorrow afternoon would bode extremely well for the Notre Dame pass game.
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