Tomorrow afternoon, the No. 3 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish host the 1-0 Rice Owls in their home opener. Head coach Marcus Freeman will be looking to change the narrative about the Irish in home openers, and this Saturday will be the perfect opportunity to get the ball rolling at home.
The Notre Dame offense has a good day, not great day, against Wisconsin in the season opener, but put up 34 overall points against a Big 10 team in the first game of the season. This weekend will be the perfect opportunity for a 'get right' game for Mike Denbrock'sunit. Here are the three biggest storylines, two crucial battles and one player to watch for Saturday's matchup against Rice.
1. Ramped Up Receiver Production
We know what senior Jordan Faison can do but over the next couple of games, Denbrock and receivers coach Mike Brown have to be more intentional about getting other talented players in the mix. Here's the reality: Faison is a really good player, but they're going to need more than just the 5-11, 195-pound captain to beat teams like BYU, Miami, SMU and whatever matchups they get in the post season. Against an opponent like Rice, the Irish need to force the issue with guys like Jaden Greathouse , Mylan Graham , Micah Gilbert or a host of other talented players while still including Faison in the week to week game plan.
2. Offensive Line Dominance
It was a tale of two halves for the offensive line last week. That should not be the case against the Rice defensive line this week. The first half offensive line performance against Wisconsin left a lot to be desired, but by all accounts this should be a matchup they should absolutely dominate on Saturday afternoon. Notre Dame has the size advantage, skill advantage and experience advantage at multiple spots. This should be a dominant day in both phases for the offensive line.
3. Get The Tight Ends Involved
Rice lacks the personnel on defense to be able to keep up with both Cooper Flanagan who is 6-6, 255-pounds and James Flanigan who is 6-6, 253-pounds. These players should be matchup nightmares for the Rice defense. Ideally, Denbrock uses them to work the seams and down in the red zone. They'll likely be matched up against safety Koa Akui for the Owls and he's 5-10, 195-pounds. This should be a matchup that strongly favors the Irish both as run blockers and impact catchers in the pass game. This offense needs another pass catcher to step up alongside Faison. It would be a wideout, or it could be the law firm of Flanagan and Flanigan.
1. Offensive Tackles vs Chibby Nwajuaku
The offensive tackles matchup with Rice edge rusher Chibby Nwajuaku is interesting to dive into. He's not the traditional defensive end the Irish are used to seeing. On occasion, he'll get a running head start, almost making it look like he's blitzing from a linebacker position. Both offensive tackles, Guerby Lambert and Will Black will have to remain patient in their pass sets and aggressive in the run game against this gimmicky defense. This should be a matchup where CJ Carr 's jersey is clean for the duration of the game. This matchup will be telling of that coming to fruition.
2. Micah Gilbert vs Kyren Condoll
One of the positions that should get going in this game for the Irish is the boundary receiver position. With Quincy Porter , the Ohio State transfer still working back from injury, Gilbert has been holding down this spot. The North Carolina native had one of the better off seasons on the Fighting Irish roster according to coaches for the second year in a row. Now, it's time to turn that potential into production, but he'll have to win his matchups against Rice cornerback Kyren Condoll who's one of the taller defenders in the secondary.
Of all the matchups on offense, I would argue that the biggest mismatch in Notre Dame's favorite is Flanagan as a pass catcher. The 6-6, 255-pound California native has the potential to have a game-wrecker type of performance in the pass game. He's proven what he's been able to do in the run game. Carr will be looking for another down-field weapon to join Faison and Flanagan should strongly enter his name into that hat with a strong performance Saturday afternoon. It wont be the end all, be all considering the level of the opponent, but it would be a strong step in the right direction in building chemistry with them.
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