the Notre Dame Fighting Irish He hasn’t won a national championship in 37 years, being one of college football’s dormant giants. However, they have a chance to change that Monday night against Ohio State.
Here are three reasons why the Fighting Irish won the national championship.
They can control the ball effectively
Calling Notre Dame’s offense explosive would be like saying the sky is green. Although they don’t produce many big passes (69th percentile in explosive play via GameOnPaper), they move the ball at an incredibly successful rate and win early snaps. Ohio State’s defense has played at an incredible level since their loss to Michigan, but what has helped them the most is the ability to stop the run while in the mold of a three-safety defense. Notre Dame’s offense is a little different from Texas, Tennessee and Oregon’s in that they will not attempt to punt the ball, lining up in more condensed sets to run the ball with a physical line and three viable threats in the backfield. Notre Dame may not win the shootout, but if they can limit the possessions the Buckeyes get during the game, they might have a chance.
This could be a bit of an issue, with how strong their offensive line is. New left tackle Anthony Knapp exited this game with a high ankle sprain and Charles Gagosa stepped in. Gagosa was supposed to be the starter this year but tore his pectoral in the offseason, but now he is stepping in, in the biggest game of the year. Rocco Spindler is also upset, but he will play on Monday which helps him a lot. Notre Dame’s offensive line has been a strong point all season, but the lights will have to go out against Ohio State.
Young cornerbacks grow up — fast
One of the most noticeable things about the performance of Notre Dame’s defense in the playoffs was the way its young cornerbacks played. Freshman CB Leonard Moore and sophomore CB Christian Gray were thrown into the fire in the Fighting Irish’s coverage-heavy defense, but they held up well, forcing teams to go elsewhere.
This will be their toughest matchup against the group of MonStars they face in Ohio State. Newcomer WR Jeremiah Smith is arguably the best player in the game, and Emeka Egbuka is still one of the best receivers in the country despite Smith being the top guy on the team. I don’t think the Irish change their game plan in the biggest game of the season and dance with the girl that got them there. This means there will be a lot of man coverage, and with that comes opportunities for the Buckeyes to attack. Gray and Moore will need to be at their best, and if they can at least slow down the superstars the Buckeyes have on the outside, they will have a chance to win the game.
Riley sets up Leonard for a header
I’m calling this section the Riley Leonard Headshot Mode largely because I believe that in order to win this game, Leonard’s legs will once again have to be the game changers. In high-leverage situations, Notre Dame always leaned on Leonard’s legs to not only be a curveball, but he was extremely effective in short-yardage situations and in the red zone. He’s not just a Daniel Jones-type runner who surprises you with how athletic he is – he’s a truly remarkable runner. If Ohio State can marshal running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price in the ground game, it looks like there will be opportunities for Leonard to be the power play he needs to be in this game.
The way the Buckeyes play their defense, it is designed to attack attackers who want to space out. I wonder if the Fighting Irish will try to ramp up and get Leonard moving on the ground with draws and QB plays that get him downhill to start this game, if only to make Ohio State feel like a threat to Leonard on the ground. This team was built using its legs as part of the engine, and in order for them to hoist the CFP Cup, Leonard’s legs will need to be huge again.