After their victory in the first week, what worries should Fighting Irish supporters have?
After defeating Texas A&M on Saturday, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish got off to a fantastic start to the NCAA football season. There’s still cause for Notre Dame supporters to be concerned about the roster, even after the team won 23–13.
Will Riley Leonard’s offensive assault be sufficient to advance Notre Dame to the College Football Playoffs? And against some of their more formidable opponents, can their defensive line bring the quarterback down? Following their 1-0 start, South Bend has all of these questions.
The offence of Notre Dame has to improve.
The story of this issue is not fully told by the scoreline. Even though Notre Dame won on Saturday with 23 points, they won’t be able to defeat some of the more formidable opponents they face. After two quarters of play, the score was tied, with them having scored six points in the first half. Despite their stronger play in the second half, the offence needs to step up.
Leonard had difficulty overcoming the Aggie defence. He completed 18 of his 30 throws for 158 yards in his debut game with the Irish, recording no touchdowns and no interceptions. Although Mike Elko’s deep understanding of the game may have contributed to his bad night, it raises concerns for the Notre
In the second half, the running game was successful. Both of Jeremiyah Love’s and Jadarian Price’s touchdowns were on the ground. Although Notre Dame’s running game was strong, winning a national championship greatly depends on the quarterback position. In the upcoming weeks, they can work things out with the aid of a flexible schedule.
A strong defence must accumulate sacks.
Against Texas A&M, Notre Dame’s defence played a strong game that raised few red flags. They barely made three tackles for loss and only had one QB sack in spite of only giving up 13 scores. Even though they performed admirably to help the team win, they ought to do much more in those areas going forward.
Their next game will be played at home against Northern Illinois. The defensive line should rack up more sacks from the Saturday afternoon game. Even though the Huskies did not allow any sacks in their opening game against Western Illinois, they are still a step below the Irish. For Notre Dame to establish itself as a top defence, they need to force more than five tackles for loss and several sacks against Northern Illinois.
These worries need to be the top priority as Notre Dame gets ready for the rest of their schedule. For Notre Dame to qualify for the expanded playoffs and win a national championship, head coach Marcus Freeman has to make sure these issues don’t persist.
