Having gone from an awful to an almost flawless performance, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are hoping for a consistent path to win this Saturday. At that time, the Irish will play host to the Miami of Ohio Redhawks in an attempt to win their first game at home this year. That was meant to occur against another MAC school, Northern Illinois; nevertheless, the outcome was more of an early reality check.
After losing their opening two games, the RedHawks will be searching for their first victory. The most recent occurred on Saturday during a 27-16 loss to Cincinnati; Miami’s potentially explosive offense is still waiting for its season’s first big game. They are only scoring 11 points per game on average in 2024. They have one more non-conference game before beginning MAC action after taking on the Irish.
Some of the main games to look out for on Saturday are listed below:
Miami of Ohio Defense vs. QB Riley Leonard
Leonard ran for 100 yards and three scores against Purdue, putting his legs to the most of his damage. Of these scores, the 34-yard scamper that increased the Irish lead to 21-0 was the most spectacular. His first Notre Dame touchdown pass is still eluded him. But considering how susceptible the RedHawks are to the run, the ground game might once more be more important.
In its two losses, Miami’s defense has struggled to halt opposition runs. In the Cincinnati loss, this unit surrendered 215 yards overall and allowed an average of 5.6 yards per carry. For the RedHawks, keeping an eye on Leonard in addition to Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price’s potent one-two punch will be a formidable task.
Defense of Notre Dame versus Brett Gabbert
Irish defenders were dominant versus Purdue after faltering against Northern Illinois. Notre Dame has shut down the Boilermakers in third-down scenarios, allowing just one first down in 13 attempts, and has only allowed one touchdown in each of its three games. On Saturday, they can anticipate an airstrike from Gabbard.
Although Gabbert has the potential to succeed in the NFL, his primary issue with the RedHawks has been maintaining his health. After a serious leg injury, the previous season ended in October. Despite being in his sixth season at Miami, he has only played in double figures twice. He has thrown for 566 yards this season, but three interceptions have offset his two touchdown passes.
MLB vs. RB Jeremiyah Love Thank you, Wise
Love, who has gained 279 yards in the first three games, is making the most of his opportunity to shine. Reaching his 2023 production is just 106 yards away, which he might potentially do on Saturday. He scored the first Notre Dame touchdown against Purdue, showcasing his skills and quickness. In all three Irish games, he has reached the end zone. Every time he carries the ball this year, he gains eight yards.
In just two games, Wise has already recorded 13 stops and three tackles for loss. After starting his collegiate career at Indiana, he enjoyed a breakthrough season with the RedHawks the previous season. Nine of his 122 tackles were from behind the line. With five pass breakups in a single season last year, his hard-hitting style also caused a fumble and made him a threat in passing situations.
CB Ben Morrison/Christitan Gray vs Wide Receiver Cade McDonald
With just 11 passes completed and 124 yards of total offense, the Purdue blowout proved to be easy for Morrison and his partner Christian Gray. Given that Gabbert has already aired the ball out 72 times, with McDonald being his favorite target, they ought to be much more active this week.
McDonald is halfway beyond his 28-catch total from the whole previous season, averaging eight catches per game. Despite having enrolled at Michigan State in 2019, he did not play a significant role during his four seasons with the Spartans. Even though Gabbert tries to spread his passes around, McDonald has now surpassed the century mark in receiving yards per game.
TE WLB vs. Mitchell Evans Matt Salopek
Evans is still making strides toward returning to his pre-injury level. Following his reacclimatization in the Texas A&M opening, he has caught five passes in the last two games, three of which came against Purdue. Evans was growing into one more talented Irish tight end in the long line until his injury last year. He is probably going to face up against Eli Blakey, the strong safety, in addition to Salopek on Saturday.
Actually, Salopek will probably be there throughout the competition. The sixth-year senior’s 398 stops, including 19 this year, throughout the previous three seasons and this year lend credence to his moniker, The Tackling Machine. Despite his fair share of missteps behind the scenes, he possesses the versatility to square up against Evans.
