An early playoff game in south bend: notre dame vs miami game preview

Catholics vs Convicts. A historic rivalry kicks off Saturday night between two of the top three teams in odds to win the National Championship.

Each team also has a quarterback in the top three of Heisman odds, in Darian Mensah and CJ Carr. Star Wide Receiver Malachi Toney has been ruled out for the showdown after undergoing ankle surgery this week. Let’s break down this game that seems to have infinitely many headlines.

Let’s start with the Miami offense. Without Malachi Toney it’s impossible to know what the Canes will do offensively.

Mensah has started this year, but a lot of that is due to having one of the best players in the sport at his side. Now, Wide Receiver Cooper Barkate will be the Hurricane’s number one target and Daylyn Upshaw and Elijah Loften are destined to see more usage.

The Canes also have an elite one- two punch in the running game with Javian Mallory and Mark Fletcher, but are going up against one of the nation’s top run defenses. Even without Toney, this offense is star-studded and still one of the nation’s most high powered units.

They will be going up against one of the best defenses in all of college football. That being said, the Irish defense has struggled more than many had anticipated. Part of that is due to injuries, especially in the secondary. Safety Tae Johnson, Mel Kiper’s #1 safety on his big board, has been out and will be out for this game.

Early Day 1 picks Leonard Moore and Kyngston Villiamu-Asa have also been out, but will play on Saturday. Cornerback DJ McKinney will be out for Notre Dame and two starting defensive tackles are questionable, in Jayson Onye and Francis Brewu.

Overall, with all things considered, this will be a real challenge for the Notre Dame defense, but not having to worry about Malachi Toney only helps.

Forcing turnovers and getting pressure on Mensah will be crucial in this game, as the Irish look to create chaos and give their offense great field position. They will look to Defensive Ends Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young to do so.

On the other side of the ball, the Irish have slowly turned into a pass first offense. Against a pass defense that is struggling, I entirely expect the Irish to throw the ball close to 40 times. CJ Carr is still waiting for his Heisman moment and I expect them to come out firing this game.

In my opinion, Notre Dame should elect to receive if they win the coin toss, and script up a passing gameplan to expose Miami’s one weakness.

All season it’s been Micah Gilbert, Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison as the three receivers for the Irish, with the three playing all but two snaps against BYU. However, Jerome Bettis Jr. showed out last week against Navy and he could play a huge role as the 4th receiver in this game.

CJ Carr’s offense will be facing the Hurricane defense that has struggled against the pass this year, allowing great passing games to every team they’ve played this year with a pulse.

This is part due to O.J. Frédérique’s injury, Miami’s best cornerback. However, the Miami run defense has been solid and they have great pass rushers in Marquise Lightfoot, who has seven sacks this season, and Damon Wilson. They will be facing an offensive line that has only allowed two sacks all season.

As college football fans, we’ve been waiting for this game for a long time. There’s nothing better than this matchup and the stakes that it presents. As a student at Notre Dame, I’ve felt the tension, energy and excitement surrounding this game for the past week, and it can be expected that Notre Dame Stadium will be rocking tomorrow with their College Football Playoff fate on the line. On a Saturday with many great games, this one still certainly is the game of the week, if not the game of the year. It’s going to be special.