There are no doubts left about Notre Dame’s authenticity. Thanks to an inexplicable early season loss to Northern Illinois, and the fact that their independent status precludes them from competing for a conference title, the Fighting Irish flew under the radar all year despite amassing an 11-1 record and largely dismantling every team that has stepped on the field against them.
That streak of dominance has continued through the College Football Playoff where Notre Dame entered as a No. 7 seed. The Irish led by 27-3 late into the fourth quarter of their first-round game against 11-win Indiana before the Hoosiers made a late — if feeble — run to make the final deficit a more respectable 27-17.
Then, in the quarterfinal against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, Notre Dame allowed an early field goal and never trailed again while rag-dolling the SEC champions en route to a 23-10 victory. How the Irish have gotten this far is even more impressive.
Few teams entered the College Football Playoff with more meaningful injuries. Notre Dame battled through a majority of the year without several key starters at every level of the field. Now, entering the semifinal portion of the bracket, the status of top running back Jeremiyah Love is in the air after he appeared to re-aggravate a knee injury against Georgia.
The Irish keep winning, though, and now they’re just two wins away from their first national title in almost 40 years. Here’s how Notre Dame can make it to the mountaintop.
1. Dominance in the trenches
Marcus Freeman has put a lot of time into building his roster from the ground up, and it shows. In spite of the mounting injuries — Notre Dame has been without two of its top defensive lineman and two of its starting offensive linemen for a majority of the year, and it lost leading sack artist Rylie Mills to a knee injury in the first round — the Irish are still winning more often than not in the trenches.
In fact, they whooped a very strong Georgia line in the quarterfinal round. Georgia’s offensive tackles didn’t have an answer for Junior Tuihalamaka, who stepped up with Mills out and finished the game with one sack, two tackles for loss and a bevy of quarterback pressures. He was one of four Notre Dame players to finish the game with a sack. The Irish also had nine tackles for loss as a team.
Even with a healthy Trevor Etienne Jr., Georgia only rushed for 62 net yards at a paltry rate of 2.1 yards per carry. By comparison, Notre Dame, behind its offensive line, had 154 yards on 4.2 yards per carry, and that was without Love for a majority of the game.
That win against Georgia wasn’t some breakout performance; Notre Dame has been wearing teams out from the inside all year. The Irish had three sacks and 10 tackles for loss in the first round against Indiana and carried the ball for 193 yards against a Hoosiers defense that currently ranks No. 1 nationally versus the rush. That’s a winning recipe.
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard may not be the most traitsy quarterback. He doesn’t have a huge arm, and though he is an effective runner, he isn’t the most athletic signal caller out there right now. But he is a proven winner, and at this point in the postseason, that matters more than anything else.
Leonard’s never had a losing record as a collegiate starting quarterback. He won nine games his first year leading Duke’s offense in 2022 and is 26-9 overall. Though he has legitimate NFL Draft upside and a future to think about, he puts his body on the line to ensure that his team walks out with a win.
Up 23-10 with about 6 minutes left to play against Georgia, Leonard ran for it on third-and-7. He got close to the first-down marker and met star Georgia defensive back Malaki Starks. Instead of sliding, Leonard dove into Starks and rolled over his body to pick up the first down, allowing Notre Dame to bleed more clock on its eventual win.
Leonard made a business decision, and that decision was putting the team above himself. He’s shown that he’s willing to do that throughout his career. When a quarterback takes risks like that, it inspires the whole team to play up to that standard.
Not to mention the fact that Leonard can be a nightmare to play against. He can really hurt other teams with his legs, and he’s hard to plan for with his ability to make plays outside of structure. His off-platform throws can frustrate opponents, especially if those throws come against tight coverage. Defenses have to stay honest and disciplined even if Leonard is forced outside of the pocket.
He’s the model of a quarterback that can lead his team to the promised land.
3. Secondary can cover space
Notre Dame’s secondary has had to operate with a “next man up” mentality of its own thanks to injuries and midseason transfer departures. Standout cornerback Benjamin Morrison, widely regarded as a potential first-round NFL Draft pick, has been out since October with a hip injury.
Yet, as with other units, Notre Dame’s secondary hasn’t seen a steep drop off in quality. Having an All-American safety like Xavier Watts on the backend helps; he can single-handedly cover up a lot of deficiencies with his ability to run in space and make an impact all over the field.
That’s a standout trait about a lot of Notre Dame’s defensive backs. Opponents do not get a ton of extra yardage against the Fighting Irish, who are an incredibly fundamental team.
Beside Watts, Notre Dame has redshirt freshman Adon Shuler, who was the highest graded safety in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal round, according to Pro Football Focus. Sophomore cornerback Christian Gray has acquitted himself well in light of Morrison’s injury.
Notre Dame will need its safeties to be at their best against Penn State, where they face off against tight end Tyler Warren. He’s the top weapon in an offense that largely lacks for premier playmakers along the perimeter. Get past the Nittany Lions and Notre Dame will have to face either Ohio State or Texas, both teams that are absolutely stocked at wide receiver.
The Irish have the secondary to match up, but they’re going to be tested.
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