SOUTH BEND — Coming into the 2024 season, Miami (Ohio) felt like it could be a trap game for Notre Dame football. The RedHawks went 11-3 last year, winning the Mid-American Conference championship. With several key pieces back from last season as well, Miami felt like a dark horse selection to earn the Group of Five selection into the College Football Playoff.
While the RedHawks are still a dangerous team, an 0-2 start with losses to Northwestern and Cincinnati have dampened some of the excitement surrounding them. And with Notre Dame having already lost to a MAC school at home this season in Northern Illinois, chances are the Fighting Irish are acutely focused on making sure history doesn’t repeat itself Saturday (3:30 p.m., NBC).
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Here are three keys to the Notre Dame vs. Miami (OH) game, plus Tribune staff predictions:
Notre Dame’s defense needs to keep Miami stagnant
It’s been tough sledding for the RedHawks offense the first two games. They scored six points against Northwestern and 16 against Cincinnati, making its 11 points-per-game average the second lowest in the country.
The pass-happy attack has seen quarterback Brett Gabbert go 45-for-72 passing for 566 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Eight different players have combined for 45 rush attempts for the RedHawks, gaining just a total of 64 yards in two games.
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Notre Dame has a top-25 passing defense in the country so far, allowing just 140.7 yards per game through the air so far. While the 124.7 yards per game…
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Author : South Bend Tribune
Publish date : 2024-09-19 08:04:47
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