Notre Dame Rush Offense vs. Florida State Run Defense

The Irish have been impressive running the ball this season as they are ranked 13th in the nation averaging 216.5 yards per game with 26 touchdowns and an average of 6 yards per rush. Jeremiyah Love leads with 89 attempts for 564 yards with 9 touchdowns and an average of 6.3 yards per rush. Quarterback Riley Leonard is next with 85 attempts for 539 yards with 11 touchdowns and an average of 6.3 yards per rush. Jadarian Price has 54 attempts for 348 yards with 3 touchdowns and an average of 6.4 yards per rush. Kedren Young has played in 3 games so far with 21 attempts for 116 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 5.5 yards per rush while Aneyas Williams has 14 attempts for 78 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 5.6 yards per rush. The Irish have allowed opponents to make some plays in the backfield as they have allowed 34 tackles for loss this season.

The Seminoles have struggled against the run as they are ranked 115th nationally allowing 191.4 yards per game with 15 touchdowns and an average of 4.6 yards per rush. They have allowed 5 opponents to rush for 200 or more yards with 4 out of the last 5 opponents having more than 200 in those games. Florida State has been effective in terms of getting into opposing backfields with 56 tackles for loss. Patrick Payton has been the leader having 8 tackles for loss while Joshua Farmer has 6.5 tackles for loss.

The Seminoles are coming off 2 consecutive games where they allowed 200 or more yards with 7 rushing touchdowns allowed overall. The opponent of last weekend, North Carolina, rushed for 289 yards with 4 touchdowns which was the worst performance so far this season for Florida State against the run. With the Irish having a deep backfield that can see multiple players get played, this matchup will be favorable as the Irish use the ground game effectively to help set up the passing game as well. Look for the Irish to continue to favor running the ball in a matchup where they have the edge in it.

Edge: Notre Dame

Florida State Rush Offense vs. Notre Dame Run Defense

The Seminoles have not been able to run the ball well this season as they are ranked 132nd in the nation averaging 76.1 yards per game with 5 touchdowns and an average of 2.7 yards per rush. They have been held to less than 100 yards per game in all but 3 games this season but have had more than 100 yards in 2 out of the last 3 games. Lawrance Toafili leads with 78 attempts for 303 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 3.9 yards per rush. Kam Davis, who has missed the last 2 games and his status unknown as of writing, is the next rusher with 38 attempts for 131 yards with an average of 3.5 yards per rush. Quarterback Brock Glenn, who has played in the last 5 games, has 24 attempts for 82 yards with an average of 3.4 yards per rush. Quarterback Luke Kromenhoek, who has played in the last 3 games, has 26 attempts for 70 yards with an average of 2.7 yards per rush. Florida State has also allowed opposing teams to easily get into the backfield with 63 tackles for loss allowed so far this season.

The Irish have been solid against the run this season as they are ranked 44th in the nation allowing 126.8 yards per game with 5 touchdowns and an average of 3.6 yards per rush. The Irish have only allowed Navy to rush for 200 or more yards as they allowed 222 yards in that game which is also the only time that the Irish allowed an opposing team to average more than 5 yards per rush in a game. The Irish have held 2 opponents, Purdue and Georgia Tech, to less than 100 yards. The Irish have been able to get into opposing backfields with 37 tackles for loss this season as Howard Cross leads with 5.5 tackles for loss.

After playing Navy, who are among the best rushing teams, the Irish are now in a matchup against the team that is third to last (as of writing) when it comes to running the ball. Even though the Irish are the better team in this matchup, it will still be best to not overlook the Seminoles. The Irish should be able to rotate players in on defense to help against the run. Look for the Irish to have a strong performance against Florida State and their run game.

Edge: Notre Dame

Notre Dame Pass Offense vs. Florida State Pass Defense

The Irish continue to improve at passing the ball as they are ranked 105th nationally as they average 190.5 yards per game with 10 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and a completion rate of 64.9 percent. Riley Leonard has 131 completions on 198 attempts for 1,360 yards with 8 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and a completion rate of 66.2 percent. Steve Angeli has 11 completions on 20 attempts for 146 yards with 2 touchdowns and a completion rate of 55 percent. Beaux Collins leads the Irish with 28 receptions for 359 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 12.8 yards per reception. Jaden Greathouse has 18 receptions for 244 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 13.6 yards per reception. Kris Mitchell has 13 receptions for 125 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 9.6 yards per reception. Jayden Thomas has 11 receptions for 103 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 9.4 yards per reception while Jayden Harrison has 10 receptions for 103 yards with an average of 10.3 yards per reception. Jordan Faison is back to full strength from injury and has 8 receptions for 81 yards with an average of 10.1 yards per reception. Mitchell Evans leads the tight ends with 16 receptions for 133 yards with an average of 8.3 yards per reception. Cooper Flanagan has 3 receptions for 53 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 17.7 yards per reception while Eli Raridon has 6 receptions for 50 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 8.3 yards per reception. The Irish have allowed 10 sacks and 11 quarterback hurries with just 11 passes broken up.

The Seminoles have been good against the pass as they are ranked 41st in the nation allowing 201.3 yards per game with 11 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a completion rate of 62.4 percent. Florida State has allowed 6 opposing teams to pass for 200 or more yards with 1 team, Cal, passing for 300 or more yards. They held the opening 2 teams, Georgia Tech and Boston College to under 200 yards, but have since allowed 6 out of the last 7 teams to pass for 200 or more yards. The Seminoles have been able to get to opposing quarterbacks with 22 sacks and 28 quarterback hurries with 27 passes broken up.

The Irish have been stronger at the passing game in recent games as many players have been making key plays in the passing game. Having Jordan Faison back at full strength has been a nice boost for the passing offense as it gives opposing teams another player to cover in addition to the rotation of players. With the Seminoles allowing a lot of passing yards in a majority of the games played so far this season, this could help things for the Irish as they could have a chance at a season high in terms of passing yards.

Edge: Even

Florida State Pass Offense vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense

The Seminoles have had some troubles passing the ball this season as they are ranked 108th in the nation as they average 188.4 passing yards per game with 8 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a completion rate of just 49.6 percent. Florida State has had only 4 games this season where they have passed for 200 or more yards and have completed less than 60 percent of their passes in every game except the season opener and they have also played 3 quarterbacks this season. DJ Uiagalelei played the first 5 games before breaking his finger late in the loss at SMU and has not played since and on the season has 84 completions on 156 attempts for 1,065 yards with 4 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and a completion rate of 53.8 percent. It is likely with that injury that he may not play anymore this season. Brock Glenn has 43 completions on 93 attempts for 515 yards with 4 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and a completion rate of 46.2 percent. Luke Kromenhoek has 11 completions on 28 attempts for 116 yards with 2 interceptions and a completion rate of 39.3 percent. Ja’Khi Douglas has 25 receptions for 404 yards with 3 touchdowns and an average of 16.2 yards per reception. Malik Benson has 23 receptions for 302 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 13.1 yards per reception. Kentron Poitier has 19 receptions for 155 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 15.5 yards per reception while Hykeem Williams has 13 receptions for 153 yards with an average of 11.8 yards per reception. Kyle Morlock leads all tight ends with 10 receptions for 123 yards and an average of 12.3 yards. Landen Thomas is not far behind with 9 receptions for 110 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 12.2 yards per reception. The Seminoles have had significant trouble in pass protection by allowing 30 sacks and 36 quarterback hurries with 30 passes broken up.

The Irish have been outstanding at defending the pass as they are ranked 4th nationally allowing 156.1 yards per game with 6 touchdowns, 10 interceptions (2 returned for touchdowns), and a completion rate of just 48.9 percent. The Irish have held all but 2 opponents to less than 200 yards and every opponent has had a completion rate of less than 60 percent. The Irish have been solid at getting to opposing quarterbacks with 18 sacks and 29 quarterback hurries with an impressive 35 passes broken up.

The Seminoles look better at passing the ball in comparison to running the ball, but they have still faced significant struggles in the passing game. By playing 3 quarterbacks that have all struggled and have had numerous combinations of starting offensive linemen that have led to issues in pass protection. With the Irish being able to rotate players in on defense and a defensive backfield that is the strongest unit on the team, this will be another matchup that the Irish have the edge in.

Edge: Notre Dame

Special Teams

The status of Mitch Jeter remains questionable as of writing as he has not played since having an injury early on the win over Stanford. Mitch Jeter is 5 of 7 (both misses were blocked) on field goals with an accuracy rate of 71.4 percent and a long of 48. Zac Yoakam has played instead and is 2 of 4 with an accuracy rate of 50 percent and a long of 42 yards. James Rendell has 27 punts with an average of 40.4 yards per punt. Jayden Harrison has returned 5 kickoffs for 124 yards with an average of 24.8 yards. Max Hurleman has returned 8 punts for 66 yards with an average of 8.25 yards. The Irish have blocked 3 kicks and have had 2 kicks blocked.

Ryan Fitzgerald is a perfect 10 for 10 with an accuracy rate of 100 percent and a long of 59 yards. Alex Mastromanno has 43 punts with an average of 49.4 yards per punt. Samuel Singleton Jr. has 9 kickoff returns for 267 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 29.7 yards. Lawayne McCoy has returned 6 punts for just 7 yards with an average of 1.2 yards. The Seminoles have an impressive 5 kicks blocked and have had 1 kick blocked.

Stronger Unit: Florida State

Final Thoughts

The Irish return home after an impressive win against Navy in a neutral site matchup and the second bye week of the season. Florida State is coming off a home loss to North Carolina and is now 1-8 on the season. They have only played 3 games outside of Florida and only 1 game since late September and this will most likely have the lowest temperature at kickoff that they will experience as well. The Irish have continued to be impressive on offense with a strong run game and an improving pass game with a defense that remains elite. Getting to a strong start and keeping that up will be important to help get the backups some extensive playing time later on in the game as well. It will also be extremely important to not overlook Florida State and a record this season that is weaker. If the Irish do get off to a strong start early on and with low temperatures that Florida State will experience in comparison to what they have experienced, it could mean that the game could be over quite quickly. The defense will need to make sure to apply pressure as well as the Seminoles have allowed a considerable amount of sacks this season. Look for the Irish to play strong for a primetime crowd at home.

Prediction: Notre Dame 42, Florida State 10

As always, GO IRISH!

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