Midweek Recap: Notre Dame players need to step up their effort against Louisville
There are several Notre Dame players who need to step up their effort against Louisville
Notre Dame faces a tough test this weekend -concludes when the Battle of the Irish, 10th, will visit the Louisville Cardinals, 25th. Louisville is 5-0 to start the Jeff Brohm era thanks to its dynamic offensive play and line Sports defense, breakthrough.
This is Notre Dame’s third straight game against an undefeated ranked opponent, and the Irish will need a strong performance to win. Part of the performance of this team is the need for specific players to step up and play a key role.
In my latest Midweek Recap, I discuss which players on both sides of the ball will have the chance to make the biggest impact and who must play at a high level for Notre Dame to win.
Sam Hartman, Quarterback – Hartman has been a bright spot for Notre Dame’s offense this season, but the passing game has taken a step back over the past two weeks. As a veteran and a leader, Hartman must play a key role in getting the offense back on track. That includes his own play, which means being a little more assertive, more accurate than he was against Duke, taking some shots downfield and so on.
Another part of Hartman’s deep play this week is bringing in players who haven’t played well. Some players are currently struggling and great midfielders can pick out those players and help them improve their performance levels. Hartman could play a key role in this alongside players like Tobias Merriweather, Chris Tyree, Holden Staes and Jayden Thomas.
If Hartman can do this, not only will he play a huge role in the win over Louisville, but he will also help the Irish play much better offensively going forward.
Interior Offensive Lineup – Notre Dame’s offensive line interior was arguably the most inconsistent part of the offense, if not the team, throughout the season. Guards Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler, along with center Zeke Correll, had a brutal game against Duke, and that played a huge role in the offensive struggles. When this unit plays well, the run game takes over, as we saw with Ohio State.
Against Louisville’s athletic but poor defense, they will be tested once again. They will need to play with much better execution discipline against Louisville, making sure to move their feet effectively and finish much better than we saw last season. Notre Dame needs its running game against Louisville and the defenders are key to making that happen. The pressure they exerted on Duke in the middle could not be allowed against Louisville either. All of this puts pressure on internal affairs people.
Tobias Merriweather/Chris Tyree, wide receiver – I know fans are ready to write off Tobias Merriweather midway through his second season, but I hope Notre Dame’s coaches aren’t short-sighted and emotional. move like that. Simply put, Notre Dame needs Merriweather to play a lot better if the offense is to reach its full potential. They need to find a way to help him get started with the game and that’s where Hartman can play an important role in his education. For his part, Merriweather needs to play with a lot more urgency and focus, and start turning his potential into production.
As for Tyree, he catches every pass that comes his way and is a big play waiting to happen. I still wonder why he hasn’t become the focal point of the offense. Hopefully that changes against Louisville, and if it does, Tyree will have to step up and get open, make catches and make plays to make big plays .
Here are the defensive players:
Thomas Harper, Safety – Louisville has a potent pass game that is averaging over 300 yards, and they are one of the best big play pass offenses in the country so far. Notre Dame has the talent on the outside to keep that part of the game in check, like they have all season. Opponents have realized their best chance to get the pass game going is to attack the inside.
That will put Thomas Harper in a very important role in matchups against the athletic Louisville slot players. He’ll need to be a bit more consistent guarding against the inside routes, but overall he’s been good this season. Louisville also throws a lot of screens and quick throws, and Ha
rper is expected to play the biggest role in their explosion. He has been excellent in that regard all season, and Notre Dame will need him to continue against the Cardinals.
Josh Burnham, defensive back – Notre Dame will be without Vyper senior Jordan Botelho for the first half of the game after he was intentionally ejected in the second half against Duke. That puts sophomores Josh Burnham and junior Tuihalamaka in key roles for at least the first half. Burnham has been an under-used player this season, but when he has been on the field he has made an impact. Notre Dame would be wise to pick up the pace in the first half and allow it to attack Louisville’s passing game. The other option is to put a veteran in there and move guys around, like they did when J.D. Bertrand took on Central Michigan, but that would be a mistake and a missed opportunity.
If Burnham is released, he would have the opportunity to give the Irish a much-needed boost in pass rushing production from the Vyper position. Burnham is a long, wiry player who has the best pressure per snap of any edge rusher on the roster. If this opportunity appears, Burnham must take advantage and compete but must also be careful to limit the mistakes of youth.
DJ Brown, Safety – Notre Dame faces Jack Plummer in his third year and despite his experience, he’s still prone to turnovers. Plummer has thrown six interceptions in five games and he’s prone to mistakes, especially over the middle. Brown is the player that Al Golden often uses to get some of these mistakes by opposing quarterbacks. If he plays disciplined, Brown will have a chance to make big plays.
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