Notre Dame Football: Key Defensive Matchups vs. Michigan

Karan Higdon vs. Notre Dame Linebackers

Higdon led the Michigan Wolverines in carries, total rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns in 2017. He is set to do the same in 2018. Higdon was just six yards shy of 1,000 total rushing yards last season. Coming up just short of that mark will surely give him some extra motivation heading into his senior year.

Higdon is a talented runner, but he will be running behind a sub-par offensive line this season. On the other hand, the addition of quarterback Shea Patterson should provide a boost to the Michigan rushing attack. Whether those two will cancel each other out or not has yet to be seen.

Notre Dame will have plenty of talent and experience at the linebacker position this season. Even more promising is the rotation they will have along the defensive line. The guys along the defensive front should make the linebackers’ jobs much easier when it comes to defending the run.

In the passing game, Michigan’s backup running back, Chris Evans, was more of a threat than Higdon was. Both should be utilized in the passing game this season. In passing situations, I think Notre Dame’s linebackers will fare well against both backs in coverage. They have the athleticism and range to do so.

Drue Tranquill and Te’von Coney faced one of the best running back tandems in the country last year when Georgia came to South Bend. For the most part, they held their own. Karan Higdon and Chris Evans might not be on the same level as Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, but they are still a very formidable duo.