Notre Dame Football: Key Defensive Matchups vs. Vanderbilt

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SOUTH BEND, IN – SEPTEMBER 08: Troy Pride Jr. #5 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish hits Nolan Givan #88 of the Ball State Cardinals after a first down catch at Notre Dame Stadium on September 8, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Ball State 24-16.(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Kalija Lipscomb vs. Troy Pride and Julian Love

Lipscomb is one of the most explosive players on this Vanderbilt offense. He is made even more dangerous within this offense by having an experienced quarterback throwing him the ball. Through two games, Lipscomb has 14 catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns.

Pride and Love will each have their fair share of time covering Lipscomb. The Commodores will likely line him up in different formations throughout the game. They will also distribute the ball to him on screens and jet sweeps — forcing the Irish cornerbacks to shed blocks and make tackles in open space.

At 6-1 and 200 pounds, Lipscomb doesn’t have a significant size advantage over either of the Notre Dame conerbacks. He does, however, have the speed and agility to create separation. I would expect defensive coordinator Clark Lea to give his cornerbacks help over the top on most passing downs so they are not left on an island against Lipscomb.

The Notre Dame secondary has been solid defending the pass through two games this season. They currently rank 20th in yards per passing attempt allowed, and they have faced the second-most pass attempts of all teams ranked in the top-20 in that category.

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