Notre Dame Football: Key Offensive Matchups vs. Northwestern
Notre Dame wide receivers vs Northwestern secondary
The Notre Dame receivers have been high-quality in recent weeks. Everyone from Chase Claypool to Myles Boykin has really stepped their game up. That trend will need to continue against a respectable Wildcat secondary.
Northwestern is right in the middle of the pack in pass defense, giving up 220.8 pass yards per game — which ranks 58th. (Side note: they give up 0.1 yard less per game than future opponent USC.) They also only have six interceptions, which is 71st in the country.
Montre Hartage and Trae Williams are the starters at cornerback. They’re a solid duo, combining for 58 tackles, 1 sack, an interception and two fumble recoveries. Hartage also has 10 passes defended. They’ll be matched up against Claypool and Boykin, so they’re going to need to be at the top of their game.
At safety, Jared McGee and JR Pace will be running the show, and that’s where the strength of the secondary comes in. The two have 48 and 45 tackles, respectively, and have combined for nine passes defended. Pace in particular is someone to worry about. Another young gun of the Wildcat defense (only a sophomore), Pace has three interceptions in his first full season after having two in just six games last year. McGee is also no stranger to logging interceptions, as he’s got four over his career. They also have three tackles for loss each.
Next. 3 Storylines vs. Northwestern. dark
I think Notre Dame has a clear advantage over the corners, but Pace and McGee bring things a lot closer. Expect to hear a lot of their names this weekend as Northwestern looks to shut down Ian Book and company.