Notre Dame Football: Top Offensive Matchups vs. New Mexico

With the bye week in the rear view and New Mexico week upon us, it is time to look into different matchups to expect when Notre Dame is on offense Saturday.

New Mexico won their first game of the season 39-31, but it didn’t come without it’s defensive blunders. They allowed nearly 500 yards through the air and another 115 on the ground. That was against Sam Houston State. Notre Dame should no issue moving the ball and scoring plenty of points.

Here are the top matchups to watch when Notre Dame has the ball on Saturday.

Ian Book vs. New Mexico Secondary

Whether it was the secondary, lack of a pass rush or a mix of everything in the first game, New Mexico was not good on defense — allowing 453 yards passing. Book, who is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in college football, struggled in the season opener. However, New Mexico should provide a nice boost to his confidence heading into Georgia. Expect a huge game from Book, but he could also be out of the game early in the second half. Maybe we will see two quarterbacks for the Irish with big numbers, which would be fun for Phil Jurkovec.

Irish RBs vs. Lobos Front Seven

Again, New Mexico’s first game was against an FCS opponent, but they were good against the run — allowing only 115 yards and 3.3 per carry. Expect a better effort from Notre Dame against New Mexico, but don’t be surprised if the focus from Chip Long and the offensive coaching staff is to get Book into a groove in the passing game. Tony Jones could be out of the game by half time, so young guys Jahmir Smith (if he plays), C’Bo Flemister and Kyren Williams could have ample chances to shine later in the game.

Flemister offers something to the Irish attack they don’t really have with Armstrong out. He isn’t much of a factor in the passing game, but his quickness and straight line speed is better than the rest. His big play capability on the ground could be counted on during the year. As for Williams, it would be nice to see his abilities in the passing game, as Chip Long want to utilize two-back sets more often.

Young Receivers vs. Inexperience

This isn’t really a matchup, but more of an intrigue, as the game should be out of hand in the second half. With Michael Young still out and Cole Kmet questionable for Saturday’s game, we could see a lot more Tommy Tremble, Lawrence Keys III, Joe Wilkins, Braden Lenzy, etc.

It would make sense for the staff to get all of those guys some snaps to see what they might have as the season goes on. We all want to see Lenzy catch a long go-route for a touchdown, and New Mexico is the perfect first game for that. We want to see Tremble lined up out wide, possibly even at the X, as his athletic ability lends itself to playing more of a wide receiver role for this team as currently constructed.

Lawrence Keys simply needs more reps, as he is currently the starter in the slot, and Wilkins is a solid reserve that should receive some time this season. Maybe this is even a game where we see someone like Cam Hart take advantage of the four-game red-shirt rule.

All in all, not much craziness going on from a matchup standpoint this week, but Notre Dame fans want to see Book play well and the young guys seize the moment with some reps. It should be fun day for Notre Dame football fans.