Notre Dame Football: Key Matchups On Offense vs. Michigan

Michigan week is here and there are some interesting matchups for Notre Dame football on offense ahead of Saturday night in Ann Arbor.

Michigan gives up 19 points per game to opponents. Notre Dame football scores nearly 40 points per game. Michigan’s stats on the surface look good, but they have only held two opponents under 20 points: Rutgers and Iowa. The rest have averaged 26 points per game.

All of this seems to point to the Irish getting to that 25 number or above, which exudes some confidence from the fan base. For the majority of the analysis, I am going to look at what Wisconsin and Penn State did well on offense. These are the two best teams Michigan has played to date, and I am of the belief that Notre Dame is the best of this bunch.

Neither Wisconsin or Penn State had particularly solid days throwing the football against Michigan, but what they did do is pick their spots wisely, protect the football and found ways to utilize their athletes. This leads me to my first key matchup.

Ian Book vs. Michigan Pass Defense

Michigan did not allow either of these two teams to throw for over 182 yards, but what both Clifford (Penn State) and Coan (Wisconsin) did was play nice efficient games. Book, statistically speaking, is better than both of these quarterbacks and Notre Dame relies on him to make plays more than Penn State and Wisconsin rely on their quarterbacks. The Wolverines only allow 163 yards through the air per game while the Irish average close to 250. Something has to give.

As Clifford and Coan showed, Book doesn’t need to throw for 300 and 3 touchdowns to lead a victory. He simply needs to protect the football — like he’s done all year — and let his top playmakers make plays. Penn State’s top 3 receivers averaged 21 yards vs. Michigan, while Wisconsin’s averaged 15. Both of those numbers are solid. Claypool, Kmet and whoever ends up the third guy on Saturday night should have similar numbers.

Notre Dame Receivers vs. Michigan Secondary

This has been the talk of Notre Dame Twitter this week. Penn State was able to expose the back end of the Michigan defense with speed and talent. Jahan Dotson and KJ Hamler both made big plays for the Nittany Lions, and the Irish have athletes such as Michael Young, Braden Lenzy and Lawrence Keys that could provide similar successes — not to mention their best receiver Chase Claypool is a difficult cover for anyone. Pat Freiermuth also made a very Cole Kmet type catch for a touchdown, which leads me to believe he could be in line for another very impressive performance.

One more wrinkle Notre Dame will have its disposal this weekend — the unofficial official return of Jafar Armstrong. The idea of Armstrong lined up in the slot and in two back sets is something that makes me very excited. This will be the first time all year the Notre Dame offense is at full strength, which should provide Chip Long with a variety of different looks to throw at the Michigan defense.

In three separate drives, we could see Armstrong/Jones on the field at the same time, Kmet/Claypool/Tremble on the field at the same time and Lenzy/Young on the field at the same time. Three different, but effective ways to confuse an opposing defense.

Notre Dame Offensive Line vs. Michigan Defensive Line

Even with the losses of Gary and Winovich, the strength of the Michigan defense is in the trenches. I would argue their two best defenders are Josh Uche and Aidan Hutchinson. With that said, the Irish offensive line continues to improve with every snap they take and are playing with a high level of confidence right now. If the offensive line can continue to give Book a clean pocket and open up running lanes for Tony Jones and company, we should be in for a relatively stress-free performance.

Jarrett Patterson is coming off his best game in a Irish uniform at center, and that was desperately needed. He and both guards will have their hands full against Uche and will need to continue their upward trend for Notre Dame to get the win.