Slap the Sign
Fansided

Notre Dame Football vs. Duke Blue Devils Gameday Primer

By Mason Plummer

ATHENS, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 21: Ian Book #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish warms up prior to playing the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATHENS, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 21: Ian Book #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish warms up prior to playing the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Notre Dame football
SOUTH BEND, IN – SEPTEMBER 01: Jafar Armstrong #8 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish carries the ball in the first quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Notre Dame Stadium on September 1, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Key Offensive Player for Duke: Deon Jackson, RB

There aren’t many positions where Duke has the advantage in terms of player ability and skill, but running back is one of them. Deon Jackson has been a stud for Duke this season and was actually recruited by Notre Dame, but ND never actually offered him. It seems as if the coaching staff may regret that decision, as at the time Notre Dame had Deon McIntosh as their ‘guy’ but he ended up transferring and obviously not working out at ND.

On the season, the junior Jackson has tallied 487 yards on 124 attempts with five TDs. Jackson has also been a major threat through the air as he has racked up 142 yards on 14 receptions and scored two TDs. His ability to run and catch the ball out of the backfield could prove problematic for the Notre Dame defense.

With Jackson’s unique abilities and the lack of playmakers around him, its a given that HC David Cutcliffe is going to find ways to get Jackson the ball and get him involved regularly. Cutcliffe has the ability to out-coach and out ‘X and O’ just about anyone in college football, and given he had two weeks to prepare for what Notre Dame and Clark Lea will throw at him, expect to see Duke succeed offensively with Jackson as the focal point.

Key Offensive Player for Notre Dame: Jafar Armstrong, RB

Coming into this season, everyone expected the electric Jafar Armstrong to pick up from where he left off last season and be a playmaker and difference maker for this Notre Dame offense.

That hasn’t happened.

There is a multitude of reasons for Armstrong not meeting expectations, mainly injuries. The junior RB went down on the first series against Louisville and has not looked the same since. Now that he is at 100 percent or close to it, he needs to start being the player he was last season.

However, that becomes immensely more difficult now that Notre Dame has lost the right side of its offensive line. Losing Kraemer and Hainsey hurts a ton and especially hurts the running game. Armstrong is going to need to prove himself against Duke and solidify himself as the RB1 in this offense, and its won’t be easy. The Duke D-line is a very good one and with a new half of the ND O-Line, running may not be easy. This is where Armstrong needs to be elusive and shifty like we know he can be.

It is likely that Armstrong and Tony Jones both return next season, but with the highly-touted 5-star RB Chris Tyree coming in, there is no doubt he is going to ‘get his’. Will Armstrong prove himself for this season and next? We will see.

Home/Notre Dame Football