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10 ways Notre Dame Football can make it back to the College Football Playoff

By Daniel Morrison

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 01: Ian Book #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish snaps the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second quarter in the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One at AT&T Stadium on January 01, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 01: Ian Book #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish snaps the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second quarter in the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One at AT&T Stadium on January 01, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame Football. (Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images)
Notre Dame Football. (Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images) /

10 ways Notre Dame Football can make it back to the College Football Playoff

6. Find Consistency in Special Teams

From Kyle Brindza to Justin Yoon, Irish fans were a bit spoiled. While neither Brindza nor Yoon was elite, they were consistent, and you knew what you were getting with them. You knew they were going to make the kicks you asked them to make, but unfortunately, under current kicker Jonathan Doerer, that hasn’t always been the case.

Doerer isn’t an awful kicker, he’s just not consistent. This became a major issue against Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, as when being sent out to save points early in the game, Doerer missed.

Clemson gained momentum quickly, and things snowballed.

It’s vitally important that Notre Dame gets more consistency here so that they can win the special teams battle. This can save potential wins from sure losses and even steal a game or two.

Of course, special teams are more than the kicker. A returner like Raghib Ismail, if you’re going back a few decades, can change the course of the game in one play, as one return can be the difference between winning and losing.

One return, like all of special teams, can be worth points and all the momentum in the world. If Notre Dame can stabilize special teams, they’ll be in a great place going forward. If they become great at special teams, even better.

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