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10 Things that will define the 2021 Notre Dame football season

By Daniel Morrison

Nov 30, 2019; Stanford, CA, USA; A Notre Dame Fighting Irish helmet sits behind the bench during the first quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2019; Stanford, CA, USA; A Notre Dame Fighting Irish helmet sits behind the bench during the first quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – SEPTEMBER 12: Quarterback Malik Zaire #8 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is carted off of the field after being injured against the Virginia Cavaliers in the third quarter at Scott Stadium on September 12, 2015, in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish won, 34-27. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – SEPTEMBER 12: Quarterback Malik Zaire #8 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is carted off of the field after being injured against the Virginia Cavaliers in the third quarter at Scott Stadium on September 12, 2015, in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish won, 34-27. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

10 Things that will define the 2021 Notre Dame football season

7. Avoid the Injury Bug

Almost entirely out of the coaching staff or player’s control, injuries can derail your season before you blink. Tom Brady tears his ACL in Week 1, following an undefeated regular season, and the Patriots missed the playoffs. That’s all it takes to ruin a season.

Other times, two or three linemen go down, and now you can’t block anyone to save your life.

Think about recent Notre Dame seasons, and how injuries have impacted them. Offensive line injuries last season were a major impact. Look at how Clemson exploited Julian Love missing one quarter during the 2018 Cotton Bowl. What do you do if your kicker goes down with an injury?

Even small injuries have an impact.

There is some argument to be made that injury issues could be related to nutrition or the athletic training staff, but it’s also almost impossible to predict. If injuries do happen, there is very little you can do about them, other than relying on depth to get you through games. Notre Dame has the depth to handle some of the teams on their schedule, but certainly not all of them. For a successful 2021, avoid injuries at all costs.

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