Notre Dame football: 3 key advantages against Florida State

Notre Dame football: 3 key advantages against Florida State

Florida State’s Defensive Line Should Be Blown Off the Ball

By design, Notre Dame’s offense wants to out-physical their opponents. They want to smash you in the face, using zone blocking schemes blended with some pin and pull technique. Behind this violent offensive line, is a running game that should cut through holes and try to make it to the second level.

From there, the offense can build its passing game off this physical dominance inside.

There is a question for Notre Dame about the offensive line this season, though, with four of last season’s starters moving onto the NFL. If the new offensive line struggles, the entire offense will struggle. Still, this offensive line is going to dominate Florida State’s defensive line.

There are a couple of reasons why this is going to be a key advantage for Notre Dame. For one, you likely don’t have to be as concerned about the Irish offensive line struggling. This is an incredibly well-coached group that is proud of how they play.

Jarrett Patterson returns as the senior leader, while Josh Lugg and Zeke Correll saw a lot of playing time last year despite not being Week 1 starters. Left tackle Blake Fisher is the most interesting player to watch, as he’s a true freshman, but by all accounts, he is a freakish talent already.

Then, look at Florida State’s defensive line and ask yourself what you see. Arguably, they were the worst defensive line in the ACC last season, and that was with star talent like Marvin Wilson. Now, the Seminoles are relying on a handful of transfers to come in and fix their issues.

Notre Dame should spend all day blowing this weak defensive line off the ball, making running lanes easy to find for Kyren Williams and company. This will set the tone and help the Irish offense get to work early this season.