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Notre Dame football vs. Cincinnati Bearcats: 3 things to watch for in Week 5

By Brad Weiss

Dec 5, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Kyren Williams (23) congratulates running back Chris Tyree (25) after his fourth quarter touchdown against the Syracuse Orange at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Kyren Williams (23) congratulates running back Chris Tyree (25) after his fourth quarter touchdown against the Syracuse Orange at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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Notre Dame football takes on Ridder
ORLANDO, FL – NOVEMBER 21: Desmond Ridder #9 of the Cincinnati Bearcats drops back to pass against the Central Florida Knights at Bounce House-FBC Mortgage Field on November 21, 2020, in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame football vs. Cincinnati Bearcats: 3 things to watch

Containing Desmond Ridder

The Cincinnati Bearcats come into this game with one of the better quarterbacks in college football, as Desmond Ridder could end up being a first-round pick when all is said and done. Ridder can beat teams with his arm, and his legs, so Marcus Freeman better have a solid game plan for his old signal-caller.

Luckily for the Irish, Freeman was the Bearcats defensive coordinator last season and knows both Ridder and this offense well. He should be able to dial up a game plan that can at least minimize the damage done by Ridder, who could make this a long day for the Irish if he gets it going on Saturday.

Overall, this is the No. 1 key to victory for the Notre Dame football team, as teams have yet to find the magic potion against him up until this point in his career. Notre Dame has a ton of talent on all three levels and showed their defense is trending in the right direction against Wisconsin, but this is going to be a big test for them in game No. 5.

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