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](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/917347aed5443e1f7813e9ad707a5a559a3f74690da61d6a1f557413e77d4333.jpg)
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.