Notre Dame football vs. Cincinnati Bearcats: 4 Bold predictions in Week 5
![SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 11: Kyle Hamilton #14 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is seen before the game against the Toledo Rockets at Notre Dame Stadium on September 11, 2021 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 11: Kyle Hamilton #14 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is seen before the game against the Toledo Rockets at Notre Dame Stadium on September 11, 2021 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/d3e12bbbd36baaa6b10ad42db73d25027bafd7d16eb1b647a8d17d25752273e8.jpg)
Notre Dame football vs. Cincinnati Bearcats: 4 Bold predictions in Week 5
The Irish Will Sack Desmond Ridder More Than 3 Times
Say what you will about “Shoulda, coulda, woulda,” but Cincinnati should have beaten Georgia in last year’s Peach Bowl, they coulda even without left tackle James Hudson, and they would if left tackle James Hudson didn’t get ejected, opening a gap on the Bearcats offensive line for the Bulldogs to exploit.
Well, that was Hudson’s last game before the NFL came calling and Cincinnati hasn’t found a proper replacement yet.
Cincinnati has only played three games so far, and two of them were cupcakes. Still, there are major issues on their offensive line (No judgment, we’ve all seen the Irish offense in 2021), including procedural issues and blown blocking assignments.
This could spell trouble against the elite Irish defensive line. Notre Dame has multiple NFL-caliber players on their defensive line, like Isaiah Foskey, and with the backing of the home crowd and an aggressive play-caller, Notre Dame will have at least three sacks of Desmond Ridder.
That’s important too, as Ridder’s athleticism is deadly and he needs to be contained.