Notre Dame football vs. Oklahoma State Fiesta Bowl: 3 bold predictions
By Andrew Hall
A refreshed Notre Dame football program hopes to end a three-decade major bowl victory drought against Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.
The price of a gallon of gas cost $0.99 the last time the Notre Dame football team won a New Year’s Six Bowl game. New Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman will attempt to end the less than impressive streak.
To end the streak, Notre Dame must overcome opt-outs and injuries. Earlier in the month, junior safety Kyle Hamilton and redshirt sophomore running back Kyren Williams declared for the NFL Draft and opted-out of the Fiesta Bowl. The Irish suffered two more injuries during bowl preparation further hampering their ability to win on New Year’s Day. First, right tackle Josh Lugg suffered an injury during practice in South Bend forcing freshman Blake Fisher back into the lineup. Second, cornerback Cam Hart was injured while practicing in Arizona.
This injury leaves Notre Dame extremely thin in the secondary. They currently only have two pure cornerbacks with experience.
Despite the injuries and opt-outs, this Notre Dame football team is extremely motivated for several seasons. The departure of Brian Kelly and the hiring of Marcus Freeman infused tremendous energy into the program. The players motivation to prove that Kelly made a poor decision and that Freeman is the right coach. In addition, the Fighting Irish were left just outside the College Football Playoff. They want an opportunity to show themselves better than the way they did against No. 4 Cincinnati in South Bend.
Here are three bold predictions for the Fiesta Bowl.