Notre Dame football: Irish offense should be elite in the red zone
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team has some elite weapons on the offensive side of the ball and should be outstanding in the red zone in 2022.
The 2022 college football season is right on the horizon, and that means the 2022 Notre Dame football team will soon start ramping up practice for what should be a tough regular-season slate. Notre Dame football has its issues going into camp, including finding out who their quarterback is going to be, but that battle should be more than interesting to watch.
Whoever wins the starting job, they have some elite weapons around them, including the best tight end in the country in Michael Mayer. There are a handful of players who should put up big numbers in 2022, and when it comes to the red zone, there are more than enough options to punch the ball in.
Sophomore running back Audric Estime is a freight train and should be nearly unstoppable in short-yardage situations, while Mayer is almost unguardable at times. Also, Notre Dame football has some elite route-runners on the outside, so there is no limit to what Tommy Rees can dial-up once the Irish are in the red zone.
If the Irish want to be considered legitimate College Football Playoff contenders this season, they have to execute inside the red zone, and they certainly have the players to do so.
Notre Dame football facing a tall task in Week 1
We will get to see how good this red zone offense is right out of the gate, as they have a very tall task ahead of them in Week 1. The Ohio State Buckeyes figure to be one of the best teams in the country next season and have multiple players on the defensive side of the ball that should play at the next level.
If the Irish can cut the field down, and dominate once they are inside the Buckeyes’ 20-yard line, it changes everything in terms of this matchup. Most Sportsbooks have the Irish as heavy underdogs in Week 1, but they have the talent on both sides of the ball to come out swinging, and if they can execute in the red zone, it is going to be a lot closer than most people think.