Notre Dame football: Irish defense must avoid the big-play vs OSU
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team must avoid allowing the big play on defense if they want to knock off the No. 2 team in the country on Saturday.
Starting the season off with a tough opponent like Ohio State is a great way to see where the Notre Dame football team is in terms of the elite schools in the country. This will be an interesting year for the Irish, as they face three preseason top-15 teams, including the No. 2 team, Ohio State, right out of the gate.
The Buckeyes are led by some dynamic playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, including a Heisman Trophy candidate in CJ Stroud. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba may be the best wideout in the country, and running back TreVeyon Henderson can break one off at any time.
Looking at some of the keys for the Irish in this matchup, you have to think that limiting the big plays on the defensive side of the ball is going to be huge. Ohio State can score at any moment with so many playmakers, so if the Irish can control that aspect, and work a lot of the game clock, it will eliminate one of the things that make the Buckeyes so strong.
Notre Dame football has elite talent on the defensive side of the ball
Starting up front, and moving back into the defensive backfield, the Notre Dame football team is loaded on the defensive side of the ball. They have multiple players who could be first-round draft picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, including Isaiah Foskey, Brandon Joseph, and Cam Hart.
The defensive backfield as a whole is going to be elite in 2022, and at linebacker, the Irish have a veteran group of capable tacklers who are outstanding athletes. This offseason, Notre Dame added Chris Smith to the middle of their defensive line and has been better than advertised, so that should free up guys like Foskey to come off the edge and wreak havoc.
Truthfully, it is nearly impossible to limit all the big plays from Ohio State, but minimizing that will be key for the Irish in this one. Stroud is a special talent at quarterback and can hurt you in many ways, so this will certainly be a huge test for this Notre Dame defense right out of the gate.