Notre Dame Football: Why the Irish will be 6-2 heading into Clemson Week
By Andrew Hall
After the win vs UNC, Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame football team will win their next four games and enter the Clemson week as a 6-2 club.
Before the season, a record of 6-2 heading into the clash with Clemson seemed plausible but many would have predicted 7-1. After dropping the first two contests of the season, a 6-2 record felt insanely optimistic. But, now, after finding their footing, the Irish will look to run off four victories before clashing with the Clemson Tigers in early November. Here is why the Notre Dame Football team will run their win streak to six before a marquee matchup with Dabo Sweeney’s squad.
Notre Dame Football: Why the Irish will be 6-2 heading into Clemson Week
The Notre Dame football Schedule
Depending on how the rest of the schedule performs, the Notre Dame football team will face two ranked squads in the next four contests: No. 16 BYU and No. 22 Syracuse. Currently, the Irish are favored against BYU and will likely find themselves as the favorite in each of the next games.
Stanford and UNLV are the contests that Notre Dame must win and appear very likely to do so. The games against the Cougars and Orange are more of a toss-up but very winnable.
Self-Awareness
After the past six quarters of football, the Fighting Irish appear to be more self-aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the football team. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is leaning on a trio of running backs and an All-America tight end. On the other side of the football, first-year defensive coordinator Al Golden is demanding that the Irish defensive line dominate like they are capable.
This shift and focus have led to the Irish outscoring opponents 62-39 over the last game and a half.
The downside of the Notre Dame football team’s new-found awareness is that teams should know exactly what the Irish want to do. Rees will need to continue to find counters to some of Notre Dame’s go-to-plays to sustain success.
Health & Growth of Team
Headed into the Ohio State clash, the Notre Dame football team was beat up from a physical pre-season camp. Did Marcus Freeman go too far with his tough preparation? That’s a completely different debate.
Regardless, as September turns to October, the Notre Dame football team continues to get healthy (with the exception of Quarterback Tyler Buchner). A healthier Jarrett Patterson, Joe Wilkins, and others should equal a more competitive Irish unit.