The Notre Dame football team takes on the BYU Cougars on Saturday night, and here are some keys to victory for them in the matchup.
Notre Dame football has been untouchable thus far in the history of their signature Shamrock Series, which is essentially an Irish home game at a neutral site. The Irish are a perfect 10-0 in the Shamrock Series, with their most recent win coming against #18 Wisconsin in Chicago last season.
Ironically enough, the game against the Badgers was the first time Drew Pyne flashed his ability to give the Irish offense a spark. Now, a year later, Pyne is leading the Irish as the starting QB as Notre Dame football goes into Vegas as an unranked team to take on the #16 ranked BYU Cougars.
This is exactly the kind of games that the Irish need out of the bye week, as they have a chance to reestablish themselves on the national stage. They have not received a single vote in the AP Poll in weeks now, but a win against a solid top-25 team will be what they need to start inching back up in the polls.
What are Notre Dame’s keys to victory on Saturday? Let’s dive in.
Notre Dame football: Keys to victory against BYU in Week 6
#1 – Keep It Rolling on Offense
Two weeks ago, the Irish rolled into Chapel Hill, North Carolina and finally clicked on offense. 576 yards of offense later, the Irish left the Carolinas with a win and for the first time in 2022, some semblance of what the offense could and should look like for a team with higher aspirations that their 2-2 record might suggest.
Perhaps the most important thing the Irish can do against BYU (and for the rest of the season) is carry over the gameplan from the UNC game and keep it rolling. Yes, North Carolina has a bad defense, but the Irish were still sharp, fast, and electric on offense two Saturdays ago, a stark change from what we saw during the first three weeks of the season, even in the win against Cal.
Tommy Rees is showing why he deserves the mantle of offensive coordinator, and the stellar play-calling and game-planning absolutely must continue this weekend against BYU.
#2 – Keep Jaren Hall Guessing
BYU quarterback Jaren Hall is a legitimate offensive weapon. He is incredibly talented and poses a threat at all times to any defense. Notre Dame would be wise to keep him guessing all game on Saturday. What I mean by keep him guessing is to mix up the blitzes and coverages he sees at the line of scrimmage to confuse him as much as possible.
Al Golden no doubt knows how smart Hall is, as a veteran QB and one of the best in the nation, so Notre Dame might have to get exotic with the coverages they roll out against Hall. One thing the Irish must keep the same is a two-high safety shell that helps to deter the deep ball, something that BYU prides its offense on. If the Irish can keep Jaren Hall running for his life, it increases the Irish odds tenfold.
Notre Dame football: Keys to victory against BYU in Week 6
#3 – Get Michael Mayer 10+ Touches (At Least)
Michael Mayer is without a doubt the most dangerous weapon on the Notre Dame offense. ND’s leading receiver is too big and strong to be covered by a cornerback, but even at his size is too fast for most linebackers to stay with him.
Mayer is seemingly always open, and scheming ways to keep getting him open is the best plan of action for the Irish offense. As long as the ball is thrown somewhere in his general vicinity it’ll most likely go well for Notre Dame football. I would get him 10 touches on Saturday, at the very minimum. Who knows, maybe he’ll get a jet sweep or something. I know I wouldn’t mind seeing it.
Final Thoughts
Notre Dame has found a rhythm on offense, a feat thought by many to be absolutely impossible through the first three weeks of the year. If the Irish can maintain that positive momentum on offense (by feeding Michael Mayer) and continue finding ways to control the line of scrimmage on defense, they should find success against BYU on Saturday.