Why the Notre Dame football team will blow out UNLV in Week 8
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team takes on UNLV at home in Week 8, and here is why the Irish will come away with a blowout victory over the Rebels.
In Week 8, the Notre Dame football team will battle it out against the UNLV Rebels, a game that is a must-win for the Irish. As their season looked to turn the corner heading into the Stanford game, the Irish were beaten at home in primetime by the Cardinal, suffering another loss against an opponent they were double-digit favorites against.
On Saturday, the Irish are once again double-digit favorites, this time against a UNLV team that could be without star quarterback, Doug Brumfield. Without Brumfield, the Rebels have scored seven points in each of their last two games, something the Irish must capitalize on in this matchup inside Notre Dame Stadium.
Here is why the Irish will blow out the Rebels.
Why the Notre Dame football team will blow out UNLV in Week 8
The Run Game
The Irish run game should be in full effect on Saturday against UNLV, as the trio of Audric Estime, Logan Diggs, and Chris Tyree should run wild against this Rebels defense. We have seen all three players have their moments this season, and against UNLV, I like at least one of them to break out for over 125 yards on the ground.
When all is said and done, I believe the Irish will focus on the run game early, establishing their dominance up front. Once the UNLV defensive line is on its heels, expect the team to go to the air in a nice, balanced attack on offense.
Stout Defense
The Notre Dame football team has been outstanding on defense this season, and in this matchup, they get a Rebels offense that is downright reeling. Even if Doug Brumfield takes the field for UNLV, there is no doubt the Irish have the better roster on defense and should find it easy to get into the backfield against this UNLV offensive line.
I would expect multiple sacks in this game, and a couple of turnovers as the Irish look to put this game away early.
Season on the line
It is really simple for Marcus Freeman and his staff. This is a must-win game for the Irish, as their season is on the line, and they are in jeopardy of not even being a bowl-eligible team if they cannot stop the bleeding.
The truth is, if the Irish cannot beat the UNLV Rebels at home, the the rest of the season is going to be downright daunting for them. They take on Clemson, Syracuse, and USC the rest of the way, all ranked teams, so the first year under Freeman is teetering on being one of the worst seasons we have seen in a long time.