After watching Boise State struggle against South Florida in its first game of the season, it would be easy for Notre Dame football fans to dismiss the Broncos as an easy win. That would be a massive mistake.
The perennial Mountain West contender has righted the ship quite nicely, similar to how the Irish are finally rolling after an 0-2 start to the season. But that doesn't mean that the 3-1 Broncos are impervious; in fact, their biggest weakness happens to be ND's biggest strength, and Jeremiyah Love could use the Week 6 matchup to make a big statement.
The Notre Dame offense has kicked into gear and has presented a concern for every team it's faced, even if Boise State has played much better and looks to have a solid defense nearly across the board. However, where the Broncos really struggle is against the run.
Notre Dame football has an opening against Boise State defense
The timing of those struggles comes just as Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price are only getting stronger. Boise has a clear hole in its defense against the rush, currently ranked No. 123 in the country in EPA/Rush defensively.
After a rough opening weekend, Love and Price have turned into the one-two punch analysts expected them to be this season. Love rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown against Texas A&M, then followed that up with 157 yards rushing and two TDs against Purdue. His running game dropped a bit against Arkansas, though some of that was because the starters sat out most of the second half.
He ran for just 57 yards but did have two touchdowns. But he also showed that he can be deadly through the air, catching five passes for 70 yards and another two touchdowns.
Notre Dame will almost certainly continue to lean on Love as a dual-threat on the ground and through the air, but against a Boise State defense that has had some problems stopping the run. An Irish offensive line feeling better about the push it gets up front, Week 6 could allow Jeremiyah Love to make a Heisman statement as he shows he's still the best player in the country.