Notre Dame’s pass rush just got a major boost, and Miami should be worried

When the Notre Dame football team faces off against Miami on Sunday night, a big key to the game is going to be finding a way to get in the face of Hurricanes' quarterback Carson Beck. The Irish have another secret weapon in that regard in Jordan Botelho.

The rush end has been someone who the Irish thought would be available for the game, though how available was still up in the air. Botelho suffered another injury in June and was limited in practice for most of fall camp. However, this week the team had said he's able to play but that he might have been limited and playing scarcely.

Why Jordan Botelho’s return matters for Notre Dame football’s pass rush

However, according to Notre Dame analyst Jack Soble, Botelho looked very, very good in warmups. He was spotted getting some extra pass-rush work in with assistant defensive line coaches Nick Sebastian and Jevaughn Codlin.

By most accounts, Botelho was using both arms with equal ferocity. He's available tonight, and it looks like he plans to play. That's incredible news for a Notre Dame front that will go up against an excellent offensive line from Miami. Any player who can push through and pressure Beck will be a significant gain.

The Notre Dame football game against Miami is enormous for both teams. Whoever wins the clash of the Top 10 teams will allow the victor to have a much easier path to the College Football Playoffs. Meanwhile, whoever loses will have to hit the reset button the rest of the way. For Marcus Freeman and company, there will also be doubts about how well prepared the team was after a second straight year of an early-season loss.