Why Notre Dame Will Win The Rose Bowl Game
– The lines really are that good. It might not have looked like it in the Clemson games, but the offensive line held its own – it pounded away for over 200 yards the first time around – and the game got out of hand in the ACC Championship.
Lost in all of the fun in that first matchup was how the Irish run D stopped Travis Etienne. It didn’t totally sell out to force DJ Uiagalelei to try winning the game, but … let’s just say it was focused on No. 9. Now it has to do whatever it can to stop No. 22 and keep Najee Harris from getting into any sort of a groove. Do that, and get pressure on Mac Jones. Of course if it was that easy, everyone would do it, however …
– The North Carolina game might bring Irish fans a little bit of hope. It’s apples to frozen pizzas comparing the Bama and Tar Heel offenses, but the Irish defensive front were able to keep the North Carolina home run-hitting running backs from going off, and it jumped all over QB Sam Howell and never let him get comfortable.
Again, way easier said than done, but focus on slowing down Harris, don’t let Jones get that extra half-click to be able to hang the ball up for Smith to go get it, and keep applying any pressure possible. It worked in Chapel Hill, and it worked enough to at least take away the Clemson running game and get the win the first time around.
– Ian Book, it’s on. The Notre Dame quarterback has seen almost everything and won’t have an issue with the spotlight. Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Mac Jones – there’s one guy among the four starting College Football Playoff quarterbacks who won’t be a first round draft pick, and don’t think he doesn’t fuel up whenever he’s underestimated.
He and the Notre Dame offense can’t match Bama punch-for-punch like Florida did in the SEC Championship, so this will be all about just keeping drives going. Notre Dame was No. 1 in the ACC in both third down stops and third down conversions, and the Alabama defense – as solid as it is – will give up yards, drives, and enough plays to keep the Heisman-caliber guys on the sidelines.
Book is a master at getting the first down, and the Irish are brilliant at making teams play at their pace, holding the ball an average of 34 minutes a game.