Tag: Central Michigan

Social media reacts to Merriweather TD on first Notre Dame possession

Nice score, Tobias.

Notre Dame wasted little time getting on the board against Central Michigan. After the defense forced the Chippewas into a three-and-out on the opening possession, the high-powered offense took the field for the first time. The first three plays were handoffs to [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag]. Then, [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] unleashed his big throwing arm for the first time, and [autotag]Tobias Merriweather [/autotag]benefited from it by catching the ball and going for a 75-yard touchdown:

The variety of Hartman’s receiving core has been nothing short of amazing. Any doubts that he would be able to get so many receivers involved have been vanquished. Hartman will continue to hit them with regularity, and Merriweather appears that he will reward that faith frequently. What a nice offensive start for the 2023 Irish.

Here is what folks on social media saying about Merriweather’s touchdown, although we can’t say for certain that they expected him to score as quickly as he did:

Central Michigan’s starting quarterback will not play against Notre Dame

Bad news for the Chips

The already undermanned [autotag]Central Michigan[/autotag] offense will be without its starting quarterback against [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] on Saturday.

According to a report from Tom Noie, Chippewas projected starter [autotag]Bert Emanuel Jr.[/autotag] has fallen ill and will not start against the Irish. The news also comes with the fact that [autotag]Jase Bauer[/autotag] was listed as or on their depth chart, meaning either could have started.

Bauer has attempted just nine passes this season, completing three of them for 20 yards. He has not thrown a touchdown or interception. Last year Bauer completed 59.3% of his attempts with five interceptions to just one touchdown. It very well could be a very big day for the Irish secondary with this news.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Notre Dame-Central Michigan: Pregame buzz on social media

Go Irish, beat Chippewas.

Notre Dame looks to make it 4-0 on the season as Central Michigan comes a-calling Saturday afternoon in South Bend.

For coaches and players it’ll be as close to business as usual but for fans there is another theme coming to mind.

Looking ahead.

Next week has the potential to be one of the biggest games Notre Dame Stadium has seen in decades.  It will only be that way if the Irish take care of business against Central Michigan, however.

The week before one of the huge ones on Notre Dame’s 2023 schedule, here’s the buzz before kickoff between the Irish and Central Michigan.

Notre Dame-Central Michigan: Staff predictions as Irish look for 4-0 start

We all think Notre Dame wins Saturday – but do they cover the 34.5?

Notre Dame sits 3-0 as they’ve already played 25% of their regular season games.  We wait all year for the season to get here and it seems like it flies by faster than just about anything else.

It’s an odd week for the Fighting Irish as pretty much everyone’s eyes are on the Ohio State showdown next weekend.  Central Michigan brings a 1-1 team to South Bend on Saturday that was blown out by Michigan State and barely got by New Hampshire to date.

Does Notre Dame keep on rolling to 4-0?  We all clearly expect a win but what about in dominating fashion?  Or will the Irish eyes be looking ahead as they sleepwalk to a victory?

The spread is set at 34.5 points.  Do the Irish cover that before hosting Ohio State in the mega-showdown next week?

Here is what the Fighting Irish Wire staff sees happening in Saturday’s contest:

Know your foe, Central Michigan: Which Chips can give Notre Dame issues

The Chips have more than a few play makers the Irish will have to contend with

For the third game this fall, [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] is a major favorite and should easily get a victory against [autotag]Central Michigan[/autotag].

That doesn’t mean that the visiting Chippewas will just roll over and let the Irish get the win. They still have plenty to play for, so early in the season.

They visiting CMU squad has more than a few play makers on their team that could potentially give Notre Dame a few issues on their way to win No. 4. Here are a few of those Chips that could be a thorn in the Irish’s side and won’t make things easy on Saturday.

What the experts are predicting: Notre Dame vs. Central Michigan

Do you think the Irish win this game?

Notre Dame is about to play Central Michigan, and for just about every fan, the outcome is not in doubt.

The Irish are expected to do as well as possible against the Chippewas, and there hasn’t been one convincing argument to suggest the opposite will happen. So it feels like this week, listing a bunch of expert predictions is a mere formality.

Nevertheless, let’s look at what some college football experts are predicting for this game:

Notre Dame to be without senior linebacker for Central Michigan game

Notre Dame will be down one of their key defenders when they take on Central Michigan this Saturday afternoon.

When Notre Dame takes the field against Central Michigan on Saturday they’ll do so as a heavy favorite but without one of their best defenders.

Graduate-senior linebacker JD Bertrand will miss the game with a concussion that he suffered last week at North Carolina State.

Marcus Freeman made that announcement during his Thursday media availability and spoke on the communication issue the Irish must now overcome with one of their biggest leaders on defense being sidelined.

Bertrand is a two-time captain for Notre Dame and has 13 tackles on the year and one tackle-for-loss.

The expectation is that true-freshman Drayk Bowen will start in Bertrand’s absence.  Freeman gave no word on if Bertrand will be available for the Ohio State game next week.

[lawrence-related id=76283,76396,76369,76360]

 

Central Michigan statistical leaders through two games

Here’s who to watch for on the opposition Saturday.

Notre Dame and the Mid-American Conference seem like an odd match. It definitely is historically speaking considering that you can count on your hands the number of times the Irish have played those teams. Still, it’s a legitimate relationship for the foreseeable future, and that includes the Irish facing Central Michigan on Saturday. It’s a game that NBC Sports has decided is only worthy of putting on Peacock instead of the main network, but that’s another story.

The Chippewas have a couple of heavy hitters on their nonconference schedule. They already got blown out when they visited Michigan State, and now, they have to deal with a surging Irish team. While the players might appreciate the opportunity to play such prominent programs on the road, they would be lying to themselves if they said they matched up with them on paper.

Despite the odds, the Chippewas will come to Notre Dame Stadium, and here are the best players they have lined up to face the Irish:

Tale of the Tape: Notre Dame defense vs. Central Michigan offense

The Irish have shown so far that their D is darn good.

A major message for Notre Dame opponents so far this season has been good luck trying to do anything against the defense. That unit has done a fantastic job locking everyone down so far, and all signs point to it happening again against Central Michigan. As you’ll see below, the Irish are ranked very highly in some major defensive categories nationally. We don’t know how long that will keep up, but it’s a good feeling in the meantime.

The Chippewas have an offense that could qualify as passable for a Mid-American Conference team. However, that doesn’t mean a thing when it comes to facing a program like Notre Dame. If it has to go up against an offense like that, it’s going to require a few prayers to pull off the upset in an unforgiving environment. Fortunately for the Chippewas, they’ll be visiting a Catholic university, so those prayers might actually work.

Here’s a look at how the Irish’s defense matches up with the Chippewas’ offense:

Tale of the Tape: Notre Dame offense vs. Central Michigan defense

Feeling confident about these matchups?

Through three games, Notre Dame’s offense has been as prolific as advertised. Even so, Irish fans have to keep pinching themselves to see if what they’re watching is real. While there have been some nice Irish offenses over the years, it has been quite a while since anything quite like this could call South Bend its home. And with [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] already being tabbed as a Heisman Trophy finalist in some circles, there is good reason to think the whole season will be like this.

Central Michigan’s defense will come into Notre Dame Stadium with a very mixed showing so far this season. While the rushing defense has been solid, the passing defense suggests Hartman will have another big game. It’s rather strange for a defense to be great in one aspect and terrible in another. Then again, who said football had to be predictable?

Here’s a look at how the Irish’s offense matches up with the Chippewas’ defense: