On Saturday, the Irish open their season in primetime at Texas A&M in an environment that is sure to be electric with a pinch of road hostility. While sportsbooks have the Irish as slight underdogs heading into this matchup, here are three offensive keys that could help lead to a marquee Notre Dame victory.
Photo by The Irish Tribune
1. Slow Down Texas A&M’s Defensive Line
This is likely the most obvious path to Notre Dame fans having a fun Saturday night. A&M's defense is what will win them games this season and it starts up front. Notable Aggies that are capable of wrecking any offensive gameplan include edge rusher Nic Scourton and tackle Shemar Turner. You can find a mini-preview of the Aggie defense here.
Truth be told, the inexperienced Notre Dame offensive line will not be able to stop the rush every single play. This is why the key is to simply slow them down. It is expected that Irish offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock will do his best to scheme around this dangerous unit. What that entails will be revealed on Saturday. It would not be shocking to see the Irish favor running to the right behind the older lineman compared to the inexperienced left side of Knapp and Pendleton.
Freshman Anthonie Knapp will face his hardest test of the season week one. Nic Scourton is a potential 2025 1st-round pick that can line up anywhere on the line, but is expected to spend most of his time on the left edge. It will be interesting to see if the Irish choose to double team Scourton, while running the risk of letting their other talented rushers get to the backfield. Again, we will see what Coach Denbrock has up his sleeve when the game kicks off.
On Saturday night, if the Irish are having success in the run game while keeping Riley Leonard clean, expect the Irish to secure the “upset” win.
2. Riley Leonard Moving the Pocket
This key somewhat goes hand-in-hand with slowing down A&M’s defensive line. The biggest difference between the two is how much more I trust Leonard to do his job successfully. Given the skill on A&M’s line, it can be expected we will see Denbrock scheming some run-pass options for Leonard. This plays favorably for the Irish.
Riley Leonard's ability to create outside the pocket is rare and extremely sought after by not just college, but NFL teams too. At Duke, Leonard was the entire offense. Even against Notre Dame last season, he showed flashes of brilliance and his ability to make a play when things break down is highly valued. You can read a complete breakdown of Leonard’s abilities, talents, and accolades here.
The X-Factor in this scenario is elite tight end Mitchell Evans. Evans can be trusted in the blocking and receiving game, and is one of the best at his position in the country for these reasons. When Leonard moves the pocket, whether by design or not, Evans should be the go-to option in the flat and could be set up for a big performance. Even if Denbrock prefers to utilize Evans more as a blocker against this elite defensive unit, his impact will not go unnoticed.
3. Veteran Leaders Show Up
This is notably one of the younger offenses for the Irish in recent memory. With week one being played on a massive stage, the need for men with big-game experience can not be undervalued. Offensive leaders that need to show up include Riley Leonard, Beaux Collins, and Mitchell Evans. All three of these men have played on big stages in the past, albeit on separate squads.
This previous experience should be passed along to the younger guys. It is easy to get caught up in certain moments and having a leader to help you get back on track can be exactly what is needed. Leonard, Collins, and Evans should be relied upon and focused on the main goal of team success in, arguably, the Irish's biggest regular season test this year.
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