ISD Staff Game Predictions: Tennessee State
It’s that time again! The Irish are coming off a dominating performance in Ireland last weekend and will host Tennessee State this weekend. Some are wondering about a “let down” game after an easy win, long travel, and an underwhelming opponent on the field this Saturday. Will the Irish be ready to play?
Mike Frank
I don’t see any way the Irish can lose on Saturday, but I’m sure it’s possible. I didn’t see any way they could lose to Marshall last year, either, but they did. However, Marshall had some real talent, especially on defense. I don’t see this team having the same type of athlete, and certainly not as many.
I expect most of the starters to be out of the game by the end of the 3rd quarter. The Irish just have too much firepower for Tennessee State to contain.
Notre Dame’s ground game gets rolling for over 200 yards and 4 touchdowns, while Sam Hartman adds three through the air.
Notre Dame 49, Tennessee State 6
Christian McCollum
Tennessee State is completely overmatched and overwhelmed by the Irish, who never give the Tigers a chance to believe they can win.
Sam Hartman and Audric Estime lead the Irish offense, at least during the first half. Notre Dame jumps out to an early 21-0 lead and never looks back.
Given the opponent, this performance isn't enough to solidify the Irish's place in the true upper echelon of the sport just yet, but it does prove that Notre Dame is young and deep.
Backup quarterback Steve Angeli plays most of the second half and reminds Notre Dame fans that he shouldn’t be overlooked between Hartman, Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr. Minchey also makes his collegiate debut and makes a good impression in limited time.
Jeremiyah Love and Rico Flores also flash in extended opportunities.
It's clear the future is bright.
Defensively, the Irish simply suffocate Eddie George's crew in another dominant performance.
Notre Dame 48, Tenessee State 7
Andrew Mentock
Don’t completely overlook Tennessee State. There are a few quality units on this football team.
As ISD’s Jamie Uyeyama pointed out in his scouting report, the Tigers have a solid secondary with several players returning. Last year, TSU allowed 190.1 passing yards per game, which put them first in the Ohio Valley Conference and 19th in the FCS.
With that said, TSU is still a rebuilding FCS opponent that finished 4-7 last year. The Tigers lack the talent to match up with the 13th-ranked Irish, even if their pass defense presents a tougher matchup for quarterback Sam Hartman than Navy’s secondary did.
A victory is never in doubt as Notre Dame cruises past Tennessee State in its first-ever FCS opponent. In a 44-0 win over Boston College last fall, 66 Fighting Irish players saw the field. I expect the Irish to approach or exceed that figure on Saturday.
Notre Dame 56, Tenessee State 7
Greg Flammang
Notre Dame was able to assert its will physically against a Navy team that was stout against the run a season ago and returned a lot of experience. Given that baseline, Eddie George’s lads are going to have a heck of a time containing the Irish on the ground, making any hope of this contest being competitive fleeting.
Defensively expect to see some new faces with the freshmen linebackers, nickel Thomas Harper, and freshman corner Christian Gray playing many more snaps than in the opener.
This one will be over quickly, but will feature many fireworks.
Notre Dame 55, Tennessee State 3
Jamie Uyeyama
TSU's defense has some players and I think they'll have some athletes who will flash at times, but they're going to ultimately be overwhelmed because of their lack of size in the running game.
I don't think there are going to be many TSU players on offense that flash. Their O-line was bad last season and they should be bad again this year. They gave up 38 sacks in 11 games and with a chance to finally let loose and rush the passer in this game, the Irish pass rush is going to go off.
Expect a ton of havoc on defense and a lot of points on offense. This game shouldn't be close and it won't be.
Notre Dame 59 Tennessee State 3
Matt Freeman
The unfortunate trip to Dublin allows Notre Dame to break its streak of not playing FCS programs, but it's more than that as the Irish don't have a bye week on week one. Eddie George will certainly have his guys ready, but even combined with jet lag, Notre Dame will have no issues putting the Tigers to bed.
Notre Dame's defense will register 11 sacks on the day, including three from Jordan Botelho and two from Jaylen Sneed as the Irish pass rush finally gets unleashed. Gi'Bran Payne also has his first big day in the blue and gold as the Ohio native runs for 117 yards and two scores. Oh, Notre Dame starts off the game with a 75-yard touchdown to Tobias Merriweather.
Notre Dame 66, Tennessee State 10