Game Thread | New Mexico at No. 7 Notre Dame

New Mexico at No. 7 Notre Dame 

Notre Dame Stadium |2:30 p.m. ET | NBC

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Big Win Coming?

Notre Dame fans weren’t happy with the 18-point win at Louisville to start the season and the Fighting Irish will have a chance to calm some nerves on Saturday against the Lobos. Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly has remained confident in Ian Book and continued to state positive things this week after a few practices about his quarterback. 

The message over the last week was about the veterans calming down and playing football. It seems like the message was heard loud and clear, but will it translate to the field on Saturday? 

Tony Jones Jr. is coming off an impressive game at Louisville as he rushed for over 100 yards and now he will be the man as Jafar Armstrong is out for several weeks. Can Jones embrace his new role and produce at the level Chip Long needs him to? We’ll see. 

Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame CB Troy Pride Jr.
Pride wasn't tested much in week one, but that will change this week with New Mexico throwing up plenty of deep balls. Pride was not great defending them in camp against Chase Claypool, but he was outstanding not allowing big plays against in 2018.

New Mexico RB Ahmari Davis
He had a run and a reception over 50 yards in the Lobos' first game and they'll need something similar from him against the Irish. Look out for him in the screen game, especially on 3rd down.

Notre Dame DE Julian Okwara
It was a quiet start for Okwara despite him finishing with a sack against Louisville. New Mexico is going to throw a ton in this game and Okwara should get more chances to rush the passer. Look for him to make more of an impact with pressures even if he doesn't end up with a sack.

New Mexico LB Alex Hart
He missed most of last year after an injury in 2018. He put up double-digit tackles in his return this season and is the best player on their defense. They are going to blitz their linebackers a lot in this game.

Notre Dame RB Kyren Williams
With Jafar Armstrong officially out, it's the right time to get Williams more involved in the offense. He had a drop on his lone target in week one and the backs had one catch in total. That should change against New Mexico. 

By The Numbers 

2.7 - After allowing two scoring drives to begin the season at Louisville, Notre Dame’s defense allowed just 90 yards over the next 33 plays to the Cardinal offense (2.7 yards per play) allowing the Irish to seize control of the contest. 

15 - Notre Dame has recorded at least one sack in 15 consecutive games.

30 - Notre Dame has held its opponents to 30 points or less in 15 consecutive games, matching Mississippi State and Washington for the FBS lead in that category.

146 - The Lobos are the 146th different opponent Notre Dame has faced in its football history. Notre Dame is 120-22-3 (.838) against first-time opponents.

571 - Carries by Notre Dame running backs since their last fumble – the longest active streak among FBS teams.

Quotes of the Week

OL Tommy Kraemer on QB Ian Book:
“Nothing but confidence. Ian Book’s the man. He’s out there with confidence every day. We’re excited to work with him and we love working with him every day.”

DB Shaun Crawford on the last five years:
“At the end of the day, my life is pretty easy. I got injured, but I’m still at Notre Dame, have a degree and still get the opportunity to play football. I’m blessed to still be here."

DE Julian Okwara on concerns about the defense following week one:
“We’re not worried about whatever everyone else is thinking. We’re worried about our job and what we need to improve on. We’re cool with whatever everyone thinks. We have a standard and we need to be bought into that to get ready for New Mexico.” 

Brian Kelly on moving Avery Davis back to offense:
"We moved Avery Davis back over to the offensive side of the ball to give us another complement to that piece. You know, Avery again can catch the football for us has the ability to do those things that Jafar did. He gives us another piece at that position that we think can fill in nicely.”

For Your Nerves