Game Thread | No. 8 Notre Dame at No. 19 Michigan

No. 8 Notre Dame at No. 19 Michigan

Michigan Stadium |7:30 p.m. ET | ABC

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The Elements

Michigan Stadium hasn’t been kind to Notre Dame for quite some time. The crowd will make it tough on the Irish, but it’s going to be a night filled with rain. 

Saturday night will fall on the shoulders of Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chip Long. Can he find a way to run the ball against Don Brown? Can he find a way to get Chase Claypool the ball? There is no excuse for Chase Claypool not to be having a big season and he’s not. Saturday will be a chance to turn the tide.

Defensively, Notre Dame’s pass rush will be key and it’s a safe bet Michigan native Khalid Kareem will want to make a statement in The Big House. 

Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame TE Cole Kmet
His matchup versus Khaleke Hudson might be the best one of the night. Notre Dame will need him to win against tight man coverage.

Michigan LB Cameron McGrone
McGrone has only started four games, but he's made an impact in every one of them. He's been disruptive as a blitzer with 3.5 sacks. 

Notre Dame RB Tony Jones
Jones is coming off of three consecutive 100-yard games, one of which came against a Virginia defense that still ranks as one of the best at stopping the run. If he can make it four in a row, it should equal to a win.

Michigan WR Ronnie Bell
Will he respond positively after a drop in the end zone against Penn State last week? We'll see soon enough. He's an explosive playmaker for the Michigan offense that will need to be contained.

Notre Dame CB Shaun Crawford
Back from injury, he'll have a size disadvantage against Michigan's taller receivers. This is his first game against the program he was once committed to.

By The Numbers 

3 - Brian Kelly is the first Irish coach to post three or more shutouts in his Notre Dame career since Lou Holtz.

4 - Brady Quinn, Tommy Rees, Jimmy Clausen, Ron Powlus and Ian Book are the only quarterbacks in Notre Dame history to record four or more touchdown passes in three games in their career.

21 - TE Cole Kmet has totaled 21 receptions over the last four games, which tied for the most among FBS tight ends during that timespan. Kmet missed the first two games of the season with a collarbone injury.

22 - Notre Dame remains perfect in redzone-scoring percentage, converting on 22-of-22 visits inside the 20. Nineteen of those scores were touchdowns (11 rushing, eight passing). Just two other teams boast perfection in the redzone (Iowa and LSU), and, of those teams, only LSU (31) has totaled more redzone touchdowns than the Irish.

25.8 - Notre Dame’s defense led the FBS after Week 7 in opponent passing completions per touchdown, holding squads to 25.8 completions per touchdown.

30 - Notre Dame has held its opponents to 30 points or less in 20 consecutive games, the longest streak in FBS

Quotes of the Week

QB Ian Book:
“We like when it’s loud. We like when there is a lot of people there. We like when it’s primetime television. That’s why we come to Notre Dame.” 

DE Khalid Kareem:
"I kind of view them as a faceless opponent. Another team in the way of us getting to the National Championship. I feel it's a little personal for me. I'm 30 minutes away from Ann Arbor. I know a lot of guys on the team and I have a lot of friends who go to Michigan. It'll be good to go in there and try to get the dub."

Former LB Jarrett Grace:
“As a Midwest kid, you had bumped shoulders with these guys for years during your recruitment and would almost label the other side as bad guys who lacked the intelligence and common decency it would take to succeed at Notre Dame."

For Your Nerves 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0WpKpp9hBA

http://instagr.am/p/B4BP95tFceQ