Game Thread | No. 15 Notre Dame at Duke

No. 15 Notre Dame at Duke

Wallace Wade Stadium |7:30 p.m. ET | ACC Network

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Turning Point

Notre Dame isn’t jumping in the College Football Playoff race with a win, but Saturday is a crucial game for the program when it comes to the future. If Notre Dame wins, it can set up a strong finish to the year as the Irish should go 10-2 and play themselves into a nice bowl. If Notre Dame loses, it could be a tragic end to such a promising season. 

Now, a win against Duke isn’t going to be sexy or get the Irish respect from the rest of the country, but it’s a game Notre Dame can’t look past and is more than capable of losing if they don’t show up. 

Notre Dame showing up will be a great sign that this team has a care factor they spoke about and can officially move on from the disaster in Ann Arbor two weeks ago. 

It can also be an impressive win for Notre Dame as they will play three reserves, Trevor Ruhland, Josh Lugg and Dillan Gibbons on the right side of the line. If Notre Dame can run the football, it will be a step in the right direction to finishing 2019 strong.

Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame RT Josh Lugg
Lugg did well in his first action replacing Robert Hainsey, but he'll face much better edge rushers against Duke. We'll see if he can hold up one on one. He'll likely receive some help from backs to not put him on an island all of the time.

Duke LB Koby Quansah
Duke's leading tackler is fast and in on what seems like every play. He covers a ton of ground and is a huge reason why their run defense has been so good. If Notre Dame doesn't get a body on him at the second level, they will struggle to run inside.

Notre Dame RB Tony Jones
He was missed last week and hasn't seen any action since early in the Michigan game. The offense needs to re-establish the run and they haven't done that with anyone but Jones this season.

Duke RB Deon Jackson
He's not averaging a lot on the ground, but he's a versatile player who can make plays as a receiver. One of the only athletes on Duke's offense that has shown the ability to make a big play.

Notre Dame DE Khalid Kareem
He had great game last week against Virginia Tech and will be going up against a true freshman right tackle on Saturday. That is a matchup Kareem should win all day long. 

Quotes of the Week

CB Troy Pride Jr.:
"This week is a different mindset, but at the same time, we have the same work mentality. That's always going to be in the back of your mind. It's a moment you feed off of for the remainder of the year or years to come. You never want to get back to that point again. 

"We're bringing energy, flying around and we're going to be who we are. And who we are is that dog mentality and that's coming each and every day we go out there." 

DE Khalid Kareem:
"It all starts with us upfront. If we can do our job and make it easier on the guys in our back seven, it will be a fun game for us." 

OL Trevor Ruhland:
“This spring was really hard for me. I was coming in hopefully getting the starting center spot, waiting my four years for it. Injuries kind of derailed a little bit of that. I’m beat up. I won’t lie to you.

“I’ve been told not to play, that I shouldn’t play. I’ve got the knee of an 80-year-old, they say. I couldn’t give up and came back for moments like this. You might not see it on my face right now, but I couldn’t be happier.”

For Your Nerves