Game Thread | Iowa State vs. (15) Notre Dame | Camping World Bowl

Camping World Bowl | Iowa State (7-5) vs. No. 15 Notre Dame (10-2)

Camping World Stadium |12:00 p.m. ET | ABC

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Don’t Freak Out

Notre Dame will look to get its 11^th win on Saturday, but it could get off to a slow start. Tommy Rees will be in his first game calling plays and he’ll face an experienced defensive coordinator in Jon Heacock, who runs a complicated 3-5-3/3-3-5 defense.

The Fighting Irish see a variety of defenses every year, but Notre Dame has yet to face a scheme similar to the one they’ll see on Saturday. 

A slow start might not mean the Irish aren’t ready to play, although it very could, as there will be an adjustment period for Rees and quarterback Ian Book. The senior signal-caller will see looks he hasn’t seen before and you can expect Heacock to throw the kitchen sink at the Irish offense. 

While there will be overreactions in this thread, I’d encourage you to give the Irish a few series to get used to the defense and for Rees to grow into his new role. 

On the other side of the ball, Notre Dame enters the game giving up just 163.7 passing yards per game and there is a good chance Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy exceeds that in the first half. 

Don’t freak out. 

Notre Dame is going to give up yards and it will probably seem like they are getting shredded compared to most games, but that’s Clark Lea’s defense. The Irish are going to give up yards, but they will also make the Cyclones take care of the ball and force them into touchdowns, which the Irish have been very successful at this year as they’ve given up just 18.7 points per game. 

Purdy and Iowa State have moved the ball, but they have also lost five games this season. Notre Dame needs to make Purdy finish drives and not get discouraged by stats on Saturday.

Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame TE Cole Kmet
Will this be his final game for Notre Dame? It could be and the chances for that go up if he goes off on the field. Expect him to have a big day.

Iowa State LB O'Rien Vance
The Mike linebacker for Iowa State is a key to their pass rush. He's a very good blitzer and knows when to attack on when the running back is engaged with another defender.

Notre Dame WR Braden Lenzy
He touched the ball more than he had all season and was a difference-maker against Stanford. Look for Tom Rees to get Lenzy involved often to help provide the offense with explosive plays.

Iowa State TE Charlie Kolar
ISU has a great tight end as well. Kolar will be a tough matchup for the Irish and we should see Kyle Hamilton in man against him frequently.

Notre Dame DE Khalid Kareem
Notre Dame's pass rush has to get to quarterback Brock Purdy and affect his rhythm as they have with most passers this season. Kareem is the key to that and if he can be as dominant as he's been in the final half of the season, it will be a huge factor in stopping their potent passing game.

Quotes of the Week

DE Khalid Kareem:
"You look back - Q (Quenton Nelson) and Mike (McGlinchey) were two top 10 draft picks. I don't think they questioned not playing. If guys like that didn't sit out, then why should we?"

LB Drew White:
"They're an electric offense. They have some really good skill playmakers and a really good quarterback. They like to throw the ball and have a lot of hard concepts. 

"We have to dig deep into the game plan and make sure we're ready. I'm confident we'll be ready."

OL Liam Eichenberg:
"A lot of offensive lines have struggled blocking this defense. There is so much movement. They're a very good team. The defensive coordinator does a good job and they have great players. That program is really turning around." 

WR Braden Lenzy: 
"You shouldn't be at Notre Dame if you're not a competitor. If you don't go out there and win, then you probably shouldn't be here. It's simple." 

For Your Nerves