Notre Dame Football

Game Thread | Duke at No. 10 Notre Dame

By Matt Freeman

September 12, 2020

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Game One | Duke at No. 10 Notre Dame

Notre Dame Stadium | 2:30 p.m. ET | NBC | Notre Dame - 20.5 | Over/Under: 51

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Game one. There is Notre Dame football and that’s all that matters at the end of the day.

Duke comes to Notre Dame with a defense that could give the Irish problems, but many unknowns on offense. Quarterback Chase Brice seems pretty good, but he doesn’t have the skill talent around him that he had at Clemson.

It should be an eventful day in South Bend as there is a chance for rain showers during the course of the game, which could be a good thing for first-year offensive coordinator Tommy Rees as he’ll need to establish the run early.

All eyes will be on running backs Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree, but it’d also be a good sign if a veteran running back also steps up on Saturday. Can Notre Dame get a receiver to step up and by that I mean a receiver named Braden Lenzy, Lawrence Keys III, Avery Davis or dare I saw Jordan Johnson? I think we know Ben Skowronek is going to be rock solid, but probably not the game-breaker Notre Dame needs until Kevin Austin Jr. gets back.

The Notre Dame defense should be fun to watch. Brian Kelly had concerns about the pass rush entering August, but I think those were eased significantly. The linebackers are solid, so we’ll see how good Mike Mickens is as he’ll have to play some youth on Saturday.

3 Bold Predictions
- Chris Tyree houses the opening kickoff and the legend begins.
- Notre Dame will have six sacks.
- Notre Dame will rush for over 200 yards.

Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame LB Marist Liufau
Liufau needed to have an outstanding camp to jump the line at Buck and he must have as he's listed as a co-starter with Shayne Simon. We heard he made a ton of plays and showed great speed to the football. Now we get to see if he can make a splash on Saturdays.

Duke DE Chris Rumph II
Rumph is one of the best defensive players in the ACC. He led Duke in tackles for loss last year and they moved him all over the place to have favorable matchups as a pass rusher. They don't have many game wreckers, but Rumph definitely fits the description.

Notre Dame RB Kyren Williams
Irish fans are anxiously awaiting Chris Tyree's first carry in a Notre Dame uniform, but Williams won the RB1 job this offseason and has made a physical transformation to help him accomplish that. Expect to see him contribute as a receiver as well.

Duke TE Noah Gray
Gray is a consistent and reliable target with NFL potential. On 3rd and 4th downs, he is their go-to receiver with over half of his 51 catches coming on those downs last season.

Notre Dame S Kyle Hamilton
If you're not excited to see what Kyle Hamilton can do in year two at Notre Dame, then you probably don't have a pulse. A supreme playmaker last season in a reserve role, he's now set to be a star and one of America's best defensive players.

Quotes of the Week

QB Ian Book:
“I go home and come straight here. I’m here early in the morning, and I leave late at night. I’m wearing my mask all the time with Coach Rees, no matter what, always hand-sanitizing. Just I would hate to miss a game because of testing positive or being in a contact trace. Coach Kelly says all the time, it’s about our human behavior. So it’s on us.

“All my classes on our Zoom, so I’m not even on campus. Obviously, I would like it to be the other way and be able to enjoy the whole experience, but obviously, we’ve got to play this season and I’ve got to do what I gotta do to stay healthy.”

LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah:
"As far as the defense, if our team chemistry continues to get better, we'll be an even better team and even better defense than the one last year."

OL Robert Hainsey:
"I don't care if there's no fans or if it's like a scrimmage. The fact we get to play football is such a blessing this year and anyone who is upset about the fans, I don't know where they're coming from.

"It's just so exciting that we get to play football this year. That's all that matters to me and I think that's all that matters to my teammates. We're just going to go make the most of it, especially the guys who's last year this is.”

Head Coach Brian Kelly:
"There's a difference between working with a purpose and just running out there and thinking activity is achievement. They didn't do that. They were looking to set a standard and they certainly did that.

"Now, we didn't win anything on that day, but we certainly set a standard of what this group can do. If they practice and have a purpose like that consistently, their preparation will be outstanding and they will have success on Saturdays."