Game Thread | No. 7 Cincinnati at No. 9 Notre Dame

No. 7 Cincinnati (3-0) at No. 9 Notre Dame (4-0)

Notre Dame Stadium | 2:30 p.m. ET | NBC | Cincinnati -2.0 | O/U: 50

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Top Ten Clash

Notre Dame is once again hosting a top ten matchup in South Bend, but this time around, Brian Kelly’s Fighting Irish are the underdog to a group of five program. Yes, Notre Dame is an underdog at home against the group of five program that has produced Kelly, Marcus Freeman and Mike Mickens. 

And don’t let Cincinnati being group of five fool you as the Bearcats are loaded with NFL talent, including future top 10 pick Sauce Gardner at cornerback. It should be a fun matchup to see Gardner and Kevin Austin Jr. go at it in the boundary on Saturday. Gardner hasn't seen too many guys like Austin, but it will also be a major step up in competition for Austin. 

The key to this game will be Notre Dame’s run game that has been non-existent for large stretches this year. Can Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree find a few creases and get loose? Will Tyler Buchner be able to provide a spark? 

Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame QB Drew Pyne
Will he or won't he play? Brian Kelly has been pretty vague about Jack Coan's health status so I guess we'll find out soon enough. If he is the starter, congratulations to him! He gets to face one of the top passing defenses in the country as a reward.

Cincinnati CB Ahmad Gardner
"Sauce" Gardner may be the best nickname in college football. He's developed into one of the top cover corners in the country. Will Notre Dame avoid targeting him and move Kevin Austin around the field to avoid that matchup? That's going to be an important question as we wait to see how Tommy Rees attacks their secondary.

Notre Dame OT Michael Carmody
The plan right now is for him to play and that could be huge in this game if he can prove to be an upgrade at left tackle. He'll be tested by a very good Cincinnati pass rush.

Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder
He's a top-25 quarterback statistically, but has struggled against top-40 defenses. Notre Dame is ranked in the top-15 in F+ and should provide the toughest challenge Ridder has faced this season. The Irish need to contain him as a runner.

Notre Dame DT Jayson Ademilola
He's having a great start to the season and has been a disruptive presence in opponents' backfields. Look for him to have another productive day against an average Cincinnati offensive line. 

Quotes of the Week

Notre Dame WR Braden Lenzy:
“I give a lot of credit to Coach Rees and his willingness to build plays around personnel, rather than personnel around plays. I know at least for me, it made my job a lot easier and for the other receivers because at the end of the day, even though I think we are playing at a high level, and we are older, there's a lack of actual game experience.

Notre Dame DL Jayson Ademilola:
“When I’m on the field, I want to make every play. When my brother is on the field, he wants to make every play. That’s the way the defense is. We have guys who are going to play their butts off, whether that’s six seconds, 10 seconds…We’re going to go out there and attack because we’re all hungry.”

Notre Dame CB Clarence Lewis: 
"I feel like every game we're going to keep getting better and better," stated Lewis. "We're getting more experience under our belt and as the year goes on, we're going to play better and faster.

"I feel each week we're growing and it's getting better each week. We're showing that we're dawgs and can get to the ball." 

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly:
"They understand what protecting the home field is. They've done it 26 times in a row. This is much more about two top ten teams. 

"You gotta go out and attack your opponent. You can't sit around and wait. This is a heavyweight fight. If you're going to dance around and wait, you're going to get knocked out. This is a really good football team. You have to come out swinging and be aggressive. You have to take it to your opponent when you have two top ten teams playing, you better come out ready to go, or you're going to get knocked out." 

For Your Nerves