Notre Dame Football

Game Thread | Tennessee State at No. 13 Notre Dame

By Matt Freeman

September 2, 2023

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96,170

Tennessee State (0-0) at No. 13 Notre Dame (1-0)

Notre Dame Stadium | South Bend, Ind. | 3:30 p.m. ET | NBC

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Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame LB Marist Liufau
Liufau had the best game of his career against Navy and looked like the player he was prior to his injury in 2021. He should get more opportunities to rush the passer this week and 3rd down is where he could really shine.

Tennessee State RB Jalen Rouse
TSU struggled to protect the quarterback last season and this game could be a brutal one for them if that continues. Look for them to try and get Rouse and the ground game going. He had two 100-yard games last season and averaged 4.8 yards per carry.

Notre Dame DT Donovan Hinish
Kurt's younger brother played five snaps against Navy and with Gabriel Rubio out with a knee injury, expect Donovan to have a bigger role in the next couple of weeks. He had a good fall camp and will have a chance to play his way into a regular spot in the defensive line rotation.

Tennessee State DL Terrell Allen
A transfer from Austin Peay, he's an FCS All-American candidate with 23 tackles for loss in the last two seasons. If TSU wants to keep this one closer than everyone expects it to be, they'll need someone like Allen to be a disruptive presence.

Notre Dame WR Tobias Merriweather
It seemed like everyone on offense got a chance to shine against Navy, but Merriweather didn't have a day to remember with a drop on the first drive and a missed connection on a deep ball from Sam Hartman. This is a new week and a chance for him to gain some confidence.

Quotes of the Week

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman:
“We all have to be saying the same thing. We don't need some type of false narrative, some type of, 'Don't overlook any opponent.’ We don't need that. Let's talk about what really matters, and that's winning the day.”

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker on calling plays last week:
”I'd be lying if I didn't say there were nerves and certain thoughts of just because of the expectation of this place and really an allegiance to our players and our staff. You want to do a good job for everybody. I want to make your guy's job fun. And it's sure as hell a lot fun when we do what we do and play the way we played, for everybody. I get that. We all get that.”

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden on LB Marist Liufau:
”I just think like there were times last year during the season that we would be trying to protect him because he was not fully healed, like he was not himself. I saw the young man the other night that everybody told me about when I got here. That's how I felt. I saw a knee-bender. I saw somebody with suddenness and lateral quickness. I saw ruggedness to take on blocks or knock ball carriers back. I saw him attack the ball. I'm excited about him. He's worked really, really hard from the injury to get to this point. So just blessings to him and excited about his future.”

Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price:
“I think this is the best decision I made to come here and I’ll always believe that. This place will take me farther than I could ever imagine. This team has challenged me to be better. Coach McCullough has continued to challenge me to be better. My teammates and the running back room – which is one of the best running back rooms in the country – challenge myself and others to be better.”

Notre Dame WR Deion Colzie:
“I knew what I was capable of, and I got to show bits and pieces of that, but I'm just happy to keep moving forward and keep doing that the rest of the season.”