Orange Bowl To Be Physical Affair Between Notre Dame & Penn State
Marcus Freeman and James Franklin spoke for the final time before Thursday’s Orange Bowl, and neither hid the fact that the outcome of the game would come down to the run game.
Notre Dame enters the game as No. 11 in rushing yards per game (217.5), while Penn State checks in at No. 18 at 202.2 yards per outing.
The Irish boast perhaps the nation’s top duo in the country in Jeremiyah Love (1,076 yards) and Jadarian Price (720 yards), but Notre Dame also has quarterback Riley Leonard, who has accounted for 831 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns.
Running the football is Notre Dame’s identity and every team in the country knows it at this point in the year.
“For us, it’s what we do well and what we have to do to have success with this current team,” stated Freeman. “As you look at the course of our season, it’s been a big indication of the outcome of the game - our ability to run the football and our ability to stop the run.
“It’s a mentality. It’s a mindset. Just from my defensive coaching background, if you can’t stop an offense from running the ball, it can be demoralizing. That’s why we say we have to do it.”
Penn State is very aware of Leonard’s ability to run, and Franklin believes that the quarterback's run game presents some unique challenges for his defense. Leonard’s ability to score in the red zone is one issue, but his ability to pick up first downs and extend plays makes him dangerous as he’s accounted for 56 first downs on the ground this season.
“It always starts with trying to make people one dimensional and try to take away their strength,” stated Franklin. “Last week, we had a tremendous challenge in stopping or reducing the impact that Ashton Jeanty had in the game.
“We look at it similarly. Notre Dame does a phenomenal with their running backs. How they play upfront, but now you’re also having to factor the quarterback into it, which creates another challenge and creates more stress.”
The Nittany Lions boast the nation’s No. 8 rush defense as they’ve given up just 100.9 rushing yards per game and 3.08 yards per carry.
Franklin has emphasized the need to stop the run this week with his team, but he’s also preparing them to move on to the next play as Notre Dame will find a way to get explosive yards.
“At the end of the day, our focus is still on trying to defend the run,” said Franklin. “Notre Dame does it a little bit differently than what Boise State did last week. It’s still the whole philosophy. You’re trying to make them one-dimensional as much as you possibly can, but you also need to understand that the quarterback is going to make plays. The running backs are going to make plays.
“You’re going to have to flush it and move on to the next play. This is going to be a four-quarter football game, and we have to be prepared to compete like that. Stopping the run is priority No. 1.”
On the other side of the ball, Notre Dame will look to stop two 1,000-yard rushers in Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. The Irish got off to a slow start in defending the run this season as the linebacking corps needed to go through growing pains, but entering the game, Notre Dame sits No. 34 in run defense, giving up 127.9 yards per game (3.57 ypc).
“We are probably ranked higher in pass efficiency in defensive statistics, but the mentality of stopping the run is so important,” explained Freeman. “As you get later in the season and you play better teams, it’s going to be important, the same as turnover margin. When you look at Penn State, if you’re not able to do a good job at stopping the run and trying to run the ball, you’re not going to have success and get the outcome you want. That will be important.”
When it comes to the next 24 hours for Notre Dame, Freeman has made it clear to his program they need to maximize each minute, whether it’s more recovery, film study or simply getting their mind right for Penn State.
“The mental preparation time has been the same,” said Freeman. “For us, it was a normal week - a Saturday to Saturday as we look at it as a game week. As coaches, we were probably a little bit behind to start because of the travel. Physically, our guys are good. We’re going to be ready to roll.
“We have to utilize every minute we have from now until tomorrow night at 7:30. That’s the mindset we all have. Every minute, we have to utilize. We didn’t have the two extra days, so let’s utilize this time we have physically and mentally to make sure we’re prepared to make sure we’re ready to go tomorrow night.”
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