Irish and Canes Ready For Playoff Tango
No. 3 Notre Dame has passed test after test since losing 20-19 to No. 1 Georgia in week two. The Irish will head to Miami to take on the No. 7 Hurricanes, and head coach Brian Kelly knows it will be a big test.
“Mark Richt has done a terrific job of coaching a group of young men with great athletic traits,” Kelly said in his opening statement on Tuesday. “You know, this football team that we play no doubt will require our very best.”
On offense, Miami is led by quarterback Malik Rosier. The junior quarterback has thrown for 2,273 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions on the season. His top target will be Braxton Berrios, who has recorded 36 catches for 474 yards and seven scores.
Running back Travis Homer, a former Notre Dame recruit, has stepped in for injured running back Mark Walton and the Canes haven’t missed a beat. Homer has rushed for 612 yards and six scores on just 95 carries.
“Rosier is a gritty kid,” explained Kelly. “As a first-year starter, he finds ways to make plays. He's a lot like Brandon when you look at him. He just, you know, finds ways to win football games, whether he's going to run for a first down or make a key play. He keeps the drives alive.
“Braxton Berrios is the engine to that offense, no doubt about it, but he's also extremely productive. So it's one thing to be the emotional leader, but you know, he averages I think close to 15 yards per catch, and I think he's somebody that you have to game plan for in the special teams game as a punt returner.
“Homer has done an incredible job of coming in for the loss of Walton, who we all know is one of the best running backs in the country. But Homer leads the team in rushing. I think he's got six touchdowns. Very shifty, athletic player that can go the distance and has really done a great job for them.”
The offensive line has the attention of the Irish, as does tight end Christopher Herndon IV, who is the second-leading receiver for the Hurricanes.
“I don't know that you point to one guy other than they really -- they work well together,” Kelly said of Miami’s offensive line. “It's a group collectively that you can see that they communicate well with each other. It's a real solid unit across the board.
“Herndon may be the best tight end that we see all year, in terms of his skill-set. He's a match-up problem for us that we have to identify. So all in all, you know, an offense that creates a lot of problems from the quarterback down to the receivers. Veteran offensive line, tight end and the running back is certainly one that has stepped in there to do a great job.”
Wake Forest led the country in tackles for loss entering last week’s game in South Bend. There is a new leader in the defensive category this week, and it happens to be Miami.
“Defensively, they lead the nation now in tackles for loss, and I think you start with (Joseph) Jackson and (Chad) Thomas on the edge. Both of them extremely athletic can rush the quarterback, but also can play the run and can also track down a number of things that go on offensively. And when I mean track them down, they can make up for a lot of things that are going on defensively in terms of getting to the quarterback, chasing down a quarterback, chasing down plays from the back side, extremely athletic.
“(RJ) McIntosh and (Kendrick) Norton inside, disruptive, tackles for a loss. It's an outstanding front four. The linebackers run and tackle as well as any group that we've played. (Shaquille) Quarterman, (Michael) Pinckney and (Zach) McCloud and they don't come off the field. They are guys that stay on the field in first, second and third down and we don't see that very often.”
On film, Miami resembles a little bit of what the Irish do on the defensive side of the ball. Miami keeps three linebackers on the field in nickel situations and they are able to play variety of coverages.
“They can play a number of different coverages by keeping three linebackers on the field, and that's pretty hard to do today in college football. A unique skill-set in that group.
“Then on the back end, (Jaquan) Johnson at the safety position, is their leading tackler. Outstanding safety. I think (Sheldrick) Redwine, you know, he brings a nice skill-set because he's a former corner who can play the No. 2 receiver, and then depth at the cornerback position, (Michael) Jackson, (Malek) Young. (Dee) Delaney is probably healthy to play now so they have got great depth there.”
Notre Dame won’t be changing much on defense heading into the showdown. The goal is to put Miami into a bind on third-down, and the Irish have been successful at that for most of the season.
“Leveraging third down for us has been key all year,” said Kelly. “Staying out of the long third-down situations so we can -- look, we've done this all year. We're taking third down and trying to cut it in half because I like fourth down, too.
“If we can keep them into third and manageable, then the quarterback can run, too. So don't force it, don't turn the football over, make it manageable on third-down situations, and worry about the quarterback whether he throws it or he runs it. That's really the key for us.
“You start getting up into those 12, 13, 14, 15, you're in trouble. That's what we've done really well all year is we've leveraged third down in our favor.”
While the rivalry has had some historic matchups, Kelly doesn’t believe his team is focused on the history of the series. A win would add their own chapter to the history books, and that’s what the Irish are dialing in for this week.
“They know Miami,” stated Kelly. “They know the history and tradition. They are aware of all those things. But they know that they have to play really well, and they have to play better than they did last week. I think that's what they know more than anything else.
“I don't think that they spend a whole lot of time thinking about the history and the tradition. Although, there were some great match-ups and I don't want to sell those short. But the real focus of this group is that they know they are playing a really, really good football team and they have to play well.”