Game Thread: Ball State at No. 8 Notre Dame

Ball State at No. 8 Notre Dame 

Notre Dame Stadium |3:30 p.m. ET | NBC

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Consistency Key For Irish 

Brian Kelly will lead his team out onto the field Saturday afternoon to take on MAC opponent Ball State who he is familiar with dating back to his coaching days at Central Michigan. Saturday will be Kelly’s fourth time in his coaching career that he will face off against his former MAC rival. 

He has posted a 3-0 record against the Cardinals when at the helm and is heavily favored with his eighth-ranked Irish team.

Notre Dame’s front seven facing off against Ball State’s rushing attack will be the matchup to watch on Saturday afternoon. The Irish’s front seven is the apparent strength of this year’s team as it has been said all off-season and from what we saw last week against Michigan. Notre Dame defense only let up 58 yards rushing against the Wolverines due to the relentless effort and textbook open-field tackling by the entire defense. Watch for Te’von Coney and Khalid Kareem to have big games once again leading the Irish’s dominant front seven. Coney and Kareem combined for 19 tackles last week.

The Irish front seven will not be facing an offense that is ranked in the top 25, but as the players have said all they can’t overlook anyone and consistent game week mindset is key. Ball State will field an offense that put up 316 yards on the ground last week as a team and a running back who put up 100 yards on just 14 carries, James Gilbert. The Cardinals also scored three touchdowns on the ground.

Brandon Wimbush and the offense will not be facing a pass-rush led by Chase Winovich and Rashan Gary, one of the best pass-rush tandems in the FBS, but they are facing off against a capable defense that only let up a touchdown in their opener against Central Connecticut State. The Cardinal defense let up less than 300 total yards and only 117 yards through the air. It is going to be crucial for Wimbush to continue to make strides connecting with his wide receivers after showing some improvements last week delivering timing passes in the pocket.

Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame RB Avery Davis
He was not able to break anything open against Michigan but would have had a great chance to if the ball was put in the right spot on a screen play out of the backfield. This week he'll get to show Notre Dame fans some of what he showed in camp. Expect him to make a splash on at least a couple of plays.

Notre Dame RG Tommy Kraemer
With a front that is nowhere near the level of Michigan's, the Irish are going to have more success running the football. Kraemer could be the leading #maulcop at the point of attack opening up holes for Jafar Armstrong and Tony Jones.

Notre Dame DT Jayson Ademilola
Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa is going to be out for a good chunk of the season due to a foot injury. That means Ademilola gets elevated into a more significant role and he has the talent to take advantage of it. Mike Elston won't try to lean on Jerry Tillery as much against this opponent, which should mean plenty of snaps at 3-tech for Ademilola.

WR Yo'Heinz Tyler
A member of the all-name team in college football, Tyler had quite the debut last week with his first two touches going for touchdowns. That included a 63-yard score where he did most of his work after the catch. He's a big, fast target who has the most potential to do what Miami (Ohio) wide receiver James Gardner did against Notre Dame last season.

RB Malik Dunner
He took a kick back 93 yards to the house last season and has flashed explosive ability as a runner and receiver too. The Irish defense needs to contain him, and the kickoffs need to be booted out the end zone.

Quotes of the Week

Notre Dame CB Troy Pride Jr. on confidence: 
“That’s how you play,” Pride said of playing with confidence. “That’s how you think. It’s your mindset. If you don’t do that, then you’ll play stiff, play slow and forget your plays. When you’re confident, you know what you’re supposed to do and know you have to beat the dude across from you. You have to ball. That’s ‘Mayweathering.’”

Brian Kelly on injured defensive tackle Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa:
“Myron had surgery this morning. It went well. Screw - pretty standard. Nobody will be out other than Myron.” 

Countdown to Kickoff

10 - Of the 33 rushing attempts for Michigan in the season’s opening game, the longest gain on the ground for the Wolverines was a 10-yard run.

9 - A total of nine different Notre Dame defensive players logged four or more tackles to begin the season against Michigan.

8 - Te’von Coney’s fumble return with less than one minute remaining in the fourth quarter to clinch the win against Michigan officially covered eight yards. 

7 - Seven different Notre Dame pass catchers registered at least one reception during the opening win of the year against Michigan.

6 - Notre Dame limited Michigan to six conversions in 13 attempts on third down.

5 - The number of times both Notre Dame and Michigan have both been ranked among the national top 20 when squaring off since 2005. Notre Dame improved to 3-2 in those five meetings with the win last Saturday over Michigan.

4 - Notre Dame scored on four total drives in the win over Michigan, which featured three touchdown drives and one field goal conversion.

3 - Number of career touchdown receptions for Chris Finke, after he hauled in a 43-yard scoring pass from Brandon Wimbush in the first quarter of the win over Michigan.

2 - The number of rushing touchdowns for Jafar Armstrong in his Notre Dame debut against Michigan. Armstrong scored from 13 yards and four yards out against the Wolverines.

1 - Notre Dame and Ball State meet on the gridiron for the first time on Saturday afternoon inside Notre Dame Stadium. The Cardinals are the 146th different opponent to ever face the Irish.

0 - Notre Dame has not had an empty seat for a home game since 1973. The 263-game sellout streak is the second-longest in NCAA history.

Yoon Watch 

Justin Yoon (43) sits just 15 career field goals shy of breaking the program record of 57 set by his predecessor Kyle Brindza in 2014.

Yoon, who has also connected on 152 of 156 career extra-point attempts, is just 40 points shy (281) of breaking Allen Pinkett’s Notre Dame career record of 320 points set in 1985.