If ND can establish a decent run game, they can Win. It's been who they were throughout the season but they have been challenged significantly with that in the playoffs. Denbrock and Rudolph need to be creative and motivate the OL.
This Ohio State team isn't the second coming .... not to derail the thread, but I truly believe 2019 LSU, 2020 Alabama, 2011 Alabama, etc. would annihilate this team. Hear me out regarding this and why Notre Dame can and, more importantly, will win....
- Ohio State is already coming into this game with 2 losses already - one, at home, against an average Michigan team. Ohio State also had a couple of "shaky" wins as well (see Nebraska and Penn State).
- Will Howard, like Leonard, has limitations with his arm. Howard, however, cannot run as well as Leonard.
- J.T. Tuimoloau and Sawyer are really good players. They are not, however, up to Carter, Mykel Williams, or Jalon Walker's level. Point being, Notre Dame's faced better.
- Jeremiah Smith and Egbuka are great. Tate's good as well. But, arguably Notre Dame's biggest strength (you can make an argument RB group > secondary) is its secondary. Ohio State WRs are going to make their plays, but at least Notre Dame isn't subjected to a "physical" mismatch that you simply cannot account for (e.g., Tyler Warren). And, again, Howard is no Joe Burrow... if ND can generate enough consistent pressure on Howard, that will really neutralize all of their receiving talent.
- They've got good line play....well, so does A&M. So does Georgia. So does Penn State. Point being, Notre Dame has played comparable talent (some having better individual talent) to Ohio State. This isn't anything new to Notre Dame.
- Ohio State has been on a rampage since losing to Michigan. Well, take a closer look.
- Tennessee and Nico were abysmal on the road all year (lost @ Ohio State, lost @ Georgia, lost @ Arkansas). At OU, Nico was 13/21, 194 yards, 1 TD. At Arkansas, Nico was 17/29, 158 yards. At Georgia, Nico was 20/33, 167 yards. At Vanderbilt, Nico was 18/26, 257 yards, 4TDs, 1 INT. At Ohio State, Nico was 14/31, 104 yards. Other than Vanderbilt, Nico and the Tennessee offense was extremely pedestrian on the road.
- Oregon was an impressive win. I don't personally believe Oregon was as great as people may have believed (see the Idaho game, Boise game, Wisconsin game), but I'm not going to knock Ohio State on that .... that was an impressive win.
- Texas had Ohio State 1st and goal on the goal line to tie the game and potentially go into OT. Sarkisian, the dolt, got too cute and wanted to run a sweep 10 yards deep and we know how the rest played out. Just run a QB sneak under center ... it's first down. You'll get in ....
Point being, I've listened to some ND podcasts and have read a lot of "
regardless what happens Monday, it's been a hell of a ride" or "
we're happy to be here and this season has been a tremendous success". Fuck that. Notre Dame can win this thing. Notre Dame has proven it can go toe to toe and blow to blow with anyone and physically dominate. Notre Dame's fast, athletic, and relentless. You've got elite coaching, a dynamic quarterback, a top 3 running back room, a consistent offensive line (especially given the injuries), capable WRs and TEs, an elite secondary, a fast, physical, strong defense. The team simply does not quit. Yes, some guys are going to have to step it up and play lights out (e.g. Clark, Sneed, Oben, Logan Thomas, Vilimia-Asa, Gray, Tuihalmaka), but this absolutely can beat Ohio State. It's mind boggling some of the predictions I've seen (mainly from Ohio State fans). We all know Ohio State and Ryan Day do not like physicality (see the Michigan game). Before the game starts, when they're warming up, Ohio State needs to be viscerally uncomfortable about the upcoming 60 minutes... Notre Dame has to take it to them. Lean on them...wear them down...and then break them.
Go get 'em, men. Go. Fucking. Irish.