Notre Dame Running Back Takes a Shot at BYU's Talent
On Saturday night, no. 16 BYU takes on Notre Dame. The game will be played in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium. The Mormons vs the Catholics in Sin City? The storylines write themselves.
On Wednesday, Notre Dame running back Audric Estime added another storyline to the mix when he took a shot at BYU's talent, saying the Cougars don't have the players to match up against those of Notre Dame. "They're a good team, they've got a lot of good players, but I feel like their players don't match the players that we have." Estime said. "So if we just play our football, I feel like we should handle business."
You can watch Estime's comments below. The video is courtesy of KSL.
Estime's comments put a microscope on what will be one of the most pivotal matchups of this game: BYU's run defense against Notre Dame's rushing attack. BYU's defense will have the opportunity to prove whether it has the talent to compete against Notre Dame or not.
Estime is the leading rusher for Notre Dame. Through four games, Estime has racked up 264 rushing yards averaging 4.9 yards per carry. He has shared the load with fellow running back Chris Tyree who has 41 carries this season. As a team, Notre Dame ranks 65th in the country averaging 160 rushing yards per game.
BYU's defense has struggled against the run over the last three games. As a defense, BYU ranks 93rd in the country allowing 163 rushing yards per game. The team that wins this matchup, at least in this author's opinion, will likely win the game.
BYU comes into this game with a 4-1 record and ranked no. 16 in the country. Notre Dame comes into this game unranked following consecutive losses to Ohio State and Marshall to start the season. The Fighting Irish have rebounded, however, winning two consecutive games over Cal and North Carolina. As of this writing, the Fighting Irish are favored by 3.5 points.
This game kicks off at 7:30 PM EST and will be televised on NBC.
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