Notre Dame Defense Has Unique Challenges Against New Look NC State Offense
Notre Dame is set to face a new look NC State offense, who has high hopes of jump starting their growth this week against the Irish. The Irish defense has been salty through two weeks but will be challenged by a different level of opponent after back-to-back victories over Navy and Tennessee State.
NC State presents some unique challenges offensively. The Notre Dame defense must win in a couple different areas. Here are the keys to watch for the Irish.
NOTRE DAME PRESSURE vs BRENNAN ARMSTRONG
BREAKING IT DOWN
After playing against the Navy triple option in week one, Notre Dame got a lot more pass rush opportunities against Tennessee State this past week. It was a mixed bag during that particular contest. There were moments that were really good, including a sack by defensive end Jordan Botelho and more pressure from players like Rylie Mills and Joshua Burnham. There were, however, too many missed opportunities.
With Brennan Armstrong at quarterback for NC State, you can expect a lot of plays being made with his feet. During his career, he has rushed for 22 touchdowns, including two last week against UConn with nearly 100 yards rushing in that contest. Armstrong is a good passer but he makes his biggest impact as an extender and in the quarterback run game.
WHY IT MATTERS
Armstrong is going to try and make a ton of plays against Notre Dame. The odds are the running backs won’t be able to have a massive impact so NC State will need to supplement that production somehow. When he has been healthy, Armstrong is a headache to deal with. He has the ability out of structure that can extend a ton of drives.
For Notre Dame, you shut down Armstrong and you shut down the Wolfpack offense. The Irish front will be able to get to the quarterback. When they do, they’ll have to finish plays. Get Armstrong on the ground and prosper.
NOTRE DAME D-LINE vs NC STATE O-LINE
BREAKING IT DOWN
The Notre Dame defensive line has all of a sudden become arguably the deepest unit on the team in 2023. On the interior, the rotation of Rylie Mills, Howard Cross and Jason Onye is one of the more talented groups the program has had in several years. That doesn’t even include Gabriel Rubio who will be out for another week or two while recovering from a leg injury.
At defensive end, the Irish also boast an impressive level of talent. With players like Jordan Botelho, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, NaNa Osafo-Mensah, Joshua Burnham and Junior Tuihalamaka, that unit has some legitimate depth. The present and future is in a good place on the defensive front.
The Wolfpack quietly have one of the top offensive lines in the ACC. They are led by left tackle Anthony Belton, who has the looks of a high draft pick either in the 2024 or 2025 NFL Draft. In the middle, the team is also buoyed by starting center Dylan McMahon. He has been a mainstay on the interior for some time now, sitting as one of the best centers in all of college football.
WHY IT MATTERS
With the NC State offense in a bit of a transitional period with offensive coordinator Robert Anae, there is little question that they will lean on their talented offensive line early on in the season. The Wolfpack will try to get their run game going, as well as keeping quarterback Brennan Armstrong comfortable in the pocket.
If you’re Notre Dame, the game will more than likely be won based upon how they perform at the line of scrimmage. The Irish defensive line must play on the other side of the line of scrimmage, make Armstrong uncomfortable and put their offense into a lot of long down and distances throughout the contest.
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