Notre Dame Keys To Victory - Central Michigan Edition

Notre Dame is looking to improve to 4-0 today when it takes on Central Michigan. The 9th-ranked Fighting Irish will also look to continue its 40+ points streak, which dates back to the Gator Bowl.

This is a game Notre Dame should dominate, and it will need to do so in order to take some momentum into the matchup against Ohio State. The keys to victory for this matchup are every bit as about getting preparing to play at their best against Ohio State as it is about beating Central Michigan.

It's not that Notre Dame is planning for that, or talking about that, but it's about building confidence and getting into rhythm. With that in mind, let's look at those keys for today's matchup.

NOTRE DAME OFFENSE

Notre Dame has been putting up good numbers on offense this season, but there is still plenty of room for improvement, and I hope to see that today against the Chippewas. Here are three areas that Notre Dame must have success if they are going to maximize their potential against CMU and game peak momentum heading into the Ohio State game.

1. Get Back On Track - Notre Dame scored 11 touchdowns on 12 possessions with its first team offense in the first two games of the season. That changed a bit against NC State, as the Irish didn't get points until the third series of the game and didn't reach the end zone until the fourth series. Notre Dame scored just one touchdown on its first seven possessions against the Wolfpack. That didn't hurt Notre Dame against NC State, but that kind of start would be a much bigger problem against better opponents.

Notre Dame needs to get back into an early rhythm against Central Michigan and get back to being a fast starting offense. Getting the running game going is important, but at the end of the day this offense is as its best when it is able to establish good balance

2. Interior Of The Line Must Play Better - Notre Dame's interior line has been up-and-down the last two weeks. When the guards were at their best against NC State they pushed the box players around and opened up big holes, but there weren't nearly enough of those plays. Notre Dame's interior players struggled to handle the aggressiveness of the NC State front at times, and they were late too often picking up the second level fires and twists.

It marked the second straight game Notre Dame had this kind of issue, and it needs to get corrected immediately. Central Michigan doesn't show these kind of pressures and line games on film, but neither did Tennessee State. The Chippewa coaches know they'll need to be creative against Notre Dame if they want to have a chance, and if they do bring that kind of pressure the line needs to step up and handle it better in the run game and with its pass pro.

3. Wide Receivers Must Step Up - Notre Dame's receivers have been solid so far, but solid won't get you to the playoff. It's time for the Notre Dame receivers to step up and starting being a more consistent force in the pass game. Central Michigan has solid corners, but the Irish wideouts need to step up and play bigger, and build some momentum heading into the matchup against Ohio State. Seeing Tobias Merriweather and Chris Tyree getting going is at the top of that list for me.

NOTRE DAME DEFENSE

The Irish defense played very well against NC State, which helped keep the lead while the offense was struggling, and helped put NC State away in the fourth quarter with three straight turnovers (two interceptions, turnover on downs). They'll need to continue improving and adding even more in this matchup.

1. Turn The D-Line Loose - Defensive coordinator Al Golden has been and likely always will have a linebacker driven defense. I don't love it, but it's who he is, but even with that being true, there needs to be more from the defensive line. Golden needs to allow the front four to be more active, and not use them so primarily as tools to open up the linebackers. This is the perfect game to turn the defensive line loose, because the athletic Notre Dame lineman get to go against a Central Michigan line that isn't all that big, and is especially unathletic inside.

If Notre Dame can't get going up front against CMU, or if Golden continues to limit their ability to attack in this manner, it will likely mean we just don't see it this season.

2. Be Disciplined - Notre Dame did a very good job staying disciplined with NC State quarterback Brennan Armstrong, a talented run-throw quarterback. That needs to continue against athletic CMU quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr., who is coming off a 100-yard rushing performance against New Hampshire.

Emanuel isn't much of a passer, and the CMU pass game weapons are just solid. What Notre Dame cannot do is allow him to use his legs to extend drives or rip off big runs that give them chances to put points on the board. It cannot lose focus on the back end and give up big plays in the pass game to an inferior group of pass catchers. If the defense is disciplined against CMU it will limit big plays and likely overwhelm the offense.

3. Get The Ball - Notre Dame has done a good job getting the ball on the ground, forcing five fumbles through three games, but the Irish have yet to recover one of those fumbles. That needs to change against CMU. The Irish also need to continue getting their hands on more passes, and ideally turning more of those throws into turnovers. The end of the NC State game was a great start, and the back-to-back picks gave the offense the field position it needed to put the Wolfpack away.

I would love to see the defense start the CMU game the way it finished the NC State game. That would allow the Irish to put this game away early.

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