Keys To Victory For The Notre Dame Offense vs Oregon State

Notre Dame (9-3) and Oregon State (8-4) are just two days away from squaring off in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. It's a chance for Notre Dame to earn its 10th win of the season, but these two teams will look much different due to portal opt outs, NFL Draft opt outs and injuries.

Notre Dame's offense will look especially different, as the Irish will have new starters at quarterback, running back, both tackle spots and two wide receiver spots. Notre Dame also gets some players back from injury, which should benefit the offense.

The Irish offense will need to play well against a stingy Oregon State defense that has its own fair share of injuries. There are five keys to the Notre Dame offense playing well and doing its part to fuel an Irish victory.

1. Start Fast - This is always my first key for the Notre Dame offense, but it's always for different reasons. It's easy to understand why it's at the top in this game. Notre Dame is starting a lot of new players, and most are very young. Getting some early confidence is a must, and a fast start does just that. Finding ways to get quarterback Steve Angeli into an early rhythm should help him settle in, and it should help the offensive line get rolling against a potent Oregon State pass rush.

Notre Dame has a very favorable matchup against the Oregon State offense, so a fast start by its own offense could make this game get out of hand in a hurry. A slow start does the opposite, it allows Oregon State to stay in the game, believe it can win and it could get risky for the Irish.

2. Establish The Ground Game - Oregon State gave up 527 rushing yards in back-to-back wins over California and UCLA, but outside of that the rush defense was quite stout. Oregon State gave up just 72.2 rushing yards per game in its other 10 games, including holding Oregon's potent ground attack to just 113 yards (4.0 YPC), holding Utah to just 57 yards and holding Arizona to just 88 yards.

The good news for Oregon State is most of its front players will be available in this game. There is some turnover at linebacker, but Notre Dame will have a much different looking offensive line and there is no Audric Estime for the Irish.

It will be tough, but Notre Dame needs to find a way to get its ground game rolling early. That requires a well designed game plan that can use presnap movement to gain some leveraged and numbers advantages, can create mistakes by Oregon State's aggressive defense, and of course the line and tight ends need to block at a high level. Oregon State isn't a very big defense, but it's aggressive, and the new look line will need to be on top of its game.

If the line can be sound and can play physical football the Irish should be able to establish the ground attack. If that happens the Notre Dame offense could be hard to stop. Notre Dame backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price are home run hitters, and if the line gives them space at the point of attack they have the skill to punish the Beavers.

If the ground game sputters the Irish offense will likely have trouble consistently moving the football.

3. Win Outside - Oregon State's secondary was just okay during the season, and when the Beavers defense got ripped it was often through the air. Washington State went for 422 yards in their upset win over Oregon State, Oregon went for 367 yards in their win and Arizona completed 78.1 percent of their throws for 275 yards and three scores in their upset win over Oregon State.

When Oregon State was at its best the pass defense played well, like it did against Washington (162 yards allowed) and Stanford (4 interceptions).

Notre Dame faces this up-and-down Oregon State pass defense with a healthier group than we've seen in months, even with the departures from the program. Jaden Greathouse and Jayden Thomas are healthy, which could be huge for the offense. Greathouse was on the verge of a breakout freshman campaign before battling hamstring injuries the rest of the season, and Thomas played a huge role in Notre Dame's Gator Bowl win over South Carolina last season.

Notre Dame also gets Deion Colzie back for the first time since September and talented freshman KK Smith will make his first appearance for the Irish. Throw them in with talented freshman Jordan Faison in the slot, to go with a potential future star at tight end with Eli Raridon, and Notre Dame will have plenty of talented weapons for Angeli to throw to.

Oregon State will also be playing without two starters in the secondary. This is a matchup Notre Dame has to win. The Irish should be able to thrive on the outside in a variety of ways. The way Oregon State plays there will be chances for some easy completion throws, which if used effectively could allow Angeli to get into a nearly rhythm.

If Oregon State comes up and plays press like other teams have, they are vulnerable to the deep ball. It was in backup minutes, but Angeli shows a willingness to be aggressive getting the ball down the field, and the Irish outside receivers are better than the OSU corners.

A good plan is needed, and the receivers need to win off the line and as route runners. If they do that the pass game should thrive and the Irish offense could roll.

4. Keep Oregon State Off Balance - Oregon State has a very aggressive defense, which is a big reason the Beavers ranked 10th in sacks per game this season and why they picked off 12 passes. Notre Dame needs to use this aggressiveness against them with a well-designed game plan that keeps them off balance.

Smart pre-snap movements, a well-designed run plan, mis-direction, moving the pocket and some smart screens could open up some big opportunities for the Irish offense. Oregon State will make their fair share of plays, but this type of game plan, if executed well, will also result in the offense gashing the Beavers.

5. Protect The Ball - I believe the Notre Dame defense will thrive against Oregon State, and it's the primary reason I have the Irish winning this game. My biggest fear, however, is the offense has some bad turnovers that give Oregon State short fields, or easy point. The offense absolutely must avoid those situations.

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