Notre Dame Must Limit Explosive Plays Against The Stanford Offense

Stanford has been an offense that has shown some ability in a couple of games, but has mostly been underwhelming and inconsistent in their first season under Troy Taylor. There are a couple skill position players who bring some appealing upside to the table for the Irish.

Let’s take a look at a couple key matchups that could be the decider in this matchup. Notre Dame has a chance to put an exclamation point on the season defensively, and really end things on a high note.

BENJAMIN YUROESEK vs MOF DEFENDERS

BREAKING DOWN BOTH SIDES

He has missed some time due to an injury, but when healthy Yurosek is one of the best tight ends in college football. His best work is as a wide receiver, having the explosiveness and route running ability to beat a team from various alignments. We have also seen Yurosek get a ton better as a blocker over the last two seasons. If healthy, he is arguably the biggest mismatch weapon for Stanford. He has the athletic ability to be a difference maker each Saturday.

In the beginning of the season, the Notre Dame safety position was solid but unspectacular. Then Xavier Watts had an epic breakout in the middle of the season, now profiling as one of the best safeties in all of college football. He leads the FBS in interceptions with seven entering this game. The middle of the field defense, along with linebacker JD Bertrand has now become a quiet strength for the Irish.

WHY IT MATTERS

We have seen the impact that Yurosek can have against Notre Dame. He is really the only member of Stanford who can consistently make an impact to the middle of the field, with most of the others being outside oriented players. There should be some opportunities for the Irish to create some big plays over the middle of the field. They must do their best to limit the tight end position and make a couple game changing plays defensively.

ELIC AYOMANOR vs BENJAMIN MORRISON

BREAKING DOWN BOTH SIDES

There aren’t a lot of explosive parts of the Stanford offense, but Ayomanor can make a lot of plays down the field. The 6-2 and 210-pound playmaker, is a boundary wide receiver and really makes a lot of plays with his big body and catch radius. On the season, Ayomanor has hauled in 55 receptions for 955 receiving yards and six touchdowns, averaging 17.4 yards per catch. If there is a big play made, there’s a good chance that Ayomanor is the one making it.

In the boundary for Notre Dame, they have this guy named Benjamin Morrison. Maybe you have heard of him! Despite only being a true sophomore, Morrison is already considered one of the top cornerbacks in all of college football. He has a stellar combination of length, explosiveness, ball skills and technique that helps him to make a lot of plays down the field. The phrase “lockdown cornerback” is a little overplayed at times but that is the perfect description of Morrison. He just doesn’t give up much.

WHY IT MATTERS

When the Stanford offense has been at its best, it’s been when Ayomanor has been making plays outside of the numbers. It will be Morrison’s responsibility to hold him in check, and make things difficult for the talented sophomore pass catcher. If Ayomanor doesn’t make a huge impact on this game, Notre Dame can really condense the Stanford offense. That would make things a lot more difficult for them.

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