Notre Dame Offense Needs To Get Back On Track Against Duke

Notre Dame (4-1) started the season off red hot on offense, scoring over 40 points and averaging over 500 yards per game through the season's first four games. The offense struggled against Ohio State, going for a season low 14 points, a season low 351 yards and a season low 5.5 yards per play.

Ohio State was the best defense the Fighting Irish offense faced so far in the season, and a strong case could be made that Duke (4-0) will be the second best defense the Irish face up to this point in the season, if not the entire season.

Notre Dame needs a big win today over the 17th-ranked Blue Devils, and if that's going to happen the offense will need to get back on track in a hurry. The Blue Devils will present Notre Dame with a very tough test.

Notre Dame Rush Offense vs Duke Rush Defense

Notre Dame has been a strong rushing attack all season, racking up at least 170 yards in each game this season. Notre Dame has posted the highest rushing total that each of its first five opponents have allowed on the season, and its 176 yards against Ohio State was 77 yards higher than in any game the Buckeyes had played up to this point in the season.

Junior running back Audric Estime leads the nation in rushing yards (591) and he's 9th nationally in rushing yards per game. Estime is also 4th nationally with a 7.7 yards per carry average. It's not a one man show either, and Notre Dame uses a steady dose of Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, Gi'Bran Payne and Devyn Ford as well. That quartet rushed for 106 yards in the loss to the Buckeyes.

Duke's numbers against the run are mostly average. They haven't been overly disruptive (51st in tackles for loss, 65th in yards per attempt), but the 133 yards allowed is still a solid number. The Blue Devils allowed 213 yards to Clemson in the opener, but the next three opponents averaged just 106.3 yards per game.

Interior defenders DeWayne Carter and Ja'Mion Franklin are big, stout run defenders and the edge players are quality run defenders as well. Of course, Duke hasn't faced a rushing attack like Notre Dame's, but their combination of size, toughness and good scheme mean the Irish ground game will need to be on point from a design, play-calling and execution standpoint.

Notre Dame Pass Offense vs Duke Pass Defense

This will likely be Notre Dame's toughest test. Duke's pass defense has been outstanding, which shouldn't surprise you when you consider Mike Elko is their head coach. The Blue Devils rank 4th nationally in passing yards allowed, 1st in yards allowed per attempt, 2nd in yards allowed per completion, 4th in pass efficiency defense, 23rd in lowest completion percentage allowed and Duke has yet to allow a pass completion of 30 yards or more.

Transfer cornerbacks Al Blades Jr. (Miami, Fla.) and Myles Jones (Texas A&M) have been a big reason for the improvements. Both are long, quality corners that are significant upgrades over what they had last season. Duke has a sound but aggressive defensive scheme that has made life very difficult for opposing quarterbacks this season.

Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman had an off night against Ohio State, but he was outstanding in the first four games. Hartman also has experience against Duke. He passed for 347 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-31 loss to the Blue Devils last season, and passed for 402 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-7 win in 2021.

Hartman will need his depleted wide receiver corps to step up in this game. It's time for sophomore Tobias Merriweather to have a breakout, and for the Irish coaches to feature him more. The potential loss of Jayden Thomas should also open up opportunities for freshmen Jaden Greathouse and Rico Flores Jr., who need big games against the Blue Devils.

Notre Dame has been quite good protecting the quarterback for most of this season, and Duke ranks just 76th in sacks per game. The Irish pass game needs that to continue in this matchup.

Notre Dame Scoring Offense vs Duke Scoring Defense

Notre Dame's offense has been quite good for most of the season, as has Duke's defense. This will be a crucial matchup in this game. Notre Dame has a lot to prove offensively after last week's struggles against Ohio State. If Notre Dame is going to win this game, and win it in the convincing fashion it needs to in order to enhance its resume, the offense needs to be on top of its game.

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