Key Matchups The Notre Dame Offense Must Win Against Wake Forest

Notre Dame heads into a very intriguing matchup against a struggling Wake Forest team on Saturday. The Irish need a win badly after dropping a heartbreaker to Clemson last week, while the Demon Deacons are just fighting for bowl eligibility.

With Notre Dame’s struggles offensively, Wake Forest has a few defensive players who could be difficult matchups. Let’s take a look at a couple of the key matchups that the Irish offense must win on Saturday.

SAM HARTMAN vs WAKE FOREST SECONDARY

THE MATCHUP

Who would have thought that a 4-6 Wake Forest team traveling to South Bend would have such an intriguing headline. The Demon Deacons will be opposed by quarterback Sam Hartman, who played five seasons in Winston Salem, throwing for 12,967 yards and 110 touchdowns. In his lone season with Notre Dame, there has been some good and some very underwhelming. When he’s at his best, Hartman is taking shots and pushing the football. We just haven’t seen that side of him enough.

Quietly, the Wake Forest defense has several NFL players on that side of the football. Their most notable contributors are in the secondary, where Caelen Carson has played both nickel and outside cornerback in his college career. He is joined by safety Malik Mustapha, who is a fearless hitter over the middle of the field. Both Carson and Mustapha are firmly on NFL radars, and are candidates to get Senior Bowl invites.

WHY IT MATTERS

The Notre Dame passing attack has been less than stellar over the last few weeks. There are a lot of factors that have prevented that unit from being consistent, including inconsistent offensive line play, wide receiver hamstring issues and a first year offensive coordinator. Still, Hartman hasn’t been very good either. Notre Dame will need him to be the best version of himself down the stretch.

With Carson and Mustapha leading a very talented secondary, they have a chance to force Hartman into some key mistakes. Add in the fact their familiarity with him, they should know his strengths and weaknesses well. On paper, Notre Dame should win this game convincingly. Wake Forest’s best chance is to force a couple turnovers to keep the game close.

NOTRE DAME OFFENSIVE TACKLES vs JASHEEN DAVIS

THE MATCHUP

The Notre Dame offensive tackles are near polar opposites. At left tackle, Joe Alt is an All American performer who is projected to go in the top ten of the 2024 NFL Draft. He has been stellar pretty much since the first moment being pressed into duties as a true freshman due to injuries. At right tackle, Blake Fisher has some outstanding tools but has been very, very inconsistent this season. At their best, this is one of the best offensive tackles in college football. Consistency is the key.

Although he doesn’t get a ton of fanfare, Davis is one of the better defensive ends in the ACC. At 6-3 and 260 pounds, Davis is a powerful rusher who has a knack for creating speed to power. He plays with all our effort, making a fair share of plays in pursuit. Davis is firmly on the NFL’s radar and a big game against Alt would go a long way, with pass rushers always being a premium on the next level.

WHY IT MATTERS

Hartman has struggled to consistently deal with pressure this season. Davis is the Demon Deacons best in that department, and he has the talent to make several big plays. If Notre Dame is going to have a good day offensively, they will have to know where No. 30 is at all times. He is by far their biggest threat in the front six.

This is also a big game from an NFL Draft perspective. Alt has the chance to shut down one of his biggest matchups this season, while Fisher is looking to get any momentum back. If Davis has a big game on Saturday, his name could start circulating a lot more. This is a big resume game for him.

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