Brady Quinn 'Confident' in Notre Dame Win Over Buckeyes
The No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes' matchup with the No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday will be one of the most anticipated matchups of the young college football season.
Fans of both programs are typically confident in their respective teams' chances in big contests like this, but one former Irish quarterback seems a bit overly confident.
Brady Quinn - who played under center in South Bend from 2003 to 2006, and is now a college football analyst for FOX's Big Noon Kickoff - showed his confidence in Notre Dame's chances Saturday on the Zach Gelb Show.
"I saw this team Week 0 up close and personal in Dublin, Ireland. ... Seeing the team, the size, the depth they have in the trenches, looking at their skill positions – they are as long and as athletic and as skillful as I have seen in my lifetime. This is a group that’s recruited well. They’ve developed well."
"They’ve been primed now to try to have that breakthrough, and I think Sam Hartman’s the guy that’s now opening so many things up for them on the outside at wide receiver, where they've had talent, but they haven’t been able to have somebody who can stretch the field vertically. They’ve got a quarterback now that can do that."
But Quinn isn't just confident in Hartman's ability on the field, he's high on the entire roster.
"It's been a long time since a Notre Dame team has had this much talent on a roster. I think they will surprise a lot of Ohio State people. This group feels very similar to Michigan as far as how this team is built. They’re still built through the running game, dominating you physically, but sound, solid defense. They can get pressure. They can get turnovers. But now they’ve got people to make the big plays, too, with the quarterback. We'll see where Ohio State is at. This is the closest team they'll face before they have to go up to Ann Arbor and play the Wolverines."
Ohio State is ranked No. 6 entering the game but has struggled on offense early in the season. Before last week's 63-10 win over Western Kentucky, the Buckeyes' offense managed just 58 points total against Indiana and Youngstown State. That raised eyebrows among Ohio State fans about the effectiveness of the quarterback position since C.J. Stroud moved on to the NFL.
Coach Ryan Day went with Kyle McCord over Devin Brown under center, but neither really "won" the starting job before the season. As the Buckeyes take the field in South Bend on Saturday, this will be by far the strongest opponent that Day, McCord, and Ohio State have seen. If Quinn is right, then the Irish will notch their first win over the Buckeyes since 1936.
