Notre Dame Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Miami (OH) in Week 5

2. The Irish defense doesn’t allow a touchdown

An Irish defense that allowed only one touchdown outside of a garbage time score to a talented Michigan State offense certainly has the potential to do similar things against a struggling RedHawk attack. Should the Irish keep Miami out of the end zone it would be the first time this season that the RedHawks had not scored at least two touchdowns.

Miami has put up scores of 26, 31, 17 and 14 over the past four weeks, but again, a poor schedule limits their ceiling in this contest. Their offense is more than capable of getting them into field goal range and kicker Samuel Sloman has been solid this season, making all twelve extra points along with five of six field goal attempts.

However, an Irish defense with a newfound knack for being at the right place at the right time should have Miami’s offense sputtering for most of the game. Their 2.3 turnovers per game average is currently tied for 16th in the nation, far from their 1.2 average that had them outside of the top 100 last season.

Brian Kelly’s revamped coaching staff has paid off lately for the Irish, especially in regard to defensive coordinator Mike Elko who has exceeded expectations up to this point. The RedHawks will face the brunt of this defense as their confidence is the highest it’s been in the last couple of years. This may result in them staying off the board for the majority of the game.