Notre Dame Football: 5 reasons the Irish will beat Miami (OH)

Notre Dame football pulled off a big win against Michigan State last week, but will have to avoid the primetime hangover this week against Miami of Ohio.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish seem to have returned to form for the most part, defeating all but a currently 7th ranked Georgia squad. Outside of their one point loss to the Bulldogs, Notre Dame has looked great in wins over Temple, Boston College, and the previously mentioned Michigan State. The team will look to continue their success as they take on Miami of Ohio at home this Saturday.

On the other hand, a 2-2 RedHawk team will be looking for their first consecutive wins of the season against the Irish, and will likely be hoping to catch a flying-high Irish squad off-guard. Miami has yet to defeat a team with a winning record as both of their wins have come against the likes of Austin Peay (0-2) and Central Michigan (2-2).

This will be only the second meeting between the two programs, and only the first in the last century. Regardless, both coaches will look to have their respective teams playing their best football in South Bend come Saturday. With the weekend quickly approaching, here are five reasons it will be the Irish who emerge victorious.

5. The Irish rushing attack will be too much

Nobody outside of Georgia’s stacked front seven has been able to stop Notre Dame’s rushing attack, and there’s little reason to believe it will be the RedHawks who pick up the slack. Miami has been inconsistent in defending the run so far, limiting Marshall to only 59 yards, but giving up totals of 160, 139, and 117 yards to Austin Peay, Cincinnati, and Central Michigan, respectively.

Those totals aren’t particularly encouraging when facing an Irish rushing attack that is 7th in the nation in total rushing yards, never mind the way through which they record them. The Irish boast a dual-threat attack, not in the sense that they are a threatening passing matchup, but that they have a slew of players capable of taking it to opponents on the ground.

Josh Adams, for one, has been in conversation as one of the best running backs in the nation. His backups in Dexter Williams and Tony Jones Jr. each offer their own style, making the offense even more difficult for opposing teams to hone in on. Quarterback Brandon Wimbush is a completely different monster himself. While he struggles at times in the pass game, he is an absolute force to be reckoned with on the ground.

Look for Notre Dame to establish the ground game before working on Wimbush’s struggling pass game. If the Irish are able to get the run game going early, the RedHawks could be in for a very, very long game.