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

1. Special teams opportunities abound for the Irish

One of the most intriguing aspects of this upcoming game is the outlook for the special teams units. Notre Dame has yet to capitalize on special teams opportunities, with neither the punt nor kick return game doing much in terms of touchdowns for the Irish. Chris Finke has struggled to get anything going returning punts, but the explosive C.J. Sanders is managing solid play in the kick return game.

Regardless of what they’ve done up to this point, the Irish will be provided with great opportunities against a sub-par special teams unit in Miami. The RedHawks allowed two kickoff returns for touchdowns in their opener against Marshall, and Notre Dame’s return unit should be ready to pounce in a similar manner.

Specialists Justin Yoon and Tyler Newsome will continue to do their thing as one of Notre Dame’s most consistent units, but it will be the Irish return team that raises eyebrows come Saturday. While there is significant opportunity for the kick return game to improve, it will be more encouraging to see Chris Finke improve in his ability to return punts. He has managed almost nothing up to this point and a solid game could go a long way in terms of his development.

Next: Complete 2018 NFL Mock Draft after Week 4

There are many things to like heading into Week 5 for the Irish, but the special teams squad is perhaps one of the most interesting. We haven’t had a chance to look too closely into their special teams group thus far, but a solid outing may bring them closer to light.