Notre Dame Football: 3 takeaways from victory over Wake Forest

Notre Dame football continued their dominance against Wake Forest, defeating the Demon Deacons by a score of 48-37. Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s victory.

The Irish claimed their seventh straight win on the season, handling Wake Forest quite easily. Head coach Brian Kelly had a few different looks in store for his Notre Dame squad, but the Irish pulled away with another one at home.

Notre Dame’s defense struggled in this one, but much of this was in part to a more pass-heavy approach than usual from Chip Long’s offense. Wimbush impressed in the pass-game while the Irish run game continued to do its thing.

Notre Dame’s offense was fantastic, but there will likely be much griping from Kelly in terms of defense. The Irish also survived a few injuries, managing to plug away despite a nagging Wake Forest team that never seemed to go away. With the Irish looking forward to Miami next week, here are three takeaways from their latest win.

3. Injuries are starting to become an issue

It was less than a week ago that Kelly praised the toughness of the Irish, highlighting a surprising amount of physical toughness compared to earlier in the season. However, the Irish are starting to feel the sting of injuries, with both Brandon Wimbush and Josh Adams witnessing injury scares in the first half against Wake Forest.

Notre Dame has managed to avoid the injury bug for the most part up to this point, but the season has reached a point at which injuries start to pile up. Many of this team’s injuries have been to non-essential personnel, but there are a few players whose injuries have already been felt.

Among those players is defensive tackle Elijah Taylor who is currently sitting out with a Lisfranc fracture. Tight end Alize Mack, one of Notre Dame’s leading pass-catchers, is also out with a concussion. Position players Cameron Smith and Tony Jones Jr. are battling injuries along with defensive starters Nyles Morgan and Jonathan Bonner.

The Irish have been fortunate enough to avoid major injuries up to this point, but spells can start at any given time. Hopefully Kelly is right that his team is in great shape considering the amount riding on each and every game down the stretch. If history is any indication, the Irish will need all hands on deck for their final playoff push.