Notre Dame Football: 5 bold predictions for October 2018

4. Notre Dame opponents average under 15 points per game

The Notre Dame defense has limited opponents to just under 19 points per game this season, allowing only one opponent (Wake Forest) to record over 20. This success can be attributed to all-around steady play under defensive coordinator Clark Lea, the team’s former linebackers coach taking over in the wake of Mike Elko’s departure to Texas A&M.

Speaking of steady, Notre Dame has applied constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks as defensive ends Daelin Hayes, Khalid Kareem, and Julian Okwara combine to lead the nation in quarterback pressures on the edge. As if that wasn’t enough, senior Jerry Tillery had a breakout performance against Stanford, sacking quarterback K.J. Costello four times.

Now the Irish will square off against Virginia Tech’s backup quarterback Ryan Willis, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, and Navy’s run-first offense led by Malcolm Perry. Of these three teams, Virginia Tech boasts the only offense averaging over 155 passing yards per game.

This means a lot of grueling runs, particularly on the part of Navy’s triple-option offense. While this doesn’t guarantee wins by any stretch, it does lower the ceiling in terms of offensive production. Given Pitt’s offensive inefficiencies and Navy’s chew the clock approach on offense, it’s reasonable to expect such a number from the Notre Dame defense.