Notre Dame Football: 3 keys to victory vs. Michigan in Week 9

2. The Irish run game must maintain momentum

While having a great defense is critical, there’s really no better way to take pressure off one’s quarterback than to establish an effective run game. We saw this a couple of weeks ago when the Irish offense hummed along for 30 points against USC, much thanks to a run game that produced a total of 308 yards on the day.

Despite Jafar Armstrong’s return from injury, it was senior Tony Jones Jr. who served as the Irish’s bell cow, rushing for 176 yards on 25 carries. Armstrong is sure to play a larger role as his health progresses, but it was encouraging to see Jones carry the weight with what we assume to be a hampered Armstrong on the sideline.

As mentioned earlier, Book has struggled at times this season, failing to reach 200 passing yards in three games this season. While the run game appeared to have started off slow as well, the offensive line has picked things up and created some space for Jones and company in the trenches.

All things considered, the Irish will be facing a Michigan defense that has been stingy in both the run and pass game. This could end up being a defensive bout all around, but if the Irish do pick things up on offense it will likely start with a strong rushing attack that opens things up through the air.