Notre Dame Football: 3 reasons Irish will beat Michigan in Week 9

1. The Irish run game will continue to be effective

After combining for 230 yards and four touchdowns on the ground against Louisville, the Irish running game remained relatively quiet in back to back games against New Mexico and Georgia. Jafar Armstrong’s Week 1 injury didn’t help, but the run game may have remained ineffective regardless of Armstrong’s presence given the nature of Georgia’s stout defensive front.

Since then, senior Tony Jones Jr. has posted three straight games of over 100 rushing yards with the Irish as a team combining for 541 yards on the ground over their last two games. With Armstrong expected to return in a larger capacity and the offensive line playing better and better each game, the Irish are in a good position to make some noise on the ground.

While quarterback Ian Book currently boasts an impressive 14 to 2 touchdown to interception ratio on the season, he simply hasn’t been the explosive version of himself that we saw last season. However, the Irish will be fine if they’re able to couple a strong run game with turnover-free football.

The Michigan defense may not allow for another 100 yard performance out of an individual Irish running back, but the unit should be able to do enough to give Book a few things to work with in the passing game. With an extra week to prepare and Armstrong in line for more carries, Notre Dame appears to be in the position to work some magic on the ground.