Notre Dame Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Toledo in Week 2

Sep 5, 2021; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Joe Wilkins Jr. (5) celebrates with running back Kyren Williams (23) after a touchdown in the second quarter against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports /

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Florida State Seminoles running back Jashaun Corbin (0) is tackled by a Notre Dame player. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeat the Florida State Seminoles 41-38 at Doak Campbell Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021.Fsu V Notre Dame1155 /

1. Defense holds Toledo under 300 yards

Notre Dame’s defense was uncharacteristically bad in Week 1 against Florida State, blowing an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter which led to an overtime battle where the Irish ultimately came out on top.

The defense surrendered 442 yards and 264 on the ground to Florida State which is not going to cut it for a playoff contender. The Irish need to do better.

Was this a product of losing Clark Lea to Vanderbilt after building a strong unit for the past few years? Possibly, but Marcus Freeman is one of the brightest young defensive minds in college football and he’s going to be just fine.

The defense will bounce back against Toledo on Saturday afternoon, holding the Rockets under 300 total yards which is incredibly bold considering they had 441 yards and 49 points against Norfolk State.

Notre Dame’s defense will open some eyes with a nice bounce-back performance against Toledo.

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