3 matchups in Notre Dame football vs. Ohio State that will influence outcome and draft boards

Audric Estime vs. Tommy Eichenberg

One of the best one-on-one matchups we will watch play out all year is when Audric Estime faces Tommy Eichenberg.

Estime shows excellent burst, acceleration, and, at times, breakaway speed for a running back of his stature. This is hugely impressive for a player who is listed at 5’11, 227 on Notre Dame’s official roster.

Despite his athleticism, he will lower his shoulders and punish defenders attempting to bring him down.

Estime will undoubtedly keep an eye on how his counterparts are performing in the game. TreVeyon Williams and Milan Williams are looking forward to having big production against a top-10 opponent with the eyes of the nation and NFL scouts on them. This is especially the case for Williams, as he is ranked higher on draft boards than Estime.

This is the perfect opportunity to change the minds of those evaluators who decide where to rank players. Estime could already be doing that, as he is the current FBS rushing leader with 521 rushing yards. The next closest is Nate Noel, who has 435 yards, yet he has more attempts than Estime.

For his one-on-one matchup, he will attempt to get the best of Notre Dame linebacker Tommy Eichenberg.

This is a classic case of what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Eichenberg, a human-tackling machine a year ago, will be integral to slowing Audric Estime. In 2022, Eichenberg recorded 120 tackles, 12 TFL, 2.5 sacks, one interception that he returned for a touchdown, and three passes defended.

So far this season, Eichenberg has 20 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, and a forced fumble.

Ohio State’s defensive secondary will undoubtedly appreciate Eichenberg’s efforts in run defense. Once Estime gets a head of steam, he is powerful enough to treat defensive backs as under-matched speed bumps.

Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus says there is not a better run-defending linebacker in the nation. Of Eichenberg, Chadwick wrote:

"“No linebacker in the country defends the run better than Tommy Eichenberg. Last season, his 49 run-defense stops tied for the lead among Power Five linebackers, while his 20 tackles for loss or no gain tied for second.”"

But the middle linebacker will also challenge Estime and the Irish offense in another way. Ohio State likes to rush the passer with Eichenberg as a blitzer. Depending on the protection, it is the responsibility of the running back to pick up charging linebackers. We will likely see how well Estime can protect his quarterback from a storming Eichenberg.

It will be a highly entertaining matchup between Estime and Eichenberg. Whoever can win this particular battle could go a long way in determining which team gets the upper hand.

The stakes in this game for the team and the individual players are enormous. Whoever can win his matchups in this game will go a long way toward helping his team win. This will also affect draft rankings and how NFL scouts see each player.