Miami vs Notre Dame Rivalry Revived

We finally get to see an old rivalry revived between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Miami Hurricanes. Notre Dame has been great over the years, not including last year, as they’ve made some great runs for the National Championships in previous years. The Fighting Irish have a record of 8-1; they are ranked 3rd overall, and are ready to make the final push into the playoffs. For the Hurricanes on the other hand, it’s been a struggle to bring life back into a program that’s struggled for so long, but Coach Mark Richt has done so. Miami is undefeated, has a record of 8-0, and are ranked 7th overall and are in good position to compete for a playoff spot.

This is one of the most exciting games that is taking place this year. If you’ve ever seen any videos of the old rivalry games, you’d know they’ve had bad blood between each other in the past. With a win, this could possibly bring them closer to making the playoffs. I would love to see them go back to the old days, when they wouldn’t take any crap from one another and weren’t afraid to brawl. Now I don’t like to see fights in sports games, as it takes away from it, but in certain instances i think it could be great, and this is one of them.

https://youtu.be/dPLEFaYYu4g

The Fighting Irish need to establish the run early on in the game. They have one of the best running backs in all of college and a top contender for the Heisman trophy, and that can help them get set up to win this game. Josh Adams has risen to the top, as he’s rushed for a total of 1,191 yards, 9 touchdowns, and has averaged 8.7 yards per carry. If Josh Adams can get going early on in the game it’ll be over immediately, as the one thing the Hurricanes have struggled at is stopping the run this year.. Notre Dame also has a great quarterback that can take all the pressure off of the run game, as Brandon Wimbush has gone 103 for 200, thrown for 1,286 yards, 11 touchdowns, and only 2 interceptions. Now Wimbush isn’t going to throw for 400 yards, but what he is gonna do is be an accurate passer that will complete passes, move the ball, and not turn it over, which is all that is needed behind Josh Adams. Miami’s defense will be going up against a top offensive line this week, and may not get to the quarterback as much as they’d like to. Notre Dame’s defense has played pretty good so far this season, as they’ve not allowed many points to good teams such as USC, and North Carolina State, but in their last game they gave up a good sum of points against Wake Forest, which could take some of their morale away from them for this game.

The Hurricanes offense has clicked this year, which has been a difference maker as to why they’re 8-0. But also in many of the games, the offense will disappear for a stretch of the game, and put pressure on the defense to force turnovers and make stops. Led by quarterback Malik Rosier, who’s been inconsistent at times this year but has been a great player for the most part, has been going 153 for 273 while throwing for 2,264 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. If Rosier finds his receivers watch out, as he can be a big threat to your defense. Miami also has a great runner to take the pressure off, as Travis Homer has rushed rushed for 612 yards, 6 touchdowns, and has averaged 6.4 yards per carry. Homer can also receive out of the backfield catching 15 passes, for 193 yards, 1 touchdown, and an average of 12.9 yards per catch. This dual threat type of player can change any type of game, as the defense will have to watch him in both the run game and then the pass game as he will be catching passes out of the backfield. The defense is going to have to have the biggest impact in the game, as the offense may not be able to score enough to win. If you haven’t already seen, the Miami Hurricanes have a turnover chain that the person who forces the turnover will wear on the bench, and trust me, a lot of players have worn that this year. The secondary is excellent as they have locked down many top receivers for different teams. The defense is weak in stopping the run, but has been good in stripping the ball, so Notre Dame’s players better beware or else.

This game is going to be electric, and many great plays are going to be made. Both teams will not hold anything back, as it’s their time to shine. But in the end, I see Notre Dame having the upper hand and defeating the Miami Hurricanes by a score of 38-34.

Written by Domenic Buccini