Notre Dame Vs The Ohio State: The Freeman Era gets Underway
After a very uneventful off season, we finally have Notre Dame Fighting Irish football back! The Marcus Freeman era at Notre Dame begins under the lights in the Horse Shoe as the Irish take on The Ohio State Buckeyes. A first time head coach playing a top 5 team on the road is one hell of a way to kick things off.
I am very open-minded when it comes to this game, but at the same time it is hard to forget how Notre Dame has done recently in giant games. Do I think the Irish can pull of the upset? Sure do! Can they also get blown out and embarrassed? You bet! With that said, I am jacked for the new era and for the start of the 2022 season for the Irish. They have play makers everywhere, on both sides of the ball, and if they want to pull off the upset those playmakers will need to show up in a big way tonight.
With keeping up with past blogs I will pick out the 4 players, or position groups that I think will have big games, or need to have big games in order for a Notre Dame win. Here are my 4 for week 1:
Offense:
- The Offensive Line – For a school that is known for having great O-lines and putting guys in the NFL from that position, last year was very bad. This group has gone from the weak spot to the strongest position group on the team. The line is led by two future fist round picks in Joe Alt and Blake Fisher. With sophomore QB Tyler Buchner making is first career start tonight, this group will need to make sure he stays upright with clean pockets if the Irish are going to have a shot. Look for the O-line to have a very good night.
- Audric Estime – When looking at the depth chart you will find Estime as the third running back. With Logan Diggs maybe not at 100%, look for Estime to get a lot of work behind starter Chris Tyree. All the reports and stories I’ve read from off season have said this dude is ready for a big sophomore year. The Irish will need to control the clock if they want to win; look for Estime’s help with that and have a big night from him in Columbus.
Defense:
- Isaiah Foskey – I had mentioned at the start of the blog that if there is any chance of an upset tonight that the big time playmakers will need to show up. There is no bigger playmaker than Foskey, and he will need to have giant night if the Irish want to win. The Buckeyes love to throw the ball, so Foskey will need to wreak havoc for The Ohio State O-line and passing game. Foskey is a future first round pick, and he’ll need to play like one tonight.
- The Cornerbacks – This group will be on center stage tonight. The Buckeyes have the best wide receiver group in the country, led by Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Cam Hart, Clarence Lewis and Tariq Bracy will need to play out of their minds to keep The Ohio State wide outs in check. Like the O-line for the offense, the cornerbacks will need to have a big game for the defense if Notre Dame wants to leave Columbus with a win.
There are a ton of guys I am very excited to watch tonight, including Buchner with his first start, a healthy Marist Liufau on defense, and the young guys at wide receiver. Notre Dame is playing with house money, no one expects them to win (I am one of them), so go out and play loss and have fun. It will be a good benchmark game to see what kind of season the Irish will have. When Notre Dame went into Georgia and hung with the Bulldogs we knew that regardless of the loss that Notre Dame would be just fine that year and they were. I look for the same tonight. We will see just what type of team the Irish have.
Regardless of what happens tonight, my excitement for the Marcus Freeman era in South Bend won’t change. I think Notre Dame can get over the hump with him at the helm, but I don’t think that starts tonight. I hope to be wrong, but this is a giant task for any coach – let alone his first regular season game. I do not expect a blowout, but I would be shocked to see Notre Dame win. I hope I am wrong, I really do.
GO IRISH! Beat Buckeyes!