Over the last few weeks, we've seen some impressive drives and performances and some sloppy and inconsistent performances at times. This weekend, the Notre Dame offense will be going against a defense that has struggled mightily this season. Syracuse ranks no. 117 in the country in points allowed, No. 125 in the country in yards allowed, No. 118 in the country in yards allowed per play and No. 123 in passing yards allowed.
Despite their defensive struggles, there's still some key players Notre Dame will have to account for on their end. The Irish offense currently ranks No. 8 in the country in points per game, No. 18 in the country in yards per game, No. 6 in the country in yards per play and No. 3 in the country in passer rating. If they wish to put together a complete offensive performance, they'll have to account for some good players on the Orange side of the ball and it starts with their interior defensive lineman.
Defensive Tackle #94 Kevin Jobity
Defensive tackle Kevin Jobity has been their most productive member of the defensive line. He currently leads the team in tackles for a loss with 6.0, sacks with 5.0 and is second overall on the team in pressures with 20 total on the season. Jobity is a 6-4, 300-pound force on the interior but has been relatively quiet in his last two games. All five of his sacks came in their previous seven games; Jobity had three alone against Pitt. He has the ability to clog up holes in the run game as well. He's a quality player along their defensive line.
Matchup To Watch: The interior of Notre Dame's offensive line has had some up and down performances over the last several games. With center Ashton Craig out for the season and left guard Billy Schrauth still working his way back from injury, the experience level on the interior of Joe Rudolph's unit looked significantly younger going into November than it did going into October. Left guard Sullivan Absher and center Joe Otting have stepped in to replace the injured veterans and have played well, but have to take their game to the next level. Their matchup with Jobity on Saturday will be a tough task.
Cornerback #1 Demetres Samuel Jr
Freshman Demetres Samuel has been one of the bright spots in Syracuse's struggling secondary. He currently leads the team in passes defended with eight and has one interception on the season. The 6-1, 185-pound cornerback is a longer athlete that's been targeted quite a bit this season. Through 10 games, Samuel has been targeted 54 times, but is only allowing a 53.7% reception rate, the lowest amongst the starters in the secondary. He has allowed three touchdowns on the season, but that's to be expected from a freshman.
Matchup To Watch: Throughout the afternoon, boundary receiver Malachi Fields will be matched up with Samuel. Fields is coming off of his two best performances. He has 99 receiving yards against Navy two weeks ago and recorded 99 yards and two touchdown receptions against Pitt on the road. Fields is a player that has to remain a focal point within the offense, and this week he'll be going against Syracuse's most targeted corner. The post season is right around the corner, and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock is getting the 6-4, 223-pound boundary receiver going at the right time. That will have to continue on Saturday afternoon on Senior Day, Fields' final regular season game inside of Notre Dame Stadium.
Nickel Corner #10 Davien Kerr
Sophomore nickel corner Davien Kerr will be one of the bigger nickel corners the Irish will matchup up against this season. Kerr is 6-1, 190-pounds and has had an up and down season for the Orange. He currently leads the team in interceptions, but has allowed 25 receptions on 36 targets, 363 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Kerr has also missed eight tackles on the season and is their lowest graded tackler on defense according to PFF.
Matchup To Watch: Notre Dame's slot receiver Will Pauling has had a quite last couple of weeks. During the middle stretch of their eight-game winning streak, Pauling hauled in five touchdowns in five straight games. He'll be going up against the bigger Kerr aligned in the slot, but Pauling has the ability to make plays after the catch. I'd also expect Denbrock to get tight end Eli Raridon matched up with Kerr after coming off of one of his better performances of the season. Kerr has good size and leads the team in interceptions, but he's susceptible to giving up big plays in the pass game and is the team's weakest tackler.
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