Chris Ash’s dominant unit aims to stifle the Spartans' ground game and pressure Alessio Milivojevic in a high-stakes rivalry clash for the iconic Megaphone Trophy.
Notre Dame's defense has been lights out through two games. Obviously, there are things this unit will have to continue improving upon as the season progresses, but it's been an exceptionally hot start for Chris Ash and the Fighting Irish defense. Through two games, they've allowed a grand total of 13 points, 131 rushing yards and only one touchdown. Tomorrow night, they'll be facing a Michigan State offense that's going to look to establish the ground game with transfer running back Cam Edwards.
This is going to be another test for the Fighting Irish run defense, but they'll have to remain disciplined on the back end to not get burned by quarterback Alessio Milivojevic who will give the defense opportunities to force a couple of turnovers. Here's the three biggest storylines, two crucial matchups and one player to watch tomorrow night in Notre Dame's battle in a rivalry renewed for the Megaphone Trophy.
THREE BIGGEST STORYLINES
1. Stop The Run...Again
This might sound like a repetitive story line, but it remains true for the Notre Dame defense. Their first three opponents, Wisconsin, Rice and Michigan State, all look to get the ground game going, but it looks different each time. The Badgers utilized a mobile quarterback, Colton Joseph, to get the ground game going. The Owls had a unique, spread option type of offense while the Spartans are more traditional in their rushing attack approach. Moral of the story, if Notre Dame wants to shut down the Spartans the way they shut down Rice and Wisconsin, it starts by stopping the run.
2. Generate A Consistent Pass Rush
This is a facet of Notre Dame's defense that I don't think is as bad as what some want to believe after the first two games. I think the sample size is limited, and after you factor in Rice's offensive scheme, the Irish weren't going to come out of the first two games with 12.0 or more sacks. Having said that, this is their opportunity to add to those totals. Junior defensive end Bryce Young has been off to a dominant season. Will we continue to see that tomorrow night? Senior edge rusher Boubacar Traore is also looking to make a big splash in this matchup.
3. Secondary Will Get It's Shot
The Notre Dame secondary hasn't been tested much through their first two games. And outside of Leonard Moore and DJ McKinney's pick six, they didn't pass their first test against Wisconsin with flying colors. Milivojevic will be put in several passing situations. This is the secondary's first opportunity to face a more traditional offense and make the 6-3, 223-pound quarterback pay for his mistakes. This will also be our first opportunity to see what Luke Talich does in coverage in bulk this season with the absence of Brauntae Johnson. With how much Michigan State is going to look to establish the run, they'll have to remain disciplined and not get burned on a couple of play action shots.
TWO CRUCIAL MATCHUPS
1. Boubacar Traore vs Rakeem Johnson
Traore has had a good season thus far, but hasn't had that eye-popping performance we've been longing to see, but he has the opportunity to change that narrative Saturday night. He'll be matched up against Michigan State right tackle Rakeem Johnson who struggled in pass protection against Toledo. The 6-4, 296-pound offensive tackle is gearing up to face one of the most talented edge rusher he'll likely see all season. This is a matchup Traore should win handily and if he does, the passing operation for the Spartans will struggle to gain any traction.
2. Armel Mukam vs Conner Moore
One effective way to stall the Spartans rushing attack between the tackles is to win the matchup up the middle. Defensive tackle Armel Mukam, similar to Traore, has had a good first two games, but his ceiling is much higher. Now that he has a handful of games under his belt in the starting lineup, Saturday night could be our first opportunity to see him start to dominate the competition. Spartans left guard Conner Moore is more of a run blocker than he is a pass blocker, but Mukam will have to win in both phases.
ONE PLAYER TO WATCH: CB DJ MCKINNEY
In good faith, I can't imagine another offensive coordinator or quarterback try to test Moore. This could be a game where we see McKinney definitely lock down the field corner position. Sophomore Jayden Sanders will still rotate in, no doubt about that, but this is a game that could cement McKinney in the starting lineup for the remainder of the season.
Milivojevic will have to go at somebody, and we haven't seen teams have success against Moore or really attempt to target Christian Gray in the nickel. Some of that is an incomplete grade considering Rice's offensive scheme. But McKinney will likely see his far share of targets. Now, it'll be up to the 6-1, 190-pound defensive back to make them pay for that decision.
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