Notre Dame visits Florida State on 9/5/2021 at 7:30PM.
Notre Dame and Florida State face off in a regular season matchup. Games are on campuses and crowds are full once again! Notre Dame had a record of 10-2 last season. Florida State went 3-6 last season. Enough preamble… Let’s get to the preview…
Notre Dame Team Defense Preview
Notre Dame had 139 total defensive drives last season and they have yielded 5.28 plays per drive. Relatively speaking, Notre Dame were not a team that allowed many plays per drive. The defense either gave up big plays quickly or induces a lot of three-and-outs, we shall find out more. Third and long situations were common against last season ‘s defense. This was a defense that forced opponents to commit penalties, have compromised offensive line play, and fail to convert on crunch possessions. Notre Dame opponents passed the football 55.86% of the time.They were a team that faced a lot of Air Raid Offenses.
Notre Dame opponents had struggled with running the ball and the defense crushed the spirits of their opponents with zero or negative yard plays. 4th and Short was not a cake walk, maybe passing on 4th and Short or having some sort of RPO is the way to go because if an Offensive Coordinator thinks that they can just line up and run a Quarterback Sneak or hand it off to a tailback against last season ‘s defense, they are mistaken. Opponent rushing yards attributed to their offensive line last season comes out to 2.48 yards per carry. Opponent offensive lines had been simply unable to support their running games against their defense. This was a team that was getting gashed too much for the tastes of their base. Linebackers were not stopping the bleeding well enough. Opponents had shown a relatively average level of explosiveness in the running game, maybe there will be a breakout rushing play against them.
Notre Dame had made the turnover belt, chain, pads, lunch pail or whatever gimmick they use change hands a lot. This was a Defense that causes pure aggravation. Notre Dame should have a sign ready for opponents near the Visitor Locker Room that says “Welcome to Hell”, their front seven was deep and they cause a lot of problems. Notre Dame was better at stopping the run than the pass last season .
Notre Dame Team Offense Preview
Notre Dame had 135 drives in non-garbage time minutes and they averaged 6.34 plays per drive. When you were among the best at plays per drive, you were certainly a team that aims to wear down the opposition with a high play count or with long, physical grinding drives that eat up a lot of clock. We need to find out more here when it comes to Notre Dame. Notre Dame had shown a capability to be explosive on first and second down to avoid third downs and had converted well (relatively) on 3rd and 4th Down situations. Notre Dame passed the football 44.39% of the time.They favored running the ball as opposed airing it out.
On first downs, getting ahead of the chains is crucial and running the ball well on first down can get a team there, Notre Dame had done a good job avoiding the negative yardage rushing plays. How effective was the offensive line given what we know about their ability to prevent negative yards on rushing plays? More than you think, thanks to the Adjusted Line Yards metric. Notre Dame would take credit for 3.11 yards per carry. It is acceptable to say that last season ‘s offensive line may be underappreciated, even though the running backs get the attention. The Notre Dame coaching staff really deserves credit for how they prepared last season ‘s offensive line, but they could be a little bit better! This was a team that is rather above-average when it comes to gashing defenses. The threat of the run forces opponents to play more honest and assignment defensive football is a must, especially against zone read looks. They were capable of busting out a long run, which was really good when the team has the ball in their own territory.
Notre Dame bullied and controlled defenses last season , defenses were not to dictate what this offense was able to do to them. Opponents should consider a containment strategy. They had done a relatively good job done by this Offensive Line to prevent opposing front sevens from causing problems consistently. Notre Dame was a better passing team than running team last season .
Florida State Team Defense Preview
Florida State had 112 total defensive drives last season and they have yielded 5.62 plays per drive. There is not much to take away here when it comes to how many plays per drive opponents ran , but they were a team that falls in the average window when it comes to plays per drive. Offensive Coordinators had no trouble with last season defense, this was one of the worst defenses in the country. The Defensive Coordinator coaching search threads onFlorida Statemessage boards were flights of fantasy. Passing plays were 45.79% of their opponents’ play calls.Their opponents ran the ball as opposed airing it out.
Florida State was not doing anything particularly special as far as their ability to create negative yardage plays on the ground. How effective were opposing offensive lines given what we know about their ability to force negative yardage rushing plays? Florida State can take credit for holding the offensive line of their opponent to 2.94 yards per carry. Generally speaking, this was an average defense when it comes to how offensive lines control or fail to control them on the ground. This was a team that was getting gashed too much for the tastes of their base. Linebackers were not stopping the bleeding well enough. They were capable of giving up a long run, which is really demoralizing when the opposing team has the ball deep in their own territory.
This was not a disruptive Defense and they get pushed over way too easily. Perhaps they were too vanilla with playcalling. Their front seven was simply unable to make an impact, something must change or else the problems will repeat. Florida State was better at stopping the run than the pass last season .
Florida State Team Offense Preview
Florida State had 112 drives in non-garbage time minutes and they averaged 5.69 plays per drive. There is not much to take away here when it comes to how many plays per drive they ran , but they were a team that falls in the average window when it comes to plays per drive. Florida State was an average offense as far as staying ahead of the chains, getting into 3rd and Short scenarios, and converting on 3rd and 4th Down. Florida State passed the football 49.61% of the time.Relatively speaking, this is a team that favored run/pass balance.
Florida State was not doing anything particularly special as far as their ability to avoid negative yardage plays on the ground. Based on the Adjusted Line Yards metric, which measures the amount of credit that should be ascribed to the offensive line for a rushing play, they averaged 3.32 yards per carry. This was an elite offensive line when it comes to generating a push for the running game. They knew how to create creases for running backs to break loose. Playing 7 in a box was not enough for opposing defenses, this is a great O-Line. The offensive line and running back corps deserve a lot of credit for gashing defenses with their running game like the way they have last season . Featuring an explosive running game… they were capable of breaking big yardage runs on First and Second Down. This puts a lot of pressure on Linebackers and Safeties.
Defenses were able to impose their will on the Florida State Offense last season . Front sevens of opposing defenses were causing a lot of problems. Florida State was a better running team than passing team last season .
The Notre Dame Roster
The Players to Watch for Notre Dame
Drew Pyne QB 5’11” 194 Sophomore
Last season, Drew Pyne put up 12 yards, tossed 0 touchdowns, and he threw 0 interceptions. He tends to throw shorter length passes, he’d be accused of being too safe or not being trusted by his coaches. His average completed pass was 4.0 yards. He is not a mobile Quarterback and he is used as a passer in this offense.
Kyren Williams RB 6’0″ 195 Junior
Last season, Kyren Williams had 1125 rushing yards on 211 carries. Was he able to get to the end zone on the ground? He had 13 rushing touchdowns. He is considered one of the workhorse running backs of College Football returning this season. His average rush was 5.3 yards. He is a consistent option in the passing game considering that he is a running back. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 5.3 yards.
Avery Davis WR 5’11” 202 Senior
Last season, Avery Davis picked up 322 yards through the air. He caught the ball 24 times last season. He reached the end zone 2 times. He is a go-to in the passing game. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 13.4 yards.
Kurt Hinish DL 6’1″ 296 Senior
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for Notre Dame, Kurt Hinish, had 19 tackles last season. Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 8 tackles for loss last season. He was a strong pass rusher in the interior last season registering 1 tackles for loss.
Kyle Hamilton S 6’4″ 219 Junior
The leading tackler among Defensive Backs for Notre Dame, Kyle Hamilton, had 63 tackles last season. Among Defensive Backs, he was very active and disruptive in the backfield, he had 4 tackles for loss last season. He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 1.0 sacks last season.
Clarence Lewis CB 5’11” 192 Sophomore
The leading tackler among Cornerbacks for Notre Dame, Clarence Lewis, had 33 tackles last season. He was effective at tackling receivers on screens with 1 tackles for loss last season. He had 0.0 pick-offs last season.
The Florida State Roster
The Players to Watch for Florida State
Jordan Travis QB 6’1″ 201 Sophomore
Last season, Jordan Travis put up 1056 yards, tossed 6 touchdowns, and he threw 6 interceptions. He threw deep and medium passes to receivers more often than not. His average completed pass was 8.1 yards. He was considered one of the most mobile Quarterbacks in the country last season, designed runs and zone read looks are common. His average rush was 5.8 yards.
Jashaun Corbin RB 6’0″ 215 Sophomore
Last season, Jashaun Corbin had 401 rushing yards on 81 carries. Was he able to get to the end zone on the ground? He had 5 rushing touchdowns. He is considered one of the workhorse running backs of College Football returning this season. His average rush was 5.0 yards. He is a consistent option in the passing game considering that he is a running back. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 5.0 yards.
Ontaria Wilson WR 6’0″ 173 Junior
Last season, Ontaria Wilson picked up 391 yards through the air. He caught the ball 31 times last season. He reached the end zone 2 times. He is a go-to in the passing game. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 12.6 yards.
Robert Cooper DT 6’2″ 335 Junior
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for Florida State, Robert Cooper, had 15 tackles last season. He was a strong force in the interior defense forcing 2 tackles for loss last season. He was a non-factor as far as sacking Quarterbacks was concerned last season.
Keir Thomas DE 6’2″ 275 Senior
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for Florida State, Keir Thomas, had 32 tackles last season. Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 6 tackles for loss last season. He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 3 sacks last season.
Jammie Robinson DB 5’11” 199 Sophomore
The leading tackler among Defensive Backs for Florida State, Jammie Robinson, had 73 tackles last season. Among Defensive Backs, he was very active and disruptive in the backfield, he had 2 tackles for loss last season. He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 1.0 sacks last season.
Notre Dame vs. Florida State Prediction, Picks, and Odds
Prediction: Notre Dame 19 Florida State 45
Spread Pick: Florida State +7.5 -120 BetOnline Get Up to a Grand in Your Hand Now!
Moneyline Pick: Florida State +248 BetAnySports
Over Pick: Over 55 -109 GtBets 150% Sign-up Bonus!