Special Preview– NCAA Football, Week One
(9) Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Florida State Seminoles
Notre Dame: If you’re looking that flashy and big play offense, you’ll need to look elsewhere because you won’t find it in South Bend, Indiana. Under first year offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, that wasn’t the idea. Their offensive plan is to be efficient, effective and do its job of controlling the clock. They also maintain control. Coming into this season, it’ll be a different looking offense. Ian Book is now a member of the New Orleans Saints. Again, he was never flashy, all he did was win games. Now, they replace Ian with Jack Coan, the former Wisconsin Badgers starting quarterback. The Irish will be without some key playmakers on the perimeter. That’s Javon McKinley and Ben Skowronek. I expect the offense to be built around two guys in tight end Michael Mayer and star running back, Kyren Williams. The defense was one of the best last season in 2020. Replacing Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will be a challenge. Watch for Jack Kiser this year. Speaking of their defense, they have one of my favorite players in the country. I’m talking about the 6’4 safety, Kyle Hamilton. It’s time to put more respect on them. They’ve made the playoffs two out of the last three years and in a four-year span, they’ve won 43 games. On Sunday night, they’ll be in Tallahassee to face the Seminoles.
Florida State: I still remember that 2013 team like it was yesterday when they had Jameis Winston. The last few seasons haven’t been memorable at all. What exactly has been the issue for them? First, they have some holes on the offensive line. This started at the end of Jimbo Fisher’s tenure as head coach, it then went on with Willie Taggart and it continues to be a lingering issue under Mike Norvell. Your offense can’t do much with a below average offensive line. Next, the Florida State offense couldn’t consistently put it together. They had their moments when it looked as if they were putting something together, but the offense had one of the worst passing attacks, the running game was absent and the ability to score was an issue. The Seminoles also have a new starting quarterback. McKenzie Milton transferred over from UCF. My question though is how healthy is he? He suffered a gruesome knee injury a few years back. However, I’m happy he will be back on the field. Now the other side of the football, the defense. They were awful in 2020. They w dead last in sacks in the ACC, close to last in total defense and they allowed 36 points game. The kicker for me was the inability to get off the field on third down. Derrick McLendon returns for them this year along with their top three linebackers. They welcome Notre Dame to town Sunday.
Notre Dame X-Factor: Houston Griffith– This is the other safety to watch for alongside Hamilton. He’s six feet tall, about 204 pounds and can be used in a variety of roles. I look for him to be that jack of all trades type of guy for the Irish defense. His instincts stood out to me when I watched the tape on him. He squares up perfectly and drives his helmet into the ball carrier for the tackle.
Florida State X-Factor: Jermaine Johnson– Most of the Seminoles linebackers did the dirty work for their defense last season. They desperately need someone to rise to the occasion and give this defense the spark it needs and I feel Jermaine can provide that. He’s a defensive end that can play linebacker. The Noles needed that pass rusher and they have him here.
Final Thoughts: Tallahassee will be rocking. I also expect an emotional scene as they pay tribute to Bobby Bowden who passed away in August. For the game, this is truly a throwback battle, hence the title. Both programs are so iconic and some legendary names have played for these schools. Florida State needs to attack Notre Dame with a ground attack. The Irish struggled to stop the run at the end of the year last season. I’d test them early and run the ball early. I can’t wait to see Kyren Williams get the ball into his hands often. The Irish will depend on efficiency to push the ball up the field. This should be an interesting game.
Prediction: Notre Dame 40 Florida State 21
