(Photo: Clutchpoints)
Campus Clash
(18) Army Black Knights at (6) Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Army: I guess you can say there’s been parody in the sport this year. Teams you expected to dominate haven’t been as strong as we’ve seen in previous years and some groups who have yet to lose a game are still undefeated and this group is one of those undefeated teams. Jeff Monken is doing a fantastic job with this program and he is also the second-winningest coach in program history. The Army Back Knights are 9-0 and have done it in a plethora of ways such as ranking first in turnovers. As a defense, you can have several identities such as making a team one-dimensional, you can be the physical unit and as an offense, bring your lunch pail because you will have to earn everything against them and there’s the defense that loves to take the ball away. Army has been a mix of both this year. On the offensive side of the ball, they take such great care and have only turned it over four times in the season. Talk about being efficient and turning the football over is such a momentum killer. Usually, the team that fails to hold onto the football is the team that ends up losing the game (unlike the Detroit Lions a few weeks back). What I also enjoy about this Army offense is the versatility they put on display. This is a unit that can score quickly in the shootout or, they can control the clock and slow the game down. This Saturday night, they make a trip to 161st Street and River Avenue in the Bronx.
Notre Dame: They will forever be one of the biggest question marks in all of college football and I say that because they always enter a year with all the hype in the world surrounding them, then struggle and don’t live up to those expectations. When they were upset at the hands of the Northern Illinois Huskies back in week two, I didn’t know which direction they’d go in the remainder of the season and sometimes, losses such as those can set you back. Once again, that’s what happens when you still celebrate a win from the previous week and overlook a team and that’s exactly the issue they ran into that September day. Since then, they have won eight consecutive games and haven’t looked back. In my eyes, that loss seems so distant and they’ve focused on the now and stayed in this moment. I like when Notre Dame is relevant and they’re winning football games because the sport seems to buzz a bit more when a legendary program of this caliber wins. One thing I will say is they are winning games despite Riley Leonard, not because of him. This offense is built to run the ball and control the Line of Scrimmage and of course, their defense will remain strong as long as Marcus Freeman is roaming the sidelines. They’ll look to keep the winning streak alive on Saturday night in the Bronx.
Army X-Factor: Bryson Daily– He’s been the catalyst of this Black Knights offense and they will continue to go as he goes. Bryson can impact the game as both a runner and passer. Watching him, I’m often reminded of Taysom Hill of the New Orleans Saints. Just as Taysom does, he will run that football and put his body on the line to put his team in the best possible position to score and keep his team in the game. As a passer, he can push the ball down the field and take advantage of a clean pocket when it’s presented to him.
Notre Dame X-Factor: Jack Kiser– This kid is an absolute stud and whoever picks him up in the NFL will have a steal. Jack is a 6’1, 227-pound Linebacker with pure instincts. Against the run, he mirrors either the Running Back or Quarterback, sits back and the minute he sees them move, he moves. Jack is quick and displays that speed regularly which allows him to make tackles in open space. He can move sideline to sideline and watch this Irish defense, you’ll notice he’s in on every tackle.
Final Thoughts: I can’t believe this is the second to last week of the regular season in college football. As usual, it always goes by so quickly! This will be a neutral site game in the Bronx, New York at the legendary Yankee Stadium. The last time the Irish played against an academy team, it was against Navy and they walked all over them and it wasn’t close. I don’t think that will be the case this time in the Bronx. This Irish defense will load up the box, sit on the line of scrimmage, and dare the Black Knights to win this game by throwing the football, but, Army has that versatility on the offensive side of the ball which could challenge Notre Dame. The matchup to watch in this game is Jeremiyah Love against this Army-run defense that allows under three yards per carry. Both of these teams have dreams of making the College Football Playoff! Notre Dame will hand Navy their first loss of the season. I like them to keep rolling.
Prediction: Notre Dame 22, Army 17
