Notre Dame vs. UNLV: Get To Know The Fighting Irish
Can UNLV make a case vs. Notre Dame?
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Tough road game for the Rebels
UNLV has a tough matchup this week against Notre Dame from both a talent difference from the Irish but also the Rebels are thin with injuries. The main injury is at one of the most important positions at quarterback with Doug Brumfield out.
Notre Dame has struggled as well under a new coaching staff and injuries of their own. To get to know the Irish, we chatted with Nick Shepkowski of Fighting Irish Wire for the details of this Notre Dame team.
UNLV vs. Notre Dame: Game Preview, How to Watch, Odds, Prediction
1. How are Notre Dame fans feeling about Marcus Freeman‘s first year? Losses to Marshall and Stanford can’t be sitting well.
It’s a knockback to reality. Most understood that there would likely be a setback going from Brian Kelly to a first-time head coach but the thought was that meant a couple or few losses to the likes of Ohio State, Clemson, and USC, certainly not at home to Marshall and Stanford. Can Freeman right the ship like Kelly did his first year after an embarrassing home loss to Tulsa, and lay the groundwork for what’s to come? Time will tell but overall feel so far that he is a lot more like the start of the Bob Davie era in South Bend than anyone wearing blue and gold would like to admit.
2. What changes need to be made against this UNLV team that is not at full strength?
The offense has been a disaster at the start of games this season having scored just 6 points in the first quarter to date. They need to find a way to execute early instead of having to manage games from behind as often as they have this season.
3. What has been the issue for the Notre Dame offense to slow down lately?
Pretty much if you contain Michael Mayer then everything else gets even more difficult for Notre Dame’s offense. His 38 receptions nearly double the second most by a Notre Dame player (Lorenzo Styles has 21). On the ground it’s a three headed monster with the powering Audric Estime getting the majority of touches lately.
4. Who are the key players that UNLV should be aware of?
Besides those listed above, be on the lookout for freshman wide receiver Tobias Merriweather on offense. He saw 10 snaps last week which are his most to date and burned defensive backs twice. One went for a touchdown and the other would have had it not been for an overthrow.
On defense, you’ll want to keep an eye on essentially the entire defensive line as they’re the clear strength. Jayson and Justin Ademliloa have had big years and although Isaiah Foskey isn’t having the same season he had a year ago, he’s still a threat to get after opposing quarterbacks.
5. How do you see this game playing out?
Don’t let the point spread fool you, this is a Notre Dame team that has lost twice as over a two-touchdown favorite on their home field already this season. I’m not calling for UNLV to do the same or really even be in a position to late, but with Notre Dame’s incredibly slow start to games all season I wouldn’t be surprised if this gets into the middle of the third quarter with UNLV just kind of hanging around. Notre Dame has shown no ability to deliver a knockout blow early in 2022 and I don’t see how that would all of sudden just change now.
