About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
Coaches: Mario Cristobal is 43-19 at UM, 105-79 overall; Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman is 49-13
Line: Notre Dame is favored by 7.5 points
Quick slant: Miami, ranked No. 1 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, is coming off a close win against North Carolina. However, the Hurricanes suffered a big blow during the week, losing star wide receiver Malachi Toney to injury for the foreseeable future.
About No. 1 Miami (8-0, 6-0 ACC): The Hurricanes narrowly escaped Chapel Hill with a win. The offense has been clicking, but the defense has been scuffling. Miami is working to correct the issues on defense before facing Notre Dame.
About No. 11 Notre Dame (7-1): Saturday's game is crucial to the Fighting Irish's playoff chances. Notre Dame does not have a win over a currently ranked opponent, and the playoff committee ranked it 11th. If it loses on Saturday, it will be difficult for the Fighting Irish to make their way back into the top 12 in the last three weeks of the season.
1. Losing Toney is a brutal hit to Miami's offense, which ranks No. 1 in the nation. No receiver on the roster can completely replace the production of Toney. But the Hurricanes will have to find someone who comes close in order to keep the offense humming. The Hurricanes have a couple of different options to replace Toney in the slot , and UM will need to find players to replace the star's contributions.
2. Miami's defense needs to find answers. The Hurricanes rank 122nd in pass defense, allowing 251.9 passing yards per game. UM's inability to stop the opposing passing game nearly cost it the game against UNC last week. Notre Dame has the best quarterback Miami will face this season in C.J. Carr. The Fighting Irish signal-caller is completing 66.7% of his passes. He has 18 touchdowns and only one interception. The Hurricanes will have to find a way to slow him down.
3. The environment for Saturday's game will be electric. Miami and Notre Dame have a rivalry stretching back decades, and it only got bigger last season. The Hurricanes made the College Football Playoff last season by jumping over Notre Dame in the rankings at the last minute. After missing the playoffs, Notre Dame skipped its bowl game and had a public rift with the ACC , the conference its non-football teams play in. Fans have been eagerly awaiting this game for a year, and the night game should provide an amped-up atmosphere.
Source: Sports
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