Photo: Brian Spurlock // USA TODAY Sports There’s a reason Notre Dame is a touchdown underdog to Ohio State in this year’s Fiesta Bowl matchup on New Year’s Day, and it has everything to do with the Buckeyes winning 25 of their last 27 contests. However, it’s important to remember Notre Dame was also a touchdown underdog to LSU in last year’s Music City Bowl, and the keys to defeating the Tigers, as UHND outlined leading up to kickoff, involved committing to the running game to keep LSU’s talented running back, Leonard Fournette, off the field. The plan worked, and Notre Dame was able to keep pace with LSU’s potent rushing attack, managing a time of possession of 36:39 minutes compared to LSU’s 22:41. Faced with underdog status in yet another bowl game, what are the keys for a Notre Dame victory on January 1st? 5. Offensive line winning the line of scrimmage If Notre Dame is going to upset Ohio State the Irish offense will need to score a lot of points, and that starts in the trenches. The offensive line battled through injury for most of November, an issue solidly in the spotlight after the poor showing against Boston College. Notre Dame mustered only 123 rushing yards on 33 attempts against the Eagles, an average of only 3.3 yards per carry. Fortunately the offensive line appeared to be returning to its early form when Notre Dame ran wild on the Stanford Cardinal. True freshman Josh Adams piled up 168 yards – at an astounding 9.3 yards per carry – and quarterback DeShone Kizer chipped in another 128 yards with his feet. A similar level of production against the Buckeyes will go a long way toward securing a Notre Dame victory…
Continue Reading: 5 Keys to Notre Dame Defeating Ohio State
