Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 12, 2018 47 pecially guards trying to play tackle) and mediocre recruiting in that one specific area. During the 4-4 start, FSU showed that skill position talent will have a difficult time functioning without a competent line. After the first eight games, the Seminoles ranked 127th in rushing (83.5 yards per game), 122nd in third-down conversions (31.7 per- cent) and 109th in scoring (23.3 points per game) among all Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. That is not an ideal formula against a veteran Notre Dame defense that has been one of the nation's best at pressuring the quarterback while also remaining stout against the run. WEATHER OR NOT When John McKay took over as the USC head coach in 1960, one of his first steps was to change the dynam- ics of the Notre Dame rivalry. The series had been annually played in the final two weeks of November (sometimes the first weekend of De- cember) whether it was in Los Angeles or northern Indiana. However, because of the cold weather element at Notre Dame that time of the year, McKay and the USC brass threatened to cancel the series if the Fighting Irish administra- tion did not change its home game with the Trojans to October, when the climate was at least more tolerable to them. The change was initiated in 1961 and has continued since then. Thus, whenever a warm-weather team from the South journeys to Notre Dame in November, one of the intan- gibles is how well they will adapt to the sub-standard temperatures. That element tends to get over- rated. First, November, especially the first half of it, is not nearly as wretched at Notre Dame this time of the year as it is often made out to be. There have been many mild tempera- tures throughout the month over the decades, including the No. 1 versus No. 2 showdown with Florida State on Nov. 13, 1993, when the tempera- ture was in the balmy upper 50s. What will be different about this year's meeting with Florida State is kickoff will be after 7:30 p.m., and the weather does tend to get frostier dur- ing the nighttime hours. The combina- tion of the Seminoles struggling this year with colder temperatures might subtly take their will away, much like Miami in the 2010 Sun Bowl versus the Irish in which snowfall and a 34-de- gree temperature appeared to sap the desire of the Hurricanes, who fell be- hind 14-0 after two Notre Dame pos- sessions and trailed 27-3 by halftime. Alphabetically, here are the No- vember matchups and records Notre Dame has had against SEC/deep southern teams it has faced at home. Note that most occurred before 2000: Alabama (1976, 1987) — 2-0 Clemson (1979) — 0-1 Florida State (1993, 2003) — 1-1 Georgia Tech (1944, 1959, 1970, 1975, 1977, 1981) — 5-1 LSU (1970, 1985, 1998) — 2-1 Miami (1972, 1976) — 2-0 Mississippi (1985) — 1-0 Rice (1988) — 1-0 SMU (1953, 1986, 1989) — 3-0 Tennessee (1978, 1991, 2001, 2005) — 2-2 Tulane (1947, 1971) — 2-0 ✦ GAME PREVIEW: FLORIDA STATE Fifth-year senior center Alec Ellerbe and his fellow offensive lineman have struggled in 2018, hampering the Seminoles' ability to utilize their talent at the skill positions. PHOTO BY BILL PEARCE/FSU SPORTS INFORMATION Predictions Corey Bodden: Notre Dame 41, Florida State 13 With the way this season has gone for the Seminoles, I just don't see the them interested in playing under the lights in South Bend in November. Florida State's offensive line also will have a tough time keeping the Irish from getting consistent pressure. Bryan Driskell: Notre Dame 34, Florida State 16 Florida State has athletes that can match Notre Dame, and its defensive line is talented, but the struggles up front on offense have largely tanked its season. That is the matchup the Irish will look to exploit most. David McKinney: Notre Dame 45, Florida State 17 The first year of the post-Jimbo Fisher era has been nothing short of a disaster. Florida State has one of the worst offensive lines in the country, and Notre Dame has one of the best defensive lines in the nation. Lou Somogyi: Notre Dame 31, Florida State 13 If the Irish start out fast and the temperatures plummet, FSU might mail it in. If the Seminoles hang around for a half, it could get interesting. Either way, it should be a fulfilling Senior Day.