Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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36 SEPT. 2, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: TENNESSEE STATE BY JACK SOBLE TENNESSEE STATE RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Last year, Tennessee State finished seventh out of seven teams in the Ohio Valley Conference with 3.5 yards per rushing attempt. That's a bit of a mis- leading number, for reasons that will become clear in the passing game section, but the Tigers' run game still could have been better after averaging just 132.6 yards per contest last season. Junior Jalen Rouse, TSU's leading rusher in 2023, finished with 613 yards on 4.8 yards per carry with 2 touchdowns. However, second-leading rusher Devon Starling (540 yards, 4.7 per carry and 1 TD) — also a useful receiver (16 receptions for 221 yards and 1 TD) — transferred to Northern Arizona during the offseason. The Tigers will have to replace three of their five starters along the offensive line, so it's hard to say what their run game will look like this season. Whoever steps in will have a difficult time against the likes of Notre Dame, though. The Irish run defense is looking to build on its 132.6 yards allowed per game and 3.9 yards al- lowed per carry in 2022. Interior linemen like se- nior Rylie Mills, graduate student Howard Cross III, and juniors Jason Onye and Gabriel Rubio in particular, were difficult for Notre Dame's offensive line to handle during fall camp. Additionally, graduate student linebacker Jack Kiser and JD Bertrand performed well against the run in 2022, with Kiser earning an exceptional 80.5 run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus. Both looked good in camp this fall. Even graduate stu- dent linebacker Marist Liufau, more renowned for his ability in coverage, filled gaps well throughout late July and early August. Successful second-level blocks against those three were rare. Tennessee State will have a difficult time gener- ating yardage on the ground. Advantage: Notre Dame TENNESSEE STATE PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE The Tigers' 3.5 rushing yards per carry is mislead- ing because sacks count against that rate in college football. TSU allowed 38 sacks for 285 yards, both of which were marks that led the OVC. Notre Dame edge rushers Jordan Botelho (6.5 career sacks entering the season), Joshua Burnham (0), Javontae Jean-Baptiste (8) and Nana Osafo- Mensah (2) have plenty to prove in 2023, and a big game against TSU would go a long way toward assuaging any concerns. Quarterback Draylen Ellis is back for his senior year, which will be his second season as Tennessee State's starter after transferring from Austin Peay. His numbers in the OVC, though, don't bode well for a matchup against the Irish secondary. Ellis completed 153 of 279 passes (54.8 percent) for 1,806 yards (6.5 yards per attempt) with 8 touch- downs and 6 interceptions in 2022. Tennessee State only threw for 10 touchdowns as a team last season, which ranked last in the OVC. Two of those scores came from wide receiver John Roberts IV, who only caught 8 passes and is not on the 2023 roster. He was the only Tiger who caught more than 1 touchdown pass. Of TSU's six leading receivers, only redshirt sophomore Karate Brenson and senior Da'Shon Davis returned for 2023. Brenson is the team's top returning pass catcher with 25 receptions for 329 yards (13.2 per catch) and 1 score. Davis had 19 catches for 210 yards (11.1 per reception) and no touchdowns. The Irish secondary, anchored by sophomore cornerback Benjamin Morrison, yielded only 198.0 passing yards per game while intercepting 10 passes last season. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. TENNESSEE STATE RUN DEFENSE Tennessee State had a middle-of-the-pack run defense in 2022, placing fourth in the OVC in yards per carry against (4.5) while allowing 174.1 yards per game. Contributors from last year like linebacker Jahsun Bryant (80 tackles) and Gleson Sprewell (62), as well as defensive linemen Terray Jones (37) and Tadarrius Patterson (35), all need to be replaced. Junior running back Audric Estimé leads the way for an Irish rushing attack that eclipsed 220 yards on the ground seven times last season en route to averaging 189.0 yards per contest. With an offensive line that is anchored by All-America left tackle Joe Alt paving the way, Estimé and his fellow running backs — graduate student Devyn Ford, sophomores Jadarian Price and Gi'Bran Payne, and On PaPer Junior running back Jalen Rouse averaged 4.8 yards per carry while rushing for a team-high 613 yards in 2022. PHOTO COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE ATHLETICS