Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 2, 2023 37 GAME PREVIEW: TENNESSEE STATE freshman Jeremiyah Love — should have plenty of room to run against the Tigers. It would be a big surprise if the Irish didn't crack the 200-yard mark in this matchup. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. TENNESSEE STATE PASS DEFENSE Relative to the rest of the OVC, Tennessee State's pass defense was excellent this past season. The Tigers allowed only 6.4 yards per attempt, best in the league by a wide margin, and most of its key contributors are back. Senior safety Josh Green made 56 tackles and notched a team-best 3 interceptions last year. Bryce Phillips, only a true freshman in 2022, rated very well via Pro Football Focus in coverage. He finished with a 77.5 grade, while redshirt junior cornerback Fondren Hollis III was close behind him at 75.8. TSU finished with 25 sacks (tied for third in the OVC) last year, but it doesn't have one bona-fide sack artist returning. The Tigers hope they found one in Mississippi Valley State transfer defensive lineman Jalen Bell, a senior who totaled 12 quar- terback takedowns in 30 games for the Delta Dev- ils. The sack leader among returning players is se- nior defensive lineman Terrell Allen, who finished with 4.5 a year ago. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, offen- sive coordinator Gerad Parker and the Irish players will likely spend the whole week talking about how much respect they have for TSU's defensive backs. If all goes according to plan, everyone involved can say they did well against a pass defense they respect. That being said, Tennessee State's one FBS oppo- nent this past season was Conference-USA Middle Tennessee State, which finished 8-5 in 2022. The Blue Raiders threw 25 times and completed 21 of them for 212 yards (8.5 yards per attempt) against TSU. Expect a similar outing for graduate student quarterback Sam Hartman and the Fighting Irish. Advantage: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS Tennessee State struggled on special teams last year, most notably finishing last in the OVC in net yards per punt (31.8). On the flip side, Notre Dame excelled in the third phase of the game in 2022, blocking 7 kicks. Marty Biagi takes over as Notre Dame's special teams coordinator after the depar- ture of Brian Mason to the NFL, and Biagi will look to continue the momentum this season. The Tigers will feature new starters at both placekicker and punter, though it wasn't yet clear who would claim those roles in late August. Red- shirt junior James Lowery, who handled kickoff duties for much of the past two years and also has spent time kicking field goals, could be the front runner to handle the placekicking duties. Notre Dame features graduate transfer kicker Spencer Shrader (who will handle kickoff duties as Redshirt sophomore wideout Karate Brenson is Tennessee State's leading returning receiver with 25 catches for 329 yards (13.2 yards per reception) and 1 touchdown. PHOTO COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE ATHLETICS Staff Predictions Todd D. Burlage: Notre Dame 48, Tennessee State 7 The Tigers return 11 starters from a team that led the Ohio Valley Conference last season in pass defense and third-down conversion defense. Penalties often undermined the Tennessee State offense last season. A tremendous talent disadvantage will undermine it here in Notre Dame's first-ever game against an FCS opponent. Steve Downey: Notre Dame 52, Tennessee State 0 Head coach Eddie George has Tennessee State headed in the right direction, but the fact remains that the Tigers were still picked to finish just fifth in the new Big South-Ohio Valley Football Association in 2023. The Tigers were outscored 104-16 in their two most recent games against FBS competition (Mississippi State in 2021 and Middle Tennessee State in 2022). The talent disparity is real. With the Marshall and Stanford debacles still fresh on their mind, the Irish will leave no doubt in this one. Kyle Kelly: Notre Dame 45, Tennessee State 13 Unlike last year's home opener blunder, I expect Marcus Freeman to have his squad ready to roll in 2023. Notre Dame should easily take down Tennessee State in its first-ever matchup against an FCS school. Tyler Horka: Notre Dame 48, Tennessee State 7 That's the type of score line that's supposed to appear when a powerhouse like Notre Dame plays an FCS opponent. Of course, the Fighting Irish wouldn't know that given this is the first time the program has ever played an FCS foe. But Sam Hartman and company will quickly learn that things come a little easier against teams like the Tigers. Look for backup quarterback Steve Angeli to get some extended opportunities in this one. Jack Soble: Notre Dame 56, Tennessee State 7 The more interesting 'scoreboard watch' this week will be whether or not Notre Dame covers the spread, which has not been released as of this writing. This week should offer a good chance to see what some younger Notre Dame players can do — I'll be watching sophomore quarterback Steve An- geli, freshman cornerback Christian Gray and sophomore offensive tackle Aamil Wagner particularly closely.