Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 16, 2023 39 GAME PREVIEW: CENTRAL MICHIGAN tans relatively well in Week 1, which indicates that their front seven will be one of the best in the MAC once again in 2023. Notre Dame, however, is a different animal. Navy had a stout run defense, too, until the Irish ran 32 times for 191 yards (just less than 6 yards per carry) and 2 touchdowns Aug. 26. Junior running back Audric Estimé is as difficult to tackle as any power back in the country, while change-of-pace runners Gi'Bran Payne (a sophomore), Jadarian Price (a sophomore) and Jeremiyah Love (a fresh- man) have all proven to be more than capable. The Notre Dame offensive line graded poorly against Tennessee State in run blocking at 56.7, per PFF, which won't work against the Chippewas. But junior offensive tackle Joe Alt and company proved capable of executing against a tough, if undersized, Navy front. They should do the same against the Chippewas. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN PASS DEFENSE Junior cornerback Donte Kent was arguably Cen- tral Michigan's best player in 2022, making 51 tackles and breaking up 15 passes, which tied for third in the country. His 2023 season, however, got off to a rough start. Michigan State threw at him 6 times, completing 4 passes for 112 yards. The Spar- tans exposed all levels of the Chippewa defense once redshirt junior quarterback Noah Kim got comfortable, and he finished 13-of-31 passing for 279 yards (9 yards per attempt) with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. Even if Kent bounces back, he won't fix a CMU pass defense that won't be able to match the ath- leticism of Notre Dame's six talented receivers. In his first two games with the Fighting Irish, graduate student quarterback Sam Hartman connected on 33 of 40 throws (82.5 percent) for 445 yards with Junior linebacker Kyle Moretti has picked up where he left off last season, when he led the Chippewas with 95 tackles. In the opener versus Michigan State, he posted a team-best 14 stops. PHOTO BY JACK REEBER/COURTESY CENTRAL MICHIGAN Todd D. Burlage: Notre Dame 35, Central Michigan 7 The Chippewas feature decent star power on defense, two unproven but talented quarterbacks on offense and a deep stable of running backs that will be the key to their success this season. None of it will be enough to topple the Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Steve Downey: Notre Dame 41, Central Michigan 7 Under different circumstances, this might qualify as a trap game for Notre Dame with Ohio State looming the following week. The Chippewas have won six games against Power Five opponents since 2009. However, Central Michigan is just 1-6 in such games under head coach Jim McElwain. The lone exception was a 24-21 triumph over Washington State in the 2021 Sun Bowl, and the six setbacks have come by an average of nearly 20 points. Central Michigan doesn't possess the firepower to keep up with a Fighting Irish attack that exhibited great depth and precision in dismantling similarly overmatched opponents Navy and Tennessee State. Kyle Kelly: Notre Dame 52, Central Michigan 10 I see this game being a lot like the 2019 Bowling Green game (52-0), not the ones against Ball State (24-16, 2018) and Toledo (32-29, 2021). Give me the Irish by 42 points. Tyler Horka: Notre Dame 48, Central Michigan 13 Notre Dame gets one final tune-up before the big date with Ohio State next week. And that's exactly what this will be, especially for a Fighting Irish offense that is working to prove it can hang with the programs that have run the sport offensively of late. Look for quarterback Sam Hartman to have another short but highly effi- cient day before handing the game over to backup Steve Angeli, just like what happened the last time the Fighting Irish played at Notre Dame Stadium. Jack Soble: Notre Dame 45, Central Michigan 6 In Central Michigan's first game against Power Five competition this season, a Michigan State team that went 5-7 last year beat them 31-7. Notre Dame should be significantly better than Michigan State. Expect this one to go much like the Navy game did, and the countdown to Ohio State will begin Saturday night. Staff Predictions