Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/181992
Game Preview: arizona state At Tulsa in 2010, Graham's Golden Hurricanes pulled a stunning 28‑27 upset at Notre Dame. Irish freshman quarterback Tommy Rees, in his first extensive stint, completed 33 of 54 passes for 334 yards with four touchdowns, but also had three intercepted — the last with 42 seconds left in the game and the Irish at the Tulsa 19. Although Notre Dame was in range to kick the winning field goal, it went for broke by trying to connect with receiver Michael Floyd in the end zone. Tulsa cornerback John Flanders intercepted the errant toss. A year later at Pitt, Graham's Panthers had the Irish on the ropes with a 12‑7 lead in the fourth quarter before Rees directed an 85-yard drive in which tight end Tyler Eifert caught four passes, highlighted by the sixyard touchdown (and not including the two-point conversion) for a 15‑12 victory. Both times a Graham-coached team with lesser talent or fanfare gave Notre Dame everything it could handle. This time Graham might have a little more at his disposal. ✦ Predictions Tom Loy: Notre Dame 34, Arizona State 17 The Sun Devils don't have enough playmakers to hang with the Fighting Irish in Cowboys Stadium. Against Stanford, the ASU defense looked lost at times, special teams were extremely poor and the offense couldn't get anything going until the game was out of reach. Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees should have plenty of time in the pocket due to, surprisingly, the lack of a strong Sun Devils pass rush compared to last year. Dan Murphy: Notre Dame 31, Arizona State 20 If the Irish run game is ever going to get its legs underneath it, it'll have to happen in Texas. The Sun Devils allowed an average of 174.0 yards per game on the ground in their first three contests — and one of those was versus Sacramento State. If Notre Dame can get a few early stops against the high-tempo Arizona State offense, that defense will wear down and Brian Kelly's team can pound its way to victory. Andrew Owens: Notre Dame 38, Arizona State 34 The Shamrock Series concludes a difficult three-game stretch for Notre Dame and a brutal four-game stretch for Arizona State. The Sun Devils' defense has plenty of holes for the Irish to exploit, and special teams let them down against Stanford. Defensively, Notre Dame needs to follow Stanford's blueprint and shut down Arizona State's ground game. Expect to see some fireworks in this one, with the outcome in question until the end. Lou Somogyi: Notre Dame 30, Arizona State 24 It's tempting to put both teams scoring in the 30s because the defenses had their share of issues in the early going. Plus, Taylor Kelly could be one of the top two or three quarterbacks Notre Dame faces this season, especially as a dual threat. Neither team has run particularly well, so whoever can produce more effectively and consistently there should have an upper hand. A defensive or special teams score would loom large.