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✦ ON PAPER BY DAN MURPHY climbing to the top of the Miami depth chart. The 5-9, 188-pound Johnson averaged 6.9 yards per carry in his first five collegiate games while hiding behind a massive offensive line. Even without 340-pounder Seantrel Henderson, the MIAMI RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Freshman running back Duke Johnson wasted little time rienced quarterbacks to face the Irish secondary so far this season. He's been red hot in his past two appear- ances, torching Georgia Tech and North Carolina State with the deep ball. He threw for an ACC-record 566 yards to beat the Wolfpack last week. Fourteen different receivers caught passes during Miami's 4-1 start, and six of them have catches for 40 yards or more. Sophomore Phillip Dorsett (5-9, 187 pounds) is the Miami offensive line averages 312 pounds across its starting five. Henderson played sparingly in his first month after August injuries, but is slowly working his way back into the Hurricanes' lineup. The Notre Dame rush defense hasn't faced a line as team's most dynamic receiver, but he doesn't have the size to make plays if defenders can keep up with him. Advantage: Miami meaty as Miami's, but they've been dominant to start the year in 2012. The Irish are one of four teams in the country who have yet to give up a rushing touchdown. They held their first four opponents to an average of 112.5 yards per game on the ground. That includes Navy's triple-option attack, Michigan State's Le'Veon Bell and Michigan's Denard Robinson. Johnson hasn't seen a front seven like this before. Advantage: Notre Dame letic ability to hang with most receivers they have faced so far. Freshmen KeiVarae Russell and Elijah Shumate broke up five passes between them in their first four games. Miami junior Stephen Morris is one of the more expe- MIAMI PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE Notre Dame's young and depleted secondary has the ath- defense at middle linebacker. He slid inside after making 69 tackles as a Freshman All-American last year. Redshirt junior defensive end Shayon Green has 35 tackles in Miami's first five games and is proving to be an impact player. However, the Canes finished September ranked 109th nationally in rush defense, giving up 225.6 yards per game. Kansas State steamrolled its way to 288 yards on the ground in a 52-13 blowout win Sept. 8. Notre Dame's rushing attack combines the steady NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. MIAMI RUN DEFENSE Sophomore Denzel Perryman is the hub of Miami's pounding of seniors Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood with the big-play ability of electric sophomore George Atkin- son III, who broke long runs in two of his first three games in the backfield. If Notre Dame can build an early lead, that trio might have a busy afternoon in Soldier Field. Advantage: Notre Dame the Irish, but the sophomore is getting plenty of help from veteran Tommy Rees. Miami's secondary matches Notre Dame in youth with NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. MIAMI PASS DEFENSE Everett Golson is a quarterback under construction for two major freshman contributors and a sophomore starter. That group gave up an average of 269.0 passing yards per game in its first five outings, which puts them in the bottom quadrant of Football Bowl Subdivision teams. The loss of senior safety Ray-Ray Armstrong was a big setback this offseason. Notre Dame's tight ends should be able to get more four games with an average of 209.5 per game, and cur- rently ranks fifth with 184.0. He's a serious threat in the kick return game, and the identically sized Dorsett is just as scary fielding punts. Fifth-year senior Jake Wieclaw has missed his last four field goal attempts, including three against North Carolina State. Prior to his current slump he was a perfect 7 of 7 to start the year. Miami may not be the team it was a decade ago, but they can still rope in incredible athletic talent on a regular basis. Johnson and Dorsett, combined with the proven consistency of a senior kicker, give the Hurri- canes the edge in this category. Advantage: Miami arrived in South Bend a little less than three years ago, and that's exactly what he has done. Kelly and the Irish staff have also done a stellar job of bringing a rookie quarterback into the fold one week at a time. A marquee victory over Michigan State has this staff's stock on the rise. Al Golden inherited a horrible situation in Miami with COACHING Brian Kelly set out to build a strong defense when he NCAA sanctions and veteran players jumping ship after a 6-6 finish in his first year. Golden took a doormat to a winning program in five seasons at Temple. He might be the right man for the Miami job as well, but he's got a long road ahead of him. Advantage: Notre Dame trek through the Big Ten. Any long-term effects from their overseas opener in Dublin should be gone by the time they face Miami, which is coming off back-to-back conference games. The Irish lost last year to USC coming off their bye week, but Kelly said he and his players have both learned from their mistakes in that experience. Miami has regained some of its South Florida swag- INTANGIBLES Notre Dame had a week off to rest after a three-game Sophomore wideout Phillip Dorsett is Miami's leading receiver through five games, with 28 catches for 464 yards (16.6 yards per reception) and three touchdowns. PHOTO BY JC RIDLEY/COURTESY MIAMI involved this week against some undersized and inexpe- rienced defenders. Senior captain Tyler Eifert made only one catch in his last two games, but he and sophomore Troy Niklas could cause some major problems for Miami. Advantage: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS Johnson led the nation in all-purpose yards through ✦ PAGE 5 ger with back-to-back dramatic wins, but coming into a Soldier Field atmosphere that is sure to be packed with Notre Dame fans will be a challenge. Advantage: Notre Dame PREDICTIONS Lou Somogyi: Notre Dame 24, Miami 16 Jason Sapp: Notre Dame 34, Miami 17 Wes Morgan: Notre Dame 35, Miami 17 Dan Murphy: Notre Dame 44, Miami 24