Game To Watch: #9 Notre Dame vs Florida State: September 5, 2021

Notre Dame will make the trip to Tallahassee for their game against Florida State this Sunday at 7:30 EST. Notre Dame is an independent once again, after one year in the ACC, but will look to return to the College Football Playoff in 2021. Florida State is trying to build momentum in year two of the Mike Norvell era. This will be a good opportunity for both teams to showcase themselves on Sunday night in prime time.

Recent History

Florida State is 6 – 4 against Notre Dame all time, but the trend has changed recently. Notre Dame has won the last two meetings convincingly, including a 42 – 26 win last year. The Fighting Irish fell behind 17 – 14 early in that game, but found their rhythm and pulled away for a comfortable win.

Top 25 Players

What To Watch For…

Is Notre Dame’s New Look Offensive Line Ready?

Notre Dame’s offense was led by a dominant offensive line in 2020. They were a talented and veteran unit that had played together and as a result were a cohesive unit on the field. Now, four of those starters are gone and leave a vacuum of experience up front for the Irish. Notre Dame has Jarrett Patterson back to anchor the line at the center spot. Zeke Correll will start at left guard and Josh Lugg at right tackle, both players played some last year, but will be counted on to provide leadership this season. Notre Dame added Cain Madden as a transfer from Marshall this summer, he is one of the best guards in college football, but will need to get acclimated. The starting left tackle will be true freshman Blake Fisher, he is extremely talented but is still a true freshman. Notre Dame will need this unit to be a strength again this season. Florida State does not have the talent on the defensive front they once used to, though they did add Georgia transfer Jermaine Johnson who is a capable pass rusher. If Florida State is to have a chance Sunday night, they will have to take advantage of the inexperience on Notre Dame’s offensive line.

Any Rust for Milton and Coan?

Florida State’s McKenzie Milton has not been officially named the starter, but if he is healthy he is the best option for Florida State. He was excellent at UCF, but has not played in a game since suffering a knee injury in November of 2018. He transferred to Florida State and showed flashes of his ability during the spring game, but that’s the only game he has played in since the injury. Notre Dame has named Wisconsin transfer Jack Coan it’s starting quarterback. Coan was successful at Wisconsin and led the Badgers to a Rose Bowl appearance in 2019, but suffered a foot injury before the 2020 season and lost the starting spot to Graham Mertz. Both Milton and Coan are capable starters who have proven they can win, but neither attempted a pass last season and in Milton’s case it’s been two years. It will be interesting to see if they show signs of rust or if both quarterbacks are able to adjust to game speed and hit the ground running in the opener.

Can Florida State’s Skill Players Challenge Notre Dame?

Regardless of who plays at quarterback, the Seminoles will need players to emerge at the skill positions and make big plays against the Notre Dame defense. Florida State is not going to dominate the line of scrimmage against Notre Dame’s front and will need to be creative getting their weapons the ball. One player to keep in mind in this regard is Lawrance Toafili. As a freshman he averaged over 9 yards per carry on 37 carries and caught 12 passes for 120 yards. Toafili is not very big but he can create mismatches with his speed and make big plays. Florida State may need to turn to younger receivers like Malik McClain and Joshua Burrell for big play potential on the perimiter. Notre Dame’s defense was strong in 2020 allowing under 20 points per game and returns it’s best player with safety Kyle Hamilton patrolling the secondary. Florida State’s quarterback is going to need help from his skill players, someone will have to make big plays for the Seminoles to win on Sunday night.

Prediction

Florida State is still reshaping the roster and though Mike Norvell is adding pieces that fit his vision, the roster is not on the level of Notre Dame. Nonetheless, Norvell is a good schematic coach who can create big plays with his game-plan. Notre Dame will need to withstand the early wrinkles they see and keep their composure so their talent can take over the game over four quarters. Notre Dame will pull away and secure an opening win. Notre Dame 34 Florida State 21.

Doak Campbell at night Image taken by FSU Guy is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

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