The nation’s second-leading rusher, C.J. Prosise (451 yards, 4 TDs), and third-leading receiver, Will Fuller (397 yards, 5 TDs), will be on display when the No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish meet the Massachusetts Minutemen. The Fighting Irish are 3-0 while the Minutemen are 0-2. Players will take the field Saturday, Sep 26 at 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will air on NBC.
Notre Dame beat Georgia Tech 30-22 last week. Will Fuller had a big game in the win, registering six receptions for 131 yards and one TD. Chris Brown finished with 65 yards on eight receptions. Massachusetts didn’t have the same success as Notre Dame, barely losing to Temple 25-23 in its matchup. Rodney Mills had an outstanding performance for the Minutemen, totaling six receptions for 114 yards and two TDs. Tajae Sharpe also had a big day, contributing 150 yards on 10 receptions.
Notre Dame is a heavy 28-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 56 points.
The Fighting Irish enter the game with records of 3-0 Straight Up (SU) and 2-1 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. They should have plenty of offensive opportunities in this game, as the Minutemen have the 48th-ranked scoring defense in the nation. Their vunerable defense gives up an average of 36.5 points per game. Look for Notre Dame to take advantage of an inferior run defense. The Minutemen are 114th in the country against the run, giving up 228.5 rushing yards per game. The Fighting Irish defense stands to fare well this week when they face off against Massachusetts’s offense, which averages a paltry 18.5 points per game. Notre Dame’s defense will look to improve its stats against the run when the Minutemen come to town. Massachusetts’s 96 rushing yards per game makes them 122nd in the nation. Based on its tendencies, the Massachusetts defense will probably make it easy on the Fighting Irish right from the first whistle. The Minutemen allow their opponents an average of 10.5 points in the first 15 minutes. Mistakes and a lack of focus may be factors that benefit the Fighting Irish in the game. The Minutemen are one of the most penalized teams in the nation with 78 penalty yards per game.
On the other side, the Minutemen have a record of 1-1 ATS and 0-2 SU. The Minutemen rely heavily on their air attack, averaging 48.5 passing attempts per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Notre Dame, ATS Winner – Notre Dame, O/U – Over
Notes
Notre Dame is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games.
Notre Dame is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Notre Dame’s last 11 games.
Notre Dame is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games at home.
Notre Dame is 3-0 SU when leading at the end of the third quarter this year.
According to overall FBS team rankings, Notre Dame is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 30th-ranked rushing attack will face the 114th-ranked run defense of Massachusetts, while its 42nd-ranked run defense will look to contain the 122nd-ranked rushing game of the Minutemen.
