The Miami Hurricanes storm into South Bend to square-off with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, October 29th at 3:30 p.m. ET. The football game will be televised on the NBC Network. Miami enters this contest as a slight -2 point favorite and the total for the game rests at 58.5.
Miami (4-3):
The squad from Coral Gables has ran into a mid-season wall, losing three straight games after starting the 2016 season 4-0. Last time out, they were walloped pretty good by the Virginia Tech Hokies 37-16. In that game, quarterback Brad Kaaya was sacked eight times but still managed to throw for over 300 yards and two scores.
The senior quarterback has done fairly well through his first seven games of the season. Considering he has been under constant pressure over the last month, Kaaya has still managed to complete a total of 121 passes for just under 1,700 yards with 12 touchdowns and five picks.
Back field mates Mark Walton and Joseph Yearby have handled the running duties for the Hurricane’s offense. The one-two combo has accumulated 185 carries for almost 1,200 yards and 14 scores. The two had a lack-luster performance last week so they will look to rebound against the Fighting Irish’s 81st ranked run defense on Saturday.
Brad Kaaya has found four different receivers when throwing the rock around the field this year. All of them have double digit catches and all have found the back of the end zone. Leading the group, is wide out Stacey Coley. Coley has generated 29 catches for 352 yards and a unit-high six touchdowns.
The Miami defense has been banged-up over the last few weeks and it’s starting to show on the field. Three straters were out for the game against the Hokie’s and four freshmen seen plenty of snaps. Even after their recent set-backs, Miami still owns some pretty good numbers. They are still only allowing under 350 yards a game and are ranked 12th in the country in points allowed because of it.
Notre Dame (2-5):
Notre Dame is coming off of a bye week, which gave them time to reflect on one of their most disappointing season ever. Two weeks ago, Brian Kelly and the Fighting Irish found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard once again.
Stanford’s cornerback Quenton Meeks picked-off a DeShone Kizer pass, and returned it 50 yards to pay-dirt. The momentum had swung, and the the Fighting Irish never recovered losing 17-10.
Notre Dame quarterback Deshone Kizer has had an up and down season in 2016. Although, he still has managed to put up some decent numbers for his team. This year, he has amassed 1,775 yards on almost 120 completions with 14 touchdown passes and seven picks.
Trying to stay balanced, the Fighting Irish look to three tail backs to run the football and keep opposing defenses honest. Altogether, they have totaled over 170 carries for just under 800 yards and five scores. Quarterback Deshone Kizer has done more than his share to help out. He has another 78 carries for 285 yards and seven scores.
Three Notre Dame wide outs are the recipients of most of their signal-caller’s throws. Equanimeous St. Brown leads them with 31 catches for 611 yards and six scores. Torii Hunter Jr., son of baseball veteran outfielder Torii Hunter, is second with 25 grabs for 360 yards and another end zone catch.
Although the Fighting Irish have struggled on defense in 2016, they seem to be improving a little. In the last two weeks, they have held opponents to a combined 27 points. Albeit, one was in a monsoon at North Carolina State and the other against offensively challenged Stanford. Over the course of the season, they still allow over 27 points a contest.
Trends and Notes:
The Hurricanes are 2-6 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.
The Fighting Irish are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Over is 5-2 in the Hurricanes last 7 road games.
The Over is 9-2 in the Fighting Irish last 11 games following a straight up loss.
Game Predictions:
The Hurricanes need a win in South Bend to continue their march to a decent bowl bid. The game slump certainly hasn’t help from a confidence stand-point. Miami hopes to get a little healthier on defense for this one, but non of that matters if the offensive line plays like it did against Virginia Tech.
For Notre Dame it’s simple, just get a win please. The 2-5 record isn’t going over well with the folks in charge in South Bend. The fighting Irish have to take advantage of their opportunity to face a Miami defense that has no depth. Deshone Kizer needs to be that player.
Both teams need a win here, and both teams are coming off unimpressive performances. Coaches Mark Richt and Brian Kelly, should have their teams prepared and looking sharper than last week. The Fighting Irish’s last two games of defense is a mirage and there is little chance they can hold the Canes’ under 28.
The Miami defense is thin and an inspired effort from the offensive line is the talk this week. Combine those factors together, and this has the makings of another Notre Dame shoot-out. Take the over 58.5 and enjoy the offenses finding the end zones in South Bend.
