What Though the Odds: Notre Dame Football Betting Info for the Arkansas Game

The No. 22 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be featured on ABC Saturday afternoon when they travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks inside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. ET.

The betting line on total points scored for last week’s game against Purdue was somewhere around 52 points at kickoff. Considering Notre Dame’s performance against Texas A&M the week prior, it was no surprise that the game against Purdue went over the projected 52-point total.

Notre Dame’s offense put on a clinic. Quarterback CJ Carr was nearly perfect on the day as he completed 10 of 12 passing attempts for 250 yards and two touchdowns. The running back duo of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price combined for 28 carries, 231 yards, and five touchdowns. The special teams unit also added to the scoreboard with Price’s 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. After four quarters of play, the Irish offense had tallied 56 points of their own.

While those performances should be applauded, none of them surprised anyone. After all, Notre Dame was favored by more than three touchdowns.

What did surprise people, especially Notre Dame fans, was that the game had gone over the total by halftime because Notre Dame not only scored 35 points, but the Irish defense gave up 23 first-half points. In fact, Purdue’s quarterback Ryan Browne had over 220 yards passing at halftime. To top it off, 75 of those yards came with just one minute remaining in the second quarter.

One person that was stunned by Purdue’s 6-play scoring drive that ended the first half was none other than Notre Dame’s head coach Marcus Freeman, as he was seen in disbelief on the sideline. Following Notre Dame’s 56–30 victory over Purdue, Freeman had a lot to say about the way the first half ended. He didn’t call any player or coach out by name, but he came very close.

“After the two-minute drive, which that’s the one that really hurt me,” Freeman confessed. “Hurt us, not me. That drive I don’t think there was anything that we could do. We tried cover one, cover two, cover three, cover four. What happens is you start to panic. You start to say, okay this coverage isn’t working. Let’s try this. This isn’t working. Let’s try this. And then you’re doing nothing!

You’re doing nothing,” Freeman reaffirmed. “You know they’re (the opponent) going to make plays. They’re going to make some plays, and you have to trust that this is what our game plan is. This is what we can do and execute. And then you have to trust your players to go out there and get it done.”

Freeman is fully aware that his team is standing at the crossroads. He understands that the adversity the team has faced with two losses in three games and the extreme drop-off in play the defense has demonstrated so far this season will either bring the team closer together or further apart. He knows this from experience.

“I remember when I was the defensive coordinator here,” Freeman explained. “Those first two games were rough. There’s heat. It’s hot in that chair. But as I said earlier. You have one or two options. You double down on what you believe, and you get the people you’re leading to believe in what you’re doing, or you point fingers. And I know the result of both. I know it.

That’s what we spent a lot of time doing yesterday (Sunday) as a defensive staff,” Freeman continued. “It wasn’t a comfortable meeting, and I didn’t want it to be comfortable. We have one of two options as I told them. We’re going to do this (come together) and get our guys better and believe in what we’re doing, or we’ll separate. And if we separate, it’s not going to be good for anybody.”

Key Injuries

Notre Dame
RB Kedren Young (knee), TE Cooper Flanagan (Achilles), OL Charles Jagusah (arm) are out. TE Kevin Bauman (retired). DB Leonard Moore (ankle) and K Noah Brunette (hip) are questionable. DB DeVonta Smith (ankle) is probable.

Arkansas
DB Kani Walker (concussion) is questionable. LB Xavian Sorey Jr. (hamstring) is probable.

Betting Trends

• Notre Dame is 5–1 ATS in its last six games versus the Southeastern Conference.
• The total has gone over in five of Notre Dame’s last five games.
• Arkansas is 2–5 ATS in its last seven games.
• Saturday will mark the first all-time meeting between Notre Dame and Arkansas.
• The total has gone over in four of Arkansas’ last five games.

Line (Point Spread) and Total (Over/Under)

No. 22 Notre Dame (1–2) (1–2 ATS) at Arkansas (2–2) (2–2 ATS)

“When all is said and done, more is said than done.” — Lou Holtz

That seems to have been the case regarding Notre Dame’s defense over the past three games. Since the Irish suffered their week-one loss at Miami, there has been a lot said about poor execution, the lack of velocity, and the lack of good fundamentals on the defensive side of the ball by head coach Marcus Freeman. And each week, the abysmal performance on the field has remained the same.

Coach Freeman added some new verbiage heading into this week’s game against Arkansas as he continues to search for the answer that will solve the defense’s recent fall from grace.

“I think it still starts with a ‘buy in’ like it’s me, it’s everybody,” Freeman explained. “I think right now we have to make sure in our football facility that we’re not pointing a finger at a call. We’re not pointing a finger at if he would have called something else. We’re pointing a finger at ourselves as in what am I not doing to execute this call the right way. If I’m confused then you better speak up and say something, right? Because you are going to be held accountable.

But if we do this (come together), we will get it fixed,” Freeman said confidently. “That’s the challenge during tough times. I get excited when I talk during tough times. There are two options. You fight or flight.”

The Irish will certainly need to be bought in to what the defensive staff is selling if they want to slow down an Arkansas offense that ranks 15th in points per game with 43.5. The Razorbacks’ offense has tallied at least 500 yards in each of its four games this season while averaging 552 yards per contest.

The catalyst of the Razorbacks’ offensive attack is quarterback Taylen Green. The 6-foot-6, 230-pounder can not only sling the ball around, but he is also the team’s leading rusher. On the season, he’s thrown for 1,191 yards and 12 touchdowns to go along with 44 carries for 360 yards and two scores. Green should find success against an Irish defense that’s ranked 103rd in passing efficiency.

Luckily for Notre Dame, they will be countering with a potent offense of their own. The Irish offense is currently ranked 26th in points per game with 40. It also features perhaps the best running back room in college football, including the likes of Love and Price. The pair combined for 35 carries and 162 yards (4.6 YPC) against Texas A&M and 28 carries for 231 yards (8.25 YPC) versus Purdue. They’ll be looking to gash a Razorbacks defense that ranks 83rd in stopping the run.

The opening line on this game listed Notre Dame at –6 before the line slid to as low as –3.5 at some books. Currently, the line is sitting at –4 across the board with a total of 64.

The obvious play here for casual bettors would be the over due to the poor defensive play both teams have showcased through the first four weeks. However, each team may elect to run the ball more this week in an attempt to limit the opposing team’s time of possession. If that’s the case, then the safer bet would be Notre Dame, as Love and Price will likely find success on the ground. Combine that with some throws from rising-star quarterback CJ Carr, and the Irish should be too much for Arkansas to handle.

Pick: Notre Dame –4

Behind Enemy Lines: Week 5

No. 2 Miami (4–0) (3–1 ATS) — Bye
The Hurricanes remained undefeated on the season after knocking off Florida 26–7. The Miami defense limited the Gators to just 141 yards of total offense.
Next game: at Florida State

Auburn (3–1) (1–3 ATS) at No. 9 Texas A&M (3–0) (1–2 ATS)
Auburn is 1–4 ATS in its last five games. The Tigers are 4–2 SU in their last six games at College Station. The total has gone over in five of the Aggies’ last six games. Texas A&M is 1–7 ATS in its last eight games. A&M opened at –7.5 before sliding to –6.5. The total is firm at 52.
Pick: Over 52

Purdue (2–2) (0–0 ATS) — Bye
The Boilermakers were derailed by Notre Dame 56–30. Purdue allowed 539 yards of total offense to the Irish.
Next game: Illinois

Appalachian State (2–1) (1–2 ATS) at Boise State (2–1) (2–1 ATS)
Appalachian State is 2–4 ATS in its last six games. The Mountaineers have lost their last five road games. The total has gone under in four of Boise State’s last six games. The Broncos are 2–4 ATS in their last six games. Boise State is hovering around –16 with a total of 60.5.
Pick: Boise State –16

Virginia Tech (1–3) (0–4 ATS) at NC State (3–1) (2–2 ATS)
The Hokies are 0–5 ATS in their last five games. The total has gone over in seven of Virginia Tech’s last eight road games. The total has gone over in four of NC State’s last five games against Virginia Tech. NC State is 6–12 ATS in its last 18 games. NC State opened at –8.5 before shooting up to –10.5. The total fell to 56.5. (Always buy the half point.)
Pick: Over 56

No. 21 USC (4–0) (2–2 ATS) at Illinois (3–1) (3–1 ATS)
USC is 1–5 ATS in its last six road games. The total has gone over in five of the Trojans’ last six games. Illinois is 7–1 ATS in its last eight games. The total has gone over in four of Illinois’ last five Big Ten conference games. USC is –6.5 but could be –7 by kickoff. The total is finding resistance at 59.5.
Pick: USC –7

California (3–1) (2–2 ATS) at Boston College (1–2) (2–1 ATS)
The total has gone under in six of Cal’s last seven games. The Golden Bears are 1–4 ATS in their last five ACC games. Boston College is 7–2 ATS in its last nine games. The total has gone over in nine of the Eagles’ last 10 games. Boston College is –6.5 with a total of 52.5. (Always buy the half point.)
Pick: Boston College –6

Rice (3–1) (2–2 ATS) at Navy (3–0) (2–1 ATS)
Rice is 1–4 SU in its last five games against Navy. The total has gone over in five of Rice’s last six games. Navy is 5–1 ATS in its last six games. The total has gone under in four of Navy’s last five games against Rice. Navy is –14 with the total sliding down to 44.
Pick: Navy –14

Louisville (3–0) (0–3 ATS) at Pittsburgh (2–1) (2–1 ATS)
Louisville is 4–9 ATS in its last 13 games. Louisville is 3–7 SU in its last 10 games against Pitt. The total has gone over in eight of Pitt’s last 11 games against Louisville. Pitt is 10–2 ATS in its last 12 home games. Louisville is a road favorite at –4.5 with a total of 57.5. (Always buy the half point.)
Pick: Louisville –4

Duke (2–2) (1–3 ATS) at Syracuse (3–1) (2–1–1 ATS)
Duke is 6–1 ATS in its last seven conference games. The total has gone over in Duke’s last five games. Syracuse is 4–1 ATS in its last five conference games. The total has gone over in six of Syracuse’s last seven games. Duke is –6 with a total of 60.5.
Pick: Duke –6

San Jose State (1–2) (1–2 ATS) at Stanford (1–3) (1–3 ATS)
San Jose State is 4–8 ATS in its last 12 games versus Stanford. The total has gone under in five of San Jose State’s last six road games. Stanford is 1–4 ATS in its last five games. Stanford has won its last nine home games against San Jose State. Stanford is holding steady at –2.5 with a total of 49.5. (Always buy the half point.)
Pick: Under 50