Matchups: Notre Dame Football Set for a Baptismal Affair at BYU
Notre Dame’s discipline, run defense, and pass protection set the tone entering its first ranked test of the season in Provo.
Styles make fights, and last weekend Stanford was no match for Notre Dame stylistically. The Irish outclassed Stanford in every aspect of the game. Notre Dame beat the Cardinal 58-7 on the scoreboard and outgained them by 396 yards on the field.
This weekend’s opponent will likely provide more of a fight, as Notre Dame will face its first ranked opponent of the season when the Irish square off against eighth-ranked BYU. To make the top-10 bout even more challenging, this fight will take place in BYU’s backyard.
Discipline Could Tilt the Night
BYU Penalties vs. Notre Dame Penalties
Points, turnovers, and player statistics are what most people first look to when deciding what led to the outcome of a game. However, it’s penalties, or the lack thereof, that may also separate a win from a loss. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has admitted on multiple occasions that he can accept penalties due to hustle, but he is unwilling to accept pre- and post-snap penalties. He has no room on his plate for those.
Through five games, Freeman’s Irish have been penalized 18 times on the season, which leads college football for fewest total penalties. They’re ranked third in fewest total penalty yards with 166, while averaging three penalties per game.
In comparison, BYU is ranked 43rd in fewest penalties. The Cougars are averaging 56.8 penalty yards per game. Edge: Notre Dame
Where Notre Dame Has the Stronger Hand
BYU Rushing Offense vs. Notre Dame Rushing Defense
Notre Dame’s defense will receive a huge break this weekend, as BYU will be without its star running back, LJ Martin. Prior to his week-four injury against TCU, he was averaging 86 yards per game, which is still good for 35th in the nation. Martin is also ranked fourth in rushing yards per carry, averaging 7.82 YPC. The Cougars’ first game without the 2025 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year came last Friday night against Iowa State, and there was a noticeable dropoff. Reserve BYU running back Preston Rex led the Cougars’ running back committee with 21 yards on six carries. However, Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier led the team with 109 rushing yards on nine carries.
BYU’s rushing attack will now be forced to face the nation’s third-ranked rush defense, which allows just 58.3 yards per game. Opposing running backs are gaining a putrid 2.10 yards per carry. Edge: Notre Dame
BYU Passing Defense vs. Notre Dame Passing Defense
The Cougars’ defense is no slouch against the pass, as they enter this weekend with the 27th-ranked passing defense, allowing 174 passing yards per game. BYU faced its best passing opponent during week two when they played the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, who is currently 12th in the nation in passing efficiency, completed 23 of 31 passes for 230 yards, one touchdown, and an interception.
This weekend, BYU will be tasked with stopping an even better quarterback in Notre Dame’s CJ Carr. The Heisman hopeful is currently sixth in passing efficiency at 186.49. Carr has completed 102 of 144 passes, including 16 touchdowns and one interception. Expect Carr to surpass Fifita’s 85.6 QBR against the Cougars. Edge: Notre Dame
Possession and Protection
BYU Time of Possession vs. Notre Dame Time of Possession
Sometimes the best defense is playing keep-away on offense, and both teams are good at doing just that. BYU ranks 35th in time of possession, averaging 31 minutes per game, while Notre Dame is 28th, possessing the ball a minute longer per game.
The Irish really showed their ability to maintain possession of the ball during their game against North Carolina, when they orchestrated a 17-play scoring drive that lasted over nine minutes. And last week, even while playing without its star running back, BYU possessed the ball for 32 minutes against Iowa State. Edge: Tie
BYU Team Sacks vs. Notre Dame Sacks Allowed
One way to get an offense to underperform is to get its quarterback out of his comfort zone by creating pressure and sacks. The Cougars will be facing their most prolific quarterback of the season, so it will be imperative to get CJ Carr off his spot. The Cougars find themselves near the middle of the pack in the sacks category with 11 sacks through two games, which is good for 57th in the country, averaging 2.2 per contest.
Getting to Carr on Saturday night will be no easy task, as Notre Dame’s offense is ranked third in sacks allowed, giving up less than half a sack per game. They’ve allowed just two sacks on the season. Edge: Notre Dame
Daniel Mingea III (pronounced Ming-E as the name gets butchered a lot) began following Notre Dame football in 1993 at the age of 13. He later served as a sports writer for The Vermilion newspaper while at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and parlayed that into a recruiting analyst role for LSU football with Tiger Rag magazine and TigerSportsDigest. Shortly after graduation, he put down the pen and the pad for a gun and a badge to become a probation officer in New Orleans. Three major surgeries set Mingea back forcing him to step away from the field of law enforcement. Now he is focused on getting back to a few of his passions, Notre Dame football and writing.
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