Your Notre Dame Fighting Irish have escaped upset free from a string of get-right games and now head into a huge matchup against their arch-rival with a shot to get back into the CFP conversation (officially)
on the line. Let’s look at three things that happened during the last game before that titanic showdown, a 36-7 home win over NC State.
Familiar Feelings
This was a somewhat frustrating game for Irish fans in spite of the lopsided final score, as Notre Dame’s offense mishandled a couple red zone possessions that allowed NC State to stay in the game in the first half. But the overall feeling was more or less…fine, because the Irish defense gave fans enough confidence that they would be able to hold the line at 7 and give the offense time to find its groove. I want you to stop and pause for a second on how revelatory that fact is given badly this defense struggled early in the season.
It’s easy to pooh-pooh this result given the opponent, but NC State has a star in running back Hollywood Smothers, solid receivers and a quarterback in CJ Bailey who while not excellent is more than the equal of, say, Ryan Browne of Purdue. This defense is playing at a vastly higher level and doing so against competition that would be capable of ripping apart a defense that was truly bad. We still don’t know what happened behind the scenes to turn thing around from a playcalling and execution perspective for Notre Dame’s defense, but they are now playing far closer to the level of Al Golden’s unit in 2024 than the one we saw in the first 10 quarters of this season. That bodes well heading into a game where they take on one of the more dynamic offenses in the country next week.
An Alpha On the Edge
Much of the improved play from the Irish defense in recent weeks has come from more pressure on the quarterback from the defensive line, and among that group a standout has emerged in Boubacar Traore. Traore has been the best player on the line all season, but in the last couple games that has gone from being a sort of by-default status to a statement showing genuinely dominant play. Against NC State he brought pressure all day and got to Bailey twice.
Long tabbed as an elite pass-rushing prospect, the greatest obstacle Traore may have to overcome before fully stepping into that role is himself – as an unfortunate unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after a safety against NC State showed. Because when he is dialed in and the scheme supports him getting the right matchups, there don’t seem to be a lot of tackles out there who can stop him. This is, again, an encouraging sign given the quality of passing game coming to South Bend next Saturday.
Eli Raridon Makes a Statement
Opposite side of the ball, same story of a player long ago identified as a rising star, finally seeming to step into those shoes. Eli Raridon has had a couple solid games this year and showcased big-play potential, but this was his most complete performance date. In a game where NC State was clearly dead-set on taking the run away and making CJ Carr beat them through the air, Raridon became a key part of Notre Dame’s response as he brought in 109 of Carr’s 342 yards on 7 catches. Raridon functioned as both a chain-mover and a downfield threat, bringing in a long catch that set up Jeremiyah Love’s second, game-ending touchdown.
Raridon’s emergence alongside what appears to be the most complete and complementary receiver group Notre Dame has had in a long time gives the Irish a powerful answer to the strategy the Wolfpack deployed, which USC and any other team that doesn’t want to be gashed by Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price are likely to bring out. While the Irish likely won’t have the option to take as long as they did Saturday to find the answers, it’s great to see just how many answers they have available.
