SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — When Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman studies the defensive tape of No. 1 Miami, he sees a lot of similarities to the unit that powered the Hurricanes to last season's national championship game.
Defensive end Armondo Blount reminds Freeman of first-round draft picks Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor. Freeman calls Marquise Lightfoot and Damon Wilson Jr. “dynamic” pass rushers. And, of course, Freeman remembers how difficult it was to open holes against defensive tackles Ahmad Moton Sr. and Justin Scott in the 2025 season-opener.
So Freeman recognizes just how critical it will be for the Fighting Irish to meet the challenge when No. 4 Notre Dame hosts Miami as one of college football's most heated rivalries is renewed.
“Their defense is their identity,” Freeman said. “They're going to be aggressive to stop the run. They're going to play some zone (coverage) early, and if you have some success, they'll turn it into man and go pressure. It's a disciplined team. They play hard and that's the thing probably more than anything, you see a group that plays extremely hard.”
The Irish counter with four returning starters along the offensive line, turning a star-studded showdown into a good, old-fashioned donnybrook, likely to be decided up front.
The tale of the tape is impressive.
While C.J. Carr has thrown 222 passes, Notre Dame’s offensive line has allowed only two sacks. Miami's defensive line, meanwhile, allows the fewest yards rushing per game, 69.8, in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
The line play is one of the big reasons the Hurricanes (8-0, 6-0 ACC, No. 1 CFP ) and the Fighting Irish (7-1, No. 11 CFP) are chasing yet another national championship trophy.
Just how critical could the line play be?
“They’ve got a veteran group of guys that do a really good job protecting him (Carr),” Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman said while lauding the Irish line. “He has made his way out of sacks this year, but I think he’s taken one or two sacks all year. I think he’s like 18 touchdowns to one pick on the year. They do a really good job moving the ball.”
The question is whether that will continue against an aggressive Miami defense loaded with NFL talent.
Lightfoot forced a key second-half fumble and registered seven tackles and two sacks in last week's closer-than-expected win over North Carolina. He has seven sacks and an astounding 31 quarterback pressures this season. And while Moten and Scott have held up in the middle all season, Lightfoot understands what the Canes are up against.
“We know they have a great line, a great quarterback, and just a great scheme,” he said.
It could be an even bigger challenge for Notre Dame, and starting guard Anthonie Knapp relishes the challenge.
“As a player that’s that strong and that good, (Moten) is going to keep giving you challenges," Knapp said. "You can’t take your foot off the gas. He’s played a lot of football. He understands football. He knows where to put himself in the best position to win.”
The Irish are hoping they can do the same thing by establishing an effective ground game on early downs while protecting Carr in passing situations. And Knapp has played a key role in that success so far this season by making a virtually flawless move to guard after starting 27 games at tackle.
So far, things have worked out well for Knapp and the Irish offensive line.
“I’ve really been pleased with seeing those guys play vertically, play on the other sideline of scrimmage,” Freeman said. “It takes time. It takes reps. It takes game reps. It takes failure to understand what it takes to have success."
Notre Dame learned one lesson with its loss at No. 8 BYU in October. That's on top of the lesson they learned last year when they missed the playoffs after losing to Miami 27-24 in the opener and the following week to Texas A&M.
And this will be Notre Dame's biggest and most important test yet. So on a day the Irish will honor their late coach, Lou Holtz, the Irish want to take care of business by following their season-long motto — leave no doubt.
“They've got a great, a really a good team. That's why they're the No. 1 team in the country," Freeman said. “We're excited for the opportunity, but we've got to understand our key and our formula for success — that's the way we prepare. So we've got to continue to double down on that and realize Saturday will be here before we know it.”
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