Frankie V’s Prediction: Notre Dame vs. Ball State ’18

Notre Dame is back in action this week following their season opening victory over Michigan.  The Irish were inexplicably the underdog to a Michigan team that really has done nothing to earn the hype they came into the season with.  That will change this week with the Irish huge favorites over Ball State.  How will the Irish respond after a big win and facing an inferior opponent?  Let’s find out.

What Worries Me This Week

A Let Down. Notre Dame had a lot invested emotionally in last week’s win over Michigan so there is always the worry of a let down the week after such a contest.  It’s inevitable that there will be a bit of a let down and it wouldn’t surprise me if the Irish were even a little sloppy in the first quarter before turning it on.  If it lingers past that it will become worrisome.

I don’t expect Notre Dame to have a let down, mind you.  But, it’s freaking Ball State this week so it’s tough to find things that do actually worry me heading into this one.

Injuries. On that note, the other thing to worry about in a game like this is injuries.  Notre Dame has already lost Shaun Crawford and Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa in the last two weeks.  Let’s get out of this one without any major injuries, get the backups some playing time, and let the starters get some rest after last week’s slugfest.

What Doesn’t Worry Me This Week

Notre Dame Passing Game.  I really hope we see Notre Dame work on the passing game a lot this week.  Yes Notre Dame can run the ball down Ball State’s throat but the more they can improve the passing game, the better their chance or beating Stanford later this month.

Brandon Wimbush made some nice throws last week and then some others that he probably wishes he had back.  I hope Notre Dame works Miles Boykin and their tight ends into the action more this week and continues to work on the screen game that was so close to busting a few big plays last week.

Special Teams. Notre Dame’s special teams were not sharp last week at all.  There was the kick return for a touchdown, the kickoff out of bounds, some bad punts.  You name it Notre Dame did it.  I will be a homer here and chalk it up to week one jitters and say that Notre Dame cleans it up this week.

Jonathan Doerer struggled at the start of last season too before he settled in and I expect that to happen again.  He’ll get back to kicking touchbacks soon.  Tyler Newsome is too good to struggle again this week.  I have enough faith in Brian Polian to expect him to clean up the coverage this week.

Anything Ball State Tries on Offense. In games like this, you know Ball State will have a few tricks up their sleeves.  They might even hit on a few of them.  Even if they do, they don’t have the horses to keep up with Notre Dame so any trick or gadget plays they attempt don’t worry me.  They won’t worry me even if they execute them either.

The only thing that would worry me in this one is if Ball State is able to move the ball with any sort of consistency.  Notre Dame’s defense made Michigan work for every thing last week.  One area to watch for though is the scramble drills.  Shea Patterson did most of his damage when he was flushed from the pocket.

Players to Watch this Week

• Brandon Wimbush – He had a good start to the season against an elite defense.  What Notre Dame needs from him now is to build on that game and have a great game against a weak opponent.
• Jafar Armstrong – No running back ran the ball more for Notre Dame last week than Armstrong.  With a weak defense to run against, he could have a big day.
• Jayson Ademilola – With the injury to Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, Ademilola is now in the 2-deep as Jerry Tillery’s backup.  He’ll be on the field a lot this week as Tillery will hopefully get rest in the second half.
• Robert Hainsey & Liam Eichenberg – Neither had great openers against that Michigan DL.  Hopefully both can bounce back this week.
• Chris Finke – Who saw Finke being the wide receiver who would catch a 43 yard touchdown against Michigan?  It’ll be interesting to see how much he is involved again this week.
• Avery Davis – Notre Dame tried to get Davis involved in the game plan last week but one nice gain on a screen was called back and another could have been a touchdown but Michigan got too much pressure and Wimbush rushed his throw and missed him.  Look for Notre Dame to get him going this week.
• Houston Griffith – He got on the field last week, but not all that much.  I expect his role to expand throughout the season.  He should see a lot of time against a team like Ball State.
• Phil Jurkovec – Does he make his college debut in a blowout? It could happen.  If it does, Kelly has to let him throw and take advantage of the four games he gets without losing a year of eligibility.

How’d I Do Last Week?

Not a bad start to the year for my weekly predictions if I do say so myself.  I had Notre Dame winning by 7 and the Irish won by 7.  I missed the exact score a bit with Michigan and Notre Dame both scoring 7 more points than I predicted, but I’ll take it for a week one prediction.  Especially when the Irish were three point dogs.

Prediction Time

This is a game Notre Dame should win and it’s a game I think they will win big.  They may have a bit of a slow start, but even if they do, they will turn it on and this one won’t be close.  Look for Brandon Wimbush to put together a complete game this week and this might just be the first time he goes over 300 yards in his career.  Defensively, Notre Dame will pick up right where they left off.  Ball State will hit a big play for a touchdown at some point on a gadget, but they won’t sustain offense throughout the game.

Notre Dame 52, Ball State 10