Two teams are wearing our uniform right now.
One is the best offense in the country and the other can't stop a pass. Here's where we rank nationally against FBS competition only, going into the biggest regular-season game of the year against Notre Dame.
It's the one snap per series where you know you have to bring everything, and right now his heart rate goes up every time he sees one because he expects UNC-style conversions. Get it from 42 percent to 30 and you hand Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney one or two more possessions a game. With this offense, that's the ballgame.
He also put Damon Wilson II on the spot. Notre Dame will chip, roll the pocket and get the ball out quick, the same way teams neutralized Bain and Mesidor at this point last year. The fix is disguise: show a middle linebacker blitz, get off our tendencies, and make the quarterback hold it one extra second.
And for the Dawson critics who want more deep shots, Ahmmon's take is that Dawson is a calculated risk-taker whose offense is built on reads. The ball goes where the defense tells it to go. Until somebody stops it, he isn't going to complain.
CJ Carr is the best quarterback we've seen not named Mensah. The veteran quarterbacks have carved us up this year. If the defense gets enough third-down stops to give this offense extra possessions, we win. If it doesn't, it's a shootout in South Bend.
The full stat breakdown is on the CanesInsight YouTube channel, along with Notre Dame content all week. Subscribe so you don't miss any of it.
One is the best offense in the country and the other can't stop a pass. Here's where we rank nationally against FBS competition only, going into the biggest regular-season game of the year against Notre Dame.
The offense
- 1st in scoring at 43.4 points per game. Number one in the country, for the second time in three years.
- 3rd in yards per play (7.0) and 5th in total offense (489 per game). Yards per play is the most telling offensive number there is. We're elite at it.
- 2nd on third down, converting 55.29 percent. That's how you keep a defense on the field and wear it down.
- 3rd in yards per pass (9.7) and 6th in passing yards (319 per game). For everyone who wants more vertical shots, this is the answer. The explosiveness is already there.
- 25th in sack percentage allowed (4.17 percent). For a young line, that's better than people think, and it's trending up.
- 34th in yards per carry (4.7). We were in the 80s at this point last year.
- 1st in avoiding tackles for loss, and 3rd in fewest giveaways. This is why the yards-per-carry number isn't higher. We'll take two yards instead of minus two.
The defense
- 1st against the run, allowing 64.1 yards per game and 2.4 per carry. Nobody runs on us.
- 25th in scoring defense (19.3 points per game). Not bad, but not championship level, even paired with the best offense in the country.
- 44th in yards per play (5.2) and 34th in yards per game (342).
- 95th on third down, allowing 42.11 percent. This one hurts. Last year we got off the field.
- 84th in yards per pass allowed (7.6). It was around 30th a few weeks ago. It's dropped every single week.
- 128th in passing yards allowed (277.9 per game). Teams don't bother running on us, so they throw and they're doing it efficiently and in volume.
- 30th in sack percentage (7.89 percent). Trending up, but it needs to be top 10 the way it was by the playoffs last year.
- 32nd in takeaways (1.4 per game).
What has to change
Ahmmon zeroed in on third down.It's the one snap per series where you know you have to bring everything, and right now his heart rate goes up every time he sees one because he expects UNC-style conversions. Get it from 42 percent to 30 and you hand Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney one or two more possessions a game. With this offense, that's the ballgame.
He also put Damon Wilson II on the spot. Notre Dame will chip, roll the pocket and get the ball out quick, the same way teams neutralized Bain and Mesidor at this point last year. The fix is disguise: show a middle linebacker blitz, get off our tendencies, and make the quarterback hold it one extra second.
And for the Dawson critics who want more deep shots, Ahmmon's take is that Dawson is a calculated risk-taker whose offense is built on reads. The ball goes where the defense tells it to go. Until somebody stops it, he isn't going to complain.
The Notre Dame setup
The line reportedly moved from 3.5 to 5.5 after the UNC game, which makes sense given how our pass defense looked. Notre Dame has its own problems. DT Francis Brewu is reportedly dealing with an injury, and the Irish have issues in the back seven. And the Navy offense moved on them for a half without throwing.CJ Carr is the best quarterback we've seen not named Mensah. The veteran quarterbacks have carved us up this year. If the defense gets enough third-down stops to give this offense extra possessions, we win. If it doesn't, it's a shootout in South Bend.
The full stat breakdown is on the CanesInsight YouTube channel, along with Notre Dame content all week. Subscribe so you don't miss any of it.
