FSU football: 5 bold predictions for Notre Dame game
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU Will Have 2 Sacks On Defense
I know Notre Dame has had one of the better offensive lines in college football in recent years. However, every team has to reload at some point, and that’s where Notre Dame is at this point.
They have several new faces up front, including a freshman left tackle who’ll face senior defensive end Jermaine Johnson.
The freshman is talented and will win some battles, but I believe the Noles will break through and reach Jack Coan.
There are a couple of reasons I believe that to be the case. Coan isn’t mobile like former Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book, so he should be easy to find in the pocket.
The other reason is I believe FSU will sell out to stop the run on early downs and put Notre Dame into predictable third and long situations.
At that point, it’s about pinning your ears back and going after the quarterback. Fabien Lovett and Dennis Briggs Jr. on the front four provide more of a threat to get penetration than some defensive tackles in the past couple of years.
Coan is used to handing the ball off or passing on first down while at Wisconsin. Will he trust what he sees and get rid of it, or will he hold the ball an extra second in a hostile environment?