Fresh off a trip to Ireland and a resounding victory over Navy, Notre Dame eases into its slate of games at home on Saturday with a matchup against the Tennessee State Tigers. The Fighting Irish showed impressive depth last week and look to utilize this buy game as another opportunity to enable its young players to get on the field. Tennessee State is an HBCU in the recently formed Big South-Ohio Valley Conference that will profit financially from the experience while its players and coaches will compete in a legendary venue. NBC will broadcast the game nationally starting at 3:30 PM Eastern time.

Irish Head Coach Marcus Freeman and his counterpart Eddie George of the Tigers are Ohio State graduates who are relatively new to the head coaching ranks. George begins his third season in Nashville with a prior record of 9-13. George won the Heisman Trophy in 1995 and played in the Super Bowl with the Tennessee Titans after the 1999 NFL season.

George had this to say about his team’s upcoming visit to Notre Dame: “We’re very excited to play football against another opponent. Against a damn good opponent in Notre Dame. It is what it is. We have an opportunity to go up to South Bend and play in a historical venue such as South Bend Touchdown Jesus, the cathedral of all stadiums. This is going to be a great opportunity for our kids to experience Saturday for our kids to play football against a damn good opponent. I think we are excited to give it our best shot and see if we can come away with a victory.”

The differences between the two programs are significant in many ways but none more than the manner in which the respective rosters are built. Notre Dame relies mostly on the recruitment and development of top high school prospects with a few graduate transfers sprinkled in, while the Tigers are primarily a collection of older players, including 14 transfers on this year’s squad.

The portal is generally unkind to FCS schools because their best players often leave for opportunities at the FBS level. Tennessee State is no exception, as six members of the 2022 team including three experienced defensive linemen exited in January. Twenty-five players on the roster are entering their fifth, sixth, or seventh year of college football. The incoming freshman class consists of 15 recruits.

Notre Dame did not escape the injury bug last week as stalwart defensive lineman Gabe Rubio suffered a knee injury. He appears to be slated for arthroscopic surgery and the team hopes he will return to action by September 23.

NOTRE DAME’S OFFENSE vs. TENNESSEE STATE’S DEFENSE

Brandon Fisher is the Tiger’s Defensive Coordinator. He is the son of long time Tennessee Titan Head Coach Jeff Fisher, for whom George played during most of his NFL career.

Fisher’s 4-2-5 base defense relies on a pair of linebackers led by seventh year man James Green. Monroe Beard III, a transfer from Arkansas Pine Bluff, is Green’s running mate. Massive nose tackle Cameron Stewart, at 380 pounds, anchors the defensive line and also provides shade for his teammates during commercial breaks. Veteran ends Terrell Allen and Chris Walker join Stewart along with tackle Jalen Bell. Coach George’s son Eriq, a freshman, earned a spot as part of the defensive end rotation.

Tennessee State was known for solid pass defense last season, allowing just 190 yards per game. The five-man secondary boasts 6th-year safety Josh Green, whose brother James is noted above. Josh has 225 career tackles and nine interceptions. Grad transfer Jeremiah Josephs and 6th-year player Kenyon Garlington are returning veterans. Bryce Phillips is the team’s best cornerback. He and Green have good size but the others are relatively small.

The Irish will run at this defense in order to wear down the starters. Fisher’s 4-2-5 alignment may work in its conference but doesn’t match up well against the Irish strengths. Notre Dame is much more than a power running team, however, as quarterback Sam Hartman and his receivers provide a quick strike capability to augment the pounding ground attack featuring Audric Estime and friends. Wideout Tobias Merriweather is on the cusp of a breakout performance, and this may be the week that he transforms his vast potential into tangible results.

When asked about Merriweather’s slow start last week, Freeman responded, ”He’s been really good in practice. He’s been dying to have more of a role after last season. He’s done a great job in the preparation. I know he didn’t score a touchdown, but he did some really good things in the game. Sometimes the stat sheet doesn’t show that, but we were pleased with what he did in the game. We really look forward to him having another great opportunity to have a big game this week.”

TENNESSEE STATE’S OFFENSE vs. NOTRE DAME’S DEFENSE

Senior Draylen Ellis returns at quarterback for the Tigers. He completed 55% of his passes last season and is a threat to scramble for positive yards when the need arises. The offensive line is a patchwork of inexperienced players. The lone exception is guard Aarion Harvey, who has played at Central Michigan and Austin Peay. Notre Dame’s deep defensive line should make it a long day for this group.

Another bright spot for the Tigers is running back Jalen Rouse. He led the team with 613 rushing yards last season. At wide receiver, Da’Shon Davis is the only returning starter. He had only 19 receptions last year. The 6’0” 175-pound Ellis will likely be under duress most of the day and Rouse probably won’t have enough running room to take the heat off him. This offense was not very good last year, as evidenced by a 33% red zone touchdown rate. This year does not look to be any better.

Notre Dame’s defensive secondary will see more live action in this game as Ellis will likely be forced to the air. Cornerback Benjamin Morrison had a quiet game in Ireland, mostly because Navy did not want to challenge him. The Tigers will test the Irish coverage on Saturday although they cannot provide the level of competition that they will see in the coming weeks. At safety, the group has nowhere to go but up after an uneven first game performance against both the run and the pass.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Spenser Schrader should once again kick several extra points for the Irish although it will be good news if he nails a field goal or two. Punter Bryce McFerson was not called upon to do his job in the opener, and he may not be needed again this week. Chris Tyree should get several opportunities as Notre Dame’s punt returner. Hopefully the Irish can set up a wall for him to bring one back. We might also see Coach Marty Biagi ramp up the pressure on Tiger punter Jackson Foster.

Last season, Kaleb Mosley handled both punting and place-kicking duties for Tennessee State and performed well. Mosely is gone this season so James Lowery will do the kicking and Foster will punt. Dayron Johnson, returning after missing the 2022 season, is Tennessee State’s primary punt and kickoff return man with Boogie Trotter in reserve.

SUMMARY

Every Irish football fan dreams of a balanced offense with a powerful running game and an efficient passing attack that uses the entire field. A polished quarterback and a mauling offensive line are at the core of it. The skill position players are fast and can score from anywhere on the field. Then add tight ends who make big catches and drag would-be tacklers with them down the field.

Notre Dame displayed most of those characteristics last week against Navy for the first time since 2015. The opposition on Saturday may not even be at Navy’s level but fans should tune in to watch this team perform and grow. Expect Gerad Parker to call Merriweather’s number early in order to build his confidence and convince fans and media alike to forget last week’s game. We can also look for the tight ends to be targeted a few times to establish their capabilities as pass receivers.

Defensively, there is no triple option to defend this week where prior experience is a priority. Al Golden is more likely to rotate his linebackers since the Tigers play a more conventional offense. We will get a look at freshmen Jaden Ausberry and Drayk Bowen, as well as more snaps for Jaylen Sneed. That should be fun.

As is the case for any small school given such a unique opportunity, Tennessee State will play hard throughout and hope to create lasting memories from this matchup. At some point in the second quarter, however, the notion of actually winning the game will be long forgotten.

Here are a few questions that we hope will be answered this week:

• Can Jordan Botelho and the Irish defensive ends record numerous sacks?
• Will Hartman continue to pass at an 82% completion rate?
• Can the Irish running backs break off any runs of >20 yards?
• Will Notre Dame’s special teams be heard from this week?
• Can the Irish defense force any turnovers?
• Will any of Notre Dame’s safeties turn in a solid performance?
• Which young Irish players will become household names this week?

PREDICTION

Freeman won’t want to embarrass the Tigers and George by running up the score so we may get a longer look at backup quarterback Steve Angeli and the rest of the second unit. It will be hard to rein in the second teamers, though.  They deserve extended minutes to showcase their skills, and 50 points for the afternoon should be within reach. I realize I am completely discounting the notion that Tennessee State could become the 2023 version of Marshall, but the Irish have better talent, depth and chemistry than last year’s squad. The game will be worth watching because Parker’s offense won’t be boring or predictable, and the defensive rotation will feature several emerging stars.

NOTRE DAME 52  TENNESSEE STATE 3

Tell John what you think in the comments below