The Air Force Falcons take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Game 2 of their difficult October stretch. This is the first meeting between these two schools since they played in 2007; the Falcons defeated the Irish, 41-24. Notre Dame is on a three-game winning streak after their 0-2 start and have turned around their play during the past three games by protecting the ball. In the Irish's first two games they turned the ball over 10 times, but during their current three-game winning streak only five turnovers. On the year they are at a minus-nine and are 118 out of 120 in the nation in turnover margin. The only turnover-free game the Irish had was in last week's win over Purdue.
Notre Dame brings in one of the best players in the country, wide receiver Michael Floyd. For the year, Floyd has 47 catches for 561 yards and three touchdowns. The Air Force secondary is questionable and can give up a lot of yards, so the Falcon defense will need to find a way to either get pressure on quarterback Tommy Rees and add additional coverage on Michael Floyd. However, Air Force also needs to pay attention to running back Cierre Wood, who averages 116 yards per game, so Air Force will have their hands full with a defense that has had question marks at times this year.
Notre Dame has not fared well against the run-option offenses as they have lost the past two games against Navy. This Air Force team is at least on par with those Navy teams, if not better. Air Force will use the combination of quarterback Tim Jefferson and running back Asher Clark in the running game. Notre Dame is 19th in the nation against the run, allowing 91 yards per game. Meanwhile, Air Force is ranked third in the nation rushing for 364.5 yards per game. Something has to give on either end and with a run-option they are usually going to get their yards, even going up against elite defenses. This rushing attack allows teams with lesser talent to be able to compete against teams that have better talent. Notre Dame will also need to pay attention to quarterback Tim Jefferson, who is an efficient passer and can beat the Notre Dame defense if the secondary cheats up on the run.
This game kicks off at 1:30 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on NBC.
For more on Notre Dame check out One Foot Down.