Notre Dame's production on both sides of the ball keeping them in the playoff hunt

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind -- Notre Dame looks to close the final quarter of the regular season as a one loss team with the 12-team playoffs on the line.

Notre Dame will begin the final quarter of their 12-game regular season today against the 5-4 Virginia Cavaliers.

To remain a one loss team, the Irish will have to continue to make the best of the given deck of cards on offense and defense.

At the start of the season, Notre Dame had one of the most promising schedules to help reach their ultimate goal.

"We're just focused on making it to the national championship," Sophomore Wide Receiver Jaden Greathouse said.

Easier said than done, especially for the offense.

"We got a lot of new faces on the offensive side of the ball and it's not surprising that it's taken a little bit of time for those to kind of mesh together. But I think we're making progress every week," Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock explained.

The progression relied heavily on quarterback Riley Leonard.

Since the unspeakable performance in week two (Northern Illinois), Leonard has 1200 passing yards, 530 rushing yards, and accounts for 22 touchdowns. But he’s not doing it alone.

"Every play matters, and you know what? Riley might have had a 40-yard rushing touchdown, but hold on, did everybody on that play get your job done? Don't look at Riley scoring a touchdown. Did you get your block? Did you get your block?" Head Coach Marcus Freeman said.

The same goes for the running duo of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.

"It's no secret that I got two draft picks in front of me, but also knowing that I'm able to contribute with two guys that are going to Go to the league, you know, speaks for itself," Freshman running back Aneyas Williams said.

While the offense continues to ramp up, the defense, even with key pieces missing, continues to show up as one of the best in the country.

"I mean, it's go time and a lot of those guys, you know, we need them to really step up, grow up and do whatever they can to help us down the stretch," Defensive Coordinator Al Golden said.

When All-American Defensive Tackle Howard Cross went down, it wasn’t just veteran defensive lineman Rylie Mills, that stepped up with three sacks. Defensive tackle Donovan Hinish laid it down as well.

"It's been unfortunate. We feel badly for those that you know, that have endured an injury. But at the end of the day, this game waits for no one, and we're on a clock," Golden added.

With less than two minutes on the clock against Florida State, nobody understood that more than safety Luke Talich. Extending the lead 52-3, but more importantly, exemplifying why Notre Dame’s defense is amongst the best in college football.

The Irish have been one of the best teams in the country on both sides of the ball, as one of five teams in the FBS to be ranked top 12 in scoring offense and scoring defense.