Notre Dame not overlooking their 1-8 opponent in primetime matchup

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame vs Florida State was a highly anticipated primetime game under the lights, but with the Seminoles 1-8 record, it's turning out to be quite the opposite.

Coming into the season, Florida State was one of the few games circled on Notre Dame's schedule, for many reasons.

It's a night game and FSU was supposed to be one of the best teams in the ACC. Instead, the two teams are on two different sides of the spectrum.

10th ranked Notre Dame vs 1-8 Florida State, under the lights, on Saturday night.

"I love night games. I mean, I think pretty much a lot of people love night games," Safety Xavier Watts said.

Watts isn't wrong, but night games are much better when both teams are competitive. That's not exactly the case for Notre Dame's ninth game of the season.

The Noles have the second worst win percentage in the FBS (.111). Some would think they have nothing to lose. Not only against the Irish, but any of their remaining opponents.

"They're not a team that's afraid to take shots. They push the ball down the field and try to win their 50-50 ball," Defensive Coordinator Al Golden said.

Trying is the operative word. Florida State is significantly worse than the Irish in every major statistic. The Seminoles have allowed 28 touchdowns and rank 96th in total defense. Making the Notre Dame offense a heavy favorite Saturday night, as they continue to pick up steam with quarterback Riley Leonard.

"He's really doing a great job of building that relationship with (Mike) Denbrock, so they know exactly what each other are thinking, how comfortable each one feels with each call, and then the confidence he has in those guys around him," Head Coach Marcus Freeman said.

You can't forget about running back Jeremiyah Love, who's scored a touchdown in every game this season. But there's no doubt Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock has more in the tank.

"I think there's a lot more meat on the bone for what this offense can produce and what we can do," Denbrock mentioned.

On the flip side, Notre Dame's defense is ranked 8th nationally and have allowed 11 touchdowns.

Whereas Florida State only has 13 trips to the endzone and are the second worst team in the total offense in the FBS.

So, for a team that’s working with a handful of backups due to injuries, the Irish have still proved to be one of the best in the country, no matter how good the opposing offense looks on paper.