Notre Dame Hosts Boise State

Notre Dame went to Fayetteville last week and left with a dominant 56-13 win against the Razorbacks. The offense was firing on all cylinders, and the defense held Arkansas scoreless in the second half. This week, the Irish are back home in South Bend and hosting Boise State. Notre Dame needs to keep the momentum of the last three quarters of football against the Broncos on Saturday if the Irish want to keep their playoff hopes alive. The game will take place at 3:30 PM ET on NBC and Peacock.

Notre Dame Needs Another Big Win Against Boise State

The only way to overcome starting the season with two straight losses to top-10 ranked opponents is to dismantle the lesser opponents on your schedule. Notre Dame has done that in the last two games. With big wins against Purdue and Arkansas, scoring 56 points in each, the Irish seem to be back on track. Or could that be because the Irish played bottom-of-the-barrel Purdue and an Arkansas team that is now 2-3? Regardless, beating lesser opponents by a large margin is what Notre Dame should be doing. The first two losses of the season were by a combined four points. If the Irish can stay undefeated down the stretch, they just might make it to the College Football Playoff despite the two early losses. It continues this weekend at home against Boise State.

The Irish Offense Needs to Keep Rolling

Quarterback CJ Carr has been very good this season, despite the two early losses and the lack of early production from his two running backs. Notre Dame has fixed the lack of running back production, and Carr has been able to relax. This needs to continue against Boise State this week. Through the first four games, Carr has thrown for 1,091 yards, nine touchdowns, and just two interceptions. Those two interceptions came in the first two games. He has noticeably relaxed in the last two games, throwing six of his nine touchdowns. Additionally, he threw for 354 yards against the Razorbacks last week. Carr needs to continue that this week against a Broncos defense that has five interceptions this season. Further, two of those interceptions were pick-sixes. Not only are they aggressive through the air, but Boise State’s defense has 11 sacks and three forced fumbles through four games. Carr, Jeremiyah Love, and Jadarian Price need to protect the football this week. If these three can help win the turnover battle, Notre Dame should exit with a win.

Notre Dame’s Defense Looks Better

Is the defense better, or has it been facing weak offenses? Unsure, but the Irish defense has looked better the last two weeks. On paper and with the eye test, the defense seems to be playing better. Keeping Arkansas scoreless in the second half of last week’s contest was encouraging. This week, the defense will have to contend with Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen and his receivers. Madsen has thrown for 1,129 yards this season and has thrown only one interception. His completion percentage, though, is only 59.8. Boise State struggles with consistency and lacks a run game anywhere near its 2024 campaign. Wide receiver Latrell Caples, however, leads the team with 240 receiving yards and has 15 receptions and two touchdowns. The toughest competition that Boise State has faced so far is the loss to South Florida, where this offense struggled. The Notre Dame defense, despite struggling early, is arguably the best defense this offense will face so far this season. The Irish defense has six sacks, two forced fumbles, and three interceptions in the last two games. Much improved from the first two games of the season. This contest has the makings to be another confidence-boosting game for the Irish defense.