Notre Dame vs Miami: Biggest Storylines, Key Battles, Player To Watch - Defense Edition

Sunday night will be the first time Notre Dame and Miami square off since 2017. The 6th-ranked Fighting Irish travel down to Miami Gardens to take on the 10th-ranked Hurricanes in a monumental matchup. Based on last season, this is considered a "best on best" type of matchup. Will Notre Dame's defense pick up where they left off with a new defensive coordinator? Can Miami's offense sustain the level of success they had in 2024 despite their losses? Let's look at the three biggest story lines, two biggest position battles and one player to keep your eye on for the defense in this rivalry renewed.

Three Biggest Storylines

1. Chris Ash On Gameday - This is the million dollar question. For the past three seasons, Notre Dame's defense was under the direction of Al Golden who is now the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. Ash was hired shortly after Golden's departure which sparked a handful of questions, one of them being how he would prepare, adjust and call the defense on game day. Irish fans won't have to wait much long to find that out; Notre Dame's defense is loaded with talent, length, experience, size and athleticism. Ash walked into a winning situation in South Bend.

2. Performance Of The Defensive Line - Notre Dame was tasked with replacing three starters, two were All-Americans, along the defensive line. Rylie Mills, Howard Cross III and RJ Oben are gone and Al Washington was tasked with developing and reloading this unit throughout the offseason. This unit opens up against a top 10 offensive line unit in the country; the Hurricane's offensive line returns 86 career starts and 3,806 snaps of experience from a season ago. Guys like Jason Onye, Gabriel Rubio, Boubacar Traore, Bryce Young and Josh Burnham will have their hands full on Sunday night.

3. The Dynamic Duo At Cornerback - The Irish return what is arguably the best cornerback duo in the country. Junior Christian Gray and sophomore Leonard Moore are two of the best cornerbacks in the country. Moore has receiving the bulk of the offseason attention, but Gray, despite some struggles in 2024, had an extremely impressive and productive season. They will be going against an offense who led the country in points per game and passing touchdowns per game a season ago. They'll be put to the test early against Shannon Dawson's offense.

Two Key Battles

1. Notre Dame Edge Rushers vs Miami Offensive Tackles - The edge rushers for Notre Dame had inconsistent performances throughout 2024. Injuries and inexperience played a key role. Nonetheless, this unit will have to win their matchup this weekend against two big offensive tackles for the Hurricanes. Right tackle Francis Mauigoa has been nationally recognized this offseason as one of the premier tackles in college football.

Left tackle Markel Bell stands at an impressive 6-9, 340-pounds. What takes the day? Is it the speed of Notre Dame's Boubacar Traore, Bryce Young, Loghan Thomas, Josh Burnham, Junior Tuihalamaka or Jordan Botelho? Is it the size of Mauigoa and Bell? Notre Dame will have to do everything they can to pressure quarterback Carson Beck and get him out of rhythm and that starts with winning on the edge.

2. Notre Dame Rush Defense vs Miami Rush Offense - At times, Notre Dame's run defense was stout, but they ended their season on a sour note allowing over 200 rushing yards against Penn State and Ohio State respectively. Miami's known commodity on offense is their running back room and offensive line. Running backs Mark Fletcher, Jordan Lyle and North Dakota State transfer CharMar Brown are a quality trio and one of the better backfields Notre Dame will face in 2025. The rush defense for the Irish will have to be stout against the run and force Miami to become a one-dimensional offense.

One Player To Watch: Nickel Corner DeVonta Smith

For the third season in a row, Notre Dame looked to the transfer portal to find their starter at nickel. Fifth year senior DeVonta Smith from Alabama transferred to South Bend in the winter portal window and immediately stepped into the starting lineup. The Cincinnati native played his first four seasons with the Crimson Tide and took over as their starting nickel cornerback in 2024. During his time in Tuscaloosa, Smith racked up 34 total tackles, five passes defended and a forced fumble. He has also yet to allow a receiving touchdown in his career.

Miami will attempt to get the ball into the hands of their receivers quickly with under routes, slants, speed outs and screens. Smith will get targeted early in Sunday's matchup and will have to be a sound tackler in the open field and not allow anything to hit over his head. Georgia tried to pick on the 5-11, 195-pound slot corner in 2024 and targeted him seven times. Smith only allowed three receptions for 23 yards on the night, and the Bulldogs quickly went away from targeting the Ohio native. He will have to have a similar impact Sunday night against the Hurricanes pass-oriented offense.

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