The Texas Longhorns are searching for consistency and respect this coming season after a topsy-turvy 2014 campaign that saw them finish with a 6-7 overall record and just 1-5 against Top 25 teams. The No. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, meanwhile, are looking to erase the bitter memory of a catastrophic second half last season, in which they went 1-5 in their last six regular season contests. Read on for more about this colossal Week 1 matchup. And while you’re at it, you can also check out our preview of Louisville vs. No. 6 Auburn here.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Texas Longhorns vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Preview
Where: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend
When: Saturday, September 5, 7:30 PM ET
Line: Texas Longhorns (+9.5) at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-9.5) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Texas Longhorns
[sc:NCAA240banner ]The game against Notre Dame marks Charlie Strong’s second year as head coach of Texas. And unlike many of other big-name programs, the Longhorns will not have the luxury of taking on a minnow in Week 1, as they’ll be greeted by No. 11 Notre Dame from the get-go. The Longhorns play Notre Dame on the road, where they are 4-2 ATS in their last six games.
As what was made obvious in the Longhorns’ 31-7 loss to Arkansas in the Texas Bowl, Strong and his team have some problems to address on their offense. Last season, the Longhorns finished just 109th in scoring offense (21.4 points per game), 90th in passing yards (199.9 yards per game), and 101st in rushing yards (137.4). At the forefront of Texas’ offensive attack is junior quarterback Tyrone Swoopes, who finished with 2,409 passing yards and 13 passing touchdowns.
Hopefully for Texas, Swoopes has developed into a more accurate passer this time around, considering that he threw 11 interceptions in 2014. Over at the backfield, Jonathan Gray is expected to be the team’s starter against Notre Dame, following a season in which he didn’t get to start at all. Despite the limited reps in 2014, Gray managed to lead the team with seven rushing touchdowns on 637 rushing yards and 147 carries. There’ll be extra burden on Gray to make things happen with the Longhorns’ missing their top two receivers from last season in John Harris and Jaxon Shipley.
Fortunately for Texas, its defense does not look as shaky as the Longhorns’ offense. Against Notre Dame, the Longhorns’ front seven must be able to make Malik Zaire, a talented but inexperienced quarterback, uncomfortable in the pocket. That should be less of a problem for Texas than gaining yards on offense with Desmond Jackson and Hassan Ridgeway plugged into the front seven. Just last season, Texas put up a conference-high 40 sacks and allowed just 184.2 passing yards per game.
Cornerback Duke Thomas is expected to be a key player versus Notre Dame, too, as he’ll be tasked to cover the Fighting Irish’s top wideout, Will Fuller. Thomas had three interceptions last season.
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Betting on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
With Everett Golson gone, all eyes will be on Malik Zaire, who is now the clear-cut starter at quarterback for Notre Dame. Zaire played sparingly last season with Golson taking most of the reps. Zaire, however, showed promise in limited playing time, passing for 266 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 187 more with two rushing scores.
Despite a new bonafide starter, the Fighting Irish seemingly have enough talent surrounding Zaire to make his transition as smooth as possible.
For instance, Zaire will be protected by one of the best offensive line in the nation with veterans Ronnie Stanley, Nick Martin, and Steve Elmer anchoring the front seven. That unit should buy Zaire enough time to find his receivers like Will Fuller, Corey Robinson, and Torii Hunter Jr. As mentioned earlier, Fuller was the Fighting Irish’s top wideout last season with 1,094 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. Robinson and Hunter, on the other hand, combined for 604 receiving yards and six touchdowns. All said, Notre Dame has the tools to break into Texas’ defense.
Last season, the Fighting Irish averaged 32.8 points per game, 40th in the nation. Notre Dame’s defense that disappointed last year is also bound to improve, thanks in large part to a bevy of returning personnel. Although Texas’ offense is expected to be mediocre, it would be nice for Brian Kelly to see his team’s defense manhandle Swoopes and company. Back in 2014, the Fighting Irish allowed 35.4 points per game across their last seven regular season games.
The over is 3-0 in Notre Dame’s last three games as the home team.
Writer’s Prediction
Notre Dame (-9.5) wins, 28-20.
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