SOUTH BEND \u2013 A year ago, Notre Dame lost early in the season, then reeled off 10 wins in a row, gathering steam as it went.<\/p>\n
Following back-to-back victories over Purdue and Arkansas in which they have scored a combined 112 points, could the 21st-ranked Irish be on the verge of running off another long win streak?<\/p>\n
Coach Marcus Freeman is just focused on extending the streak from two games to three when his team takes on Boise State (3-1) at Notre Dame Stadium today.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re focused on staying in the moment,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cLet\u2019s win this play. What do we have to do to win this play? When it\u2019s over you go, \u2018Man, we did a good job.\u2019 And so that\u2019s just the challenge, man, is to stay present, stay in the moment, improve, and hopefully we can look back and say we had a lot of momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fourth-year head coach also knows what can happen if Notre Dame (2-2) does not stay focused on the short term. In Freeman\u2019s first season, the Irish started 0-2. They found their footing and won three in a row, setting up a potential sprint to the finish line, only to faceplant in a shocking upset loss at home against a Stanford team that finished 3-9.<\/p>\n
The Irish were 16 1\/2-point favorites in that game. They are favored by 20 1\/2 against the Broncos today.<\/p>\n
Freeman\u2019s message of consistent focus has resonated with his team.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re feeling good, obviously, but we still have those two losses that are in the back of our minds and we\u2019re going to use that as motivation to keep on going,\u201d Irish wide receiver Jordan Faison said. \u201cNothing is guaranteed out here, no win is guaranteed and we have to work for every single one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boise State comes into the game on a winning streak of its own, having reeled off three in a row since a season-opening 31-7 loss to South Florida. The Broncos are the second-winningest program in college football since 2000 and paid off their kings-of-the-Group-of-Five reputation last season with a trip to the College Football Playoff. There, they gave Penn State all it wanted for three quarters before falling in the quarterfinals at the Fiesta Bowl.<\/p>\n
While Heisman Trophy runner-up running back Ashton Jeanty is gone from that team \u2013 he was the No. 6 overall pick in April\u2019s NFL draft \u2013 the Broncos\u2019 offense is still prolific. Coach Spencer Danielson\u2019s team has averaged 49 points during its win streak, gaining at least 470 yards of total offense in all three games.<\/p>\n
Boise State running back Dylan Riley has emerged as the heir apparent to Jeanty, gaining 8.6 yards per touch. He\u2019ll be a priority for a Notre Dame defense that let Arkansas gain 6.6 sack-adjusted yards per carry last week as it focused on stopping passes over the top.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always want to stop the run,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cWe have to understand that. We can\u2019t always just put an extra guy in the box and blitz and do those types of things because you\u2019ve got to protect against the pass, too. We\u2019ve got to be gap sound. We\u2019ve got to be aggressive, and we\u2019ve got to tackle well because these running backs, if you miss them, they\u2019ll go the distance.<\/p>\n
\u201c(The Broncos) do a lot of eye candy. What happens when you do those shifts and motions, you get one guy out of his gap and they have some really good running backs that can all make a 2-yard gain into a 10-yard gain.\u201d<\/p>\n
The game is the first-ever matchup between the teams, as was Notre Dame\u2019s game against Arkansas.<\/p>\n
The Irish will wear green jerseys in their semi-annual Irish Wear Green Game \u2013 Notre Dame is 6-1 in those games since 2018, including a 31-24 victory over No. 15 Louisville last season.<\/p>\n
Injury report<\/p>\n
The Irish expect to have preseason first-team All-American Leonard Moore back against the Broncos after he missed the last two games with a high-ankle sprain suffered against Texas A&M. It\u2019s unlikely he will be at full strength, however.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo matter what, I\u2019m sure he won\u2019t be 100%,\u201d Freeman said Thursday. \u201cIt just takes time to heal that thing. But Leonard at less than 100% will help our defense. So if he continues to progress as we get through this week, I see him helping us on Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n
If Moore cannot play a full complement of snaps, true freshman Mark Zackery IV will continue to fill in. Zackery gave up one catch for eight yards on four targets last week after getting burned a couple of times against Texas A&M and Purdue.<\/p>\n