Notre Dame-Marshall Game Predictions
Notre Dame opens the home slate of the 2022 season with an 0-1 record but a realistic chance to be a College Football Playoff team with opportunities ahead. Saturday won’t be a resume-type game but should result in Marcus Freeman’s first win as a head coach.
Despite the significant spread and Marshall taking on their first Power Five opponent in four years, there is plenty for Notre dame fans to keep an eye on this Saturday.
Will the offensive line look the part of what it was hyped to be instead of how it performed at Ohio State?
Will the playcalling ask for Tyler Buchner to push the ball down the field a bit more this week?
Can the defense perform for four quarters and not run out of gas through three?
Here is how the Fighitng Irish Wire staff (and a couple of our friends) see Saturday’s home opener going:
Geoffrey Clark (1-0)
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
No one in their right mind can possibly believe this will be anything other than an Irish romp. While the Herd had an impressive opening game, it came against competition that simply doesn’t compare to what the Irish offer. Look for the defense to shut the Herd down early and often. More importantly, we’ll finally see the offense play like we know it can, and the key players on that unit for the season will start to emerge.
Notre Dame 39, Marshall 14
Mike Chen (1-0)
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
It’s time to get Marcus Freeman his first win as Notre Dame’s head coach. Many of us would have liked this to happen in either of his first two games, but there’s obviously going to be a bit of a learning curve, especially in big games. No doubt Freeman will learn from both losses, to different OSU’s, and will be better in the future for it. The home opener will have plenty of hype and fans will go home happy.
Notre Dame 42, Marshall 10
Jeff Feyerer (1-0)
Kyle Robertson-USA TODAY Sports
Last week, Marshall played a lower tier Norfolk State team and won big. The Irish faced the #2 team on the country on the road and hung with them until the very end. The universe is about to course correct this week. Hope you enjoyed 1-0 while it lasted, Thundering Herd. I fully expect Marcus Freeman’s Irish squad to dictate play from the opening kick on Saturday. I’m hoping both the offensive and defensive lines play better than they did against Ohio State. And most of all, I hope offensive coordinator Tommy Rees uses this game as an opportunity to build Tyler Buchner’s confidence and develop his rapport with receiving targets.
Notre Dame 41, Marshall 10
Nick Shepkowski (1-0)
AP Photo/Gary McCullough
There was a lot to like Saturday night despite the 21-10 loss. This is pretty close to an elite defense that was simply asked to do too much for too long against Ohio State and the offense struggled but has a month to get right before a challenge in BYU. I think the Irish work out a load of frustrations in this one. I’ll be most looking forward to the offensive line not just perform better, but really dominate this contest and as a result, the rest of the offense will shine.
Notre Dame 38, Marshall 10
