Welcome to the biggest Notre Dame game week in…take your pick. The Freeman era? Natty aside, yes it is. The last ten years? Probably. The last 20? Now we’re talking. You can think that’s hyperbole all you want but allow me to back up my take. For starters there is the coaching staff, who likely won’t survive another loss intact, looking at you Chris Ash. Then there is this roster, the best ND squad on paper in a long time, who will see their title dream go up in smoke if the worst should happen. And then of course there is the entire program, who backed this coach and this new NIL era who would waste a golden chance at glory in this wide-open season. So yeah, I think this is the biggest game since this one in 2005.

So much about this game “wakes up the echoes,” of Notre Dame football history. The team and its coach have a lot to prove while they welcome in the top-ranked Miami Hurricanes, just like 1988. Miami, much like that fall day 38 years ago, has a real axe to grind with the Irish, and the feeling is mutual. Of course, hopes of a championship rest on this game, just like back then. Hell, even Boston College is the game after this grudge match, as they always seem to be for ND. The parallels really could tie us up for days, but enough about that, let’s talk about the game itself.

What the now CFP-ranked number 11 Irish are tasked with doing is getting the signature victory the committee rightfully doesn’t believe they have. While beating Navy 35-16 was a good thing, albeit it was a bit shaky, week nine didn’t help ND’s case. Wisconsin, the best team the Irish had beaten so far, got trucked by Iowa 30-0. Meanwhile SMU, the best team left on the schedule besides Miami, went down to Syracuse. So this contest with the undefeated Canes has truly become a playoff eliminator.

They’ll have to save themselves without many of their most important players on a defense that is already banged up and in a rut. They have spent a lot of the year without Tae Johnson in the secondary, and that unit has only taken more punishment with DJ McKinney going down and Leonard Moore and seemingly Adon Shuler playing through injuries. That has now been compounded by the injury to captain Drayk Bowen, a loss that is hard to measure especially considering how inept the coordinator is. Stopping Darian Mensah, Malachi Toney and Mark Fletcher Jr. is hard enough at full strength, no excuses can be made or will be tolerated. This group needs to make enough stops to give the offense a chance to win this game…speaking of…

As much as this defense needs to find a way to slow Miami down, CJ Carr and his offensive cohorts have to carry the day. Number 13 has, by every statistical measure, had a strong year for the Irish under center. But over the last few weeks he hasn’t been as crisp as is needed to win the biggest games. There were missed throws against BYU that would have made the difference, and a disjointedness to the offense against Navy that didn’t make much sense. While the team’s fate is on the line, Carr’s draft stock is riding with it this week. He has to be at his absolute best and lead his team to what would be a momentous win.

While all of the on-field elements have to come together, a little attitude and tenacity would go a long way. That edge needs to come from the head coach, much in the way as it was from the 88’ contest described in the clip above by the late coach Holtz. Now by no means am I saying Freeman needs to challenge Mario Cristobal to a brawl…though it would be some bout. But when this team has been at its best under Freeman, he has set the tone during the week and on game day with swagger and intensity. Freeman has to be the catalyst and lead this team into battle with a point to prove. He’s already started that by urging the crowd to make an impact, and I’d be disappointed if he doesn’t keep it up.

In conclusion, it’s simple, this is Notre Dame Stadium, no one should come into your house and beat you. It’s time to put up or shut up, and any team worth its salt should relish this spot and play up to it. I can’t fathom talking about this team losing this game and I pray I don’t have to. Miami is far from bullet proof, and it is time to prove that we can be the better team and use the bulletin board material against the haters in the media. As Nick Saban said, it’s help fil rat poison, if we use it right…otherwise it just proves them right. So let’s shake down the thunder and knock off the Canes to save this season! Go Irish!

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