Arizona State and Notre Dame Set to Duel

We are in for a treat at Sun Devil Stadium on Saturday night when the 9th ranked Arizona State Sun Devils (7-1, 5-1) host the 10th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-1) in the Sun Devil’s biggest home game in school history.

Major playoff implications will be on the line as the winner of this game will add a great win to their resume when the College Football Playoffs Committee evaluates each team at the end of the season.

While the Sun Devils are cruising in the Pac-12 South, they won’t have to worry about a loss here hurting their chances at defending their South championship although a win in a matchup of top-10 teams would be ideal.

Arizona State improved their winning streak to four consecutive games after defeating the Utah Utes 19-16 in overtime last weekend. The defense has truly come on as of late for the Sun Devils as they have given up an average of 12 points per game over the last three games.

Nov 1, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Utah Utes offensive lineman Siaosi Aiono (60) squares off against the Arizona State Sun Devils defense during the first half at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Sun Devils’ offensive attack enters the week as the 22nd most efficient offense in the nation based off of yardage. Great balance has been the key to their success on offense this season.

The passing game averages 291.1 yards per game, while the rushing attack adds 192.5 yards per game to create a perfect mix that results in defenses not being able to game plan against one side more than the other.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame has started their season beautifully. A shutout of Michigan, 31-0, in week two, a 17-14 victory against Stanford, and a 31-27 loss to Florida State have been the Fighting Irish’s biggest games of the year.

A questionable penalty was called on Notre Dame in the late-going against Florida State to wipe a go-ahead touchdown off the scoreboard led to the one blemish on Notre Dame’s record thus far.

Oct 18, 2014; Tallahassee, FL, USA; The Notre Dame Fighting Irish Leprechaun waves a flag after a touchdown in the third quarter against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Everett Golson is averaging 288 passing yards and 34 rushing yards per game, while throwing 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has also found the end zone with his feet seven times on the season as well.

Tarean Folston is the leading rusher for the Fighting Irish with 101 carries and 532 yards. He has also been the recipient of 12 passes for a bonus 166 yards.

William Fuller has been Golson’s favorite target, resulting in 46 catches, 599 yards, and nine touchdowns. Corey Robinson has also surpassed preseason expectations by bringing in 29 passes for 393 yards and has found the end zone four times.

The Sun Devils will ride the back of Taylor Kelly who has completed 59.2% of his passes on the year, while only throwing two interceptions. One of those interceptions came a week ago against Utah on a ball over the middle that hit his target in the hands on a 4th down situation, but was tipped to a defender who caught the ball.

DJ Foster continues to lead the Arizona State backfield with 701 yards, but it has been Demario Richard who has been the saving grace for the rushing attack. Richard enters with 280 yards on just 42 carries. He finished with a career high 116 rushing yards last week to back up a 54 yard performance against Stanford the week before.

After Foster’s hot start he has been held to under 100 all-purpose yards in four of the past five games. A turn-around game from Foster could very well be the X-Factor in this matchup.

Jaelen Strong has not declined one bit this season. He has been Kelly and Mike Bercovici’s top target all year, totaling 57 catches for 821 yards and eight touchdown receptions. Cameron Smith has evolved as the secondary wide receiver option with 23 catches for 328 yards on the year.

Oct 18, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils wide receivers Jaelen Strong (21) and D.J. Foster (8) against the Stanford Cardinal at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

This game will come down to how efficiently the Sun Devils can move the ball on the stout Notre Dame defense. Expect some early involvement with Foster coming out of the backfield on running plays, but also receiving some passes in the flat. If the Sun Devils are to win this game they will need both facets of the offense rolling and must limit turnovers. If they can win the turnover margin, they will win the game and move even closer to contending for the national title.