5 Things to Know About Norte Dame Fooball - 2017

Here are five things to know about Notre Dame heading into the Citrus Bowl:

1. Notre Dame has played a tough schedule

Like LSU, Notre Dame is a three-loss team, but the Irish’s three losses haven’t come to the Troys of the world. Their three losses came against No. 3 Georgia, No. 10 Miami and No. 13 Stanford, all of whom played in their conference championship games this weekend. The Irish also have wins over No. 8 USC, the Pac-12 champion, and No. 24 North Carolina State.

2. Notre Dame can run the football

If there’s one phase the Irish know how to dominate, it’s the run game. Behind Heisman Trophy contender Josh Adams, the Irish averaged 279 rushing yards per game in 2017, the seventh-best mark in the FBS. Among Power 5 teams, only Arizona and Georgia Tech averaged more rushing yards per game.

3. Notre Dame has Josh Adams

Though he fell off with injuries toward the end of the season, Adams was one of the most productive running backs in the country in 2017. Through eight games, Adams rushed for 1,169 yards (146.1 yards per game) and 9 touchdowns. But in his last four games, Adams amassed 217 yards (54 yards per game) and zero touchdowns.


4. Notre Dame’s defense is average

The Irish have allowed 21.8 yards per game this season, ranking 32nd in the FBS. This includes the nation’s No. 49 rush defense, allowing 153 yards per game, and No. 51 pass defense, allowing 214 yards per game.

5. Notre Dame doesn’t hold the ball long

Despite being a run-first team, the Irish ranked 108th in the nation in time of possession, holding the ball an average of 28:02 per game. The only top-25 team that held the ball for less time per game on average was Miami.