It’s time for Notre Dame’s first big test

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If the college football season was looked at like a semester of school, it would be midterms right now. It’s the perfect midway point of the regular season for Notre Dame: six games down, six more to go.

And if it’s midterm season, that means it’s time for a big test. For the Fighting Irish, that analogy checks out.

Notre Dame is 6-0 and has comfortably passed its first six challenges, with the exception of a brief scare at North Carolina in Week 5. The defense has been elite, the run game is becoming elite and quarterback CJ Carr continues to cement his place as one of the top quarterbacks in college football.

Now it’s time for the Fighting Irish’s biggest test of the season. They hit the road to Provo, Utah, for a matchup with No. 8, undefeated BYU. The Cougars have been one of the best teams in college football this season and will easily be the best team Notre Dame has faced. To add to the excitement, College GameDay will be there and the Cougar faithful are sure to be fired up.

“Great opponent, great opportunity,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said. “[They’re] 5-0, and 28-4 in their last 32 games. That speaks volumes about this program and, uh, Coach Taki played at BYU, so there’s a lot of consistency in their coaching style. You can tell that they have a culture and they play hard. They’re physical and they take a lot of pride in what they do.”

Here is everything to watch for when Notre Dame and BYU kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

WIN THE GROUND GAME

Notre Dame and BYU are fairly similar in that they both do a good job of stopping the run. The Fighting Irish allow the third-fewest rushing yards per game in the country at 58.3, while BYU slots in at 10th, allowing 80.4.

The Fighting Irish have not allowed a team to rush for more than 80 yards in a game yet, but are facing a Cougars ground game that has rushed for at least 140 yards every week and is averaging 223 rushing yards. BYU is also averaging six yards per carry and has at least one rushing touchdown in every game. LJ Martin leads the attack with 344 rushing yards and a whopping 7.8 yards per carry.

Notre Dame’s rushing offense has rapidly improved after a poor start to the season, averaging more than five yards per carry each of the last three games. True freshman Jonaz Walton has helped with back-to-back 100-yard performances. The Cougars have allowed more than 100 rushing yards just once and they will be a true measuring stick for how far Notre Dame’s run game has come.

BEAR DOWN

Martin has provided a really solid punch out of the backfield for BYU, but its offense starts and ends with quarterback Bear Bachmeier. The sophomore has been a problem for defenses through six weeks with both his arm and his legs.

Through the air, Bachmeier has completed 77-of-116 passes for 1,033 yards and eight touchdowns with just one interception. On the ground, Bachmeier has 239 yards on 6.6 yards per carry and four more touchdowns. In total, Bachmeier has accounted for 19 of BYU’s 23 offensive touchdowns.

“On offense, it all starts with their quarterback,” Freeman said. “He’s a special player. He can hurt you in a run or in the pass. He sees it well, gets the ball out of his hands, puts the shoulder down if he needs to and runs you over. We have to make sure that we have a great plan for him.”

He will be the most dynamic player the Fighting Irish have defended this season and reinforcements could be on the way.

All-American cornerback Leonard Moore missed last week with a concussion he suffered against North Carolina and is questionable entering Saturday night. Moore’s return would be crucial to helping slow down Bachmeier through the air. Also potentially rejoining the lineup is defensive lineman Jason Onye.

Onye has been out since Week 1, when he suffered a foot injury. For the first time since the injury, he is questionable. Freeman said Onye has practiced this week and is on track to help the Fighting Irish on Saturday. He would give them another big body up front and help their efforts to slow down Bachmeier and the run game.

CONTROL THE ENVIRONMENT

LaVell Edwards Stadium will be a madhouse Saturday night. Notre Dame is the first top-five team to visit Provo since No. 1 USC did so all the way back in 2004. College GameDay is in town for the first time since 2009 and BYU is a legitimate College Football Playoff contender again.

The environment will no doubt be loud, especially when the Fighting Irish are on offense to try and disrupt their communication. It will be unlike any crowd Notre Dame has faced this season. It is also the first time they will play a night road game this season.

The BYU faithful could end up playing a major role in this game, something the Fighting Irish will work to limit and prevent the Cougars from feeding off the crowd’s energy for extra momentum.

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