Notre Dame vs. Arizona State: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time, More
Even though it almost did not happen, Saturday’s showdown between No. 10 Notre Dame and No. 9 Arizona State is one of the biggest games of the season due to its College Football Playoff implications.
Brian Kelly’s Fighting Irish have rarely been asked to hit the road this season, and his young team has struggled after a loss to Florida State and a close call against Navy.
Then again, Todd Graham’s Sun Devils have not looked much better, needing overtime to take down then-No. 17 Utah despite the return of quarterback Taylor Kelly.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
On paper, though, the Fighting Irish and the Sun Devils are meant for each other. Both offenses have enough explosive weapons to exploit shaky defenses. As far as the CFP is concerned, the importance of this regular-season contest cannot be overstated. There may be no coming back from a loss for either side.
Righting Wrongs Under Center
The Sun Devils got a talented passer and leader in Kelly back a few games ago, but his return has been less than encouraging.
Arizona State has not lost since he got back under center, but his performances on an individual level are enough to suggest the team could take a dive against a top team if he doesn't turn things around:
| @ Washington | 14 | 25 | 180 | 56.0 | 2 | 1 |
| Utah | 18 | 32 | 205 | 56.3 | 1 | 1 |
If Kelly is going to return to form, though, one has to imagine it will happen against Notre Dame, as the Fighting Irish took down the Sun Devils last year. A note from Craig Grialou of Arizona Sports on 98.7 FM says it all:
Kelly is not the only quarterback in need of a turnaround.
Notre Dame’s Everett Golson shocked the globe earlier this season with his superb play, which briefly had him in the Heisman conversation and his team in the CFP conversation. Since late September, though, Golson has warped into a turnover machine who has tossed seven interceptions over the course of his last five games and lost a number of costly fumbles.
Golson’s worst games in the turnover department have predictably come on the road, so while an average of 35.4 points scored per game is great, it means little if the team’s signal-caller falters once again on the team’s biggest trip of the season to date.
This game may simply come down to which quarterback blinks first.
Defensive Composure
Coincidentally, both defenses have followed paths similar to those of their respective quarterbacks.
The Notre Dame defense started out hot but has since fizzled thanks to injuries and simple inexperience. Without senior Joe Schmidt at linebacker against Navy, the Midshipmen bruised their way for 336 rushing yards and three scores on the ground while coming back from a 28-7 hole to at one point take the lead.
For Kelly, the buildup toward the showdown with the Sun Devils has been about learning as quickly as possible.
"We've got a couple things we're going to experiment with today, and then we'll get a better feel," Kelly said, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "We haven't practiced yet, so we have a system that we'll employ today, and I think we'll get a better feel over the next couple days."
This is not to suggest the Arizona State defense has been much better. After a collapse near the end of September in which UCLA dropped 62 points on the unit, it has been relatively rough riding the rest of the way. The unit ranks No. 50 in the nation with an average of 24.1 points allowed per game.
While there is something to be said about holding Stanford, Washington and Utah to 10, 10, and 16 points, respectively, it is important to keep things in perspective—none of those offenses ranks above No. 40 nationally in terms of points per game.
Now, the unit has to turn around and play the best offense it has faced all season long. Golson may be a turnover machine, but if quality of play does not improve at home against top-tier opposition, the game may turn ugly rather quickly.
When: Saturday, November 8, 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
Television: ABC
Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):
- Over/Under: 59.5
- Spread: Arizona State (-2.5)
Team Injury Reports
| Nicky Baratti | S | 09/15/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | shoulder |
| Greg Bryant | RB | 11/05/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Arizona State | Questionable | ankle |
| Austin Collinsworth | S | 11/02/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Arizona State | Questionable | shoulder |
| DaVaris Daniels | WR | 08/15/2014 | will miss the entire season | Suspended | disciplinary |
| Jarrett Grace | LB | 09/03/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | knee |
| Eilar Hardy | S | 08/29/2014 | is suspended indefinitely | Suspended | disciplinary |
| Mike Heuerman | TE | 08/28/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | hernia |
| Will Mahone | WR | 08/02/2014 | was dismissed from the team | Out | disciplinary |
| Kendall Moore | LB | 08/15/2014 | is suspended indefinitely | Suspended | disciplinary |
| KeiVarae Russell | CB | 08/15/2014 | is suspended indefinitely | Suspended | disciplinary |
| Joe Schmidt | LB | 11/03/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | ankle |
| Ishaq Williams | LB | 08/18/2014 | is suspended indefinitely | Suspended | disciplinary |
| Ezekiel Bishop | S | 11/02/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Notre Dame | Questionable | knee |
| Jason Franklin | LB | 11/02/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Notre Dame | Questionable | undisclosed |
| Ismael Murphy-Richardson | LB | 08/28/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | eligibility |
| De'Marieya Nelson | TE | 11/03/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Notre Dame | Questionable | undisclosed |
| Jamal Scott | LB | 11/02/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Notre Dame | Questionable | arm |
| Corey Smith | DT | 09/05/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | hip |
| Marcus Washington | TE | 10/05/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | knee |
| Christian Westerman | G | 11/02/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Notre Dame | Questionable | leg |
Injury reports per The Sports Network, via USA Today.
Prediction
Golson’s turnover woes are an issue, and the fact that a young Fighting Irish squad must travel to battle a top team is also a concern.
But really, Notre Dame is the superior team in this matchup and can eventually wear the Sun Devils down. This is the same Fighting Irish squad that almost knocked off Florida State in Tallahassee, while Arizona State has been anything but consistent in most regards.
Golson is sure to make his mistakes. But a learning defense can force a struggling Kelly into a few errors too, and when push comes to shove, Golson has the big-game experience that simply gives the Fighting Irish an edge with the game on the line.
Prediction: Fighting Irish 28, Sun Devils 24
Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
