Notre Dame Football: Can the Irish Really Beat LSU?

Most Notre Dame fans don't need the reminder. But the last time the Irish took on LSU, one of the most talented Irish rosters of the last decade got run out of the Sugar Bowl. 

And Charlie Weis' 2006 team didn't lose to Northwestern. 

Sure, Les Miles' 8-4 team isn't the same juggernaut that steamrolled the Irish and turned JaMarcus Russell into the No. 1 overall pick in 2007. But they're a lot closer to an elite outfit than the team Brian Kelly trotted out in November. 

The Irish need a victory. Desperately.

Can they get one? Not without using a handful of December practices to transform back into the squad we saw in September. 

Injuries make that next to impossible. Sheldon Day doesn't look like he's going to be able to answer the bell, meaning Notre Dame's two best defensive linemen will be in warm-up suits when the Tigers start running the football. They'll join team MVP Joe Schmidt on the sidelines hoping the "next man in" (a Kelly credo on roster development) isn't run over by LSU's ground game. 

But the struggles defensively don't even begin to explain what happened to this team down the stretch. Quarterback Everett Golson embodied this team's descent, giving away a promising season through self-inflicted mistakes that turned a 6-0 start into a 7-5 finish.

Golson's 22 turnovers in the season's final nine games turned Notre Dame's highest-flying offense since Weis was on the sidelines into its own worst enemy. It's also forced Brian Kelly to bring in sophomore Malik Zaire against USC, putting the quarterback job up for grabs heading into a long and unsettling offseason. 

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

After a 6-0 start, the failures have been widespread. Throw in special teams for good measure, too. Kyle Brindza is ending a record-setting career with a field-goal unit that at best looks like a 50-50 proposition every time it trots onto the field.

Sprinkle in a confounding head-coaching decision (a failed two-point try against Northwestern kept the Wildcats in the game), and perhaps the best thing that can be said about the Music City Bowl is that it's the last game this group has to play before getting a chance to recover both mentally and physically. 

Las Vegas sees the Irish as a 7.5-point underdog, the fifth-widest margin of the non-playoff games. Only four games with Power Five conference matchups predict a scoring total lower than the 52 expected in the Music City Bowl. (The Irish alone have given up more than 30 in seven consecutive games.)

On paper—and after watching the Irish play recently—the odds don't look good for the Irish. But after watching Les Miles' team sleepwalk through some recent bowl performances, Kelly and his team have a chance to pull off an incredible salvage job if they can find a way to beat LSU. 

It's a leap of faith. Finding a way for the Irish to stop LSU's ground game with a front seven built of underclassmen and leftovers doesn't look good. And getting a convincing performance from an Irish offense that has only outscored Navy since early October doesn't bode well for a matchup with the SEC's best statistical unit. 

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Kelly talked about the challenges his team faces on both sides of the ball earlier this week. 

"They want to win. I think defensively, they know they’re a little short-handed and they’ve gotta find ways to come up with some plays," Kelly said. "They clearly know that from their standpoint that they’ve got to find a way to slow down LSU. I think our offense knows that they’ve have to play better. And probably understand how important it is to control the flow of the game."

But Kelly also pointed to the fact that this football team needs to get out of its own way. A young roster that's put in the work needs to stop making critical mistakes on game day. 

"I told them this. They’ve practiced well all year. We just haven’t translated that consistently," Kelly said. "That’s through a number of different things. Primarily, they’ve got to trust their technique; they’ve got to trust themselves. If they do that, they’ll find a way to beat LSU."

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A victory could change everything. While there will be no parade for an 8-5 season, a win over a quality SEC opponent gives the Irish momentum as they hope to finish out recruiting strong.

It'll also put back on track the high hopes for 2015. Nearly 20 starters will return, with suspended KeiVarae Russell and Ishaq Williams back as well. A victory over Les Miles' Tigers would help Kelly bury the embarrassing blowout defeat to USC by sending a message both in and out of the program that November's slide was personnel-related—not personality. 

Brian Kelly ended up in South Bend by showing an uncanny knack to win football games. He's going to need to rediscover that talent—and fix a team that sure looks broken—if the Irish have any hope to leave Nashville, Tenn., victorious. 

*Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand.