Notre Dame Football: 3 Keys to Fighting Irish Beating Air Force on Saturday

Since a miserable start that included loss to the South Florida Bulls and Michigan Wolverines, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have played inspired ball and now sit at 3-2 after three consecutive victories.

The Irish were particularly impressive last week. as they dominated the Purdue Boilermakers by a score of 38-10. While Notre Dame still hasn't received any love in the polls, a win over Air Force on Saturday would go a long way toward getting them back in the Top 25.

The 3-1 Air Force Falcons are a dangerous team with a merciless running game, so it certainly won't be easy for the Irish. Here are three things that the Irish will have to do in order to improve to 4-2 this weekend.

Get Both Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray Involved

Over the season's first two weeks, both of which resulted in Notre Dame losses, the Irish primarily used Cierre Wood in the running game. While he is an excellent player, there was no variation to Notre Dame's rushing attack.

Over the past few games, however, explosive senior Jonas Gray has been featured much more heavily, and it has paid major dividends, as the Irish possess one of the nation's better running back duos. The contrast in styles between Wood and Gray serves to keep opposing defenses off-balance.

The increased effectiveness of Notre Dame's ground game has also helped quarterback, as he has improved his passing numbers and is taking less risks with the ball. As much as head coach Brian Kelly is known for his love of passing the ball, the Irish must run the ball to win.

Control Air Force's Running Game

While it's certainly easier said than done, the key to slowing down Air Force's offense has everything to do with containing the running game. Seeing as the Falcons have just 55 pass attempts through four games, the bulk of their yardage is going to come on the ground.

The Irish aren't going to be able to shut down the Air Force rush offense and turn them into a passing team, but they will have to avoid big plays. The Falcons thrive off long running plays and have scored on the ground 15 times already this season.

The Falcons feature a vast stable of runners and already have five players with at least 100 yards rushing this season. The biggest mistake most defenses make is over-committing against the option, so if the Irish stay within themselves, then they should limit the Air Force running game somewhat.

Protect the Football

There is absolutely no question that the Irish were their own worst enemies to begin the season, as they turned the ball over a total of 10 times in their first two games. Even in the ensuing two games, both of which were Notre Dame wins, they lost the turnover battle.

The Irish took a big step forward against Purdue, however, as they won the turnover battle and went an entire game without turning the ball over for the first time this season. It's no coincidence that the Irish dominated on the scoreboard in a game in which they protected the football.

The Notre Dame offense has moved the ball and the defense has been pretty stout so far this season, but handing the opposition top-notch field position with turnovers has been a recipe for disaster. As long as the Irish can hang onto the ball, then they should have little issue beating the Falcons, and they should have plenty of success moving forward.