This week the Hurricanes take on their bitter rivals, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
With the Canes ranked No. 1 in the nation and the Irish No. 4, the matchup is shaping up to be one of the games of the year.
Both teams boast some of the best talent in the nation, so let’s look at who matches up better at each position before their grudge match this Saturday.
Quarterback – Miami:
Second-year starter C.J. Carr and veteran transfer Darian Mensah are both having monster seasons, with Carr throwing for 1849 yards, 18 touchdowns and one pick this season. While his stats have been very impressive, Mensah has paced the nation in efficiency, throwing for 2425 yards, 25 touchdowns, and one pick, also leading the country in completion percentage (80.7%) and passer rating (202.7).
Mensah is currently the Heisman frontrunner, so Miami takes the win in this position without much of an argument.
Running backs – Notre Dame:
The Canes and Irish have both followed a by-committee system this season.
For Miami, many expected veteran bruiser Mark Fletcher to eat up most of the opportunities. However, true freshman Javian Mallory has burst on to the scene, and currently leads the team in rush yards with 495 alongside seven touchdowns, averaging a whopping 7 YPC. Fletcher has still been strong this season, with 457 yards on the ground and 9 touchdowns, and serves as the team’s lead carrier.
Notre Dame, on the other hand, has leaned on Nolan James Jr. and Jonaz Walton. James has rushed for 519 yards on the year and eight touchdowns, whereas Walton has 477 on the ground and four touchdowns.
While both groups are very formidable, Notre Dame’s backs have had a little more combined production this season, so they get the edge.
Wide receivers – Miami:
This shouldn’t have been much of a discussion.
While the Fighting Irish boast a strong receiving core led by Jordan Faison, who has 38 catches for 497 yards this year, Miami’s roster holds arguably the most explosive player in the country, and statistically one of best receivers in Malachi Toney.
The superstar sophomore has 1027 receiving yards (3rd in the nation), 73 receptions (2nd), and 13 touchdowns (2nd). No matter how teams try to put a stop to him, he still finds ways to consistently beat man, zone, and even double coverage.
However, Toney suffered a high ankle sprain in practice on Wednesday and plans to undergo tightrope surgery on Thursday likely ruling him out for the remainder of the regular season.
Even still, the Hurricanes boast impressive secondary weapons in Cooper Barkate, Daylyn Upshaw and Dre Jacobs.
Expect Miami to spread the ball out in Toney’s absence.
Secondary – Notre Dame:
Sadly for the Hurricanes, their banged up secondary has been their achilles heel this year. After giving up 300-plus passing yards in their last two games, the Irish will undoubtedly try to target this weak point.
The Irish, on the other hand, have had their own struggles in the defensive backfield, but have been able to limit big plays better than Miami has. Not to mention having arguably the best corner in the country in Leonard More.
Notre Dame gets the nod on this one.
Front seven – Miami:
Both teams have strong defensive lines and linebacking cores, but this one comes down to star power, and Miami holds the brightest star of either position group in Marquise Lightfoot.
After spending last season learning from eventual first round picks Ruben Bain Jr. and Akheem Meseidor, Lightfoot has had his breakout season.
So far, he leads the Canes with seven sacks on top of two forced fumbles, including one to ice the game last week against UNC.
Lightfoot will do his best to bring down Carr next week, as he gives Miami the edge here.
Recap
Both teams are loaded with talent on both sides of the football, but expect this game to come down to who’s quarterback is able to step up when it matters most. With stakes this high, this is where legends are made.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. EST this Saturday and will air on NBC.