Maryland

At 2-7 and riding a five game losing streak, Maryland is not exactly a major obstacle in the Irish picking up a win this Saturday. Although it’s technically a home game for the Irish, they will be playing at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.  As you look over the Terrapins’ depth chart, you can see it’s peppered with freshmen, sophomores and juniors in starting and key roles. 

Taking into consideration how banged up the Irish are, especially on defense, I would expect to see a number of regular starters on the sidelines this weekend not in pads.  I can live and the Irish can win with giving a week off to Lynch, Hounshell, and Te'o.  Offensively, since Braxton Cave needs to sit out, Golic has proven he can handle the workload. 

This is the kind of match-up that Notre Dame may not need to rest guys, but it is an opportunity to get some of the young guys some game reps and experience.  George Atkinson III and even Cam McDaniel should get some meaningful touches in this game.  In no way should we play any freshmen that we have not used yet and burn eligibility.  There are a number of sophomores that have no eligibility to save and could use the reps.  These players include Luke Massa who was converted to wide receiver.  This game could also allow Kelly to see more of guys like Collinsworth at receiver and Hendrix at quarterback.

Of course, it would be horrible if the Irish stumble this weekend.  With the hype around the uniforms for this game as part of Shamrock Series, I don’t want a repeat of USC where the best part of the game was the helmets.  Two outcomes will be satisfactory this Saturday.  First, the Irish totally dominate Maryland from start to finish.  Along the way Wood and Gray each have 100+ yard rushing games, and Floyd has a career game.  On defense, Notre Dame racks up 3 sacks, two interceptions and scores a touchdown off a turnover.  Special teams also has at least one touchdown.  Second, Notre Dame works in their second and third teams for most of the game, young guys get playing time and the Irish win if even by only 7 to 10 points.