Rice (0-0) @ #17 Notre Dame (0-0), 3:30 PM EST on NBC

Line: Notre Dame by 21

Over/Under: 51.5

Notre Dame

At the beginning of August, Notre Dame saw this season as a chance at redemption. With quarterback Everett Golson finally back after a season long suspension for cheating on a final exam, and a defense that looked like it could compete at a high level, the Fighting Irish looked to be a dark horse playoff contender coming off of a 9-4 season.

By August 17th, the tone at camp had changed.

Golson is still leading the team into battle, but now four key players have been suspended after a surprising academic scandal. Wide receiver DaVaris Daniels, cornerback KeiVarae Russell, defensive lineman Ishaq Williams and linebacker Kendall Moore have been suspended indefinitely pending an investigation that shows no signs of slowing after a fifth suspension on Thursday.

No loss is bigger than Russell, who is the best corner on the team, as there is a huge drop off even between he and the team’s number two CB, Cody Riggs. Now, a 5’ 11”, 190 pound sophomore Cole Luke will have some big shoes to fill. This comes after the NFL departures of defensive linemen Louis Nix and Stephon Tuitt, along with the team’s top two tacklers, linebackers Dan Fox and Carlo Calabrese, had already left the Irish defense with plenty of questions.

The loss of Daniels is big on offense, as he was set to be the number one receiver for the team. Chris Brown, Corey Robinson, and Amir Carlisle will all have to step up to replace Daniels after they showed some poise last season. Golson’s return will have a big impact, as in his only season he lead ND to an undefeated record and a berth in the BCS Championship Game. Golson can create more with his feet than last year’s QB Tommy Rees. 

Another big ND loss was defensive coordinator Bob Diaco. Diaco lead the Irish to one of the best defenses in school history in 2012, although it did not show against Alabama. Diaco left to become the head coach of UConn and in steps the NFL’s New York Jets LB coach Brian VanGorder. His last college stint came when he was the Auburn DC in 2012. At Auburn, the Tigers ranked 79th in total defense. Before that, he was the DC for the Atlanta Falcons, where the team allowed the fewest points in the NFL between 2008 and 2011.

Rice

On the other side, Rice travels to South Bend coming off an impressive ten win season that included a Conference USA Championship win as a six point underdog over Marshall. The Owls return 12 starters this season with six on each side of the ball.

Receivers Dennis Parks and Jordan Taylor return and were Rice’s top two receivers last season, combining for 1,356 yards and 11 touchdowns. This could present an issue for the inexperience of the corner backs from Notre Dame. Parks and Taylor will be catching passes from Driphus Jackson, a redshirt junior who is a dual threat QB that can also give the Irish defense some problems. 

Running back Jawon Davis will handle the bulk of the carries for Rice. Davis was fourth on the team with 455 rushing yards despite not playing until the 4th game of the season last year. He really broke out during the last three games when he rushed for 263 yards. He figures to have plenty of running room as three of the five offensive line starters return.

On defense, Rice loses its top two tacklers, but defensive tackle Christian Covington does return. Covington has received a lot of accolades this preseason, including All-American picks, All C-USA, the Lombardi Award, Bednarik Award, and Nagurski Award look lists. He had 59 tackles last year, 10 of which were for a loss, to go along with six sacks and a forced fumble. 

The rest of the defense was decent last season, as they held offensive powerhouse Marshall to just 24 points in the C-USA Title game. They only gave up 30 or more points four times, although two of those were to SEC teams, Texas A&M (52) and Mississippi State (44). 

Overview

On paper, this looks like a game that really should not be close. However, this game has the potential be a lot closer than people think.

The ND offense versus the Rice defense matchup could come down to the battle of the lines and whether Sheldon Day can stop Covington from creating havoc on Golson and RB Tarrean Folston. It does not look like Rice’s defense can keep up with the Irish attack, as the ability to run and create something on the fly by Golson should be too much for the rest of the defense to handle, especially after the struggles Rice had with Mississippi St dual threat QB Dak Prescott in the bowl game last season. 

Now the Rice defense has to break in five new starters and a game against an offensive minded team should make things a lot more difficult to do.

The Irish defense versus the Rice offense will be just as interesting as Rice coach David Bailiff is a very smart coach and will no doubt have Parks and Taylor targeting the inexperience of Luke and Riggs. Using those two effectively will open up the run game and give Davis a chance to have a breakout game and capitalize on his momentum from the end of last season. Not using them effectively, however, will create major problems and stop Rice from getting much of anything going, especially against a bigger and stronger defensive line.

In the end, it could be closer than expected, but it will not be. An inexperienced QB on an inferior team on the road will lead to a long day for Rice. Even with four key players out for the Irish, this should be an Irish win, as long as they are not looking ahead to Michigan next week. If they are, look out. This could be a trap game.

Prediction

Rice: 13

Notre Dame: 38