Week 9 Game Matchup: Washington State Cougars VS. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Washington State Cougars (1-6) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-2)
Saturday, October 31, 4:30 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: Notre Dame -27.5
Sam’s Take (36 – 14):
Washington State heads to Texas this week for a non-conference meeting with Notre Dame. I’m sure both athletic departments anticipated an exciting, competitive game at the Alamodome when this one was scheduled (a few years ago), but in reality, I expect an uneventful and lopsided Irish win.
This current Cougar squad simply isn’t built to win a neutral site game against a talented team like Notre Dame. My best advice for Paul Wulff and his coaching staff is to stay in evaluation mode this week. Forget the score, and just watch for continued development at each position on the team. QB Jeff Tuel has shown the kind of development that should encourage the entire Wazzu fan base. I believe Tuel has a chance to be a special player in the coming years, and he displayed his exceptional passing skills in Berkeley last week (354 yards passing, two TDs).
Jimmy Clausen, Golden Tate, and the rest of the Notre Dame offense should be able to move the ball at will, but the Irish defense has not been all that impressive this season. A pair of safeties lead the team in tackles, and the D is ranked 117th nationally against the pass. If Tuel has a little bit of time to throw, he may be able to match his output from last week.
In the end, I expect Notre Dame to win comfortably behind the arm of Clausen, as Cougar fans try to quickly forget the Alamo.
Prediction: Notre Dame 42 – Washington State 17
Washington State Player to Keep an Eye On: WR Johnny Forzani - Forzani looks like a legitimate big play receiver, and if the last two games are any indication, he may cause problems for the vulnerable Irish secondary.
Notre Dame Player to Keep an Eye On: TE Kyle Rudolph - Rudolph is a big target with very good hands, and although his production has tailed off a bit lately this could be his bounce-back game.
Dave’s Take (39 – 11):
Since crushing Nevada in week one, Notre Dame has played to the level of their opponent every week. Every one of their games has been decided by a seven point margin or less, with four of the six games being decided by four points or less. Will the trend continue this week?
To put it lightly, I’d be awfully surprised. Arizona State turned the ball over six times IN Washington State and still won by double digits. Even if Notre Dame fails to get up for this game, they just have far too much talent on both sides of the ball for this one to be close.
In two weeks, Washington State will host UCLA in a game that they could feasibly win if all goes well. But for this week (as well as next week against Arizona), the Cougars will just have to strap in for a rough ride.
Prediction: Notre Dame 48 – Washington State 14
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