Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Michigan Wolverines: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

Where: Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, MI

When: Saturday, October 26th at 7:30pm EST

How (TV): ABC

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Away)

…and we’re back!

No. 8 Notre Dame vs No. 19 Michigan
? October 26, 2019
? 7:30pm EST
? Michigan Stadium
? ABC#GoIrish ☘️ #BeatMichigan pic.twitter.com/TVkrF0bWCj

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 21, 2019

Head Coach: Brian Kelly {All-Time: 118-58 | CMU, CIN, ND}

Regular Season Record: 5-1

With no margin for error in their quest for a College Football Playoff berth, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will hit the road after a three game home stand to face possibly their last ranked opponent of the regular season. With Michigan possibly being their final chance to impress the selection committee, the Irish will need to put forth a dominant performance to silence any doubts regarding their postseason worthiness. After coming off a bye week, coach Brian Kelly will have no excuses for his team as they approach this game.

The Irish gave their fans a stressful Saturday two weeks ago against hated rival USC, emerging with a close, 30-27 victory to claim the Jeweled Shillelagh. Notre Dame was powered by a run game that put up 308 of the offense’s 473 yards, with leading rusher Tony Jones Jr. tallying 176 of those yards. Quarterback Ian Book threw and ran for a touchdown, while sophomore receiver Braden Lenzy ran a reverse 51 yards for a score.

Defensive coordinator Clark Lea was able to get his unit to be disruptive enough for the win, with four sacks and seven tackles for a loss despite coughing up 426 yards of offense. Fifth year senior linebacker Asmar Bilal contributed two of those negative plays as part of an 11 tackle outing to lead the team, while senior defensive ends Khalid Kareem and Jamir Jones each had a sack.

For more on the Irish, check out this article: Notre Dame Fighting Irish Predictions

Michigan Wolverines (Home)

This will be the ninth night game played between the two schools and third at Michigan Stadium (U-M is 2-0).

MICHIGAN MONDAY » https://t.co/TRKEpYnekY#GoBlue 〽️? pic.twitter.com/7tFCCqtHgK

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) October 22, 2019

Head Coach: Jim Harbaugh {All-Time: 72-37 | STAN, MICH}

Regular Season Record: 5-2

With two losses on their record, the Michigan Wolverines are essentially eliminated from the playoff picture, and quite possibly the Big Ten title race. With that said, coach Jim Harbaugh would love to add a signature win to this season by ruining Notre Dame’s season with a home upset.

Despite putting in a more respectable effort than they did in their first loss against Wisconsin, the Wolverines fell short again on the road, this time against Penn State by a score of 28-21. The game looked like it would get ugly before halftime, as Michigan was down 21-0 until running back Zach Charbonnet scored on a 12 yard run before the break. Charbonnet would run for another score to bring his team within one possession before Penn State responded with a long touchdown pass.

The Wolverines did a lot of things right in that loss, namely outgaining Penn State 417-293, dominating time of possession, and limiting the Nittany Lions to four third down conversions on 13 tries. However, Michigan hurt themselves by committing eight penalties, three of which occurred on three different scoring drives for Penn State.

In 37 meetings that date back to 1899, Michigan currently holds a slight 19-17-1 advantage over Notre Dame. After a three season hiatus from 2015-2017, the rivalry was reborn last season, with Notre Dame winning 24-17 behind two touchdown runs from Jafar Armstrong. The Irish will look to break a four game losing streak at The Big House, where they last won in 2005 with major league pitcher Jeff Samardzija catching balls from Brady Quinn.

Saturday’s game will be Notre Dame’s first in Ann Arbor since 2013, which happens to be the last time they lost to Michigan. The Wolverines won that game 41-30 with quarterback Devin Gardner throwing for four touchdowns. Notable NFL players from that game include Stephon Tuitt and Jaylon Smith from Notre Dame, along with Devin Funchess from Michigan.

Notre Dame Roster Notes

Senior defensive end Daelin Hayes is out for the season after tearing his labrum against Virginia.

Sophomore running back Jafar Armstrong is expected to play after missing time with a groin injury.

Redshirt senior cornerback Shaun Crawford is out until at least mid-November with a dislocated elbow suffered against Virginia.

Michigan Roster Notes

Junior linebacker Josh Ross is listed as questionable after missing the last four games with a foot injury.

Head-to-Head: Liam Eichenberg (ND) vs Kwity Paye (MICH)

One area of this game to keep an eye on will be the line of scrimmage on passing plays, where one of Michigan’s top pass rushers in Kwity Paye will take on Notre Dame’s blindside protector, Liam Eichenberg. Whoever comes out on top in this matchup will determine Ian Book’s performance and whether Notre Dame’s offense can do damage against Michigan.

Liam Eichenberg

Left Tackle | 6-6, 305lb | St. Ignatius HS | Cleveland, OH | Senior

Stats: 19 Career Starts

Despite not getting meaningful snaps until his junior year this past season, Liam Eichenberg has quickly earned the attention of NFL scouts. Much of that attention can be attributed to Notre Dame’s recent penchant for developing first round caliber linemen such as Zack Martin, Mike McGlinchey, and Ronnie Stanley to name a few. With his ideal build and quick feet, the Cleveland native has all the makings of a starting lineman in the NFL. How he performs against a stable full of edge rushers from Michigan can play a big role in his draft stock.

Kwity Paye

Defensive End | 6-4, 277lb | Bishop Hendricken HS | Providence, RI | Junior

Much like Eichenberg, Kwity Paye had to wait his turn before becoming an everyday starter. An All-Big Ten honourable mention as a sophomore in 2018, Paye has put together a handful of solid performances this year, including a 2.5 sack outing against Iowa and a 3.5 TFL game in a win against Rutgers. At just under 280 pounds, the Rhode Island product has the bulk to rush from the edge and interior in multiple packages, thanks to his brute strength and mauling ability. Although he possesses a limited array of pass rushing moves, Michigan’s coaching staff will surely work with him to make him more appealing to pro scouts down the road.

Notre Dame at Michigan Predictions and Odds

Find the latest odds for Notre Dame at Michigan below. The odds are provided by New Jersey sportsbooks bet365 NJ, DraftKings, and Caesars NJ.

Good luck! 

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