Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman considered allowing his players to practice without pads for an extra day this week.
But the more Freeman thought about it, the more he realized his players needed to keep the pads on and create an intense practice atmosphere.
“Our guys have got to be ready,” Freeman said. “No matter what anybody says, our guys have got to be ready.”
No. 3 Notre Dame (1-0) is taking nothing for granted despite being a heavy favorite against Rice (1-0) on Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Ind. The Fighting Irish are coming off a 41-13 win over Wisconsin at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field on Sunday, and now they will shift their focus to their home opener six days later.
Freeman said Rice presented a challenge with a short turnaround between games.
“They’re nontraditional in terms of we can’t use the game plans we had for Wisconsin,” Freeman said. “For offense, (Rice runs) a version of a triple-option offense out of ‘gun.’ Their quarterback, he’s big, he’s fast, he’s athletic, he can run. He’s a problem.
“… It’s the same thing on defense. It’s just nontraditional looks. They’ve got a lot of transfers in the back end, and they do a really good job limiting explosive plays, and they only gave up three points last week.”
Rice is coming off a 31-3 win over FCS program Houston Christian in its season opener. The Owls leaned heavily on their ground attack as they amassed 465 rushing yards and four touchdowns, compared with 28 passing yards on 10 pass attempts.
Tyvonn Byars led Rice with a career-best 104 yards on 16 carries. Quarterback Jacurri Brown added 98 rushing yards on 13 carries but completed only two of five passes for 11 yards.
Rice coach Scott Abell said everyone knew the importance of this week’s practices.
“I don’t have to walk into a meeting room and help them see why they need to respect such a program,” Abell said. “That happens naturally.”
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr will look to build upon his steady, if not scintillating, season debut.
Carr completed 19 of 29 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns against Wisconsin, and he took what the defense offered him by going for short completions and checkdowns instead of trying to force big plays.
Abell said he and his fellow Rice coaching staff know that Carr is a star.
“He’s probably coming into the season, if (he’s) not the leading candidate for the Heisman, he’s in every conversation,” Abell said. “I think you see a very polished older quarterback in college football, I think you see a guy who sees the game incredibly well. He’s got a system that fits him, and he’s got really complementary weapons around him. (He’s) as advertised.”
Jordan Faison and Nolan James Jr. were Carr’s top targets in the season opener with four receptions apiece. Micah Gilbert had three catches for 34 yards and could look to get more involved in Saturday’s home opener.
On defense, the Fighting Irish will be without safety Brauntae Johnson after he injured his left foot against Wisconsin. Senior Luke Talich replaced Johnson and is likely to get the bulk of the work in his place against Rice.
“We view Luke Talich as a starter,” Freeman said. “Now his role has just increased.”
