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SOUTH BEND — Louisville, ranked No. 17 nationally in the US LBM Coaches Poll, has yet to commit a turnover through three convincing wins. Notre Dame football, ranked No. 14, intends to change that on Saturday.
“It does give us a chip on our shoulder,” All-America safety Xavier Watts said after Tuesday’s practice. “That’s something you pay attention to. Obviously, they’re doing a good job of protecting the ball, but when you watch film there’s a lot of missed opportunities from other teams that they’re not getting the ball.”
Six different Irish defenders have an interception through the first four games, including Watts, who has combined with cornerback Benjamin Morrison for 17 career picks. That matches the career total for Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough, a seventh-year grad transfer with previous stops at Oregon and Texas Tech.
Shough (pronounced “Shuck”) has been intercepted once every 37.5 pass attempts, but Austin Peay, Jacksonville State and Georgia Tech have come up empty this year.
His three seasons in Lubbock were interrupted by injury: a broken clavicle in both 2021 and 2022 and a broken left fibula last Sept. 23. Shough, who turns 25 on Saturday, hasn’t been picked off since a three-interception game against Oregon on Sept. 9 last season.
“He’s putting the ball in the air, and guys are not attacking the ball,” Watts said. “We need to see things like that: … ‘All right, he’s throwing 50/50 balls, and we’re going to make sure we get them.’ ”
Notre Dame has an 18-6 advantage over its opponents on pass breakups this year.
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“Our entire DB mindset is when the ball is in the air, it’s ours,” Watts said. “It’s never being too hesitant about it or scared. Ours is a dominant mindset, attacking the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/chip-shoulder-notre-dame-football-011646676.html
Author : South Bend Tribune
Publish date : 2024-09-25 01:16:46
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