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Brady Quinn explains key factor in Notre Dame’s national title game matchup vs. Ohio State
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Brady Quinn is a college football analyst for FOX. But he’s also a former Notre Dame quarterback, so he’s loyal to the program where he starred in the mid-2000’s.
And Quinn knows that the Fighting Irish are a healthy underdog in Monday night’s national title game against Ohio State. Because of that, he believes there is one key factor that, if Notre Dame succeeds, can keep his alma mater competitive and maybe even push it past the high-octane Buckeyes.
Simply, for Quinn, it’s how the Fighting Irish stop the run. Ohio State boasts a dangerous running back combo in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, so the task will be difficult for Notre Dame in Atlanta. Henderson has rolled up 967 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, while Judkins has almost identical stats in 960 yards and 12 TDs.
“The hardest thing for Notre Dame in this game is going to be stopping the run,” said Quinn on Tuesday morning on Greg McElroy’s podcast Always College Football. “You see how dynamic TreVeyon Henderson is, and you know how good Quinshon Judkins is. For me, it’s about stopping the run first. If they don’t, you allow (Ohio State offensive coordinator) Chip Kelly to pick whatever he wants from that play sheet, and then you’re going to be in trouble.”
We’ll see how that Notre Dame run defense responds early in Monday night’s game, which could dictate how the rest of the night goes for the underdog Fighting Irish.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
