Vanderbilt @ Notre Dame preview

Notre Dame looks to make it three straight home wins to open the season as it hosts undefeated Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon. The eighth-ranked Fighting Irish are coming off an unconvincing 24-17 win over Ball State, while the Commodores are feeling confident after their 41-10 home win over Nevada last weekend.

The Irish were in the perfect position for a letdown game after their opening-weekend victory over Michigan and barely snuck away with the win against Ball State after being a 35-point favorite. "I obviously didn't do a good enough job getting them up to play at the level they need to play," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly told reporters after the game. Vanderbilt outscored Nevada 24-0 in the second half to pull away as quarterback Kyle Shurmur went 23-of-32 for 258 yards and two touchdowns. “I thought Shurmur did a great job all day long. He really directed traffic. That’s who he is. That’s what he does," Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said after the game.

TV: 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC. LINE: Notre Dame -14.

ABOUT VANDERBILT (2-0): Shurmur seems to have developed a nice rapport with receiver Kalija Lipscomb, as the junior has 14 catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns so far this season. The Commodores like to keep things fresh in the backfield as four running backs have touched the ball at least 10 times this season, with junior Ke’Shawn Vaughn leading the way with 20 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns. The defense has been stellar as well, giving up just 17 points through two games, including holding Nevada to 10 points last week after the Wolfpack put up 72 in their season opener.

ABOUT NOTRE DAME (2-0): In a game in which Notre Dame was expected to light up the scoreboard, it was a couple of defensive players that helped the Fighting Irish to a tight victory over the Cardinals. Junior safety Jalen Elliott had two interceptions to go along with seven tackles, while star linebacker Te'von Coney had 14 tackles, including three tackles for a loss, to bring his season total to 24. Quarterback Brandon Wimbush will need a bounce-back performance after going 17-of-31 for 297 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions last weekend.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Irish RB Tony Jones Jr. scored twice on only 13 carries (61 yards) against the Cardinals.

2. Notre Dame allowed Ball State to gain 349 offensive yards after holding Michigan to just 307 in the opener.

3. Vanderbilt has won eight in a row versus non-SEC teams.

PREDICTION: Notre Dame 28, Vanderbilt 17