BYU @ Notre Dame preview
Notre Dame Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 20, 2012 ) Brigham Young 14, Notre Dame 17
Brigham Young returns to Notre Dame on Saturday hoping to make up for last year's 17-14 loss. The Cougars will have a different look with dual-threat quarterback Taysom Hill directing a dynamic offense. "I think it starts with Hill," Irish coach Brian Kelly told the media Tuesday. "The offensive system that they have in place is really different from what we saw last year."
Kelly can become the first Notre Dame coach to record at least eight wins in his first four seasons. The Irish will honor 33 players during the last home game, including record-breaking receiver TJ Jones. BYU senior receiver Cody Hoffman is also looking to add to his collection of school records in the season's final weeks.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, NBC. LINE: Even.
ABOUT BRIGHAM YOUNG (7-3): Hill ranks eighth nationally in total offense (333.5), leading a Cougar offense that is averaging 503.7 yards and 33.5 points. Hoffman, who already owns the BYU career records for receiving yards (3,382), receptions (241) and touchdown catches (33), needs one more 100-yard receiving game to pass Austin Collie (17) and 305 all-purpose yards to pass Curtis Brown (4,993) for first place in those categories. Linebacker Kyle Van Noy's 26 career sacks are the second most in the country among active FBS players and he needs eight more to break the school record.
ABOUT NOTRE DAME (7-3): Jones, who has a reception in a school-record 37 straight games, can tie the school record of eight consecutive games with a TD catch (by Jeff Samardzija in 2005 and Golden Tate in 2009) with a score Saturday. Tommy Rees, who is 21-7 as a starter, will make his final home start and enters the game with 2,504 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this year. The Irish are allowing 159.6 rushing yards and gave up more than 200 rushing yards to Oklahoma, Air Force and Navy.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Hoffman leads all active FBS receivers with his 33 career touchdown catches.
2. Notre Dame is 13-0 under Brian Kelly when it does not commit a turnover.
3. The BYU defense is ranked fourth nationally in forcing 6.1 three-and-outs.
PREDICTION: Notre Dame 31, BYU 28