Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame must avoid letdown vs. Wake Forest (Nov 04, 2017)

Published Oct. 31, 2017 10:13 p.m. ET

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame has been on a roll against touted opponents and now the Fighting Irish have to keep it going against unranked Wake Forest in order for their goals to remain achievable.

The teams meet Saturday at South Bend, Ind., both coming off impressive victories.

"We've gotten better each and every week," said Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, whose team sits No. 3 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. "We're physically stronger, so mentally we've established a mindset as to how we play. Then I think our kids are trusting the teaching. So, if you take the physical, the mental, and the teaching, it's a team that is getting better."

That could be scary because the Irish (7-1) have been dominant in their recent games. Notre Dame has won six games in a row -- most recently beating North Carolina State 35-14 -- by at least 20 points for the first time since 1966.

It helps having running back Josh Adams. He's the second Notre Dame running back all-time to reach 1,000 rushing yards within the first eight games of a season.

So his name is in the Heisman Trophy conversation.

"At the end of the season, if you know they want to give out those individual awards, then that's what it is," Adams said. "But we're staying focused on what we want to accomplish, and everything special that we've built here as a team, we're going to stay focused on that."

Adams might not make the Demon Deacons, who are coming off a 42-32 conquering of Louisville, flinch. They had to contend last week with fleet-footed quarterback Lamar Jackson, who's the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.

"Adams needs to be in the Heisman conversation," What Forest coach Dave Clawson said. "What he has done in amazing. Every time he touches the ball, he can run you over, he can run past you."

Wake Forest (5-3), which halted a three-game losing streak, is amid a brutal stretch on the schedule.

"Clemson, Georgia Tech, Louisville and now Notre Dame," Clawson said. "I don't know if we have ever defended a string of offenses like that in consecutive weeks that are all so different and yet all so explosive and efficient and good at what they do."

On the other side, Wake Forest lost its leading receiver when Greg Dortch underwent season-ending surgery Saturday night after catching four touchdown passes earlier in the day.

That leaves a hole on the offense. Tabari Hines, who was a starter at the beginning of the season, will be called upon for major production.

"We have our full confidence in Tabari," Wake Forest quarterback John Wolford said. "He has played a lot of football and he'll be ready to go this Saturday."

Looking to stop the Demon Deacons will be Notre Dame defensive coordinator Mike Elko, who's in his first season after arriving from Wake Forest. Elko, who was with the Demon Deacons for three seasons, made other stops with Clawson, so they're familiar with each other.

"On Saturday, we want to beat him and he wants to beat us," Clawson said. "We talk regularly, text after every game, but that will cease this week."

Wolford said he has gone against Elko's defense for three years in practice.

"We know how they're coached and they're going to be good," he said.

Notre Dame's defense shouldn't be overlooked.

"Our defensive line is controlling the line of scrimmage, quite frankly," Kelly said. "Our front seven is doing a great job."

By winning against Southern Cal and N.C. State, Notre Dame has defeated top-15 teams in consecutive weeks for the first time since 1989.

This will be Notre Dame's lone game against an unranked opponent in a four-game stretch, with now-unbeaten Miami awaiting the Irish next week.

Even with lopsided scores, it's not as if Notre Dame hasn't faced adversity. When N.C. State recovered a blocked punt for a first-quarter touchdown, the Irish trailed for the first time since the Boston College game in mid-September.

"I wouldn't short this group anything," Kelly said. "They have a mindset about how they want to play the game. They've been really good at it. But they have all the other skills necessary to deal with whatever happens during the game."

Notre Dame has forced a turnover or punt on the opposing team's first possession in all eight games this season.

"They have steamrolled people," Clawson said. "You watch film and there are a lot of snaps for Notre Dame where the game is already over."

By defeating Louisville, the Demon Deacons toppled a team they had never defeated in the first four meetings. Wake Forest has never defeated Notre Dame, losing all three previous matchups.