Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman on ‘fight or flight’ for defense
Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman says finger-pointing can’t happen for struggling Irish defense: ‘Then it’s going to be bad.’
No. 21 Notre Dame at Arkansas, noon, Saturday; TV: ABCThe Fighting Irish are 4.5-point favorites on the road vs. the Razorbacks.
Back-to-back losses, including a 32-31 loss to Memphis, has Sam Pittman back on the hot-seat in Arkansas. But the Razorbacks’ coach has a chance to steady things with national brand Notre Dame visiting Fayetteville for the first time Saturday.
“You can feel the intensity in the air. You can feel it,” Pittman said. “The only way you can get your respect back is go after a team like Notre Dame.”
The Fighting Irish are ranked No. 21 despite carrying a 1-2 record (though both losses came against teams in this week’s top 10 of the coaches poll).
After struggling in the opener against Miami, redshirt freshman QB C.J. Carr has looked much better for the Irish. And while Notre Dame will lean on its running game of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, Carr will need to make some big plays to keep up with Arkansas’ offense. The Razorbacks (2-2) are averaging 43.5 points per game this season, and Notre Dame’s defense hasn’t exactly been stout (32.6 points allowed per game).
Notre Dame’s defense will be tasked with slowing down Arkansas’ dual-threat quarterback Taylen Green, who has the most rushing yards (360) of any FBS QB this season and has also thrown for 1,191 yards with 12 touchdowns.
Stream Notre Dame vs. Arkansas live on Fubo (free trial)
What time is Notre Dame vs Arkansas kickoff today?
Date: Saturday, Sept. 27Time: Noon ET
Notre Dame vs Arkansas TV channel, streaming, announcers
Notre Dame vs. Arkansas will air nationally on ABC. Dave Pasch (play-by-play) and Dusty Dvoracek (analyst) will call the game with Taylor McGregor serving as the sideline reporter.
Streaming options include ESPN+, the ESPN app and Fubo, the latter of which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
Notre Dame vs Arkansas betting odds, prediction, picks
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, Sept. 26:
Spread: Notre Dame (-4.5)Over/under: 63.5Moneyline: Notre Dame (-190); Arkansas (+160)
∎ Prediction: Arkansas 31, Notre Dame 28
Sometimes it just doesn’t feel right to pick Notre Dame. For the first time in 25 games and the second in the last 34 dating back to the end of 2022, this pick is against the Irish. — Tom Noie, South Bend Tribune
