Stephen A. Smith is not handing Notre Dame any grace. On ESPN’s First Take Friday, he said the 6-0 Fighting Irish have no business losing more than once this season, right before they head to Provo for a top-10 showdown with BYU tonight, as first reported by ClutchPoints.
Asked if Notre Dame is the biggest threat to No. 1 Georgia, Stephen A. pointed to the Irish’s 58-7 beatdown of Stanford and said they “better not lose that Miami game.” His reasoning: as an independent, Notre Dame can’t afford more than one loss when its schedule “ain’t the strongest in the world.” He also said he told head coach Marcus Freeman the same thing to his face.
The IAHHM Take
Love him or hate him, Stephen A. has the math right. Notre Dame has no conference title game to bail it out, so every Saturday is a résumé line. Right now that résumé looks strong: No. 2 in the AP poll and 16 straight wins, all by double digits. Against Stanford, freshman running back Jonaz Walton ran for 181 yards, including a 97-yard touchdown, and C.J. Carr threw three touchdown passes.
But BYU is not a tune-up. The Cougars are 5-0, ranked No. 8 and get the Irish at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday night. After that, Notre Dame faces Navy at a neutral site, hosts Miami on Nov. 7 and welcomes SMU to South Bend on Nov. 21. That Miami game is the one everybody has circled, but tonight is the real first test of whether this team is as good as the scoreboard says.
So where do you stand: is Stephen A. putting fair pressure on Freeman’s squad, or is he just setting up a hot take for when the Irish slip? And does Notre Dame leave Provo unbeaten?
Staying close to home this weekend? Our NC Weekend Guide has the HBCU football slate and more.
Source: ClutchPoints
