ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Even with more than a month to prepare and a season’s worth of tape to analyze, the game plan for 14th-ranked Notre Dame and No. 16 LSU is straightforward heading into Monday’s Citrus Bowl: have success on the ground and stop the run.
Both teams are ranked in the top 30 nationally in rushing offense and are powered by junior running backs. That is where the similarities end, though.
Notre Dame, which is seventh in the nation at 279.1 rushing yards per game, has a dual-threat quarterback in Brandon Wimbush and a big-play running back in Josh Adams.
“There’s a lot of different offenses we have to defend – their quarterback runs, their power game, big offensive line coming right at you,” LSU coach Ed Orgeron said.
Wimbush has excelled in his first season as a starter. The junior set school records for rushing yards (765) and rushing touchdowns (14) by a quarterback. Adams is averaging 7.3 yards per carry and has eight carries of 60 yards or more, which is tied for the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision.