It appears ESPN GameDay host Rece Davis is leaning towards Notre Dame in Saturday’s top 15 showdown in Death Valley, and he feels the Irish’s defense will be the difference in the game.
“I just don’t think people appreciate how good Notre Dame’s defense is,” he said on Friday during a break in the popular preview show’s production meeting. “They have two of the top linebackers in the country in Jaylon Smith and Joe Schmidt … those two guys, one is just a quintessential baller and the other is a freak.
Yet that really strong defense ranks 40th in scoring defense (19.