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Chris Zorich offers his Notre Dame vs. Ohio State prediction

Singer headshotby:Mike Singer•09/02/22•

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Isaiah Foskey returns to Notre Dame for his senior year with hopes of improving upon a dominant 2021. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Former Notre Dame defensive lineman and the 1990 Lombardi Award winner Chris Zorich joined the Blue & Gold YouTube channel to give his thoughts on Notre Dame’s showdown against Ohio State Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

The Irish opened as right around a two-touchdown underdog in the contest and the line has moved to as high as 17.5 points. It sits at -17 in favor of the Buckeyes as of Friday afternoon, but Zorich thinks that Notre Dame can win the contest outright.

“They have to play the best game that they can play,” Zorich said. “I have faith that they’re going to win, but it’s a situation where they’re going to have to play their best possible game. We’re all smart and know the weapons that Ohio State has. They had a bunch of wide receivers drafted last year, and (pundits say) the best one is actually still at Ohio State (Jaxon Smith-Njigba).

“Notre Dame does have their work cut out for them, but they can come away with a victory if they play their best game. The defense has to show up … You have [Isaiah] Foskey and some guys who can play, but it’s going to be a big test. And the offensive line will have to establish the run game. Last year, the Buckeyes had some issues on defense and had to get the defensive coordinator from Oklahoma State. They’ve made changes where they needed help.

“Notre Dame is going to have to play their perfect game. Can they do it? Yes, absolutely they can.”

Zorich is also picking Notre Dame to win the contest.

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“Obviously, I’m going to be rooting for Notre Dame,” he said. “I don’t necessarily have a score [prediction], but I’m looking for it to be a really close game. One of the things that I think will help is that they’re going to be neck and neck until the fourth quarter. What we’ve seen with the Notre Dame football team and their conditioning, you’re going to see the extra things they’ve done in the offseason — practicing and running harder — that’s going to show up in the fourth quarter. And it’ll be Notre Dame by a touchdown.”

There you have it, folks. Zorich is taking the Fighting Irish to win arguably their biggest game in decades.

You can watch the entire video above with more thoughts from Zorich on the game.

Also watch: Final thoughts, observations and prediction from Tim Hyde

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