Defenses to be in spotlight in Cougars’ clash with Irish

In boxing, styles make fights. Brigham Young hopes that same scenario carries over into Saturday's football game at No. 5 Notre Dame. The Cougars (4-3) and Irish (6-0) meet in South Bend, Ind., at 12:30 p.m. on NBC (3).

BYU is fresh off its worst defensive performance of the season against a much faster Oregon State team. The No. 8 Beavers rolled up 450 yards of offense in a 42-24 victory in Provo.

Notre Dame's run-oriented offense is much more conservative, which gives BYU a better matchup with which to contend.

"As a defense, we want to go out and make sure everybody knows that (last Saturday's performance) wasn't us," junior linebacker Spencer Hadley said. "We are anxious to go out and play a quality team and really show what we are all about."

Notre Dame is a two-touchdown favorite in a game that figures to be low scoring. The Irish are No. 1 nationally in red zone defense; BYU is No. 3. Notre Dame is No. 2 in scoring defense; the Cougars are No. 7. The Irish are 11th in total defense. BYU is No. 5.

Offensively, both teams are similar in just about every category, including points scored. The Irish average 27.3 points compared with BYU's 25.6.

"It's a big opportunity for us," senior defensive back Preston Hadley said. "We can really come out and make a statement. This is the big stage."

■ LINEBACKER LOVE - BYU's Kyle Van Noy and Notre Dame's Manti Te'o will be the defensive headliners in South Bend.

Van Noy, a junior linebacker from Reno, is tied for fourth in the nation with 7½ sacks and 11½ tackles for loss. Te'o, a senior linebacker from Laie, Hawaii, is a consensus preseason first-team All-American who is on track to lead Notre Dame in tackles for the third straight year.

"Both of them set their defenses," Irish coach Brian Kelly said. "Both of them are adjustors. If you asked me the difference between the two, I would want Manti running downhill hitting the guard, and I would want Van Noy exactly where he is rushing the quarterback off the edge."

Te'o, a Mormon, weighed scholarship offers from BYU and Notre Dame.

"I prayed about it, and everything pointed to Notre Dame," Te'o said. "I felt I was directed to come here."

■ TURNOVER TROUBLES - In BYU's three losses, its offense had 10 turnovers compared with zero by the Cougars' opponents. In each of those games, a BYU turnover was returned for a touchdown. The Cougars are 97th in turnover margin, and Notre Dame is No. 10.

■ DEEP SNAPPER, DEEP TIES - Senior long snapper Reed Hornung will play at Notre Dame Stadium for the first time Saturday, but his name will ring familiar to the Irish faithful.

Reed is a distant relative of Notre Dame legend Paul Hornung, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1956. Nicknamed "Golden Boy," Hornung remains the only player to win the award from a losing team. The Irish went 2-8 that year.

■ FIRST AND SIX - Saturday's game marks the first meeting between BYU and Notre Dame since 2005, and it will mark the start of a six-game series scheduled through 2020. The Irish will host BYU again next season, on Nov. 23. Plans for Notre Dame's games in Provo have not been announced. The Irish are 4-2 against BYU.

"I think the only way we take the next step in our program is to play teams like this, and playing them on the road is great, too," Cougars coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "I'm interested to see how we handle it."

■ GOLDEN MOMENT - BYU's only victory at Notre Dame was in 1994. Former Bonanza High School star Jamal Willis scored two touchdowns, including the game winner on a 2-yard run to give the Cougars a 21-14 victory. The BYU defense held the Irish to their fewest points in eight seasons.

■ HOOPS, NOT FOOTBALL - Arguably the single greatest play in BYU history came against Notre Dame in the 1981 NCAA Tournament. Danny Ainge drove the length of the floor and scored the game-winning basket as time expired to upset the Irish 51-50 and put the Cougars in the Elite Eight.

Dave McCann is a news anchor for KSL television in Salt Lake City and play-by-play voice for BYU sports on BYUtv. He is also the host of True Blue, which airs Mondays at 5:30 p.m. on BYUtv. He can be reached at dmccann@ksl.com or on Twitter @DaveMcCannKSL.