How Notre Dame Football’s 2022 Opponents Fared in Week 2

Here are how each of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s opponents fared in week two of the 2022 college football season:

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (2-0)

The Buckeyes made easy work of the visiting Arkansas State Red Wolves, 45-12. Pro Football Focus gave Ohio State an 85.1 overall grade, with a special citation for rush defense (89.6)

MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD (2-0)

The Herd were surprise 26-21 winners over the Fighting Irish. PFF gave them an overall 77.3 grade, with the high-water mark for pass coverage (80.3). Notre Dame’s overall grade was 60.9, in case you were wondering.

CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS (2-0)

The Golden Bears snuck past UNLV, 20-14. PFF was not very impressed with their performance, giving Cal a 63.4 overall grade. The Bears’ running game was the highest individually-rated unit at 70.9

NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (3-0)

The Tar Heels outlasted the Georgia State Panthers, 35-28. North Carolina earned a 69.4 overall grade from PFF, with pass blocking being cited as the best element of the Heels’ Saturday performance (77.4)

BYU COUGARS (2-0)

The Cougars won, 26-20, in double overtime over the Baylor Bears. PFF graded the performance at a 68 overall, with tackling (89.7) and pass blocking (85.1) being deemed the best.

STANFORD CARDINAL (1-1)

The Cardinal looked as torn up as their field in a 41-28 loss to USC. They received a 62 overall grade from PFF, and only passing (67.7) received above a failing grade.

UNLV REBELS (1-1)

PFF was more impressed with the Rebels in defeat, giving them a 75.7 overall grade for their 20-14 loss at Cal. The real problem was tackling. The Rebels missed 16 (!) tackles and were given a 41.5 score for that area.

SYRACUSE ORANGE (2-0)

The Orange manhandled the hapless UConn Huskies, 48-14. PFF gave high overall marks to the visitors, with a 85.8 overall grade. Their passing offense earned a 93 grade.

CLEMSON TIGERS (2-0)

The Tigers were graded 79,8 overall for the second consecutive week after a 35-12 win over the FCS-level Furman Paladins. The defense continues to be the lynchpin to their early season success, receiving a 81.4 overall grade for its performance Saturday.

NAVY MIDSHIPMEN (0-2)

It’s likely no surprise that the Midshipmen, who lost last week to a FCS team, lost their second game to the Memphis Tigers, 37-13. The Mids received a 60.5 overall grade, with their pash rush being singled out as the best of its units (72.1)

BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES (0-2)

The Eagles lost again, this time to fellow ACC opponent Virginia Tech. The PFF overall grade (68.6) was better than last week’s trainwreck in Chestnut Hill, with rush defense (94.5) earning particularly high marks in defeat.

USC TROJANS (2-0)

The Trojans continue to look fantastic on offense and solid on defense, meriting a 80.8 overall grade against Stanford. Defensive tackling (87.1) and offensive run blocking (80.7) received high marks in the 41-28 road win.