Zack Martin may be a Notre Dame Fighting Irish alum, but he has good reason to be confident in his team’s biggest game of the season this week.
Notre Dame will be hosting their longtime rivals, the No. 1 ranked Miami Hurricanes at South Bend Stadium. Despite the fact that they’re facing the top team in the country and that Notre Dame is ranked No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Fighting Irish are clear favorites with an -8.5 point spread as of this writing. That is in large part due to the absence of Heisman Trophy candidate Malachi Toney, the Hurricanes’ leading receiver.
“Well, it definitely affects it,” said Martin in a one-on-one interview with Heavy Sports. “I honestly was looking forward to seeing that matchup between him and (Leonard) Moore there from Notre Dame, but it definitely kind of changes what Miami probably wants to do a little bit. But the most important thing for Notre Dame is to focus on what they got going on. Don’t worry about who’s out there for Miami; just focus on their game plan and execute it to the best of their ability.”
The game has obvious College Football Playoff ramifications as the Fighting Irish look to cement their spot for the postseason. They don’t want to lose a second game in less than a month after dropping one to BYU last month. Without a signature win and a second loss to the resume, it could eliminate Notre Dame from playoff contention.
That makes Saturday’s marquee matchup against Miami a must-win game, especially for a program that has no conference championship game at the end of the regular season.
“Yeah, well, you know, we’re hoping for a nice little cold front to come in,” said Martin. “That’s the first and foremost, get those guys chilly before the game. But I’d love to see kind of an old fashioned Notre Dame late in the season running the football, controlling the line of scrimmage, which obviously will be a big test for them. Obviously, Miami’s had great offensive and defensive lines the last couple of years, but that’s where it starts. For me, for every football game, is can you control the line of scrimmage on both sides? And usually, things take care of themselves, you can do that.”
Zack Martin Predicts Notre Dame to Knock Off Miami by Double Digits
The game is also notable because it’s a rematch from last year’s regular season opener when the Hurricanes defeated the Fighting Irish. That win for Miami ended up catapulting them over Notre Dame for one of the final playoff spots last season. The Hurricanes rode that playoff spot all the way to an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
When asked to make a prediction for the game, Martin doesn’t hesitate — he said the Fighting Irish will knock off the Hurricanes, 34-23.
“My prediction: Let’s go 34-23, the Irish,” said Martin. “I think obviously it starts with establishing the identity that they want to play with, and like I said earlier, hopefully they can run that football, and that is where the big plays pop later in the game. So kind of steady the ship, control that line, and then big plays come later.”
Zack Martin Teaming Up With Icy Hot For Notre Dame’s Last Home Game
As Notre Dame closes out its regular season, Martin — who was a Second-Team All-American at Notre Dame and led them to the National Championship Game — is teaming up with Icy Hot to honor fans who do push-ups in the stands every time the Fighting Irish score. The contest will take place on Nov. 21 during Notre Dame’s home game against SMU with the winner taking home $1,000.
“We partnered with Icy Hot earlier in the summer,” said Martin. “Obviously, Notre Dame’s got a ton of tradition, and one of those biggest traditions is the push-ups after the touchdown. So they partnered with myself and Notre Dame, taking care of those students for hitting those push-ups. And then they’re ending it at the last home game there, November 21 before the SMU game. They’re having a push-up competition where they’ll be handing out a $1,000 grand prize. So it’s been a great deal this year. And make sure you show up at the Joyce Center there before that SMU game.”
The 35-year-old Martin is nearly two years removed from retiring after having a 13-season career with the Dallas Cowboys that included nine All-Pro and nine Pro Bowl selections.
The future Hall of Famer said he regularly uses Icy Hot products.
“Yeah, I’ve used them forever,” said Martin. “Playing O line, obviously, always banged up. So I always use an Icy Hot. I’ve been using them a lot as of late, right? You get a little older, those old bumps and bruises come back, and they got this new scented roll-on stick that’s been big. I like the citrus; it a little easier on nostrils, and you know they’ve been taking care of me even after retirement.”
Zack Martin Makes Bold Prediction for Notre Dame Against Malachi Toney-Less Miami