Football Preview: Hamden Green Dragons vs. Notre Dame Green Knights
Hamden hasn't had much luck against Notre Dame recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. After each having a week off, the two teams will shake off the cobwebs and square off against one another at 10:30 a.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Hamden is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They walked away with a 36-28 victory over Guilford last Friday. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Green Dragons considering their nine-point performance the matchup before.
A big part of Hamden's win came down to the chemistry between Evelio Lugo and his top target Julian Barajas. Lugo threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns while completing 76.9% of his passes while Barajas gained 138 total yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance also gave Barajas a new career-high in rushing yards (66). Another player making a difference was Christopher Medley, who rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, while Notre Dame put up some points last Friday, the same can't be said for Hillhouse. Notre Dame claimed a resounding 28-0 victory over Hillhouse. Considering the Green Knights have won three games by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Notre Dame to victory, but perhaps none more so than Donovan Darden, who picked up 74 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Speaking of playmakers, who could forget Termaine Barr, who went all the way with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Hamden's win ended an eight-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-7. As for Notre Dame, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Thursday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Hamden has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 157.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Notre Dame struggles in that department as they've been averaging 175.9. It's looking like Thursday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Hamden didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Notre Dame in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, but they still walked away with a 21-17 victory. Will Hamden repeat their success, or does Notre Dame have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
