Football Game Preview: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Grace Christian Academy Rams + Official Tickets

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will head out on the road to square off against the Grace Christian Academy Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Notre Dame has given up an average of 31 points per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Notre Dame is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Silverdale Academy just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Friday. They took a blow against the Seahawks, falling 62-21. While losing is never fun, the Fighting Irish can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee football rankings (they are ranked 126th, while the Seahawks are ranked 47th).

Despite the loss, Notre Dame saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Lucas Mathews picked up 128 receiving yards and one score.

Notre Dame didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Akeem Cox and Tre Borchers.

Meanwhile, Grace Christian Academy waltzed into their matchup on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They strolled past the Lions with points to spare, taking the game 15-0.

Notre Dame's defeat dropped their record down to 5-4. As for Grace Christian Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 7-2.

Notre Dame suffered a grim 42-17 defeat to Grace Christian Academy when the teams last played back in September of 2024. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Fighting Irish were down 35-10.