Beat Michigan

Temple Recap

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish handled the Temple Owls in their season opening game and won 28-6. Many of the Tommy Rees doubters were left with some optimism after he had the best game of his career. Rees threw for 346 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. That was exactly the type of performance he, his teammates, his coaches and Irish fans needed to see to build confidence. The Irish scored touchdowns on their first two drives; both of which were results of Rees throwing passes into the endzone. This performance proved that Rees can step into a game and have no fear or anxiety about himself or his teammates. He also showed that he can throw it accurately more than 30 yards downfield. Irish running back Amir Carlisle looked very impressive. On the first play of the game, Carlisle took a handoff from Rees and stormed down the field for a 45 yard gain.  

           

Now the attention turns to the Michigan Wolverines. The boys from Ann Arbor demolished Central Michigan on Saturday afternoon and look in prime condition to take on the Irish. This is the final scheduled matchup between the two teams to be played at Michigan Stadium. This is a game that players and fans look forward to each season. The hatred for the opposing schools boils over on social media and on the field. The fact that this is the last time for the Wolverines to get a win in their stadium against the Irish is only going to motivate them.

However, Michigan head coach gave the Irish plenty of motivation to win from comments he made before the season. Hoke said Notre Dame was “chickening out” by ending the contract. Since then everybody has persecuted Notre Dame because they are dropping Michigan to make room on their schedule for ACC teams. What everybody fails to realize is that Michigan REFUSED to play Notre Dame or even be in the same conference in the early 20^th century. They did this out of hatred for Catholics and Irish immigrants. While Notre Dame is ending the rivalry for “business” reasons at least it’s not because of racism.

Keys to the Game

Improved Front Seven- Temple’s freshman quarterback ran for 65 yards and threw for over 200. Michigan’s Devin Gardner is much more talented and can do even more damage running and passing. It is imperative that the Irish defensive linemen and linebackers get pressure on Gardner and force him to make quick throws and possible bad passes that can be intercepted. Gardner threw two interceptions against Central Michigan so the Irish defensive backs will need to bring their soft hands. They will also need to limit Michigan’s running game as much as possible. It should be noted that the Irish ran a very basic or “vanilla” game plan against Temple so expect much more exotic looks on Saturday night.

Balance on Offense- Through three quarters, the Irish called 21 pass plays and 21 rush plays. That is balance. There are so many talented players at all the skill positions so it should not be difficult to keep evenness in the play calling. Underrated receivers T.J. Jones and Davaris Daniels catch just about any pass thrown in their vicinity. The corps of running backs allows many options depending on the situation. Amir Carlisle is an all-purpose back and George Atkinson is very quick. Don’t forget about Cam McDaniel and the two freshman, Greg Bryant and Tarean Foster. The ability for the Irish to rely on the passing game and the running game is imperative to winning every game.

Special Teams- This has been a topic of discussion since last season. In 2012 the Irish were one of the worst punt return teams in the nation. Brian Kelly said improvements would be made in that area as well as all of the special teams. Against Temple, kicker and punter Kyle Brindza struggled mightily. He missed one field goal (which Kelly said was due to the placeholder) and overpowered two punts from midfield. Nick Tausch also missed a field goal. The last three games against the Wolverines have been decided by a touchdown or less. Every point matters. That means the field goal kicking has to improve. The punting will have to improve too because you cannot afford to give Michigan quality field position.

Predicted outcome: Notre Dame-27. Michigan-14. This is going to be a knockout, drag-down fight between two of the most successful teams in college football history. Even though the teams are located just a couple hours apart this is a game that people all across America tune into watch. This is a game that showcases everything that is great about college football. Enjoy it football fans.

Predictions

Last week I picked 9 out of the 10 games correctly. I predicted Clemson would win over Georgia and they did just that. They also jumped to the early lead of best looking team so far. #1 Alabama defeated Virginia Tech but their offense, especially their line, struggled at times. This week the slate of games is atrocious. I mean it’s horrible. If you have chores to do then do them because you will not miss anything.

Cincinnati Bearcats at Illinois Fighting Illini

Indiana State Sycamores at Purdue Boilermakers

#12 Florida Gators at Miami Hurricanes

Army Black Knights at Ball State Cardinals

#2 Oregon Ducks at Virginia Cavaliers

#6 South Carolina Gamecocks at #11 Georgia Bulldogs

Navy Midshipmen at Indiana Hoosiers

#15 Texas Longhorns at BYU Cougars

West Virginia Mountaineers at #16 Oklahoma Sooners

#14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #17 Michigan Wolverines