Looking Ahead After Tough Loss

Michigan Recap

There cannot be an Irish fan on the face of the Earth that is not tired of seeing a Michigan quarterback thrashing our defense with his legs and arm. Three years ago Tate Forcier did it. Two years ago, Denard Robinson did it. This year, it was Devin Gardner. Gardner led his Michigan Wolverines to a 41-30 victory over the Fighting Irish. He threw for 294 yards and 4 touchdowns and ran for 82 yards and 1 touchdown. The defensive focus was to stuff the run and force Gardner to throw; however there was little Notre Dame did that inhibited Gardner from doing whatever he wanted. The defensive line was able to get pressure on him but the secondary left receivers open downfield (It should be noted that it is extremely difficult to be a defensive back against a scrambling QB).  The Irish partially succeeded in their game plan because they restricted Michigan running backs to fewer than 100 yards and no touchdowns.

What about Notre Dame quarterback, Tommy Rees, and his offense? Well, it’s a two-part answer. The common idea is he did horrible and the game proves that he cannot compete on an elite level. Then, there is the less popular train of thought that he played the best game he could while his defense let him down. Rees completed 29/51 passes for 314 yards. He threw two touchdowns but also threw two interceptions. I thought Rees played moderately well. He did have two interceptions and nearly a third that came by bad decisions he made. What impressed me was he kept his composure in an incredibly hostile environment. He also completed more than 50% of his passes and there were at least four passes that went through the receivers hands. Under his command, the Irish scored two touchdowns and three field goals. That’s 23 points and that would have been enough to win 10 games last year.

In my opinion, the Irish put up a valiant effort against a very talented team in a place that few teams could win at. There have been only two night games at Michigan Stadium and the Wolverines have won both. Until a team goes into Ann Arbor on a Saturday night and pulls out a victory it should be considered impossible for a visiting team to win. The Irish struggled on both sides of the ball but it is important for fans to remain optimistic. A BCS Bowl is still a realistic goal. A 10-win season is still possible. The journey to accomplish those goals starts and ends with the defense. Somebody has to step up and become the leader like Manti Te’o was last season.  

In my preview I listed three “Keys to the Game”. Here they are again and how they played out.

Improved Front Seven- I was impressed with how the defensive line and line backers played against Michigan. There was plenty of times when they crashed the line of scrimmage and kept Michigan’s running backs to gaining one or two yards. They also did a good of pressuring Devin Gardner. The problem was they were not able to contain Gardner and that allowed him to escape out of the pocket and run for 5 and 10 yard gains. But, it was an improvement from the Temple game.

Balance on Offense- This turned out to be huge. There was no balance at all. The Irish called 53 pass plays and 18 run plays. Head coach, Brian Kelly, said after the game Rees audibled for passing plays because Michigan “loaded the box” a.k.a. used extra defenders to stop the run. Basically Michigan forced Rees to beat them with his arm and for the most part it worked.

Special Teams- There was huge improvement in this area. Kyle Brindza was 3/3 on field goal attempts and 2/2 on P.A.T.’s. T.J. Jones ripped off a 18-yard punt return which was the longest I have seen in a long time.

Purdue Preview

The Boilermakers are the perfect remedy after the tough loss. Michigan’s dual-threat quarterback torched the Irish defense. I’m not sure Purdue’s quarterback, Rob Henry, can even outrun Charlie Weis. The Boilermakers have scored 27 points in 2013 and 7 of those came from a kick-off return. Purdue ranks near the bottom in nearly every offensive statistic. If there is a team that Notre Dame can dominate from the opening kickoff it is Purdue.

Keys to the Game

• Blitz Rob Henry- Purdue’s senior quarterback is similar to Irish quarterback, Tommy Rees, in the since that his arm is more of a threat than his legs. It is imperative for the Irish defense to get pressure on Henry and force him to throw or scramble. Henry has thrown zero touchdowns and two interceptions in two games this season.
• Strike Early- This is a given. When you are on the road against a lesser opponent you really do not want to give them any hope that they can win. The Irish need to jump on Purdue early and build a huge lead. The Boilermakers’ student body has been known to make a lot of noise. The Irish need to keep them quiet all night.
• Dominate- This game is a must win for Notre Dame. Purdue is horrible. HORRIBLE. They barely beat Indiana State who was playing without their best player. The Irish get to play Purdue on ABC primetime so the whole country will be watching.  There is no better stage for the Irish to show they are much than what the score in Ann Arbor exhibited.

Predicted outcome: Notre Dame-38. Purdue-6.

Predictions

Last week I finished a horrible 5-5. The one game that I nailed was BYU’s upset over Texas. This week I’ll try to do better. The most hyped game of the season takes place in Texas. Johnny Manziel and A&M host the defending national champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide. Some in the media are calling this the “Game of the Century” even though there is one of these every year. I expect the Tide to dominate this game from the get go. Nick Saban is not going to lose to Manziel two consecutive times. Also keep an eye on the Big 10/Pac 12 games (UCLA/Nebraska and Wisconsin/ASU). The teams involved have not faced any real competition and this will be a great way to measure how talented each is. 

Bowling Green Eagles at Indiana Hoosiers

#16 UCLA Bruins at #23 Nebraska Cornhuskers

#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at #6 Texas A&M Aggies

Ball State Cardinals at North Texas Mean Green

#19 Washington Huskies at Illinois Fighting Illini

#4 Ohio State Buckeyes at California Golden Bears

Vanderbilt Commodores at #13 South Carolina Gamecocks

#25 Ole Miss Rebels at Texas Longhorns

#21 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Purdue Boilermakers

#20 Wisconson Badgers at Arizona State Sun Devils