Notre Dame at Wake Forest Preview

            It’s a battle between 5-3 teams Saturday night when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish head to North Carolina to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Demon Deacons hit the zenith of their season after they beat Florida State and moved to 4-1 on the season.  Since then they have snapped back to reality and lost two games, one to Virginia Tech and one to North Carolina. The Deacons have a pretty good offensive passing attack, one that ranks 29^th in the country. Their rushing game ranks 106^th though. The rest of their team leaves a lot to be desired, especially the defense. That defense ranks 55^th in the country in terms of yards given up so the Irish should have no problem moving the ball.

Keys to the Game

Offensive line- Notre Dame’s offensive line was dominant last week against Navy, and has been a solid unit all season long. This line has only given up five sacks all season. #1 LSU has given up seven sacks, # Alabama has given up eight, #3 Oklahoma State has given up 10, and #4 Stanford has given up four. Obviously the Irish offensive line is one of the best in the country, and even I will admit that has been the base for all of Notre Dame’s success. All those big runs by Jonas Gray and Cierre Wood started with the offensive line getting good blocks. All those deep passes by Tommy Rees were created because he had enough time to throw. I am giving credit to the big boys in the trenches that never get the credit they deserve.

Here are the offensive linemen on Notre Dame’s roster: Braxton Cave*, Mike Golic Jr., Bruce Heggie, Conor Hanratty, Andrew Nuss, Trevor Robinson*, Chris Watt*, Brad Carrico, Nick Martin, Matt Tansey, Lane Clelland, Taylor Dever*, Matt Hegarty, Christian Lombard, Dennis Mahoney, Zack Martin*, Tate Nichols, and Jordan Prestwood.

*- starters

Pass defense- As I noted in the intro, Wake Forest’s strength is their passing attack. That means it will be up to cornerbacks Gary Gray and Robert Blanton and safeties Harrison Smith, Jamoris Slaughter, and Zeke Motta to stop that attack. Deacons’ quarterback Tanner Smith has a 141.1 on the season and has thrown for 14 touchdowns. Look for Smith to go to his best receiver, Chris Givens.

Special Teams- Notre Dame’s kick return team has been pretty good so far. Return man George Atkinson III has scored two touchdowns on kick offs. While that unit is performing well, the punt return team has been awful all season. In the beginning of the season the biggest problem was punt returners fumbling the ball. Now the biggest problem is the lack of yards they’re getting on return. Notre Dame ranks near the bottom of teams’ net return average and I cannot recount one time when we had a punt return for at least 20 yards. If the Irish expect to be a Top 25 team they have to perform better on special teams.

      This game is very winnable for the Irish. They are a much more talented team that has depth at all positions. If they just go out and play the way they did against Navy than they should have no problem getting their 6^th win of the season.

Predicted score: Notre Dame-35, Wake Forest-14

      For all of you non-Irish fans, be sure to catch #1 LSU at #2 Alabama at 8 p.m. Saturday night. This is the first regular season #1 vs. #2 matchup in years and has been hyped up for almost a month. Whoever wins this will have an easy road to the BCS National Championship. It should be an incredible matchup between great teams, players, and coaches. I’m picking Bama to win 20-17.

My Notre Dame Gameday Experience

            
            Autumn on the campus of Notre Dame is like the month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It’s a special time that reminds you of why sports are great. Last weekend I went to the Notre Dame vs. Navy game in South Bend. Being at Notre Dame during a home game weekend is a tremendous experience and one that all college football fans should get the chance to see.

            
            On the Friday before the game my girlfriend and I went up to the Notre Dame campus so we could walk down the tunnel and onto the field at Notre Dame Stadium. This was something I had always dreamed about doing since I was a kid. Instead of wearing blue jeans and a “Rudy” jacket though, I had dreamed of wearing a blue jersey and gold helmet (I guess I could have done that, it was Halloween weekend after all). Just like every player and coach before me, I went through the rod-iron gate and into the tunnel that leads into the stadium. On the right I could see the door that lead to the visitors’ locker room, and on the left, the door to the Notre Dame locker room. Above me hung the banners that marked each year the Fighting Irish won the national championship. Looking ahead I could see the goal post, the field, and the inside of the stadium.

            Imagining what that would be like on game day with 80,000 cheering fans and the band playing gave me goose bumps. I walked the final few feet onto the grass and into the stadium and looked around. I looked up to the student section the press box and all the empty seats. Then I looked back up the tunnel I had just come from and saw the giant mural of Jesus who has earned the name “Touchdown Jesus”. That’s what made me realize that I had finally made it onto the field at Notre Dame Stadium. The same field that every Notre Dame home game has been played on for almost a century.

           

            After visiting the stadium, then the Notre Dame bookstore, my girlfriend and I stopped at the brand new Compton Family Ice Arena. This is now the home to the men’s and women’s hockey team, and it is gorgeous. Here are some pics I got:

            When Saturday finally arrived, I woke up to a bright and sunny day that had the appearance of a perfect day for football. My girlfriend and I got to the campus around 10:00 a.m.  to walk around and soak up all the game day sights and sounds.

            Around 12:30 p.m., this perfect day took a ridiculous turn. We had been standing outside the stadium taking pictures of Touchdown Jesus when we started to hear thunder in the distance. Then a large grey cloud starting moving over T.J. (I just made that acronym up by the way) and I realized that standing out in the open probably wasn’t a great idea, so we headed right around the corner to the Joyce Arena (a huge facility used for basketball, volleyball, and all sorts of stuff). Almost as soon as we got there it started hailing! Yes, hailing in October.

The big storm cloud coming over Touchdown Jesus

            
            While being stranded in the Joyce Arena we sat down in the stands of what used to be the hockey arena. There we met an incredibly nice couple from Youngstown, Ohio. What made these two people incredible? They offered my girlfriend and me Fudgerounds!

           

            After the random snowstorm passed we headed back to the stadium to watch the “Player Walk”. Before the Notre Dame players headed into their locker room, the Navy players and coaches did. I’m sure all schools and fans do this, but when all the Navy players stepped off the bus and walked by, everybody cheered and clapped. This was a far different show of affection than what I saw at the Purdue game, when everybody (myself included) booed and gave a few gestures towards the Purdue players.

            The Fighting Irish players and coaches began coming out of the Hesburgh Library (the building that has the giant mural of Touchdown Jesus on it’) and headed towards us. It’s an awesome experience having all those guys walk right in front of you. It’s even more awesome when most of them are taking pictures and videos just like I was!

Waiting for the player walk

            

Head coach Brian Kelly

            Now it was time for us to make our way into the stadium. We walked up to the gate and gave the usher our tickets. He tore them and with smile said, “Welcome to Notre Dame Stadium”. That right there is something all sports facilities should have their ticket takers say, well not the Notre Dame part but at least be appreciative and friendly.

            We made our way up to our seats which were right in the middle of the field goal post on the south side of the field (across from the tunnel and student section). It gave a perfect view of the endzone, which ended up being the one the Irish scored most of their points in. The only problem I encountered with the seat is a problem that I could experience anywhere at Notre Dame Stadium. The seating at Notre Dame consists of thousands of thin wooden slabs with the numbers 1-30 painted on them, all the way around the stadium. Only the finest for us loyal fans! Anyway, there was a pretty large man sitting next to me so I was squashed every time I sat down. It was uncomfortable, and I could tell he was uncomfortable, but what can you do?

            
            What made that whole seating arrangement even more miserable was an incident that makes me sometimes despise Notre Dame. There was a family sitting behind us that I would assume consisted of mom, dad, son, daughter, and daughter’s boyfriend. The ENTIRE game I got to listen to the snotty daughter (who was probably 30 years old) go on and on and on and on about everything. First it was the cheerleader’s uniforms, then it was the student section, then it was how she loved being a student but Notre Dame never won, then how she never left early during a game, and then it was she knows the owner of the Sonic Drive-Thru company. On and on and on the entire game she talked. I don’t mind talkers, but she talked with a sense of arrogance and you know she just wanted everybody around her to hear her. Believe me lady, nobody gives a crap.

            Notre Dame is probably the best university in the Midwest, and one of the best in America. It produces a lot of incredible graduates that are changing the world. But it seems like many of the alumni have a real sense of “I’m better than you” attitude. That’s understandable, since they actually went to Notre Dame and many of us fans didn’t.

            It’s important to remember that without us regular Joe fans, there would be no Notre Dame football as we know it today. In the early 20^th century Notre Dame was the best team in the country. The Irish played all over America, from New York City to Chicago to Los Angeles.  Everybody from blue-collar families to middle class citizens fell in love with the “Fighting Irish” and their success. Kind of the same way that Rudy Ruettiger and I did. Notre Dame was the first “America’s Team”.

-How many national championships have Northwestern, Duke, Vanderbilt, or Stanford won? All are considered to be some of the best in academics, but only Stanford has one national championship.

Part of the awesome half-time show by the Notre Dame Marching Band

           

Apparently the band started a new tradition of playing in the crowd

Tommy Rees leading the offense

End of the game

            
            All in all, my weekend at Notre Dame was spectacular. I don’t get the chance to be around Notre Dame fans a lot, so it was nice to be surrounded by Notre Dame Blue and Gold. I can’t wait until I go again next year!

-I would talk about the game but there isn’t much to say. After all was said and done, Notre Dame defeated Navy 56-14. It was never close and the Irish dominated all aspects of the game. Michael Floyd and Jonas Gray had tremendous days for the offense, while Manti Te’o was the defensive standout. Next up for Notre Dame is Wake Forest Saturday night.

Did I mention it was Halloween weekend?

Notre Dame vs. USC preview

            It’s USC weekend! That means the Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh Trophy. The greatest cross- country football rivalry in America. Notre Dame vs. USC.  The USC game is always my favorite game to watch. I absolutely despise USC more than any other team.  I had to sit through eight years of USC domination over the Fighting Irish, but last year the Irish prevailed and defeated the Trojans. Needless, to say, I was ecstatic.

             
            This year, the Irish are looking to continue their 4-game winning streak all the way to a BCS Bowl. The Trojans are looking to become bowl-eligible and improve their record to 6-1.

                
            From everything I’ve read, it seems like the fans and media are more pumped for this game than the Fighting Irish football team is. In an interview about this game, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly he is excited about the game because it’s finally a good rivalry; with Notre Dame losing eight straight years it wasn’t too exciting for the Irish. Kelly knows this rivalry brings national media attention, but he also knows how to keep the team focused and not get caught up in all the hoopla.

-hoopla is now my word of the day.

               

                
            As for the off-the-field news, where do I start?

1) Notre Dame will debut their new helmets. Before you fall out of your chair, the only change you will notice is that the helmets are a sparkling gold, as opposed to a duller shade of gold.  The new color is a near duplicate of the Golden Dome atop The Main Building on the campus of Notre Dame. What disappoints me is that because of this new paint and way the paint is applied, the age-old tradition of students painting the helmets is gone.

Old helmet on the left, new one on the right.

 2) I’m not big on covering the recruiting scene in college sports, but there are going to be about a dozen of the nation’s best high school football players in attendance for the game Saturday night. Notre Dame always has one of the best recruiting classes every year, but the games when recruits visit play a significant role in persuading a player to sign with your school.

- It was just announced that one of the top-rated recruits in the country, Gunner Kiel, will be attending the game. Kiel is a senior quarterback at Columbus East in Indiana who had verbally committed to Indiana University, but just denounced that commitment this week.

3) Rally Towels. That makes me shutter. I haven’t heard if these are officially going to happen or not. Rally towels have no place inside Notre Dame Stadium. I hope and pray they don’t make an appearance against USC.

4) This game will be the first night game at Notre Dame in almost 20 years.

5) The men and women’s basketball team will hold “Midnight Madness” which signals the beginning of official practices for both teams. Most schools held these initial practice sessions last weekend, so you know the Irish held off until this weekend just to get more attention.

6) Notre Dame opens its brand new hockey arena, the Compton Family Ice Arena. The grand opening took place Friday night when the Irish beat hockey powerhouse Rensselaer. (I’m kidding about that hockey powerhouse title. I actually have no idea where Rensselaer is or how good they are at hockey)

7) We may even see green jerseys worn by Notre Dame. There has been no talk of this, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the Irish broke them out.

So with all that going on, let’s hope people remember there is a game to be played.

Keys to an Irish Victory

Stop Matt Barkley- Barkley is the USC Trojans starting quarterback. The junior comes in having thrown 16 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions. The Trojans starting running back is out because of injury, so their offense is going to rely on Barkley being able to move the offense. Barkley will also get plenty of help from his sophomore receiver Robert Woods.

Pass the ball- USC’s defense has given up over 190 passing yards in all six of their games so far. That includes giving up 400 yards to Arizona and 290 to California. Neither of those teams are that good and have a combined record of 5-8. The Irish need to do what they’ve done all season and that’s spread the ball around. Tommy Rees should have no problem getting the ball to his receivers and scoring touchdowns.

Focus on the game- With all the hype going into the game it’s important for the Irish to remember to just play the game. Go out and do what you’ve done the past four games, and that’s to win. That means no turnovers, no dumb plays, and no penalties.

               

          Notre Dame and USC is an age-old rivalry that began when Knute Rockne coached at Notre Dame. Even though neither team is ranked, the game still means a lot to the players, and especially the fans. This game is vital for the Irish if they want to make it to a BCS Bowl. The Trojans are the biggest hurdle standing between them and the season finale at Stanford. If the Irish win today they should get to nine wins, possible 10.

Predicted score: Notre Dame-38, USC- 17

Notre Dame vs. Air Force preview

            
            Notre Dame’s sixth game, and last before a bye week, is against the Air Force Falcons on Saturday at 3:30. The Falcons (3-1) bring in one of the statistically best offenses in the country. Led by their do-it-all quarterback, Tim Jefferson, the Falcons have amassed 513 (364 of those are rushing) yards per game which is the 12^th best in America. Jefferson leads an offense that can change on the fly from option to precision passing.

Keys to Victory

Stop the run- I’ve listed this for the Irish defense for a couple of weeks now. In the first five games this season, the Irish have only given up 91 yards on the ground. That is incredible. It’s not like Notre Dame has been playing cupcakes teams either, 91 yards against five quality teams is really something to be proud of. If Notre Dame can shut down Air Force on the ground then they will shut down their whole offense.

Special Teams- Notre Dame field-goal kicker David Ruffer is really struggling this year. In the two seasons before, Ruffer has made 23 of his 24 field goals, but this year he’s only 3 for 7. Considering Notre Dame’s only losses were by three points in each game, those missed field goals are magnified more so than any other season. Air Force has already blocked three field goals this season, including one against Navy last week. This is important because of how bad Ruffer has been, and because the holder for field goals, Jordan Cowart, has a broken hand. The Falcons also have a kick returner who has big play potential, and has taken two kick-offs back for touchdowns in his career.

Run the ball- Air Force is ranked 24^th in stopping the pass, probably because everybody just runs the ball against them. Irish backs Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray appear to be unstoppable so it’s time to let them run wild. Keep handing them the ball and let them pound the Falcons defense. If the Falcons come and stop the run, then let Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees pass to Michael Floyd and company. There isn’t a lot the Air Force defense can do to slow down Notre Dame’s offense.

            
            The Irish need to handle the game like they did last week against the inferior Purdue Boilermakers. They came out on defense, forced a turnover, and immediately scored a touchdown on offense. They took the crowd out of the game and any pride the Boilermakers had. There were also no turnovers for the first time this season. For some reason, everybody believes that the Air Force Falcons have an unstoppable offense because they’re putting up ridiculous numbers. Look at who they have played: South Dakota, TCU, Tennessee State, and Navy. Yeah, a real impressive resume.

Predicted score: Notre Dame-35, Air Force-20

Notre Dame at Pittsburgh review

           It sure wasn’t pretty, but the Fighting Irish got the victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday, 15-12. It was probably one of the most boring games I have ever watched. Besides the five scoring drives between each team the game was just penalty after penalty, and dropped pass after dropped pass, with the occasional run for no yards. It was a sloppy game that wasn’t really a “defensive battle” as much as it was “offensive ineptness”.

3 things I liked

Tyler Eifert- Eifert made a name for himself last season after filling in for injured starting tight end, Kyle Rudolph. This year there is no Rudolph, so Eifert has been the starter. He has had a good season but he definitely had the best game of his career on Saturday against Pitt. While the entire Panther’s defense was focused on stopping wide receiver, Michael Floyd, Eifert was open in the middle of the field all day. Eifert also made the game-winning catch in the 4^th quarter and finished the day with 8 catches for 75 yards. Eifert was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana so it’s pretty cool to watch a fellow Hoosier make an impact for the Irish.

Jonas Gray- Gray is the “backup” (I explain this in a second) running back, playing behind Cierre Wood.  Gray is a senior, while Wood is a junior, so it’s nice to see Gray get a lot of touches in his final season. He has never been the starter during his career at Notre Dame, but he proved on Saturday that he has the talent to be a starter. Gray only ran the ball three times in the game, but his run of 79 for a touchdown was fantastic. He took the handoff, found the hole, broke through a couple of tackles, and sprinted into the endzone.

             
            Having Gray and Wood in the backfield gives the Irish offense a great advantage over opposing defenses. Both have their own style of running; Gray is more power while Wood is more finesse, but both have the speed to get into the secondary. Although Gray plays behind Wood, it’s not like he’s Wood’s backup. Both guys are great and either could start ahead of the other.

Defense- All everybody talks about is how incredible the offense is, but this unit deserves a lot of props for what they do. In four games this season they have given up eight touchdowns and seven field goals.  Check out these other defenses and how much they’ve given up:

#1 LSU- 6 TD’s and 5 FG’s

#2 Oklahoma- 7 TD’s 2 FG’s

#3 Alabama- 4 TD’s and 1 FG

#5 Oklahoma State- 11 TD’s and 6 FG’s

#13 Clemson-12 TD’s and 6 FG’s

Notre Dame- 8 TD’s and 7 FG’s

            
            Ok, so the Irish definitely aren’t anywhere near LSU, Oklahoma, or Alabama, but they’re just as good, if not better, than Oklahoma State and Clemson.  You have to remember though; Notre Dame’s offense has given up the ball 15 times, that’s the worst of any team in America.

            
            The Irish defense also racked up six more sacks against Pitt, proving that the defensive line for the Irish is a force to be reckoned with.

3 Things I didn’t like

Tommy Rees- You know I support you Tommy, but god did you make it hard to. Rees finished the game 24/41 on passing, with 216 yards and one touchdown, which isn’t a bad game at all. Then consider the interception and fumble he had and it’s pretty disappointing. Rees threw a lot of passes that left me shaking my head in utter confusion. Over and over he would snap the ball, drop back, and stare at the receiver he wanted to throw to, then try and force the ball to the receiver. Look around! Look at your other receivers! He makes it so obvious where he’s going to throw it. He needs to learn to look for 2-3 receivers each play, not just one.

Penalties- The Irish committed 8 penalties for 85 yards. That’s way too many esp. when the Irish offense turning the ball over and shooting itself in the foot every other drive.

           
            The worst of these penalties came in the 4^th quarter. The Panthers were punting near their own goal line and a Notre Dame defender went to block the kick and scraped against the punter’s foot. This was apparently such a traumatic and endangering play to the punter that the official called “roughing the kicker”. This resulted in the Panthers moving up 15 yards and getting an automatic 1^st down.

            
            The same call was made in favor of the Irish in the 1^st half, but even that penalty should not have been called. It appeared the Panther’s defender smacked into the Irish punter’s legs, but it was all an acting job by the punter.

            
            Moral of the story, there should be a better way to examine what actually happens during punting plays. It is absolutely insane to penalize a player that doesn’t affect the punter or the punter’s punting (That’s a lot, I know). There should be a 5-yard and 15-yard penalty, depending on how hard the defender hits the punter. In both cases on Saturday, a 5-yard penalty would have been appropriate.

            
            Not to keep harping on this, but I am SOOO sick of Big 10 officials at Notre Dame games. I swear the Big 10 wants the Fighting Irish to lose every game they referee.

Start time- I know what you’re thinking, “start time? How does that relate to the game?” Beside the fact that fans had to start the party a little earlier; it also meant this was the first game Notre Dame has had to play this season with a start time before 3:30 p.m. Before this they played a home game at 3:30 p.m., an away game in Ann Arbor(which is about 2 hours away from South Bend) at 8:00 p.m., and a home game at 3:30 p.m. Not only was this the first game that the Irish really had to travel to get too, but they had to wake up a few hours earlier.

           

             
            In my preview I noted that three keys to a victory would be: limit turnovers, don’t give up any big plays, and manage the offense. Notre Dame only had two turnovers, but did Rees did not manage the offense at all. Rees needs to learn that he has several people on the team that have big play capability and get the ball to those players. The defense did prevent Pittsburgh from getting any big plays as they held Pitt to just 268 total yards.

             I also predicted a final score of: N.D.-35, Pitt.-16. I was only a little off, right?

            Next up for Notre Dame is the Purdue Boilermakers and the Battle for the Shillelagh. The Boilermakers had a bye week so they’ve had an extra week to get ready for the Irish. The game is at 8:00 p.m. so the Irish should be good and ready to play.

Notre Dame at Pittsburgh preview

           
            The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are looking to even up their record at 2-2 after defeating Michigan State last weekend, 31-13. The Irish proved in their victory over Michigan State that they are a great team that is able to win every game they play in. If they play the same way against the University of Pittsburgh Panthers, they should have no problem winning the game.

            
            The Pitt Panthers are 2-1 with wins over Maine and Buffalo (oooohhhh I’m so impressed) and a loss at Iowa. The Panthers have a pretty mediocre team. They rank in the mid-50’s (out of 120 teams) in passing and rushing yards. Their defense is even worse. Their pass defense is ranked 119^th and total defense is 97^th. To sum things up here; Notre Dame should shut down Pitt’s offense, and Pitt’s defense won’t have a chance against Notre Dame’s offense. This doesn’t mean it’s gonna be a cakewalk though. The Irish need to come out and show that they are the best team on the field.

Keys to the game

Limit Turnovers- So I’m gonna stop asking for “no turnovers” because that appears impossible for the Irish. They had five in each of their first two games and three last week. That’s 13 in three games and the worst in America. Maybe there‘s a pattern here. 5-5-5-_.That means three this week!

Don’t give up any big plays- This means no plays that bring Pitt back into the game or win the game. This includes, but not limited to: kick returns for touchdowns, turnovers returned for touchdowns, long pass plays for touchdowns, and long runs for touchdowns. Notre Dame’s defense has given up several of these “big plays”. This was the biggest problem the Irish had in their loss to Michigan, esp. in the 4^th quarter.

Manage the offense- This one is for Irish quarterback, Tommy Rees. This isn’t gonna be a game where he needs to throw the ball deep every play and attempt to score touchdown after touchdown (like he’s had to do in the past three games). Rees just needs to keep the offense in rhythm and moving forward. Let the running backs, Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray, do the hard work on the ground. Then spread the ball around to the receivers and tight ends.

            
            Pittsburgh is nowhere near as talented as the past three opponents have been for the Irish; all of which have been fairly close games that weren’t decided until the final quarter. That being said, this should be a pretty easy game for Notre Dame fans to watch.

My predicted score: Notre Dame-35, Pittsburgh-16

So I decided to drop this bomb. Yeah, that's Taylor Swift, decked out in Notre Dame gear. Swift was on the sidelines for the Michigan State game last Saturday (9/17). I think this basically solidifies the fact that we were meant to get married.

Notre Dame Wins!

           It’s a good day to be Irish. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish won their first game of the season against the #15 Michigan State Spartans.  It should not have taken three weeks to write “first win of the season”, but better now than later. The Fighting Irish didn’t play clean, but they played hard on both sides of the ball and won 31-13.

-The score was 28-13 with three minutes left. If Notre Dame’s David Ruffer hadn’t made a field goal I would’ve been spot on with my predicted score of 28-14.

3 Things I liked

Defensive Front- I swear I need to be getting paid to do this.  In my preview of this game I noted that one of the keys to an Irish victory would be stop the run. Guess how many rushing yards the Spartans had? 29! 29 yards on 23 rushing attempts (Compared to Notre Dame’s 114 yards on 32 attempts). The Spartans had absolutely no success running the ball, which led them to rely on their quarterback, Kirk Cousins. Cousins had a decent game, but the pressure by Notre Dame’s defensive line got to the QB the entire game, due to the lack of a serious running threat. Cousins threw an interception, fumbled the ball, got sacked twice, and got knocked down after he passed probably a dozen times.

            Freshman Aaron Lynch, who I highlighted after the Spring Game, put pressure on Cousins during the 4^th quarter and was nearly impossible to stop. He is going to be a monster in a few years.

UPDATED 9/19/2011- I just read that Lynch finished the game with five tackles, a forced fumble, and a sack. I'm not sure how I missed all that.
Defensive Secondary- This unit finally proved itself. Although they gave up 320 passing yards, they were able to get an interception and a couple of near interceptions. They knocked the ball out of receivers’ hands and made solid one-on-one tackles. Harrison Smith and Robert Blanton had tremendous days. Blanton was the guy that got the one interception late in the game to seal the win. Smith made a couple of tackles in the backfield and was flying around the field throughout the day.

Running game- Everybody knows about the passing game that involves Michael Floyd, T.J. Jones, and Theo Riddick. Running backs Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray go their time in the spotlight on Saturday. Wood ran for 61 yards and two touchdowns and Gray ran for 65 yards and no touchdowns.  Wood also had six receptions. With these two playing solid it will be nearly impossible to stop the Fighting Irish offense. It’s a good time to be Blue and Gold.

3(2 this week) Thing I didn’t like

Turnovers- This was again a slight problem for Notre Dame. They committed three turnovers in the game, which now makes 13 in just three games. I’m hoping they break the all-time interceptions in a season record of 61. There are 9 games left, so all they need is six a game to break the record! Rees had one interception that was clearly his fault. Then later in the game he got sacked from behind and fumbled. There’s not much you can do to prevent a play like that from happening. Fortunately the Irish defense forced two turnovers against the Spartans offense.

Michigan State Trickery- Do the Spartans think they’re playing idiots? In the second quarter of the game, the Spartans had 4^th & goal on Notre Dame’s 10 yd line. They lined up for what appeared to be a field goal. When the ball was snapped the place holder picked the ball up and went to pass but was immediately tackled by Irish defenders. The Spartans tried to pull off the same play that beat the Irish last season in overtime. It didn’t work this time Sparty.

            
           With this first win Notre Dame is now 1-2. The schedule for about the next month doesn’t get much easier for the Fighting Irish. The next two games are on the road against Pittsburgh (2-1) and Purdue (2-1). The three after that are at home against Air Force (1-1), #23 USC (3-0), and Navy (2-1). USC has a lot of talent but they definitely aren’t the team they were a few years ago. Navy looked great against South Carolina and has beaten the Irish the past two seasons. If the Irish can win those games they’ll be at 6-2 and be in good position to make a final run for a BCS Bowl.

Notre Dame at Michigan Review

           Notre Dame lost in the final seconds to Michigan last Saturday night, 35-31. The first night game at Michigan Stadium was a thriller as it went back and forth in the 4^th quarter. The first three quarters were dominated by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as they led 24-7 going into the final quarter. Then Michigan Wolverine quarterback, Denard Robinson, caught on fire (figuratively of course) and decimated the Irish secondary. Robinson finished the night with 338 passing yards and four touchdowns; two of those touchdowns came in the final 1:30 of the game

What I liked about the game

Defensive front- The front seven, meaning the linebackers and defensive line, of Notre Dame played with a lot of strength and skill throughout the game. They held Denard Robinson to a lot of short yard runs and got a couple of sacks. In the first half of the game Michigan had nothing going on offense. I’m not sure what happened after halftime but the defensive front lost their edge over Michigan’s offensive line, but still made some good plays.

Receivers- This unit made a complete turnaround of what they did last week. The Notre Dame receivers all made great plays and were the key to the Irish offense. Michael Floyd had another spectacular game with more than 100 receiving yards. Theo Riddick had six catches and two touchdowns and took a lot of pressure off Floyd. T.J. Jones and tight end Tyler Eifert also had catches that showed just how much talent there is on the offense.

Balance on offense- This was one of my keys to winning the game. At halftime Notre Dame had run 41 plays, 22 of those were passes, 18 were runs. That’s a little pass heavy but that’s where the strength is at on offense. In the 2^nd half Notre Dame called 16 runs and 14 passes (before the final Irish drive that was all passes and led to a touchdown).  There was balance on offense, but there didn’t need to be. The Irish needed to continue passing throughout the third and fourth quarters. Sure they had the lead, but it’s not like they were up by 21 or more points. Until you have a huge lead like that there is no reason to play conservatively, which is what it felt like the Irish were doing.

            Again, a round of applause goes to Irish running back, Cierre Wood, who had another fantastic game. There were just too many fumbles and lack of consistent runs in the fourth quarter to make me like all of the Irish running game.

What I didn’t like about the game

Defensive secondary- This would be the cornerbacks and safeties, although there wasn’t anything safe last night. These guys were decimated the entire night. On the Wolverines last two drives in the closing minutes of the game, Robinson led their offense down the field twice, passing to whomever he wanted whenever he wanted. Everybody knew that the Wolverines were gonna pass; there wasn’t enough time to call any run plays. There were also numerous long passes in the first half that could have resulted in Michigan touchdowns had the ball not been overthrown or dropped by receivers. Something has to change, whether it’s with the defensive coordinator or defensive backs coach. 

            On the plus side, this unit did get three interceptions.

Turnovers- Five, there were five turnovers last night. That’s TEN turnovers in two games. Seriously, how hard is it to keep control of the ball? Notre Dame is losing these games on their own. Could you imagine if they dropped that number down to three turnovers a game? They would have won both of their games. There were two interceptions by Rees, a fumble by Rees, a fumble by Cierre Wood, and another one that I don’t recall.

Play calling in the second half- As I mentioned, Notre Dame actually passed the ball more than they ran the ball in the second half, which is a good thing. The runs though came on crucial third downs when a pass would have been a better call. On every third and short the Irish ran the ball and got stuffed. It was so obvious that they were gonna run that the Wolverines blitzed just about everyone on their defense. Irish quarterback Tommy Rees has to see this and call an audible, or as he did earlier in the game, fake the audible call and still run it.

            In the second half they also used a two tight-end set. I am completely confused and shocked on why anybody thought that would be a good idea. Bring in one tight-end and make the other defense think you’re gonna pass. Two tight-ends on the field is the biggest indication that you’re going to run than anything else.

            

            My patience with Notre Dame Football is growing shorter and shorter with every disappointing loss and disappointing season. I am sick of going through “rebuilding years” and “motivational losses”.  I want to experience the same joy and happiness that other fans enjoy when their teams win big games. Notre Dame has not beaten a Top #25 team in years and that’s a shame. How long can you continue to say “This is Notre Dame. We can’t lose forever; we have a rich tradition; etc.” This is the 21^st Century, and Notre Dame Football is losing relevance every year.

           The Fighting Irish take on the Michigan State Spartans next Saturday.

Notre Dame at Michigan Preview

            
            The rivalry between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and University of Michigan Wolverines dates back all the way to 1887. In autumn of that year the Wolverines football team visited South Bend to teach the newly formed Notre Dame football team the basics of the game. Little did anybody know that that would result in one of college football’s best rivalries with two of college football most storied programs.

            
            Michigan has won the past five games against Notre Dame, but in the past two they have only won by a combined eight points. Last year Notre Dame could have easily won (I seem to say that a lot with the Irish), but nobody on the Irish defense could even slow down Michigan quarterback, Denard Robinson, as he racked up 500 total yards just by himself.

            
            This year the game is being blitzed by the media for several reasons. First off, it’s Notre Dame and Michigan. No matter how bad the two teams are they are two teams that are the foundation of college football. This year’s game will also be the first night game at Michigan Stadium. The two teams will also wear “retro” uniforms.

Michgan's uniform features stripes on the shoulders. Notre Dame has green numbers and striped socks.

Keys to an Irish Victory

No Turnovers- Last week’s 5-tunrover cannot be duplicated if the Fighting Irish expect to leave Ann Arbor with a victory. There can’t be any bonehead moves by players. Everybody needs to be focused on moving the ball down the field and getting into the end zone. That means you Jonas Gray, Theo Riddick, and T.J. Jones.

Stop Denard Robinson- Hopefully some of the returning Irish defense remembers Robinson’s thrashing of them last year. Robinson is the key to Michigan’s offense. If he is stopped, they will not score. The Irish defense held the USF offense to just one touchdown last game and their quarterback likes to run all over field similar to Robinson.

Balance on offense- It seems like when Tommy Rees, who was named the starting quarterback over Dayne Crist thankfully, is in the game the Irish throw the ball a lot. This isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but it can lead to interceptions and sacks. Notre Dame running back, Cierre Wood, needs to continue the good job he had last week and rip off some good runs to keep the Wolverines secondary honest. Michigan’s defense is supposed to be improved from last year, but they gave up 183 passing yards and 70 rushing yards in three quarters to Western Michigan.

            Michigan is not that great of a team, although the same could be said for Notre Dame. If Notre Dame can play solid and not do anything stupid this game should be theirs to lose. The key to a Michigan victory may not even be on the field. You just know that the 109,000 fans at Michigan Stadium will be rocking tomorrow night. There is a lot of lead up to this game and they will be dying to see their Michigan Wolverines win.

            My predicted score: 31-21, Notre Dame.

Tune into "College Gameday" on ESPN Saturday morning at 10 a.m. The show is broadcasting from right outside Michigan Stadium.


GO IRISH!

The newly renovated Michigan Stadium. Suites and press boxes have been added (the giant brick structures along the side). This is thought to keep more of the crowd noise inside the stadium. We'll find out tomorrow night if that's true.