Being a Notre Dame fan in the 21st Century has been incredibly difficult. I have seen four different coaches, two bowl game victories out of seven, three losing seasons, and a decade of domination by USC over the Irish.
I wish I could say “this is the year Notre Dame returns to glory!” but I’ve said that twice in the past and it’s starting to get old. Notre Dame fans like myself have long been tantalized with this hope that each upcoming season will be the one that reasserts the Fighting Irish on top of the college football world. Every season begins like this one has, with dozens of articles predicting how the Irish will win 10 games and be in contention for a BCS Bowl. There are posts by bloggers like me with outlandish predictions about how we’ll blow out every opponent and every other player is a possible Heisman candidate. Notre Dame will get there at some point under head coach Brian Kelly, but we’re not there yet.
The #18 Fighting Irish opened their camp with a problem that could be considered envious or disastrous. Who should be the starting quarterback? If you remember, this question has been lingering since spring practices in April. There are four quarterbacks at Notre Dame, with two in serious contention for the starting spot; Tommy Rees and Dayne Crist. Crist went 4-4 as the starter last year. Crist then got injured and Rees filled his spot and led the team to finish 8-5. Rees is my choice for a starter. He showed improvement in every game and had the dynamics to lead the team to victory.
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| Tommy Rees(#11) and Dayne Crist(#10) talk to Brian Kelly |
Notre Dame also brings back almost the entire defense. If I’m not mistaken, the only starter that will not be here for this season is linebacker Brian Smith. That means ten returning starters, including monstrous linebacker Manti Te’o. The starting defensive backs, safeties Dan McCarthy and Harrison Smith, and cornerbacks Robert Blanton and Gary Gray, are all hoping to be even better than last season. Notre Dame ranked 20th in interceptions in 2010 and had a fairly good pass defense, so it wouldn’t shock to me to see the Irish have a top 10 pass defense in 2011. Although, an important factor to having a good pass defense is having a good rush defense. Notre Dame should be great in that department too. As I said, Manti Te’o is back, and so are defensive linemen Kapron Lewis-Moore and Ethan Johnson.
On the offensive side, returning wide receivers Michael Floyd, T.J. Jones, and Theo Riddick should provide excellent targets for whoever the quarterback is. The biggest question mark other than the quarterback position is how the running back position will play out. Last year’s starter Armando Allen is gone, and Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray have to fill his shoes. Notre Dame hasn’t had a dominant running back in a long time, mainly because the offense has focused on the passing game so much. Neither Wood nor Gray have to be game changers, they just need to be solid backs that don’t fumble and can break the occasional tackle.
Schedule for 2011
Sept. 3- vs. South Florida Bulls
Sept. 10- at Michigan Wolverines
Sept. 17- vs. Michigan State Spartans
Sept. 24- at Pittsburgh Panthers
Oct. 1- at Purdue Boilermakers
Oct. 8- vs. Air Force Falcons
Oct. 22- vs. U. of Southern California Trojans
Oct. 29- vs. Navy Midshipmen
Nov. 5- at Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Nov. 12- vs. Maryland Terrapins
Nov. 19- vs. Boston College Eagles
Nov. 26- at Stanford Cardinal
There are several games to be excited about for Irish fans. The head coach of the USF Bulls is Skip Holtz, son of former N.D. coach, Lou Holtz. The Michigan game will be the first night game EVER at the more than 100-years old Michigan Stadium. That game will also see the teams wearing “retro” uniforms; I am not a fan of this. The big one for me is the USC match- up as I LOATHE the Trojans. It will also be the first night game in South Bend in more than 20 years. I’m going to the Navy game! The last game against Stanford could be an incredible match up if both teams match their preseason expectations.
Looking at the schedule and referring to what I know about the current roster of players, I see Notre Dame going….…. 10-2. The easy wins are USF, Pitt., Purdue, Air Force, Navy, Wake Forest, Maryland, and Boston College. The Michigan and U.S.C. games are toss-ups for me. I don’t think the Irish will be able to beat Stanford, esp. after than man-handling the Cardinal did to the Irish last season. Anything less than 8-4 should be, and will be considered a disappointment.
Look for a preview and review for each game this season. GO IRISH!
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| This is not me, I swear! |
