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 vs. USF Analysis

Tommy Rees (blue jersey) after USF defeated Notre Dame 23-20

           
            The Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost their first game of the season to the University of South Florida Bulls last Saturday night. The final score was 23-20 but it was never really that close of a game. The Bulls played hard all day (literally all day, it took six hours to play the game because of weather delays) but Notre Dame basically gave the game away. The Irish had five turnovers, three of which came in the redzone.

Three things I liked about the game:

1. Tommy Rees: You heard it here first folks. Ever since the end of the 2011 season I have been praising and preaching that Rees is the best quarterback on Notre Dame’s roster. After starter Dayne Crist put no points on the scoreboard, Rees was put into the game at halftime. On his first drive he marched the Irish all the way down to the goal line until he threw the ball and it bounced off wide receiver T.J. Jones’s helmet. Eventually Rees would allow the Irish offense to score 20 points. Rees HAS to be the starter the rest of the year. It’s a crying shame that it took a loss to prove I was right about Tommy.

2. Notre Dame’s defense: The Irish defense held USF’s offense to just one touchdown and three field goals and only gave up about 250 total yards the whole game. That is damn impressive considering how many times USF had the ball in good field position. Everybody on the defense should be applauded for the way they played. They played with heart and tenacity when the offense showed none.

3. Michael Floyd: Thank god for Floyd. It seemed like Floyd was the ONLY Irish receiver that realized there was a game on Saturday. Floyd finished the game with 12 receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He has a serious chance for the Heisman trophy in my opinion esp. if he can average a touchdown a game.

I’d also like to mention running back Cierre Wood and the Irish offensive line. Wood and the o-line played with a lot heart and skill. Wood finished the game with 21 carries and 104 yards. That would not have been possible though without his o-line opening up holes in the defensive line.

Three things I didn’t like:

I don’t know where to start, there are just so many different things to choose from.

1. Dayne Crist and other wide receivers not named Floyd: Crist played like his usual self so I guess I’m not too disappointed with him. I am disappointed that head coach Brian Kelly did not realize this. Receivers T.J. Jones and Theo Riddick ought to both be placed on probation or something for their absolutely inexcusable performances. Jones’s ineptness right outside the end zone and Riddick’s dropped punt return destroyed all momentum Notre Dame ever had. Both players also dropped several catchable passes. You are scholarship athletes at the University of Notre Dame. Play like it. Or how about “playing like a champion today”?

2. Defensive penalties: At first I was going to write about how awful the Big East officiating crew was during the game. Then I saw that USF actually had more penalties called on them. Irish safety, Harrison Smith, was called for two back to back facemask calls. That was two penalties on subsequent plays that gave the USF Bulls free 30 yards. Smith ought to be riding the bench next week. There was also a late hit call on one of the Irish defensive lineman that gave the Bulls another 15 yards. Again, you are a scholarship athlete. You are being soundly beaten. Why take your anger out on the other team? How about you go hit yourself.

3. Turnovers: This destroyed Notre Dame’s chances. You can not commit five turnovers and expect to win the game. There was a fumble by Jonas Gray that USF recovered and took back for a touchdown. The punt return fumble by Riddick led to the Bulls getting a field goal. There were two interceptions by Rees (I can only account for one and that was when it bounced off of Jones’s helmet.) but neither resulted in the Bulls getting any points. Then of course Crist threw an interception in the end zone. As I also stated, three of those five turnovers occurred in the red zone. You got to believe that even if ND hadn’t of scored a touchdown, they would have at least gotten three field goals and have nine points.

            In my preview posted on Saturday I said the three keys to the game for the Irish would be to: Stop B.J. Daniels, get the offense rolling, and start strong. Notre Dame did stop USF’s quarterback B.J. Daniels. However, the Irish did not get any kind of offense going consistently until the second half. They also had the complete opposite of a strong start. That is basically why they did not win.

Skip Holtz with one of his players after the game. Holtz's father, Lou, coached a national championship team at Notre Dame. Skip also attended Notre Dame and was a member of the football team.

            Notre Dame’s (0-1) next game is next Saturday against the Michigan Wolverines (1-0) who won their game, beating mighty Western Michigan. Be sure to watch ESPN’s “College Gameday” Saturday morning as they will be broadcasting from Michigan Stadium.

2011 Notre Dame Football Preview

            
            Being a Notre Dame fan in the 21^st 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.

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 20^th  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!

This is not me, I swear!