I was at the game this weekend and didn't remember to DVR it. Without being able to see it on TV (and with the powers of rewind) I wasn't able to critically evaluate it. As such, I don't have a ton to say here. I was, however, able to see some things at the stadium that I couldn't have on TV.
First things first, hats off to Weis. Once again he proved he is a Notre Dame man by allowing a young cancer patient to attend practice and the pep rally, have a sideline pass, and be intimately involved with the team's routine during the game weekend. I will continue to point these types of things out because I believe them to be imperative to whomever our football coach is. I've said it before, Notre Dame football occupies a special place in many peoples' hearts allowing it to be a stage on which we can broadcast the University's message of charity and integrity. What could be more important?
Offense
Jimmy looked much better in this game. Sure, the Duke defense isn't very good, but many of the things I saw had nothing to do with the defense. He moved in the pocket much better, he tucked the ball and ran when he knew he could get the first down, he had much more zip on his throws, and he was very much the leader in the huddle. What you couldn't see on TV was him slapping butts, hitting helmets, and giving fives to the players around him making good plays. The first pass to Grimes was an NFL throw, on a rope, threaded between two defenders, and where only his man could catch it. If it weren't for Hail Mary types of passes, dropped balls, and throwing the ball away to avoid sacks his statistics would be much better.
Think about it, this kid is a true freshman who had to play while recovering from an arm injury, then while banged up due to poor offensive line play, then had to sit the bench. He had never lost a competitive football game before arriving on campus, now suffering through nine of them. He has shown leadership, toughness, and a selflessness many said he never had. His deep balls, which seem to float a bit too much, are about the only area I haven't seen improvement. The last two weeks he has looked much stronger when throwing such that I have fewer concerns about his arm strength and certainly now believe it is something that can be corrected with an off-season of strength and conditioning.
In addition to Clausen showing more leadership Sam Young also displayed improved leadership traits. He was more energetic, enthusiastic, and vocal. He was congratulating any of his cohorts when they did something good. I can only hope he was chastising them an equal amount of the time but I didn't really pay that much attention when things went badly for the offensive line. I will say that I saw Young lying on top of his man about 5-7 yards down the field for much of this game.
What seemed to be a strength early in the year has now turned into a weakness. Our receivers dropped several balls they should have caught. I understand the conditions were poor for throwing the football but if the ball hits you in the hands you should catch it, period. On top of that, our receivers can't block, both for each other and for our running backs. We have had very few long runs and this is nearly always due to poor wide receiver blocking down field. On top of that, the receivers can't block for each other on that stupid arrow route that Weis has to call twice a game. It worked his first year because Stovall was great at blocking for Samardzija. It didn't work as well last year because McKnight wasn't as physical as Stovall. And it doesn't work at all this year because the receivers we have are too small and/or weak. I thought the catch by Kamara for a touchdown was a great example of how to use your body as a receiver. I would, however, like to see him come down with a few more of those deep balls down the sideline when he has an obvious size advantage over the defender.
One more thing that stood out to me on offense was the disparity in success of our running backs. While Hughes ran wild, Allen and Aldridge were held in check for much of the game. Over the course of the season I have been watching these three backs and something stood out to me this game that hasn't before. It seems that, right now, Hughes is the best back we have. I don't say that because I am jumping on the bandwagon after one good performance against an inferiorly talented defense. I say that because I think his combination of size, balance, vision, and agility make it easier for the offensive line to do their job.
The past two seasons Darius Walker made the offensive line look good on many occasions with his ability to cut and stop/start. While Hughes might not be as nifty as Walker, he is agile and possesses incredible balance. Additionally, while Allen hits the hole too quickly and Aldridge too slow, Hughes has the patience to wait, but speed to arrive at the hole while it is open. Allen, many times, runs past his blockers before they can get to the second level and tie up the linebackers. Aldridge gets to the hole too late, forcing the offensive line to engage their man for an extended period of time. Hughes, however, is quicker off the ball than Aldridge, allowing him to get the hole faster. His patience and vision allows him to see things happening and explode through the opening. Hughes also possesses the right amount of shiftiness to run through defenders rather than over them. While Aldridge will punish a defender by running over him, Hughes has the agility to maneuver himself into a favorable position and run through the defender. With any of these backs you can't lose and I'm just happy to be having a conversation where I argue the merits of one versus the other. It's been a while since I could do that.
Defense
Not a lot to say here. When you shut someone out (I don't count the last touchdown) you are playing well. I don't care what offense you are facing. Duke has put up some points on pretty good defenses. We played well on Saturday.
Once again Laws was unblockable. It didn't show up on the stat sheet all that much but Duke went away from him pretty much all the time. I wish, for his sake, we had some more wins. He would be an All-American if it weren't for our record.
Darrin Walls is quickly becoming a leader in the secondary. I still believe he has to be more physical on the edge but he is vocal with the other players and doesn't hesitate to get up in their face.
Weis
I think it lacked class to put Zibi in at quarterback. That's a high school move in my book. Have fun in practice goofing around. In the game it shows disrespect to your opponent. I also think the personal foul and other penalties are evidence that there exists a lack of team discipline. This is Weis' responsibility and it needs to be fixed.
Weis said he plans to do an evaluation at the end of the season to identify the problems the team has had, ultimately sharing the blame and developing solutions. He plans to employ the Patriots organization to help critically evaluate the entire season from a coaching perspective. I think this will be both good and bad. First, I think it is good because Weis respects the Patriots' coaching staff. This ultimately means he will listen to them. I also think they will be blunt and tell him the truth. Second, this shows Weis' ability to adapt, and to place his pride on the shelf in an effort to right the ship. The negatives I see are also two fold. I think it is problematic to seek the type of advice he is getting outside of his organization if he is also not seeking it from inside his organization. I'm not sure this is the case, but it is a slap in the fact to your coaching staff if you aren't seeking advice from them as well. Lastly, trying to look to a professional organization to analyze problems at the college level may also have its drawbacks. As I have discussed, it seems that many of the problems our team had this year were directly related to differences in the game from college to the NFL. It is unlikely NFL guru's will be able to provide the answers if that is the case.
The one thing I hope comes out of Weis' meeting with the Patriots organization is improved offensive line play. We really haven't seen good offensive line play since Weis arrived. While I know we were thin in depth last year and young this year, I would expect someone coming from the Patriots (who have excellent offensive line play) to know the value of a good offensive line. There are theories about Latina's coaching forte not matching Weis' scheme. This may be true but something has to give. We have the talent at this position, now we need to develop it and move forward.
Going Forward
At any rate, it was good to get another win under our belt. Closing out with one more victory at Stanford would go a long way in helping to end this season on a positive note.
