Spring Forward: Notre Dame’s Blue Gold Game Recap

Coming off an abysmal 3-9 season, many Fighting Irish faithful flocked to South Bend last weekend seeking evidence of an improved Irish football team on display at the annual Blue Gold Spring game. While the Fighting Irish did show promise, it is difficult to accurately predict how the team will perform when they take the field in 2008. Many times open Spring scrimmages may show excellent results in one area, leaving doubt in an opposing area.

This year was no different. The Irish looked good running the ball, averaging nearly four yards per carry when sacks were subtracted. However, it was difficult to determine whether or not this was due to improved offensive line play or a lack of talent and poor play along the defensive line. Similarly, the wide receivers gained little separation against their defense secondary counterparts. Again, it was difficult to ascertain whether this was due to poor speed and quickness at the position or excellent coverage skills on display in the secondary.

Typically the expectations lie somewhere in the middle. The offensive line play has likely improved for the Irish, but the defensive line also showed signs that they may struggle in 2008. Likewise, the wide receivers aren’t incapable of getting open, the secondary simply looks be a strength of the Fighting Irish defense next season.

With that disclaimer in hand, a breakdown of what was seen at the Blue Gold Saturday follows.

Offense

Quarterback

To say that the physicality of Jimmy Clausen’s play has improved since last season would be an understatement. He had much more zip on his ball, throwing several deep balls with excellent strength and improved accuracy. Additionally, he threw the ball on intermediate routes with much more authority and moved much more quickly when evading the pass rush.

Clausen’s numbers were nothing spectacular; 10 of 27 for 183 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. They were, however, a little skewed. Several very catchable passes were dropped by his receivers, and at least two or three other balls were thrown away to avoid taking a loss. In short, his accuracy, strength, and mobility showed demonstrative improvement.

Perhaps the best thing Clausen showed in the Blue Gold game was his ability to throw a very catchable ball. It isn’t that he is accurate, he certainly is. It is that his release point is excellent, he throws a very tight spiral, and the ball arrives in excellent position. Essentially, Clausen makes it easier for his receivers to catch the ball. Even more important, the timing of his passes is exceptional. The ball arrives when the receivers come out of their cuts, making it very difficult for defenders to anticipate and intercept his passes.

While Clausen did show signs of improvement during the Blue Gold scrimmage, some of the same question marks from his 2007 play remain. He still seems to have a “move laterally first” mentality when evading pressure from the defense. Many of the best quarterbacks have mastered the ability to move forward in the pocket. This gives advantages to the offensive lineman, making it easier to handle speed pass rushers on the outside. Clausen’s speed isn’t one of his strengths and he would be best served developing this skill.

Even though Clausen showed improved decision making skills, this area of his game is not yet developed enough for him to perform at a high level. He understands defenses and showed an improved understanding of the offense, but he doesn’t look off his receivers. Rather, he drops back, knowing where to go with the ball, and stares that particular receiver down until he makes the throw. Obviously this gives defenders a distinct advantage.

Lastly, Clausen seems to have too much confidence in his abilities. At least twice on Saturday he threw passes to tightly covered receivers. The first was a deep seam route to Mike Ragone. Ragone was nearly perfectly covered by Brian Smith on the play. Even though he was able to make a tremendous catch for a large gain, the pass should not have been thrown. The second pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Harrison Smith who was draped all over Ragone on a soft flat route.

If nothing else, Saturday proved that the recruiting hype surrounding Clausen was well founded. He has excellent mechanics and it is now appearing that his lack of strength in 2007 was due to injury. There are areas in which he can improve his game but the Irish have a talent capable of playing at a very high level.

Running Backs

When utilized, running back play was a strength for the Fighting Irish offense in 2007 (as discussed here). The running back position picked up at the Blue Gold Spring game right where it left off in 2007, very strong. The Big Three of Robert Hughes, Armando Allen, and James Aldridge averaged 4.4 yards per carry in the Blue Gold game. With three very solid and dependable backs, this is a position of depth for Offensive Coordinator and Running Backs Coach Mike Haywood.

Hughes looks to be taking over the starting spot as he performed very well in the Spring scrimmage, rushing for 100 yards on 22 carries. Hughes has good speed, exceptional balance, excellent agility, and makes very quick, full-speed cuts for a running back weighing 235 lbs. He has the ability to move piles of defenders, and rarely doesn’t gain an extra yard or two after contact. Hughes’ combination of size, strength, and power, along with the cutting ability and excellent agility make him a rare talent at tailback.

Hughes is, however, limited in what he can do. Rarely is he used in pass protection (presumably because it is a deficient part of his game) and he is not the break-away threat you’d like to see from a running back. As such, he doesn’t have big play potential, but he can still carry a team down the field by chewing up nice chunks of tough yardage on the ground.

Allen also had a nice performance in the Blue Gold game, rushing for 50 yards on 11 carries. Some are skeptical about Allen’s top-end speed. After watching him run Saturday there is no need to be. He has exceptional quickness, speed, and agility as well as surprising toughness for a back of his stature. Allen is a bona fide home-run threat.

Allen’s play is restricted by two factors. The first is vision and patience. While Allen does possess premier speed, he doesn’t seem to understand when to use it. Many times he rushes too quickly to the hole, when a little more patience would be prudent. Other times he hesitates to get to the outside, when using his speed would create larger gains. Hopefully time and experience will correct these two areas. While he did run with more patience Saturday, there is still room for improvement.

The second factor limiting Allen’s playing time is his ability to effectively contribute in pass protection packages. His positioning, feet wide, knees bent, and shoulders square to the pass rusher, has improved relative to 2007. His strength and ability to slow the defender hasn’t. Several times during the Spring scrimmage he merely tweaked the onrushing defender’s trajectory to the quarterback rather then stop or significantly alter it.

Aldridge wasn’t showcased much during the Blue Gold game. Barring an unknown injury this is surprising. Aldridge has consistently exhibited the best pass protection skills of the three. Additionally, he is a tough runner that rarely gets moved backward. While he still hasn’t shown the speed he had in high school prior to a serious leg injury, it would be foolish for the coaching staff to give up on his ability to contribute at this point in his career.

Aldridge is a nice blend of Hughes and Allen. He is faster (albeit not as quick) as Hughes, but slower than Allen. He runs tougher and harder than Allen but is not as powerful as Hughes. He blocks better than both. In terms of pure versatility and as an every-down back Aldridge seems to have more capability than either Hughes or Allen.

Tight End/Receivers

One of the more disappointing performances during the Blue Gold game had to be the tight end and wide receiver position. Blocking by both positions in the run game was below average, many times lacking physicality. There was also a distinct inability to gain separation from defenders and multiple dropped balls.

At times during the 2007 season certain players at the receiver position showed promise for the Fighting Irish. David Grimes, Golden Tate, Robbie Parris, and Duval Kamara all showed flashes of good to very good play. However, on the whole, the group was largely inconsistent; a dropped pass can kill a drive and inadequate blocking from the wide receiver position on running plays prevents long gains.

Looking forward to the 2008 season the receiver position looks deep on paper, especially with the freshmen talent arriving on campus in the Fall. They still, however, have a lot of room for improvement in terms of consistent play. If the Spring scrimmage was any indication, the strides made in this area have been small.

Grimes looked very quick coming in and out of cuts. Kamara went after deep, high balls with a more aggressive attitude. Tate showed off his excellent speed catching a 57 yard pass from Clausen. But all these bright spots were overshadowed by the aforementioned concerns: lack of separation in route running, inconsistent play, dropped balls, and poor blocking.

Mike Ragone also fit this bill. While he made a tremendously athletic catch and showed excellent speed for a player his size, he failed to control the line of scrimmage at the point of attack on running plays. He lacks ideal size to be an effective run blocker and will need to improve his strength and effort to compensate.

This position has to be a concern for the Irish heading into 2008. The talent on the current roster is more than adequate and will receive an upgrade with the Freshmen in the Fall. It will be up to the coaching staff to develop it into a good on-the-field product. Maurice Stovall, Jeff Samardzija, and (to some extent) Rhema McKnight all improved dramatically under the current coaching staff and had very productive years. The question remains, however, if this was a function of the offensive system and Brady Quinn, or good coaching and player development.

Offensive Line

The most maligned and oft blamed unit of the 2007 Fighting Irish 3-9 campaign showed some signs of life in the Blue Gold game. The largest difference in play was a more aggressive attitude and more physical play. May times in 2007 the offensive line hesitated rather than attacked. This was not on display during the Spring scrimmage.

In general, the blocking in the run game was vastly improved. The offensive line was physical at the point of attack and frequently got to the linebackers at the second level. All of the players seemed to play with more confidence, pride, and determination. After the performance of this unit in 2007, there should be a huge chip residing directly atop their shoulders.

In particular, Chris Stewart and Sam Young played very well together on the right side. Both weigh North of 330 lbs but show surprising quickness and agility, both in run blocking and pass protection. Dan Wenger also showed good quickness and ability to get to the second level at the center position.

The line wasn’t, however, without miscues. The left side of the line was still beaten badly at times by pass rushers coming off the outside. This has to be a major concern heading into 2008 as protecting Clausen is of paramount importance. There were also some blown assignments in pass protection, reminiscent of last season.

In summary, the offensive line looked improved, but remain a weak unit heading into 2008. If the progress in the Fall is similar to that of the Spring the unit may become respectable, particularly given the schedule the Irish face in the upcoming season. But this still looks to be the unit holding the offense back come September.

Defense

Defensive Line

It was difficult to tell if the offensive rushing prowess was a result of better offensive line play or poor defensive line play. Going into 2008, defensive line is one of the biggest question marks for Notre Dame. This unit lacks depth and most of the talent won’t be on campus and able to contribute until the Fall. The Blue Gold game did little to dispel the notion that other teams will have little trouble running against the Irish in the upcoming season.

Coming off an All-American Freshman season Ian Williams played well for the Irish in the Spring scrimmage. He seems to have improved his ability to shed blocks and his quickness off the snap is as good or better than it was in 2007. His most glaring need is improved ability to rush the passer, but in a 3-4 defense the nose tackle isn’t primarily responsible for generating a pass rush. Other than Williams, the Irish lack any proven contributor at the nose tackle position. More bodies will arrive in the Fall, but the lack of depth at this position has to be a serious concern for the Irish faithful.

On the edge the Irish lacked any sort of dominating presence. Justin Brown and Maurice Richardson lack ideal size to play defensive end in a 3-4 defense. Sean Cwynar and Emeka Nwankwo have better size but Cwynar is young and needs to gain strength to be able consistently contribute while Nwankwo has little game experience. Again, more bodies will arrive in the Fall but expecting immediate contribution from Freshmen is a tall order.

The defensive line position may prove to be the crux of the Irish defense next season. Most of the players at this position can generate a decent pass rush but even with a platoon-type player approach it will take a significant improvement to consistently stop the run against teams who try and pound the ball inside. Fortunately for the Irish they do not face that many teams next year with power running games.

Linebacker

Notre Dame seems set for a few years at the outside linebacker position. Kerry Neal is a beast to handle on the outside when rushing the passer. Brian Smith has freakish athleticism for his size, excelling at both pass rushing and playing sideline-to-sideline against the run. While both continue to struggle in pass coverage, adding free safety Harrison Smith to the mix in passing situations will seriously improve the coverage abilities of this position.

While the outside linebackers looked good, the inside linebackers seemed to struggle at times. Toryan Smith played consistently better in the Blue Gold game than at any time in 2007. He brings a hitting mentality to the position, something James Aldridge felt a couple of times when Smith blitzed. He still struggled when asked to drop back into pass coverage, but if he plays to the strong side of the formation, supporting the run, Corwin Brown and Jon Tenuta can scheme themselves out of this weakness.

Maurice Crum played better as well. He took better pursuit angles and seemed quicker getting to the edge. Crum still struggled filling gaps inside against the run, but (as stated above) Brown and Tenuta can use Smith for this purpose and free Crum to run. Much of Crum’s success in 2008 will be determined by the play of the defensive line. If he is left free to run he can be an excellent inside linebacker in the 3-4 scheme. However, if he has to take on/shed blockers, fill gaps, and support against the inside run the Irish will have their hands full.

Much of the success in stopping the run will be the responsibility of the Irish linebacking corps. While not on display Saturday, Tenuta may be able to blitz his way out of some of the talent and depth deficiencies of the front seven. But ultimately, with a secondary that looks to be a strength, stopping the run will become a huge priority.

Secondary

If the Blue Gold game is any indication the Irish have four solid corners heading into 2008. Terrail Lambert, Darrin Walls, Raeshon McNeil, and Gary Gray all proved they have excellent quickness, speed, and athletic ability. Walls and McNeil, in particular, anticipated and broke on the ball extremely well.

In 2007 it seemed that the knock on Notre Dame’s corners was a lack of physical play, especially when supporting the run. From what they showed Saturday, this shouldn’t be a problem in 2008. Walls, Lambert, McNeil, and Gray all showed improved physicality jamming receivers at the line, going after the ball when it was in the air, and supporting the run. Walls, McNeil, and Gray are developing into the type of players that can lock-down opposing receivers. This completely opens the defensive playbook, something Tenuta must love.

At the free safety position David Bruton also looked good. He is as sure of a tackler as there is, has exceptional range, and has excellent leaping ability to go after the ball when it is in the air. His knowledge of the game is improving, rarely letting a receiver get behind him. Bruton is looking to be every bit of a first round draft pick provided he performs up to expectations in 2008.

Kyle McCarthy also played well at the strong safety spot. Another sure tackler, McCarthy may not have the killer instinct of departed safety Tom Zbikowski, but he does read and react better. Irish fans accustom to Zibi biting on play fakes will be pleasantly surprised by how much better McCarthy reads a developing offensive play. McCarthy is also a very physical player and seems to always be in the right position.

Behind Bruton and McCarthy is a group of capable backups. Ray Herring played well against the run in limited action, Sergio Brown has superb athletic ability albeit a lacking understanding of the defense, and Harrison Smith is playing so well the defensive coaching staff believe they must find a way to get him on the field. Smith covers ground extremely well, is a very sure tackler, and has the athleticism that has been lacking in the Irish secondary prior to the recruiting efforts of Bill Lewis. In many ways he could become the hybrid safety/linebacker/rover Nebraska employed during the Osborne era.

Special Teams

Eric Maust had an inconsistent day punting the ball for the Irish on Saturday. His first few punts were long and high, having excellent hang time. His last few were shanks that could put the defense into a difficult position like they often were in 2007.

Brandon Walker had a much liver leg when kicking field goals on Saturday. He was only one of two, missing a 46 yard attempt off the left upright, but he had plenty of distance on all of his kicks. Judging by what has been said about Walker during Spring practice, it appears that at least part of the woes in the Irish kicking game have been solved.

Summary

The Fighting Irish coaching staff looks to have focused on the appropriate areas heading into the 2008 football season. The offensive line play Saturday was improved. Although this unit isn't consistently performing at a very high level, it could become respectable after gaining more experience in the early part of the 2008 season. The play at receiver appears to be suspect, something that should be a concern for the Irish coaching staff. Poor play from either position in the form of a sack or a dropped pass will kill a drive.

On defense the front three must improve in order for Notre Dame to have success in 2008. While the defensive coaching staff may compensate for poor line play via scheme and blitzing, this leaves the linebackers in poor position to play the pass.

In summary, the Irish made progress in several areas but cautious optimism seems to be a more appropriate expectation than enthusiastic hope.

Fighting Irish 2008 Season Predictions

Similar to last year (click here), a 2008 Fighting Irish season prediction poll will be conducted on Notre Dame Football Forum. Admittedly, last season’s predictions were a bit optimistic as can be seen here. This season some background information will be provided to aid in the polling process, hopefully producing more reasonable (and accurate) results.

First, a review of the Notre Dame Spring Blue Gold scrimmage can be found here. The Irish made progress in several areas but cautious optimism seems to be a more appropriate expectation than enthusiastic hope. The Irish do, however, face a much more reasonable schedule in 2008. Next season Notre Dame will play San Diego State, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Stanford, North Carolina, Washington, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Navy, Syracuse, and USC. As discussed here, this slate of teams looks much less formidable than those who lined up across from the Blue and Gold in 2007.

Second, using the Notre Dame Football Forum Elite Playoff Series (ESP) college football ranking system (click here for an explanation of the ESP), a 2008 Fighting Irish strength of schedule prediction was generated. The ESP rated Notre Dame’s 2007 schedule the sixth most difficult in the country, similar to that of Sagarin. Using the 2007 season results of the future 2008 Fighting Irish opponents, Notre Dame should have a strength of schedule ranked approximately 60th most difficult in the country.

The teams with the ESP rated 55-65th most difficult schedule in 2007 were Purdue, Arizona State, Wake Forest, Texas, SMU, Rutgers, Eastern Carolina, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Miami (FL), and Clemson. These teams averaged approximately 7.4 wins in 2007, but SMU brought that average down winning only a single game and could be considered an outlying data point. If SMU is excluded, the remaining teams averaged eight wins in 2007.

Admittedly, assuming any team will replicate their 2007 season results in 2008 is a stretch. Boston College and Michigan alone lose several starters from their 2007 squads making their 2008 season performance predictions a very uncertain proposition. This should merely serve as a starting point by which to gauge the difference in the opponents the Fighting Irish faced in 2007 versus those they will line up against in 2008.

To participate in the Notre Dame Football Forum 2008 Fighting Irish season prediction poll please submit a comment below. List each team Notre Dame plays in 2008 along with a win or loss, i.e. don’t simply stating the number of wins and losses. The results will be tallied, analyzed, and posted in the future.