Notre Dame vs. Purdue: Keys To An Irish Win

Notre Dame gets the Purdue Boilermakers at home Saturday. After opening the season slow against San Diego State then coming strong on against Michigan, the Irish took a step back last week against Michigan State.

On paper, the Boilermakers shouldn’t be as stiff of a challenge.

Through three games against Northern Colorado, Oregon, and Central Michigan the Boilermakers are giving up 427 yards per game. That isn’t exactly a gauntlet of powerhouses.

In particular, Purdue is allowing 192.3 yards per game on the ground. That’s good for the bottom quarter of college football and is the definitive weakness of this football team. The defensive line is relatively big, but the linebackers are on the smaller side and both units are in the bottom half of what Notre Dame will face this season.

The pass defense, however, has been respectable. On the year, Purdue has given up only three touchdowns through the air and 234.7 yards passing per game. They have also held their opponents to only 9.8 yards per completion.

In other words, the defense hasn’t given up a lot of long pass plays.

The defense has also been fairly effective on third down, only allowing 33 percent of opponent’s tries to be successfully converted. Opposing offenses with scoring opportunities have done fairly well, scoring on 69 percent of red zone possessions. But the Boilermakers have only allowed 40 percent of the red zone trips to result in touchdowns.

On offense it is the Curtis Painter and Kory Sheets show as the duo leads a fairly balanced attack resulting in over 33 points per game. Painter is having a modest year by his own standards, averaging just over 250 yards per game passing. He has been efficient, though, completing just under 60 percent of his throws and averaging 6.6 yards per attempt.

Sheets is averaging over 20 carries and 117 yards per game, but the most impressive statistic is his 5.7 yard per carry average and long run of 80 yards.

If there is one thing Purdue's offense does well it has to be red zone efficiency. The Boilermakers enter Saturday’s contest converting 90 percent of their red zone tries into points. Two thirds of those points are touchdowns.

On any average day the Irish would beat the Boilermakers a high percentage of the time. But Notre Dame always gets their opponent’s best game, so average likely won’t cut it for the Irish. Notre Dame will need a better offensive performance to match Purdue’s scoring. Obviously that will take improved red zone efficiency and elimination of costly turnovers, but the keys to winning are far more subtle.

Coming off a disappointing loss to the Spartans, this game will likely determine the direction of the remainder of the season.

Offense

1. At every opportunity create and take advantage of mismatches. Notre Dame’s biggest advantage in this game is their talent. The offense must create one-on-one opportunities to make plays and trust that their talented skill position players will make them.

The offense can’t negate this talent advantage by giving away the play before the snap or lacking creativity in the running game. Purdue’s defense has struggled to defend the run against opponents that don’t use a conventional rushing attack, teams that run out of obvious passing formations. Spread the field and get Armando Allen the ball in space.

Get Golden Tate and David Grimes in the slot, matched up with linebackers and safeties. Spread the field and force Purdue to go five deep in the secondary. Get Michael Floyd with single coverage down the field. And set up the big play rather than taking blind stabs at it over the course of the game. The Boilermaker defense hasn't given up many big plays in the passing game, the Irish offense can't afford to force the issue and risk a turnover.

2. Run it red. The anemic running game for Notre Dame has been well documented. The Irish don’t need to run the ball for 150 yards to win this game. They do need to run the ball well inside the twenty yard line to improve their atrocious red zone efficiency. Leaving points on the field won’t cut it in this game and an ineffective rushing attack is largely responsible for a 36 percent red zone scoring efficiency.

3. Change the field position. Help the Irish defense by making Purdue work to get into the red zone, limiting their scoring opportunities. The Irish offense must minimize three-and-out’s and eliminate turnovers in their own territory. Manageable third down distances are also advantageous as Notre Dame’s 32 percent third down conversion rate is largely a result of facing third and more than five yards over three quarters of the time.

Defense

1. Less is more. To date the Irish blitzing game has recorded only one sack. The high risk, high reward scheme has worked fairly well through three games but the Boilermakers present a unique challenge. With Purdue Notre Dame will get a blend of two offenses they have already faced.

The Boilermakers passing game will be similar to San Diego State, their running game similar to Michigan. Attempting to pressure a veteran quarterback like Painter will not force the same errant throws Aztec quarterback Ryan Lindley made.

Likewise, blitzing can take players out of position and cause problems with Sheets on the ground. This happened with Sam McGuffie against Michigan, leading to multiple big runs. The Irish defense is best served keeping everything in front of them and forcing Purdue to consistently execute to move the ball down the field.

2. Keep Purdue out of the red zone. The Boilermakers are remarkably efficient inside their opponent’s twenty so Notre Dame must prevent them from getting there. Stopping the big play is a start, but-as stated above-not playing a high risk defensive scheme and getting help from the offense will also be needed.

3. Tackle better. It was on the Christmas wish list and has been true in weeks one, two, and three. Against Purdue good tackling will be needed, but for a different reason. The Purdue offense is designed to get the ball to the skill players in space. After this they rely on one-on-one matchups and poor tackling to create yardage. The Irish must take this away from them.

Notre Dame vs. Michigan State Game Recap

Notre Dame shot itself in the foot multiple times Saturday, ultimately leading to their own demise. Coming off an emotional win against Michigan head coach Charlie Weis suspected emotionless play to be a problem, but he was hardly able to prevent it from handicapping Notre Dame’s offensive strategy.

Costly turnovers, combined with an inept rushing attack largely due to uninspired offensive line play, led to a 23-7 victory for the Spartans.

The turnovers left points on the board for the Irish and gifted points to Michigan State. The complete lack of a running game resulted in a decided disadvantage in ball control and a tired defense at the end of the contest.

Even without the turnovers, Notre Dame did not deserve to win. It may have been in a closer game, but the time of possession heavily favored the Spartans. And in a close game tired defenses are a liability.

Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio knew this and rode running back Javon Ringer’s 39 carries and 201 yards to victory, controlling the clock until fatigue gave way to gaping running lanes in the fourth quarter.

The Irish would be wise to learn the value of an effective running attack from their opponents.

Offense

Offensive coordinator Mike Haywood is having a forgettable start to his career as a play caller. The Irish offense misses Weis’ playcalling prowess and Notre Dame is beginning to feel the impact. Haywood doesn’t think one or two plays ahead and doesn’t set up plays to stretch the field.

His approach is far more “throw it up against the wall and see what sticks” than clever planning. Whether it be via formation or down-and-distance tendencies, there is simply no creativity or intent to deceive the opposing defense.

Despite a glaring need to get short third down distances, play calling to achieve manageable third downs is a thing of the past.

Screens and draws must be used to slow an aggressive defense like Michigan State employed Saturday. Once a staple of Weis’ offense, the former wasn’t executed, the latter wasn’t used enough.

Additionally, there were multiple instances when a double move was practically begging to be called. There were also ample opportunities to execute such a play off a similar, previously used play call.

Presumably this would allow quarterback Jimmy Clausen to get the ball down the field in a manner other than trying to take advantage of a one-on-one matchup. Haywood didn’t call it once.

Despite a desire to the run the ball, Notre Dame has suffered through the better part of 15 games with a coaching staff seemingly unable to craft an effective, first-strike running scheme.

This was never more evident than against Michigan State.

The Irish were not unwilling to run the football. They were simply unable. Haywood wanted to run the ball to control the game and keep Ringer off the field. This was a good strategy and paramount to success.

But the first six offensive plays were runs that went for nothing. After that Notre Dame only called a designed run once every five plays. It isn’t difficult to stop a one-dimensional offense, no matter what dimension it employs.

Spreading the field and throwing the ball was the best option to win. The coaching staff made the appropriate adjustment during the game. The problem lies in the fact that Notre Dame is unable to run the football proficiently and consistently. And there is no excuse. In fact, it is altogether embarrassing.

The Irish have the talent to run the ball. In this game (and in most games) Notre Dame held a distinct size advantage up front. But a lack of determination by the offensive line, poorly designed running plays, and a lack of creative play calling all contributed to a woeful ground game.

There is little-to-no misdirection, the motioning tight end frequently gives away the direction of play, and no effort is made to utilize the specific talents of the three running backs or the offensive line. The staff has recruited two bigger, pounding running backs and beefed up the offensive front, but still frequently challenges the players to employ a finesse running game that takes too long to develop.

It’s like asking to fit a square peg into a round hole.

The alternative, asking a young team to consistently spread the field and execute a short drop, hot read, sight adjustment passing game, isn’t reasonable.

Admittedly, the difference between this game and 2007 was increased efficiency in this area as the Irish capably moved the ball at times. In 2007 the Irish didn’t give themselves scoring opportunities, now they simply aren’t converting them.

But relying on such a high level of precision execution with a young offense isn’t smart coaching. This is especially true when all the pieces needed for an effective running game are already on the roster.

This is no more evident than in Notre Dame’s red zone efficiency. The Irish are 4 of 11 in the red zone, potentially leaving 21 to 49 points on the field. Most of this poor efficiency is due to inconsistent execution on a short field, where going deep with the ball isn’t possible due to limited real estate. An effective running game would certainly help mitigate this problem.

Of course, the offensive line certainly didn’t help.

Poor play calling aside, there was no passion up front for the Irish. Notre Dame’s offensive line was timid and hesitant, not aggressive and dominating. The Irish got no movement off the ball against a defensive front they vastly outweighed. Lack of emotion threw the game plan right out the window.

Michigan State deserves all the credit. They took a page out of the 2007 defensive playbook against the Irish and followed the recipe well: shut down the run, play press-man on the outside, and blitz Clausen all day. Notre Dame never managed to match their intensity.

Clausen continues to struggle protecting the ball as well, averaging two interceptions per game. While some of his throws are excellent, he is still inconsistent, doesn’t move up into the pocket to evade the pass rush, and throws deep balls up for grabs rather than putting it where only his receiver (or the ground) can get it. There were several times Saturday when Clausen missed big play opportunities because he didn’t throw the ball accurately down the field.

Freshman tight end Kyle Rudolph continues to be an enormous liability in the running game and a modest contributor in the passing game. It is puzzling why he remains on the field. With junior Will Yeatman likely off the team for his second alcohol related offense, junior Luke Schmidt must step up and be a force in the running game.

There were, however, some bright spots for the Notre Dame offense.

The Irish converted better than 46.2 percent of their third downs, up from the 25 percent rate they entered the game with. This came despite continued poor execution on first and second down as Notre Dame faced third and long on over 90 percent of their chances.

The pass blocking continues to be an area of improvement for the Irish. Even though Clausen was sacked three times and pressured numerous others, the Irish protected him well for most of the day. It’s difficult to stop a defensive front that knows you are throwing the football. Notre Dame is only giving up one sack per 32 pass attempts, a dramatic improvement from 2007.

Golden Tate continues to be a playmaker and should only blossom more with time. He has a “never quit” attitude and the talent to do special things with the ball in his hands. It is puzzling why he doesn’t get it more often. Freshman Michael Floyd also had a very productive day.

But the overall offensive performance was lackluster and disappointing. Significant strides must be made to be consistently effective moving the ball in the future. Being one-dimensional handicaps the players and gives a distinct advantage to the defense. Cutting out drive-killing turnovers would also be beneficial.

Defense

The defense played very well against the Spartans, allowing quarterback Brian Hoyer to complete less than 50 percent of his passes and containing Ringer to 2.9 yards per carry if you take out his three big runs. Most of Michigan State’s offensive production came in the waning moments of the game when the Irish defense ran out of gas.

As the defense wore down Ringer became more effective and without a substantial lead (or one at all) Notre Dame couldn’t force Hoyer to win the game. As a team, Notre Dame didn’t do what it needed to do to win. As a unit, the defense held up for as long as it could.

The poor recruiting along the defensive line in Weis’ first two years is starting to show. The lack of depth along the front 3/4 ensures that the Irish must sell out to stop the run. Against Michigan State it was a matter of getting tired. Against a two-dimensional offensive football team it will lead to big plays in the passing game.

Besides Terrail Lambert, the secondary played well throughout the day. Other than a few mistakes Notre Dame tackled well and rotated into coverage. Raeshon McNeil has certainly begun to erase memories of Darrin Walls with his excellent play and safety Kyle McCarthy continues to be a sure tackler.

The linebacker play for Notre Dame continues to be a strength of the defense. A few years removed from some of the worst linebacker play in years, assistant head coach Jon Tenuta has morphed Maurice Crum and Brian Smith into a potent combination of speed, aggression, and talent. Smith, in particular, has the potential to be an All-American.

The Irish focused on shutting down the run against Michigan State and did so for most of the day. The problem typically came on third down. Despite forcing the Spartans into third and long on 90 percent of their tries, Notre Dame allowed Michigan State to convert on 40 percent of their tries.

Even with a high blitz rate Notre Dame still only has one sack on the year. Against Michigan State many of the blitz’s were aimed at filling the gaps to stop the running game. But for all the hoopla surrounding Tenuta’s attacking and aggressive defensive scheme, it certainly hasn’t been productive in the sack column.

As discussed above, the fatigue of the defense was directly tied to the inability to run the football and control the clock. This was a problem against Michigan in week two but a comfortable lead prevented it from coming back to hurt the Irish. It will continue to be a problem in close games if Notre Dame’s offensive staff fails to develop a running game.

Special Teams

Special teams are a mixed bag for the Irish. While the coverage units are solid, the return teams are inconsistent. The field goal unit hasn’t attempted a reasonably easy opportunity, but having problems with the snap and/or hold on half of the attempts don’t provide a lot of confidence.

Summary

This game is evidence that Weis is still learning how to do his job. He is learning the college game, he is learning to be a head coach, and he is doing both at the same time.

It seems like four years would be enough to get up that learning curve. But the success of years one and two never really forced Weis to do it. This isn't an excuse, it is reality. Weis has shown a willingness to change, but that might not be enough.

The excuses are running out for Weis. While still young, the Irish are plenty talented. They don’t need to win every game but they should at least be competent and competitive. The defense has improved from an already respectable unit in 2007 but the offense is still struggling even though it is Weis’ area of expertise.

The primary problem on offense seems to be Weis’ cerebral approach to the game. In the NFL this approach is an advantage, you take what the defense gives you and creatively scheme each week.

But in college it is often times more advantageous to simply impose your will and dictate the game. Teaching an offense to react to opposing defenses requires ample practice time and physically and mentally mature players. Weis is still struggling with these differences.

This is apparent in his week-to-week offensive game plan and inadequacy at motivating his players.

The Irish see-saw between game plans based on the weaknesses of opposing defenses. This creates a lack of continuity among the offensive players. Sometimes constant change creates more problems than the changes solve.

Rather than practicing multiple things each week, the Irish would be better served perfecting one facet of their offense and building around it. That doesn’t mean the Irish can’t tweak their offensive game plan based on the opposition. It just means the team needs an identity, something to build on, something the offense can always come back to when they need yards.

Motivation is also a factor. For the third time in four years Weis correctly identified passive play as a potential obstacle heading into the game against Michigan State.

In 2005 the Irish came off an emotional win over a highly ranked Michigan squad only to start slow and climb an uphill battle against the Spartans. In 2006 Notre Dame suffered a devastating defeat to the Wolverines before traveling to East Lansing and needing a monumental fourth quarter comeback to beat Michigan State. This season the Irish followed a big win over Michigan with a pathetic first half of offensive production.

Each time Weis was unable to solve a problem he correctly anticipated. It’s difficult to motivate players when you’re constantly teaching the mental aspects of the game as the key to winning. It de-emphasizes the importance of physical play. Increasing the physicality of practices helps, but a finesse-based offense doesn’t.

Game planning and motivating aside, the most disturbing aspect of Weis’ offensive approach is his staff’s inability to develop an effective running game. There are multiple, compelling benefits of a proficient ground attack and it is a necessary ingredient to consistently beat good football teams and compete for national championships.

It is difficult to imagine such an experienced offensive coaching staff not understanding the importance of running the football. It is also difficult to imagine said coaching staff being unable to develop an effective rushing scheme. But one or the other will have to give for Weis to succeed in the long term at Notre Dame.

Statistically Speaking: Notre Dame vs. Michigan State

Against the Spartans, Notre Dame returned to the form they showed in their first game against San Diego State.

Turnovers and red zone efficiency improved from week one to week two for the Irish but poor third down efficiency continued to plague Notre Dame’s offense. While third down efficiency improved from 25 percent against San Diego State and Michigan to 46.2 percent against Michigan State, it was not enough to overcome the lapse in turnovers and red zone efficiency.

Three remarkably untimely turnovers left points on the field and gifted points to the Spartans. This ultimately led to the Irish loss although an embarrassing rushing output also contributed to their demise. Throw in only two trips to the red zone, not converting points on either of them, and you have a recipe for failure.

Notre Dame has yet to perform for an entire game in the three statistical categories that most strongly correlate to winning: turnovers, red zone efficiency, and third down efficiency. And despite only averaging 40 yards in penalties a game, many of them are poorly timed resulting in stalled drives or giving the opposition a first down.

Offense

About the only bright spot on offense was the increased efficiency on third down.

Despite needing to improve dramatically on down and distance management, the Irish faced third and five plus yards on more than 90 percent of their third downs. That value is up from already high numbers of 58.3 against San Diego State and 75 percent against Michigan. That Notre Dame was able to convert 46.2 percent of their into first downs in the contest Saturday is a miracle.

Notre Dame averaged 4.1 yards per play, down from 5 and 4.7 in weeks one and two respectively. The Irish gained 258 total yards with roughly 94 percent coming through the air. Offensive coordinator Mike Haywood called 22 runs and 41 passes but the run/pass play selection was really more skewed.

After running on its first seven plays for virtually no gain, Notre Dame only called ten running plays for the remainder of the game. Compare that to the 41 passes thrown by quarterback Jimmy Clausen and the Irish only ran the ball once every five plays after the first two offensive series.

To date the Irish are averaging fewer than 290 total yards per game and a paltry 78 yards per game on the ground.

Removing big plays (runs greater 15 yards, passes greater than 20 yards) from the yardage totals shows how much the Irish rely on the their down field passing game rather than consistent offensive production.

Notre Dame has had ten big plays on the season, with eight of them coming through the air. Those ten plays are worth 316 yards for a 31.6 yard per play average and over 105 yards per game. That translates into nearly 37 percent of the total offense coming from the vertical passing game. Obviously, the Irish running game is nearly non-existent.

Against Michigan State the running game was even more anemic. Notre Dame ran the ball 22 times for 16 yards, a 0.7 yard per carry average. Even subtracting the three sacks of Clausen the Irish only averaged 2.0 yards per carry. That is hardly respectable given the size advantage of Notre Dame’s offensive line.

Speaking of sacks, the Irish surrendered their first three of the season. While Michigan State only sacked Clausen three times, they pressured and hit him numerous others. Even so, Notre Dame is only giving up one sack per 32 passing attempts, a solid improvement over the one sack per 6.7 passing attempts of 2007.

Clausen completed 58.5 percent of his attempts for 242 yards, but had his lowest yards per completion average of the season at only 10.1 yards per completion. His yards per attempt also dipped from 7 yards in the first two games to 5.9 yards against Michigan State. This was mostly due to the Irish offense’s inability to consistently throw down the field.

Clausen continued to throw interceptions against Michigan State, notching picks five and six on the year. At one pick per 16 pass attempts, Clausen is not on a good pace for the season. At his current rate he will finish even with 24 touchdowns and interceptions.

Receivers Michael Floyd and Golden Tate continue to impress. Floyd nabbed 7 balls for 86 yards and a touchdown while Tate caught 5 passes for 83 yards.

For the second straight game Notre Dame was beaten in the time of possession, with Michigan State holding nearly an eight minute edge. This showed late in the game as the Irish defense struggled to contain Spartan running back Javon Ringer.

Defense

For over three quarters the defense played well. Despite facing a short field twice, the defense only surrendered thirteen points and kept Notre Dame in the game. The inability to get off the field on third down and lack of running game by the Irish offense to control the time of possession doomed them in the end.

Against quarterback Brian Hoyer and the Spartan passing game, Notre Dame more than held their own. Despite giving up 5.5 yards per attempt and 11.9 yards per completion, the Irish allowed Hoyer to complete only 46.2 percent of his passes for a paltry 143 yards.

On the year Notre Dame is only surrendering just over 215 yards per game through the air, allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete only 53.1 percent of their passes.

The problem was defending Ringer and the running game for four quarters. Ringer ran for 201 yards and two touchdowns against the Irish at a rate of 5.2 yards per carry. However, over 47 percent of his yardage came on three plays. Without those big runs Ringer averaged a modest 2.9 yards per carry. The Irish defense really contained him, save three long runs.

Once again Notre Dame got solid play from its secondary and linebackers. Linebacker Brian Smith racked up ten tackles-one for a loss-and forced a fumble on a very aware play. Smith looks to be headed towards All-American status in the future. Veteran linebacker Maurice Crum also added eight stops for the Irish.

Safeties Kyle McCarthy and David Bruton notched nine and ten tackles respectively. McCarthy continues to be one of the better tacklers in the country.

Special Teams

The special teams improved in one area but regressed in the others.

The Irish punt coverage unit continues to be solid, giving up only one return for ten yards despite punting five times.

But the field goal unit has yet to convert a single attempt. On the year half of Notre Dame’s field goal attempts have been resulted in a poor snap and/or hold.

Kickoff coverage also looked spotty Saturday as the Irish averaged only 36.5 net yards per kickoff. Compare that to Michigan State’s 44 net yards per kickoff average and you get a first down’s worth of field position change.

One good kickoff return and another good punt return gave the Irish respectable averages in both categories but the remainder of the day saw mediocrity in the return game.

Summary

The Irish lost this game with turnovers. However, even without the turnovers Notre Dame hardly played well enough to win. Had it been a closer game down the stretch there is still no guarantee of a win as Michigan State’s ability to run the football, control the clock, and wear down the Irish defense paid huge dividends in the fourth quarter.

Head coach Charlie Weis and his staff would be well served learning a lesson on the importance of ball control from this loss. After all, the benefits of a solid running game are numerous and the Notre Dame offense is built to run the football.

Notre Dame vs. Michigan State: Keys To An Irish Win

Notre Dame travels to East Lansing this weekend to take on the Michigan State Spartans. Notre Dame hasn’t played well on offense, defense, and special teams for four consecutive quarters, but that is likely what will be needed to produce a win as this is arguably the toughest challenge to date for the Irish.

The game will pit Michigan State’s strength against Notre Dame’s weakness.

Michigan State enters the game rushing for 192 yards per contest and 4.1 yards per carry. Spartan head coach Mark Dantonio is more than happy pounding the ball with stud running back Javon Ringer.

For the season Notre Dame has given up four yards per carry to Michigan (124 yards per game rushing) and San Diego State (35 yards per game rushing). The defensive front three/four for the Irish has been fairly weak against the run and at only 278 pounds per man, give up well over 30 pounds to the Michigan State offensive line. It will certainly be a test of size and strength versus speed and quickness.

It is imperative that the Irish negate the Spartan advantage in the ground game. Special teams must continue to play well, giving Notre Dame an advantage in field position and forcing Michigan State to face a long field all day.

The offensive and defensive units must also work together to neutralize Ringer.

Offense

1. Score early and often. The Irish have shown they can go deep in the passing game and be successful as indicated by a better than 12.3 yard per completion average on the season. If quarterback Jimmy Clausen can find Golden Tate, Michael Floyd, and Duval Kamara behind a suspect Spartan secondary it bodes well for the Irish. Getting a large lead early would potentially force the Michigan State offense to get out of their comfort zone and go to the passing game in an attempt to play catch-up.

2. Chew the clock. Against a Michigan stout front seven surrendering less than one yard per carry Notre Dame was able to run the ball relatively effectively. The Irish averaged 3.3 yards per carry even though the Wolverines knew they were trying to kill the clock in the second half. Notre Dame would be well advised to go back to the power running game and keep Ringer off the field.

3. Stay ahead in the down and distance. Notre Dame has been atrocious on third down, converting only 25 percent of their opportunities through two games. Part of this poor performance can certainly be attributed to execution. However, far too often the Irish playcalling has been aggressive on first and second down. This has resulted in third and middle-to-long two thirds of the time. Head coach Charlie Weis said there will be an emphasis on third down playcalling and execution this week, but first and second down are equally as important.

Defense

1. Force Brian Hoyer to win the game. The Spartan signal caller is a capable quarterback in many respects but lacks playmakers at the wide receiver position. If asked to win the game it is unlikely he will be able to live up to expectations against a strong Irish secondary. This task is much easier if the offense can build a substantial lead early.

2. Keep Michigan State in long down and distances. Lock up on the edge, sell out against the run on first down, and force Hoyer to throw on second and third (and long) to move the ball. The Spartan playbook is significantly reduced in size if the Irish can produce these long down and distance situations. If Notre Dame can neutralize the run on first down it will go a long way in helping them win the game.

3. Tackle better. It was true in week one and in week two, but will be even more important this week. Ringer is a back that gets better as the game goes on and as he gains momentum running the ball. Taking him down with the first defender is paramount to success. This was a pre-season focus and should continue to be a point of emphasis for the Irish defense.

Statistically Speaking: Notre Dame vs. Michigan

Despite surrendering roughly 50 percent more yards to the Wolverines, the Fighting Irish came out on top 35-17. The tale of the game was six Wolverine turnovers, largely the result of carelessness and poor weather conditions. All in all Notre Dame produced 28 points off these Michigan miscues.

But credit should be given to the Irish as they made Michigan pay dearly converting the first two Michigan fumbles into touchdowns that gave Notre Dame a 14-0 lead only four minutes into the game. After a Michigan drive stalled in Irish territory quarterback, Jimmy Clausen wasted no time and connected with Golden Tate for a 48 yard strike. This gave the Irish a 21-0 lead with 4:51 left in the first quarter.

Michigan was never able to battle back.

Offense

The Notre Dame offense improved over last week in red zone efficiency and turnovers. The Irish converted three of four red zone appearances into touchdowns and reduced the number of turnovers by two. Despite converting only 25 percent of their third down attempts for the second straight week, these two areas show good improvement.

The Irish offense averaged 4.7 yards per play running the ball 34 times while attempting only 21 passes for a 61.8/38.2 percent run/pass split. Total offense was down from 342 yards in week one to 260 yards. However, the total yardage in the game was misleading as Notre Dame faced a short field many times in the first half and spent much of the second half killing the clock.

The Irish lost the time of possession game by more than four minutes. The first half, in particular, saw the Wolverines grab more than a nine minute advantage before Notre Dame went to the ground in the second half attempting to shorten the game. With a thin defense and suspect front four, not controlling the clock in the future could be problematic for the Irish.

Notre Dame ran the ball for 113 yards. That translates to 3.3 yards per rush, slightly up from their 3.1 yards per carry output against San Diego State. The Irish gained only five first downs on the ground but did manage to score twice running the football.

This leads one to believe the rushing performance was poor. That may not have been the case. Michigan entered the game yielding fewer than one yard per carry. Additionally, many of the Irish rushing attempts occurred in the second half when Michigan knew Notre Dame was going to run in order to run the clock.

Robert Hughes led the way on the ground, taking 19 carries for 79 yards and two touchdowns. At 4.2 yards per carry, Hughes definitely looked like the workhorse back preseason prognosticators forecasted.

The Irish added only four more first downs through the air, but two touchdown passes of more than ten yards and a Golden Tate 60 yard slant route certainly lowered that number.

Clausen completed less than 50 percent of his throws, down from a much more efficient game against the Aztecs. His yards per attempt stayed steady at seven but his yards per completion increased from 11.3 to 14.7. Compare that to 9.1 yards per completion from 2007 and it is evident that the Irish are much more adept at the vertical passing game. Cutting down on interceptions would be advised as Clausen is averaging one per 13.8 passing attempts.

Once again, the Irish protected Clausen. Michigan entered the game second in the nation in getting to the quarterback, but the Irish did not surrender a single sack. This is week two of a welcomed new trend for the Irish.

Tate had a monster day hauling in passes from Clausen. To date Tate has caught ten balls for 220 yards and two touchdowns. That 22 yard per reception average is certainly indicative of his ability to stretch the field.

Finally, all five of the Irish touchdowns-even Brian Smith’s fumble return-were accounted for by sophomores. That bodes very well for the future, and for Weis’ recruiting efforts.

Defense

The defense looked suspect at times, particularly in the first half. As mentioned above, Michigan owned a more than nine minute edge in first half time of possession. This was evident in poor tackling and a lack of effort on many plays.

The credit, however, goes to the defensive coaching staff as the Irish adjusted well at halftime. After allowing Michigan running back Sam McGuffie to gash his way to more than 80 first half yards, the Irish defense stiffened, holding the Wolverines to only 2.5 yards per carry in the second half. Additionally, Notre Dame gave up zero second half points.

Notre Dame surrendered 5.5 yards per play to Michigan, with 8.2 yards per play coming through the air. That’s up from only 5.6 yards per pass attempt in week one. Michigan was able to get 12.1 yards per completion as well. That isn’t as productive as the Irish passing attack, but it is significantly higher than the 10.7 yards the Irish gave up to San Diego State.

In terms of sacks, the Irish blitzing attack was relatively inefficient (again). Despite applying pressure for much of the day Notre Dame failed to record a single sack. This can expose the secondary and exemplify the high risk defense the Notre Dame scheme dictates.

Once again, the Irish safeties led the way with David Bruton notching 15 tackles and Kyle McCarthy getting ten. Throw a forced fumble and interception in for Bruton, and the senior play-maker is starting to show his true colors.

Special Teams

Special teams continue to be a bright spot for the Irish, at least compared to 2007. For the second straight week Notre Dame had more than a 15 yard advantage in field possession.

The Irish punt and kickoff coverage units held the Wolverines to negative punt return yards and only 11.4 yards per kickoff return. Gunners Bruton and Mike Anello are excellent.

Notre Dame averaged 51.5 net yards per kickoff compared to Michigan’s 43.8. However, the Wolverines got the better of the Irish in the punting game with 49.8 yards netted per punt compared to 44.2 for the Irish.

But the real bright spot came in the form of Anello’s fumble recovery on Michigan’s second kickoff return. Anello was the first Irish special teams player down the field and proved, once again, that heart matters.

Summary

Notre Dame really put this game away early in the first half by capitalizing on two Michigan turnovers. The total yard statistics favor the Wolverines but the Irish were really just trying to run the clock leading with inclement weather. To be certain, it was not a dominating effort, but red zone efficiency and turnover margin ultimately led to victory.

Notre Dame vs. Michigan Game Recap

After needing fourth quarter heroics to beat a significantly less talented San Diego State squad, Notre Dame came out and put the Michigan Wolverines away early. The Irish played a more complete game than they did in week one, capitalizing on six Michigan turnovers en route to a 35-17 victory.

Forget the specifics, the intangibles, the Michigan turnovers. There is no reason to hash out who played well and who didn’t. This was a statement game, not a statement win. It was a statement that the program is back moving in the right direction. And the Irish made their statement in convincing fashion. They came out swinging, went for the jugular early and often, and rode the clock (and wet weather) to victory.

Despite having a down year, Michigan is still Michigan. They have ample talent (particularly on the defensive side of the ball), a non-conventional offense that is difficult to defend, and they look to be improving. But the Irish came away with a confidence building victory over their rival opponent that had taken them behind the wood shed the past two seasons.

To be certain, Michigan lost the game as much as Notre Dame won it. Committing six turnovers is nearly impossible to overcome. But that doesn’t take away from the magnitude of what the Notre Dame players have accomplished since a deplorable 2007 season.

Facing an off-season of adversity, the Irish look like they have turned the corner. There is discernable improvement everywhere on the team starting with the most maligned unit of 2007, the offensive line. The Irish have established a down-field passing attack, are beginning to control the line of scrimmage, have dramatically improved special teams play, and have found a more than capable signal caller in quarterback Jimmy Clausen.

The recruiting of head coach Charlie Weis is also starting to show. The talent along the offensive line is growing to reach its potential and the players are gelling as a unit. The Irish have three legitimate running backs, several wide receivers with play making potential, and the quarterback to get them the ball.

The secondary is fast, athletic, and has excellent coverage skills. The outside pass rush is effective, and the linebacking corps has improved dramatically from last season. Unfortunately, the defensive line is still a liability, even with solid minutes from some of the younger players.

But the defensive line is only the tip of the iceberg. There is no question that the Irish must improve to extend their win streak. Tackling was suspect Saturday, the running game hasn’t been consistently effective, and Clausen et. al. must continue to minimize turnovers. Failure to control the clock and win time of possession in the future could come back to haunt an already thin defense.

That thin defense is trying to execute a high risk, high reward scheme. Blitzing frequently to apply pressure to the quarterback leaves the secondary vulnerable to big plays. Through two games Notre Dame has only generated a single sack. If the Irish aren’t getting home on many blitzes it seems unjustified to continue risking the big play with little promise of a reward.

Additionally, an Irish defense with ideal personnel for the spread didn’t stop a Michigan offense still struggling to execute. The Irish also continue to exhibit a baffling lack of commitment to the running game and playcalling that is frequently too cute. The former, coupled with the latter, will allow more disciplined opponents with fewer turnovers to come away with a win.

But the fact that the team has come so far in only twelve months shows the arrow is pointing in the right direction. Execution is inconsistent (particularly on third down), but the Irish are young and there are far more positives than negatives to glean from Saturday’s performance. Namely, red zone efficiency and turnover margin improved from week one and are the two biggest reasons for the win.

Notre Dame is by no means an elite team, but there is definitely progress being made and the credit has to go to the head man. In the face of mounting criticism Weis stuck to his plan, believed in his philosophy, and implemented off-season changes that have certainly paid dividends.

On top of all that, he showed a commitment to the program and to his players Saturday, remaining on the sideline after a serious injury and watching the team get their first meaningful win in over a year.

For a Notre Dame squad that lacked fun for most of the 2007 season, they seem to have exorcized the demons. The Irish players certainly appeared to be having a good time on Saturday. Enjoy it boys. Enjoy it and get back to work. The season has just begun and improvement is still needed. Michigan State is next, and it will take a better performance to come away with a win.

Notre Dame vs. Michigan: Keys To An Irish Win

With the Irish and Wolverines both projected to have poor seasons, the game Saturday is a must win for both teams. Effort, physical play, and determination should go a long way in determining the winner as the contest should be a low scoring affair decided in the waning moments.

Offense

1. Establish the run. As was true last week and will be true all season, Notre Dame must run the ball successfully to be consistently effective on offense. The running game chews the clock, wears down the defense, opens up play action, and takes pressure off quarterback Jimmy Clausen and the passing game. As Michigan has one of the more talented defenses on the Irish schedule, running the ball well is paramount to success on offense for Notre Dame.

2. Minimize mistakes. If the Irish can avoid the offensive mistakes that plagued them through three quarters of play against San Diego State they should win the game. Turnovers, poor execution on third down and missed opportunities in the red zone nearly cost them the game.

3. Execute the screen and draw game. If the Michigan coaching staff is worth anything they will lock down on the edge, put eight in the box, stop the run, and apply pressure to Clausen on obvious passing downs. The Irish passing game showed improvement against San Diego State, but the performance carries an asterisk as the Aztecs aren’t a good defense. To slow the pass rush and prevent Michigan from blindly rushing the passer the Irish offense must give them pause.

Defense

1. Tackle well in the open field. Like last week the Notre Dame defense must tackle well to prevent long gains and get the Michigan offense off the field. Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez will make every attempt to get his offensive players the ball in space, one-on-one with an Irish defender. Notre Dame must tackle well to stop the Wolverine offense.

2. Call off the dogs. The Irish don’t have to stop blitzing all together but caution is advised. Multiple times against San Diego State Irish defenders took themselve out of the play by blitzing with little control. The zone-read is tough to stop, if the Irish blitz and take themselves out of position they could be in for a long day.

3. Help from the reserves. This figures to be a physical game and with Michigan spreading the field the Irish will frequently play nickel and dime packages. The secondary needs help from backups Robert Blanton and Gary Gray and the defensive line needs help from reserves Ethan Johnson and Maurice Richardson. This should keep players fresh and help executing tackles in open space.

Notre Dame vs. San Diego State Game Recap

Notre Dame came away with a victory Saturday despite a lackluster offense for three quarters. The Irish certainly did not “dive right in,” struggling in the three most important statistical categories which resulted in a much closer game than most anticipated. Only a dramatically improved fourth quarter effort rescued the Irish from losing their season opener.

Reminiscent of Tyrone Willingham’s woeful offenses, the Irish played down to their opposition, looked unprepared, and definitely did not display the schematic advantage Weis promised upon his arrival in South Bend. The lack of a physical, efficient, and effective running game has left many Irish fans wondering if “nasty” is merely a buzzword.

Beating a struggling San Diego State squad by only eight points and trailing late in the game isn’t the script head coach Charlie Weis would have written for his team. However, there are some positives to be gleaned from an offensive effort that, in many ways, mirrored the ineptitude of 2007.

Defensively the Irish looked good and special teams have improved from last year. But one game of progress in these areas is hardly enough to offset the marginal growth of the offense, particularly when that was Weis' supposed forte.

Offense

Despite scoring only once in five red zone possessions and converting on a paltry 25 percent of its third downs, there were positives on offense for the Irish. En route to a 14 point fourth quarter, the Irish dominated time of possession and total yards. At times the offense showed improvement from 2007 but much more consistency is needed for Notre Dame to extend their win streak to four and beyond.

On many plays the difference between a modest gain and breaking a long run were minimal, but the fact remains that the offense clicked when it had to. Losing in the fourth quarter last season, a victory would have been very unlikely.

Quarterback

Against the Aztecs quarterback Jimmy Clausen had a coming out party. Showing marked improvement Clausen completed nearly 62 percent of his passes for 247 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. One of his two interceptions was largely not his fault and his play was one of the bright spots for a unit that struggled to consistently move the ball.

Clausen didn’t panic when the team went down, saving his best play to lead the Fighting Irish comeback in the fourth quarter. He looks more comfortable in the pocket, has a very quick release, has much more velocity on his throws, and showed great touch on his deep passes. Often the timing of his passes was perfect.

Like the offensive line, Clausen still struggles in some areas of his game. His mechanics on play action passes are lacking, he made a few poor reads (including the second interception), and he still stares down his receiver on occasion. Perhaps to silence his critics, Clausen also seemed to be putting too much behind some of his throws in the first half. Hopefully these are sophomore mistakes that will improve with time because the physical talent is certainly there.

Running Back

The running back position was thought to be a strength of the team, but Saturday’s performance was a mixed bag. The talented trio of Armando Allen, Robert Hughes, and James Aldridge was cut to two as Aldridge saw no playing time.

Allen ran with more patience on Saturday than at any time during the 2007 season. He showed grit and determination, also providing some fireworks on a punt return. His pass protection has dramatically improved and he showed good hands and ability in the passing game.

But Irish fans have to be concerned about Allen’s speed. Once thought to be a homerun threat, he seems to have lost a step from 2007. His cutting ability and acceleration are good but he isn't able to separate from defenders in open space.

Despite running tough at some points during the game, Hughes seemed timid at others, not displaying the decisive running he showed at the end of the 2007 season and misreading his blockers.

Hughes did, however, continue to impress with his agility and balance, showing soft hands in the passing game and the ability to create on screen passes. As the game progressed and the Aztec defense wore down he became more effective.

Wide Receiver

Once thought to be a potential weakness, the wide receiver position may be an emerging strength.

Clausen complete passes to four wide receivers with most of the production coming from sophomore Golden Tate. Tate’s improvement from 2007 is readily apparent. Armed with elite speed, a better understanding of the position, increased route running ability, and excellent hands, Tate proved to be the deep threat Notre Dame needs. If he can improve his blocking and release off the line of scrimmage, he will continue to be a valuable receiving weapon for the Irish.

Freshman Michael Floyd got into the mix at the end of the first half taking a Clausen audible 22 yards to pay dirt. Floyd looks athletic and agile running routes. His release off the line of scrimmage is strong and quick, allowing him to get behind the defender on multiple occasions. Through one game of action he certainly looks like he has very good potential despite only catching one pass.

Dependable senior David Grimes had a good game for the Irish catching 5 passes for 35 yards and a touchdown. Absent were the drops from 2007 that killed drives. Grimes also blocked well down the field despite an undeserved flag for holding.

The biggest disappoint of the wide receivers had to be Duval Kamara. Despite an excess of ability Kamara seemed lost at times and lacking concentration at others. He was directly responsible for Clausen’s first interception and showed poor effort for much of the day. The Irish receiving corps needs his play, but concentration problems and a lack of effort may allow other talented players on the roster to surpass him.

Tight End

Notre Dame spent much of its day in multiple tight end formations, using Will Yeatman, Luke Schmidt, and Kyle Rudolph as blockers. Yeatman and Schmidt performed admirably, blocking very well for most of the afternoon.

Rudolph, however, showed that he is merely a freshman. He has tremendous upside but will need to considerably improve his blocking to be on the field in all situations.

Offensive Line

With nowhere to go but up, the offensive line play has improved considerably for Notre Dame.

Despite the off-season size increase, the offensive line looked more athletic than last season indicating a better understanding of their assignments and more reaction in their play. This is a welcomed change from a unit that looked hesitant and inept much of last season.

The entire front five played with determination for much of the game despite an incompetent offensive game plan (more on this later). They were physical at the point of attack, got good push off the line of scrimmage, showed good effort, and didn’t give up a single sack through 34 pass attempts. This was to be expected against a San Diego State defensive line missing seven players but was encouraging just the same.

Left guard Eric Olsen played well for much of the afternoon and right tackle Sam Young’s leadership is evident in his effort. The pass blocking technique of Young and fellow tackle Mike Turkovich has improved dramatically and all five members of the unit showed progress cutting the defensive line.

There is room for improvement, however, as the interior players struggled to engage defenders at the second level and drive after contact. Additionally, blocking away from the play was mediocre at best. Olsen and right guard Chris Stewart must improve their hand position when blocking linebackers and members of the secondary. Scooping on the backside must also improve as several runs were stopped by pursuit running down the play.

Defense

The Irish defense performed admirably holding Aztec quarterback Ryan Lindley to less than a 50 percent completion percentage and under five yards per pass attempt. Despite an excellent game plan by San Diego State head coach Chuck Long and good effort from the Aztec players, Notre Dame repeatedly pressured Lindley, sacking him once and batting down eight passes. San Diego State was also fairly ineffective on third down, converting only 31 percent of their attempts.

The defense was fast and aggressive, blitzing repeatedly. This forced Lindley to get rid of the ball quickly, after which the secondary mopped up the Aztec receivers with good tackling.

There is room for improvement as the philosophy for the Irish has changed considerably from last year, and it will take some time to perfect the new, blitz-happy scheme.

Mostly, this improvement needs to come in how the Irish blitz.

At times defenders were slightly out of position, allowing Aztec players to evade the rush. The Irish defenders need to be more controlled, able to make a play on the ball rather than wildly rushing the quarterback.

Notre Dame's defense also needs to work on timing. Often Irish defenders showed the blitz too soon, enabling the San Diego State offense to recognize it and subsequently pick it up. They would be better served showing the same pre-snap formations and executing the blitz after the snap.

Finally, San Diego State was able to cut onrushing Irish defenders with relative ease. Notre Dame needs to work on avoiding these types of blocks with hurdles or creating more space to allow players to avoid the blockers.

Defensive Line

The Irish defensive line looked good at some times, poor at others. It seems evident that Notre Dame will not be able to get pressure with the front three/four. Despite a somewhat makeshift offensive line, San Diego State was able to handle the Irish defensive linemen with relative ease.

Defensive linemen John Ryan and Justin Brown were the biggest disappointments, taking several plays off and not showing consistent effort. Ian Williams had a decent day, but still struggles to shed blocks.

There were, however, some bright spots. Kerry Neal looked good for much of the day and freshman Ethan Johnson showed some excellent pass rushing skills. Johnson really uses his hands well and has good explosiveness off the ball.

Linebackers

It seems that the days of poor tackling, errant pursuit angles, and slow reacting are gone for Notre Dame. While Maurice Crum still looked hesitant on some plays the Irish backers played well for much of the day.

In spite of two costly penalties that kept an Aztec drive alive, Crum performed admirably. He rotated into coverage when the Irish dialed up pressure and tackled in the open field. He recorded the only sack as well, but it was mostly a product of fellow linebacker Brian Smith.

Smith seemed to be all or nothing on the day, taking some plays off and showing exceptional athletic ability on others. His pass rushing ability is excellent, whether he uses his strength coming up the middle or his speed on the outside. He is a true talent and only figures to improve with more time.

Harrison Smith was quiet for much of the day. His play will benefit with more time. On the majority of plays he was easily picked up on the blitz, trying to use his brawn rather than his speed and quickness to reach the quarterback.

Secondary

The brightest spot on the defense was, by far, the secondary. Notre Dame tackled very well, rotated into coverage with great timing, and locked up on the outside. Even without playing time from capable backups Gary Gray and Robert Blanton, the Irish secondary looked very good.

Safeties Kyle McCarthy and David Bruton led the Irish in tackles. While this usually spells disaster, in the Irish scheme they fulfilled their duties. McCarthy is a very sure tackler and Bruton patrols the two-deep as well as anyone.

On the outside Terrail Lambert and Raeshon McNeil displayed excellent cover skills and blanketed the Aztec receivers for much of the day. Early in the contest Lambert and McNeil gave too much cushion, but adapted quickly. McNeil needs to work on his tackling and both must improve in their situational football, but overall the coverage on the edge was very good for the Irish.

Sergio Brown emerged from relative obscurity to contribute very solid minutes in the Nickel package for the Irish. Whether it was in coverage, blitzing, or special teams play, Brown made his mark on the field, translating his athletic ability into a capable performance.

Special Teams

The Irish Special Teams showed more good than bad against San Diego State. Despite narrowly missing a 47 yard field goal attempt and botching the snap of another, the overall special teams impression was good.

The return game was improved on both punts and kickoffs and the coverage was also excellent for both units. Coming off a horrid performance in 2007, the Irish improved dramatically in nearly every special teams statistical category, and Weis and special teams coach Brian Polian deserve credit.

Coaching

In a football game coaching is most evident in three respects. First, the coaching staff cultivates discipline and develops execution during practice. Second, the coaching staff scouts the opponent and prepares the plan of attack. Finally, the coaching staff adjusts said plan of attack during the game to counter the scheme of the opposition. The players merely act out this chess match on the field.

Notre Dame did not play with discipline on Saturday.

A disciplined team does not give away four turnovers (two inside the opponent's red zone) and commit seven penalties, many of them poorly timed.

Furthermore, a team that executes well does not convert 25 percent of its third down attempts and only score once in five end zone tries. Yes, the players are partially culpable, but the ultimate responsibility falls on the coaches.

With a young team self-inflicted mistakes are deadly, and the Irish committed more than their fair share Saturday.

Defensively the game plan was solid. The Irish wanted to pressure Lindley, forcing him to get rid of the ball quickly, relying on solid tackling by their secondary to prevent the long gain.

No adjustment was needed as the game plan worked. While there were a few breakdowns in the secondary, they were minimal and Notre Dame looked like a well-coached football team.

Offensively the Irish coaching staff failed on both accounts.

While Weis showed better judgment attempting to convert fourth down, his promise of pounding the ball was abandoned on the third play of the game. And it wasn’t even a question. After running for four yards on each of their first two plays, the Irish spread the field in an obvious passing formation and promptly proceeded to throw an incomplete pass.

That shows no commitment to the running game. And it doesn’t even disguise the offensive intent for the Aztec defense. The fruits of a consistent power running game don’t show up on the first drive, they show up in the second half. Weis needs to have the patience to stick with it.

The entire rushing scheme for the Irish was suspect. The offensive line for Notre Dame is big and strong. The San Diego State defensive line is small and quick, not to mention injured and missing. Instead of running right at them Irish offensive coordinator Mike Haywood repeatedly called zone stretch plays.

Newsflash: asking larger, slower players to beat smaller, faster players to the point of attack is an act in futility. Doing so with Hughes, whose power and strength are his biggest assets, is an act of stupidity.

Line up, run right at them, and negate the speed. Don’t hand the ball off five yards deep every play and take a year for the run to develop. If you have size and strength, use it to your advantage: narrow the space, cut down splits, use base, isolation, blast, or wham blocking techniques. Get a hat on a hat and help your offensive linemen engage. Don’t handicap them by not giving them the angles.

Additionally, the Irish offensive staff either didn’t see the adjustments or refused to implement them. The Aztec linebackers didn’t take a wrong step all afternoon. In other words, they knew where the ball was going.

Notre Dame repeatedly gave away the direction of the run with their formation and motion in the backfield. Furthermore, the Irish offensive staff never called any misdirection or counter plays. Even a play action pass to a tight end on a curl or a wide receiver on a drag over the middle was missing. Nothing was done to give the San Diego State linebacking corps pause, preventing them from flying to the ball.

Summary

The Irish showed progress from 2007 on Saturday, but offensively it was marginal. Despite showing some improvement in the passing game Notre Dame failed to commit to the run, turned the ball over, and didn’t execute for three quarters of play.

Since Weis' first season in 2005, Notre Dame’s trend in offensive performance has declined every year. Besides a few runs by Rashon Powers-Neal he has failed to install an effective power running game, underestimating its value and instead choosing to open up the run with the pass. He doesn’t seem to grasp the differences between the NFL and college game, and his staff is seemingly inadequate at developing much of the talent they recruit.

It is only one game, but if I’m Jack Swarbrick, I have a short-list of head coaches on speed dial. It is very possible that Weis may not pan out. Then again, turnovers-especially untimely ones-are one of the easiest things to correct and teams reputedly improve more between the first and second game than any other time during the season.

Statistically Speaking: Notre Dame vs. San Diego State

The Irish looked awful at times on Saturday, failing to put a significantly less talented team away in the first half. Despite facing an opponent partially crippled by NCAA sanctions and injuries, the Irish needed a solid fourth quarter effort to win.

A look at the box score and comparison to the woeful 2007 team leads to some interesting conclusions.

The three most important statistical corollaries to winning football games are turnover margin, red zone efficiency, and third down conversion percentage. The Irish failed miserably in each, committing four turnovers (two of which were virtually in the San Diego State end zone), scoring only once in five red zone tries, and only converting on a quarter of its third down attempts.

Performing poorly in one of these three areas is typically indicative of a rough outing, struggling in all three spells disaster more often than not.

Offense

Notre Dame averaged five yards per play running and throwing the ball at an even split, with 34 attempts on the ground and through the air for 342 total yards. This produced a fairly even time of possession result, with the Irish holding a slight edge (1:44).

The production of the running game was not as good as that of the passing game as Notre Dame yielded 30.7 percent of its yards on the ground to 69.3 percent in the air. The first downs also support this trend with 12 coming via passes and only four from running the football. San Diego State also gifted the Irish four first downs from penalties.

The Irish netted only 105 rushing yards on 34 attempts for a paltry 3.1 yard per carry average. That is poor production especially considering there were no sacks to lower the average. Armando Allen and Robert Hughes split the carries with 17 and 16 respectively. Both averaged nearly 3.5 yards per carry, down from 4 and 5.5 respectively the previous year. Despite the running game being a point of emphasis in the off-season it appears there has been little improvement from 2007.

The passing game, however, has improved. Notre Dame was sacked 58 times in 389 attempts last year, or roughly once every 6.7 attempts. Through 34 attempts against San Diego State the Irish didn’t surrender a single sack, even though no improvement from 2007 would have suggested five. Granted, the opponent was San Diego State, but Navy, Air Force, Duke, and Stanford all recorded sacks in 2007 against the Irish.

Additionally, Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen completed 61.8 percent of his passes and averaged 7 yards per attempt and 11.3 yards per completion compared to 56.3 percent, 5.1, and 9.1 in 2007. The improvement in these areas indicates increased efficiency and the capability to go down the field with the ball, something better pass protection against the Aztecs allowed.

Clausen’s favorite targets were David Grimes and Golden Tate. Grimes caught 5 balls for 35 yards and a touchdown while Tate provided the deep threat with 6 catches for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Defense

On paper the defense played pretty well. Notre Dame held San Diego State to 345 yards on 74 plays (4.7 yard per play average) despite the Aztecs attempting 59 passes and throwing the ball on just under 80% of their offensive plays.

The Irish secondary limited San Diego State quarterback Ryan Lindley to less than a 50 percent completion percentage and only 4.6 yards per attempt. Most of the passes were underneath as the Aztecs netted only 9.4 yards per completion. Additionally, the Irish defense held San Diego State to 31.3 percent conversion percentage on third down.

The defensive production against the passing game improved over last season when the Irish allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 52.6 percent of their passes at 5.6 yards per attempt and 10.7 yards per completion.

Notre Dame gave up 71 yards on 15 attempts on the ground. That’s good for a 4.7 yard average but increases to 5.6 yards per attempt if the lone sack is removed. This is up from an already large 4.3 yard per attempt value form 2007, but may be a little misleading given the fact that San Diego State didn’t try to establish the running game with any consistency.

The defense didn’t hit home on as many blitzes as anticipated. Despite rushing the passer frequently Notre Dame only recorded one sack for a loss of seven yards. However, eight throws were batted down and many other times Lindley had to alter his throwing motion due to onrushing Irish defenders.

Safeties Kyle McCarthy and David Bruton led the way with 14 and 7 tackles, respectively, and outside linebacker/defensive end Kerry Neal recorded the only Irish interception on a screen pass.

Special Teams

Although the Irish blotched one field goal hold and missed a second from 47 yards, the special teams actually performed pretty well.

In the return game Notre Dame averaged 13.7 yards per punt return while surrendering only 1.7 to San Diego State. The net punting average for Notre Dame was just under 39 yards, while the Aztecs only netted 25.7 yards per punt. Obviously the punt return blocking and coverage was much better for the Irish.

Similarly, the Irish gained 24.7 yards per kickoff return and gave up only 12.5 to the Aztecs. These return averages translated into 48 yards netted per kickoff for Notre Dame and only 39.3 for San Diego State.

That’s good for a 20 yard difference in field position as the average starting field position for Notre Dame was their own 43 while San Diego State averaged starting at their own 23. This is a substantial difference, on average requiring two fewer first downs for Notre Dame to score.

These values are nearly all improved over the results of 2007.

Summary

It is only one game against a weak opponent, but statistically comparing the Irish vs. San Diego State on offense, defense, and special teams suggests improvement in all areas of the game except rushing offense and (potentially) rushing defense.

It was turnovers, poor execution in the red zone, and poor execution on third down that led to such a close game.

Notre Dame vs. San Diego State: Keys To An Irish Win

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame open their season this weekend against a significantly less talented opponent. Facing such an opponent Notre Dame should only need to show up to win. In this vein there aren’t any “keys to victory” as typically precede an Irish gridiron matchup. Therefore, in atypical fashion, three things the Irish should accomplish on offense and defense this weekend.

Offense

1. Establish the run. Weis has said it, the Irish are built to do it, and with offensive coordinator Michael Haywood now calling the plays one would suspect it’s coming. But Notre Dame needs to stop talking and start producing on the ground. Work out the kinks early, run the ball with authority, and form the building blocks of offensive confidence and identity that can be sustained into the season.

2. Develop the play action pass. In conjunction with running the football, give Jimmy Clausen (presumably) easy throws off play action. It will build his confidence, should be open with success in the running game, and should really be the only passes the offense attempts. Furthermore, the play action passing game should be some of the most easily executed passes in the playbook.

3. Don’t open it up. There is no need to attempt more than 20passes, no need to go down the field more than a handful of times, no need to show any future opponents any more than a power running game headed by James Aldridge, Robert Hughes, and Armando Allen. This team is still young, it can still make mistakes, and there is no reason to give Michigan et. al. any unnecessary advantages.

Defense

1. Rattle Ryan Lindley and do it early. Apply pressure to the opposing quarterback, force hurries, and hit him often. This doesn’t means showing the entire blitz package from every 3-4/4-3 personnel alignment. Just like the offense, there is no need for the Irish to tip their hand to future opponents. It just means getting Lindley out of a rhythm early on in the game.

2. Tackle well in the open field. The Irish haven’t been the best tacklers in recent history and against teams like San Diego State that like to spread the field it is of paramount importance. Good tackling against teams who like to get the ball to players in space is very often the difference between a three-and-out and a sustained drive.

3. Play the inexperienced secondary players. The Irish have a wealth of talent in their secondary, but most of it is inexperienced. San Diego State provides a perfect opportunity to give the younger players the game experience they are going to need to effectively contribute as the season progresses.

2008 Fighting Irish Fall Practice Review

Coming off a 2007 campaign that left much to be desired, the Irish have a lot to prove. To some extent, Fall (and Spring) practice can answer lingering questions about deficiencies the Irish failed to correct last season. However, uncertainty will inevitably remain until September 6 when the Irish face San Deigo State.

This Fall head coach Charlie Weis has issued a “Dive Right In” mentality, challenging them to bring a determined work ethic to practice. This bodes well for the Irish as it promotes good tempo, quality repetitions, and physical play. Practices have looked more intense, emotional, and fun. Weis has also issued an edict banning the team from discussing the 2007 season, another tactic aimed at getting Notre Dame off on the right foot in 2008.

The off-season saw quite a bit of change for Notre Dame with all the offensive linemen in the two deep tipping the scales at over 300 lbs. Additionally, the interior defensive linemen increased their squat to above 600 lbs and the running backs all upped their bench by 100 lbs. These measurables were off-season targets to address issues with poor physical offensive line play at the point of attack, insufficient run support from the front three on defense, and running backs frequently going down on first contact.

Many Fighting Irish fans were excited to see the impact of the freshmen. With Alabama’s recruiting class suffering from defections, academic ineligibilities, etc. Notre Dame’s incoming class of recruits is now the top in the country according to Rivals. Other than the defensive line, the Irish likely won’t need contributions from the youngsters, but some of them may be too talented to keep off the field. At other positions the freshmen will be counted on to build depth, driving competition and increasing the overall level of team play.

Notre Dame fans are also optimistic for the 2008 season, with many predicting eight or more wins. Generally speaking, the most player improvement occurs between the first and second seasons. With so many freshmen gaining valuable playing time in 2007 and a much more favorable schedule, expecting improvement isn’t unreasonable. But moving the win total from three to eight would be a significant achievement.

It should be noted that drawing meaningful conclusions from practice footage is a risky endeavor. The film typically includes relatively benign parts of practice: stretching, basic drills, etc. Additionally, many times it’s a half-full/half-empty proposition with one unit of the team looking good and casting doubt over the performance of the opposing unit. It is also typical for practice situations to create artificial advantages for certain positions. Finally, the camera angles are atrocious, not allowing much to be gleaned from the little video available.

With those disclaimers in hand, a summary of the Fighting Irish Fall practice camp and an outlook on the personnel heading into the 2008 season follows.

Offense

Quarterback

From very limited video Jimmy Clausen looks to have picked up right where he left off in the Spring. Physically, Clausen is a different player and it shows as he has considerably more zip on his passes. He also looks more comfortable in the offense suggesting his grasp of the playbook has progressed.

Sharpley is the entrenched backup behind Clausen. He should serve as a dependable second signal caller should the Irish need him. Dayne Crist is the most imposing physical specimen at the position. He has a very strong arm but his accuracy leaves quite a bit to be desired. To date, Crist doesn’t seem that comfortable in the offense as his “happy feet” indicate. If Weis’ comments are any indication Crist won’t see the field this year, redshirting and giving the third string duties to the son of former Notre Dame great Joe Montana.

Running Back

If there is one position where Notre Dame has top-to-bottom talent, it’s running back. There is size, speed, and quickness in surplus and the increased strength in the off-season should pay dividends in yards after contact. The Irish have three legitimate contenders for the starting role but will likely employ a “running back by committee” approach. Junior James Aldridge and sophomores Armando Allen and Robert Hughes head the triumvirate, with Hughes likely getting the majority of the carries.

Hughes might have lost a step in straight-line speed from a year ago but his cuts are more decisive and his power is exceptional. He can move the pile, something valuable in short yardage situations. He also has exceptional balance and agility for a back in the 240 lbs range but could benefit from running with a lower pad level. His ball skills are good, protecting the football before contact and always keeping the ball on the outside.

Aldridge is much of the same but with a little more quickness, especially in his cuts. He runs just as tough as last season and the competition at the position seems to have brought out the best in his effort. He also looks to have increased his speed in the off-season.

Allen has to be the most improved back in the mix. He is running with more authority and patience, something he desperately needed to develop after the 2007 season. Allen has showed better vision, waiting for holes to develop rather than charging ahead through the line of scrimmage, and his balance is nearly as good as Hughes. He has elite speed and quickness, rarely slowing to make a change of direction. This, coupled with good hands and increased pass protection skills, and Allen could be very dangerous in passing situations. He has run tougher this Fall than last season, but his shiftiness prevents defenders from getting a solid hit on his small frame which should help his durability.

Lost in the mix of the top three are junior Barry Gallup Jr. and freshmen Jonas Gray. Gallup seems to be an afterthought after a Spring switch from wide receiver, but he has looked very good in the Fall. He has very good cutting ability in space, rarely slowing down to change direction. While not the first choice for getting carries, Gallup could provide solid minutes if needed.

Gray has been one of the most impressive freshmen through the Fall. He is built like a truck and very explosive for 230 lbs, accelerating through the whole with tremendous power. His vision is excellent and he keeps his legs churning on contact. Some (including myself) have doubted his speed but the doubts are ill-founded.

Wide Receiver

The wide receiver position has been a mixed bag for Notre Dame under Weis. Upon arriving Weis and his staff turned relative unknowns Rhema McKnight, Jeff Samardzija, and Maurice Stovall into household names. After multiple seasons in relative obscurity, McKnight, Samardzija, and Stovall dramatically elevated their play. The receiving corps during Weis first two years broke multiple records and it looked like the future for the Irish wide receivers was bright.

Behind the trio of McKnight, Samardzija, and Stovall was nearly no experience. Only senior David Grimes logged any meaningful minutes during 2005 and 2006. Recruiting at the position was solid over Weis’ first two years but has really taken off the last two. The Irish have talent, but it remains to be seen if it will develop.

Generally speaking, all the wide receivers look better this Fall than during the 2007 season. Route running has improved and blocking down the field should create more opportunities for the offense to gain big chunks of yardage in the running game. However, most of the wide receivers still seem to have trouble getting off the line of scrimmage against press coverage. This deficiency has haunted the Irish passing game in the past and is an area that needs vast improvement going into 2008.

The known commodities in the receiver corps are sophomore Duval Kamara and Grimes. Kamara has locked up one starting receiver spot after missing some practice time in the Spring. Coming of a record setting freshman season, the 6’5” Kamara has excellent speed for his size. Improving his consistency catching the ball will be imperative to increase his production from last year.

Grimes holds the other starting spot showing good leadership in the Fall. Easily the most experienced receiver on the team, Grimes should serve as the most dependable pass catcher in 2008. His route running and hands are very good but his size may hold him back from having a very productive year. Juniors Robbie Parris and George West have been hampered by injuries but should be able to contribute admirably if needed.

Even with the optimism surrounding Grimes and Kamara, the talk of Fall camp has been Golden Tate and Michael Floyd. Despite his diminutive size, Tate proved in 2007 that he has the speed and athleticism to stretch the field. However, he had trouble transitioning from running back in high school to a complete wide receiver in his first college season. The word from practice is that Tate’s understanding of the offense and nuances of the wide receiver position have grown considerably. His ascension on the depth chart certainly seems to support this notion and could provide Notre Dame with the deep threat it needs.

Floyd has been creating his own buzz in the Fall with complete wide receiver play. He arrived on campus with the size and strength necessary to contribute immediately, and hasn’t done anything to disappoint so far. Running excellent routes, showing good strength blocking, and snagging just about everything around him, Floyd should see the field a lot in 2008.

Freshmen Deion Walker and John Goodman have also shown flashes of greatness in practice. Walker is a very fluid route runner with the ability to get yards after the catch. Goodman has shown great speed. While both need to add size and strength to consistently contribute, the future looks bright for these two freshmen.

Tight End

The tight end position has been a recruiting dream under Weis. The athleticism of the tight ends on the Irish roster is second to none. The depth chart took a blow with the knee injury of Mike Ragone as he was slated to be the starter and looked poised for a breakout year after a good showing in the Blue & Gold game. It’s a tough break for the sophomore who worked diligently in the off-season to add the size and strength needed to shore up his blocking skills.

Behind Ragone are a trio of talented, albeit inexperienced players. Juniors Will Yeatman and Luke Schmidt give the Irish flexibility. Both are solid blockers and receivers with Yeatman playing more on the line and Schmidt likely taking on a H-back role. Schmidt, in particular, looks very comfortable after moving from fullback last Spring. His blocking technique and physicality at the point of attack will prove to be valuable assets for the Irish running game.

The wildcard in the mix is freshmen Kyle Rudolph. Anointed with the starting duties by Weis, Rudolph comes to Notre Dame with much acclaim. He has great size at 6’6” and 250 lbs with a frame that can handle more weight. For his size, Rudolph possesses good speed and agility, giving him the edge over Yeatman and Schmidt in stretching the field. He also has great hands, catching the ball away from his body. The knock on Rudolph may be his blocking ability. While his technique makes up for a strength deficiency, improvement will be needed if he is to become more than just a situational player in 2008.

Offensive Line

Arguably no other unit was more maligned in 2007 than the offensive line. The word on the street is that the unit is improved. However, the little practice footage available doesn’t definitively confirm this.

As mentioned above, the offensive line added size across the entire two deep in the off-season. At times in practice they have looked slow coming off the ball, possibly an artifact of the added weight. Many of the offensive linemen have shown improved technique, staying low, engaging the defender, and keeping their feet driving. When they are able to get good hand position, they usually win the battle as their size and strength prove to be good assets. Cutting the splits down has also led to fewer untouched defenders in the backfield by minimizing space and playing to their size advantage.

Engaging the defender may be the crux of the problem for the offensive line. More speed and quickness off the ball enables an offensive lineman to more easily engage the defender. At this point the questionable speed and quickness of the offensive line may be a liability. Fortunately the running backs are good enough to make up for some deficiency in offensive line play.

As far as individual performers go, each of the starting five has his positives. Sam Young will anchor the right tackle position. Young is a very lean 6’8” and 330 lbs, coming into Fall camp in exceptional physical condition. Perhaps the top offensive tackle recruit in his class, Young has yet to live up to his potential. It has been reported that he is taking more of a leadership role, and, as the experienced veteran of the unit, this bodes well. The primary problem Young faces is balance as his height makes it difficult to stay low. At times he can over-compensate, extending his body too far from his center of gravity.

To Young’s left, manning the right guard position, will be Chris Stewart. Stewart also has good size at 6’5” and 337 lbs. He took a while to develop into his role, needing to lose weight and improve his speed, but the work has paid off as he has shown improved quickness to go with his size. Stewart really looks poised to have a very good junior campaign.

Dan Wenger will man the center position for the Irish in 2008. He played admirably in limited duty at the end of the 2007 season, replacing the injured veteran John Sullivan. Wenger has exhibited a physical, aggressive mentality in his play during the Fall, something lacking from the 2007 version of this unit.

Lining up at left guard will be Eric Olsen. Similar in stature to Wenger, Olsen also brings toughness to the Irish offensive line. He comes of the ball quicker than most of the other linemen on the roster, staying low and driving his opponent.

Perhaps the most surprising outcome of the Fall practices has been senior Michael Turkovich winning the battle for left tackle. Turkovich spent most of his time at guard in the past but won the position battle for left tackle with Paul Duncan due to improved quickness and footwork during the Fall.

Defense

Defensive Line

Most of the Irish defense appears solid heading into the 2008 campaign. The lone exception may be along the defensive line. The primary challenge for the Irish defense appears to be against the run, particularly on first down. If the Irish can force opponents into long down and distances the rest of the defensive personnel is built to pressure the quarterback and lock down receivers in man coverage.

There are few big names along the defensive front for Notre Dame where the modus operandi seems to be smaller, quicker personnel. Pat Kuntz returns after missing all of the Spring, moving outside from the interior of the defensive line. Kuntz has a work ethic that is second to none, and will contribute valuable minutes in 2008. His lack of pure athleticism, however, prevents him from being an overwhelming presence on the field.

Pressing for playing time behind Kuntz is freshman Ethan Johnson. Johnson came to Notre Dame with much fanfare and hasn’t disappointed so far. He has a very large frame with room to add weight, shows good explosiveness off the ball for his size, and has good technique for a freshman. The knock on Johnson, like all freshmen along the offensive and defensive fronts, is his strength. While he does have good size (275 lbs) and speed to contribute early, his strength will likely prevent him from playing an high number of minutes. Still, he will be looked upon to contribute depth to the defensive end position.

Justin Brown and Maurice Richardson will man the other side of the defensive line. Like Johnson, Brown has good quickness and agility, but his size may be a liability. At 277 lbs, he may struggle against larger offensive lines late in games. Richardson will no doubt be spelling Brown, trying to ease the fatigue and keep both players fresh. He seems to be settling in nicely to the defensive end position after switching from outside linebacker in the Spring. Richardson has shown excellent quickness, balance, and hand technique throughout the Fall. If he is able to increase his weight from 255 to 285+ lbs he could be an every-down contributor for the Irish.

The wildcard in the mix may be freshman Kapron Lewis-Moore. While somewhat under-sized Lewis-Moore has shown excellent athleticism in his limited time on campus and may be a promising pass rusher. With the lack size all along the defensive front, an added body to share the load will help keep a regular rotation of fresh linemen.

Coming off an All-American freshman season Ian Williams will now start at nose tackle for the Irish. The move to a full-time playing role is a change he welcomes and he certainly has the size and strength to play well. Williams continues to play low and uses good leverage. He also sheds blocks well but his recognition, at times, is slow. He will be counted on to control both A-gaps against the run, as well as provide a pass rush surge up the middle. Effectively performing both duties is a tall task for any one player and Williams may need help.

Behind Williams are junior Paddy Mullen and a promising freshman. Like Williams, Mullen has good size and strength, but lacks the athleticism of freshman Brandon Newman. Newman certainly has the physical build at 6’ and 310 lbs, giving him a low center of gravity and allowing him to play with good leverage. What he lacks in straight-line speed he makes up for in explosiveness off the ball. Most of the Fall practice footage indicates he has excellent footwork and agility for his size. Newman also seems to have the requisite strength to contribute right away, something the majority of the other freshmen lack.

Linebackers

The linebacker corps will be led by senior Maurice Crum. This Fall has been all about business for Crum, trying to lead the redemption movement from the 2007 season. A four year starter, Crum has played outside and inside linebacker in his career at Notre Dame. He has a nose for the football, good athleticism, and good speed, and should thrive as the weak inside linebacker in the 3-4 scheme if the front three can occupy blockers.

Moving from the outside linebacker position next to Crum is sophomore Brian Smith. Smith showed exceptional athleticism in his freshman season, prompting the defensive staff to move him to the interior where he is free to make more plays. He has looked excellent in the Fall and could have a great 2008 campaign. Smith has all of the physical tools to be a great linebacker: size, strength, speed, and instincts. And in assistant head coach Jon Tenuta’s aggressive, blitzing scheme, he should wreck havoc on opposing offenses.

Behind Smith and Crum the options are a little thin for the Irish. Toryan Smith was the projected starter at inside linebacker before the move by Brian Smith to the interior. With good size, Toryan Smith could be a capable force against the run, but his lack of speed has hurt him dropping into coverage in the passing game.

The outside linebacker position for Notre Dame will feature a strong/weak look with sophomore Harrison Smith occupying the strong-side linebacker position. Despite not having ideal size, Smith will serve as the defensive coordinator Corwin Brown’s answer to the spread offense. He has excellent speed and athleticism, always ending plays around the ball. Smith has adapted well to his new roll this Fall and as long as Brown doesn’t ask him to play strong against the run on the edge he should be a big asset to the Irish defense.

The weak outside linebacker position will be manned by junior John Ryan and sophomore Kerry Neal. Both will likely play down on the line of scrimmage in 4-3 looks for the Irish, with Ryan contributing more effectively against the run and Neal being the pass rush specialist. Neal showed a knack for getting after the quarterback in his freshman campaign but struggled to consistently play well against the run. Both players have looked solid in the Fall as the defensive end look of the 4-3 defense seems like a much more natural fit for Ryan than his outside linebacker position in the 3-4.

Two freshmen may enter the mix as well with Darius Fleming and Steve Filer showing promise and excellent athleticism in the Fall. In the very least these two should push the others at the same position, helping improve the play of the linebacker corps through competition as well as creating depth.

Secondary

Arguably the strongest position on the defensive side of the ball coming out of the 2007 season, the Irish secondary took a hit before the season started with the loss of projected starting cornerback Darrin Walls. Walls was easily Notre Dame’s best cover corner and his loss leaves the secondary with a lack of experience at one of the cornerback positions. There is talent waiting in the wings as this may be the most athletic group of secondary players since the Holtz era, but Walls’ backup and projected starter Raeshon McNeil will need to grow up quickly.

Manning the other corner spot is two-year starter Terrail Lambert. Lambert possesses top end speed and has developed good instincts for the position. Taking on a leadership roll in the Fall, Lambert looks to be developing into a solid senior player for the Irish. He and McNeil have the speed, quickness, and ability to be very good players for the Irish in 2008.

Behind Lambert and McNeil are four players who could see duty in Nickel and Dime packages. Sophomore Gary Gray, juniors Sergio Brown and Jashaad Gaines, and freshman Robert Blanton have all had very good Fall practices and should contribute in 2008. Brown and Gaines both possess excellent athleticism, speed, and range, and it seems that they are finally learning the nuances of the position. Gray turned heads all last season will recovering from an injury and has pressed McNeil for the starting role. Similar to McNeil, Gray is exceptionally smooth coming in and out of breaks and making plays on the ball.

Blanton has also been making a good impression on the coaching staff during the Fall, pushing to see the field. While he doesn’t have excellent speed, his long frame and agility allow him to break on the ball exceptionally well. He may be too small to hold up against the run every down but Blanton could provide some solid minutes if needed.

At the safety position the Irish have one of the most under-rated players in the country. After a great off-season senior David Bruton is poised to have an break-out performance in 2008. With exceptional power, agility, and range, Bruton is ideally suited to play center field for the Irish. Having a front seven that puts more pressure on opposing quarterbacks should also help to increase his interception production.

Filling in for the departed Tom Zbikowski is senior Kyle McCarthy. McCarthy had an excellent Spring and continued to impress in the Fall with a knack for showing up near the ball. While he doesn’t possess elite speed, McCarthy does have good size and quickness, and is a very dependable tackler. He reads the run quickly and takes excellent angles to fill gaps on the outside. If he can prove to be unsusceptible to play action the Irish may see an upgrade in play at the strong safety position.

In short, the Irish secondary has excellent athleticism and speed, making them good candidates to play tough, press-man coverage and allow the front seven to pressure opposing quarterbacks. This plays right into Tenuta’s scheme and should pay huge dividends for the defense in 2008.