Trojan War

There's a strong possibility that the best thing about this weekend's Notre Dame-USC game, from an Irish perspective, is that by 8:00 PM Saturday, it will be over. At that point, mercifully, the first 8 games of a lost season will finally be over, and the Irish will have two weeks to catch their breath and think about what needs to happen in order to end the season on a positive note against a slate of Navy, Air Force, Duke, and Stanford.

One game at a time though, and for the Irish that means sealing off all the other distractions and controversy (real or manufactured) surrounding them and focusing on USC. We here shall do likewise...

Notre Dame vs. #9 USC
3:30 PM EDT
Notre Dame Stadium - Notre Dame, IN

Why USC Will Win

There's no way to avoid it when sizing up the Trojans - this batch of USC players resembles a M*A*S*H unit as much as they do a football team. You can count on one hand the number of key players that haven't seen their season hampered, cut short, or ruined before it started by injuries. LB Rey Maualuga decked WR Patrick Turner so hard in practice Turner missed the season opener. Turner's back and is the top threat at wide receiver; Maualuga could miss Saturday's game with a hip injury. LB Brian Cushing pronounced himself ready to go after a lingering ankle injury; veteran O-linemen Sam Baker and Chilo Rachal are doubtful with hamstring and knee problems, respectively. The "10-deep" at running back everyone hyped during fall drills for the Trojans has turned the fight for carries into a war of attrition, as Stafon Johnson (foot), CJ Gable (knee), Broderick Green (foot), and Marc Tyler (leg) have all been hampered or eliminated, while Emmanuel Moody transferred to Florida. Also, did we mention how veteran corner Josh Pinkard was lost for the season? And key DB Shareece Wright is on the mend from a hamstring injury? Then there's the Trojan QB, John David Booty (pictured, left), who fractured the middle finger on his throwing hand during his 4-interception performance that was a big factor in SC's stunning loss to Stanford two weeks ago. Signal-calling duties will pass to redshirt sophomore Mark Sanchez for a second straight week, and look for freshman tailback Joe McKnight to get his share of touches too.

Here's all USC need focus on though - despite an offense that's been stuck in neutral most of the season (with or without the injury factors), most of the key players on defense haven't been hurt, nor have they let the team be hurt by the offense's lack of dominance. The Trojans still know how to put points on the board, still have experienced playmakers at most of the key positions, still have an outstanding coaching staff, and quite frankly spook me with all the attempts to sandbag their own state of affairs heading into the game. To me, it may seem like every USC player under the sun is a member of the walking wounded, but it just seems that way. Right now the biggest wound USC is nurturing is its own ego after dropping to the edge of the national title conversation, but they're still a one-loss team in a year where the number of unbeatens is dropping daily (latest victim, the Cinderella Bulls of South Florida). With a stout defensive effort paced by LB Keith Rivers, DT Sedrick Ellis, and DE Lawrence Jackson, the Trojans don't need to be concerned. For all the perceived faults, they're still 5-1 and Notre Dame is still 1-6.

Why Notre Dame Will Win

If 1-3, 41-point underdog Stanford can do it, anything is possible. That's talking point #1 for an Irish fan when assessing the chances for the upset. Here's the significant follow-up question: does Notre Dame, this 2007 unit which fell so flat and so hard, which has been the butt of jokes and the target of SNL parodies; does THIS TEAM, walking out on Saturday in replica throwback green jerseys to honor the 1977 championship squad...does this team have enough pride and enough guts to take down a team they have no business being on the field with? If the answer be yes, than anything is possible. If the answer be no...it could be a 4th 31-point deficit in 6 years.

Putting aside the intense emotions that rise to the surface during rivalry week, the Irish do have the blueprint for how the beat USC laid out in front of them. 1) Force turnovers - in the last three games, all of which were against sub-.500 teams and all of which could have been losses, USC committed 12 turnovers, 8 of which were interceptions. 2) Pressure the quarterback - Sanchez and Booty haven't found much success when forced to think on their feet this season. The Irish have stepped up the blitz packages over the past two weeks, and Saturday is no time to pull back. 3) Be smart on offense. The perception over the Irish QB situation is that Jimmy Clausen has been banged around like a pinball enough for one six game stretch, so we might as well feed Evan Sharpley to the Lions and let 'Jimbo' get right for the "honor bowl" that comprises the November schedule against two service academies and two academic bastions. But Sharpley could be a key factor in throwing away any hopes of an upset if he keeps his pattern of high-risk, high-reward passes from a week ago. When you're down 20 in the second half to Boston College, you can understand the risks. But starting at home against a highly-ranked rival, with the score 0-0 from the outset, Sharpley needs to be calm and keep taking the 7-to-10 yard gains SC gives. Carroll's schemes are designed to clamp down on chances for big plays and feast on creating turnovers even during what looks like a successful play (key reference point here: Brady Quinn's 15-yard post pattern to Anthony Fasano that would've put ND deep in 'SC territory during the 3rd quarter two years ago...except Darnell Bing popped the ball loose at the end of the run). If the Irish don't give the game away early, they have a chance to stay in it late.

The Prediction

There's a lot of negativity surrounding Notre Dame right now, some of it with malicious intent from people who can't stand Notre Dame, some of it from people who love Notre Dame and are coping with the depression by lashing out, and you can't think it hasn't dented the psyche of the program by now. Similar to last week's Boston College game, the Irish can win if they totally close ranks and playing 60 FULL MINUTES of inspired football that reflects how little margin for error they have. Sadly, it's just too remote of a possibility for me to see it happening. Doesn't mean it can't happen. But like I said...remote.

USC 27, Notre Dame 14.

Our Long National Nightmare is Over...

At last, Notre Dame is back in the win column.

With all the grace and offensive continuity of a Tyrone Willingham-coached team, Charlie Weis and the Irish sat patiently and waited for Karl Dorrell to heroically snatch defeat from the jaws of victory on Saturday night. Crazy like a fox, that Coach Weis is.

Now, obviously, no coach in America gameplans around the hope that the opponent will trip over themselves just badly enough to hand the game away (save perhaps Turner Gill and the Fighting Blue Bulls of Buffalo), but that's essentially what happened on Saturday night. I don't exactly want to heap praise on Weis for his throughly handcuffed strategy on offense, but he seemed to finally have hit the right notes in regard to what he's always proclaimed as his number 1 credo - "You don't put in more than the quarterback can handle." The Irish were squaring up against one of the toughest defenses in the nation, one that arm-wrestled Brady Quinn to the ground last year before he pulled a magic act in the final minute, so Weis had two choices - A) Force the issue with either Evan Sharpley or Jimmy Clausen at QB (really doesn't matter which one, as they both suffer from the same problems of lacking meaningful minutes prior to this season and holding the ball too damn long), which probably would've lead to game-changing mistakes as it did during the first half of the Purdue game or B) Play grind-out, dink-and-dunk ball, putting the onus on UCLA to seize a tight ball game rather than have opportunities to blow the Irish out early. Weis smartly chose Plan B.

On the flip side, his counterpart Karl Dorrell? "He chose...poorly." Even in the first quarter, with shaky Ben Olsen under center, the Bruins were throwing the ball more than they should have. I get one of UCLA's top two backs was injured and on the shelf, but over the course of the game it didn't matter who was touching the ball - the Bruins were gaining five yards per carry without even trying. Take away the negative rushing yards piled up by the two quarterbacks thanks to Irish sacks, and they were taking a healthy 4.3 yards per rush. And when Olsen twisted his knee on a Tom Zbikowski sack and strip, forcing walk-on third stringer MacLeod Bethel-Thompson into the game? Surely even Dorrell knew the time had come to just tote the rock on the ground for the rest of the game. I mean, on 4th and 1 from inside the Notre Dame 45 you pound it ahead for a new set of downs, not roll the untested, non-scholarship QB on a play-action bootleg...right?

It was a little shocking to be in the stands at the Rose Bowl (fantastic venue, by the way, far more charming and matched with the pageantry of college football than that abomination across town) and watch a win drop into Notre Dame's lap so easily. They accomplished almost nothing of substance on offense. They got saved from a long UCLA touchdown play by a holding penalty, and a big interception on one of the few deep passes attempted thanks to a pass interference call. The second-longest pass completion of the night was thrown by a freshman running back. And who knows what might've been had Karl Dorrell come to his senses and kept his third-stringer away from an energized pass rush led by Maurice Crum? Despite all that, the Irish pulled out the win. There's no point in analyzing all the ways Notre Dame did wrong (only to be saved by the fact that UCLA did worse in just about every way). You ask anybody on an 0-5 team if they'd rather play pretty and lose or play ugly and win, they take the latter every time. Fans of an 0-5 team can't be any different, particularly when the next two weeks will see two Top 10 opponents marching into Notre Dame Stadium.

Basketball on Grass

It's time for Notre Dame-Purdue. The Irish are now in uncharted territory, having never searched longer than four weeks to get their first win of the season. But here they are, 0-4, staring back into the abyss of what could potentially be an 0-8 start. First things first, though - the Boilermakers. Block out all thoughts of 0-8. Concentrate on the Boilermaker and their obnoxious drum, and it might be only as bad as 1-7.

Preview #5...

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Purdue Boilermakers
12:00 PM EDT
Ross-Ade Stadium - West Lafaytette, IN

Why Purdue Will Win

Although they've gotten next to no help from both their offensive and special teams brethren, Notre Dame's defense hasn't been a great help to their own cause by surrendering a horrid 233 yards per game on the ground. They have not faced, nor have their opponents needed, a truly gifted quarterback (Ryan Mallett might be one in a year or two, but anybody who wants to claim his performance was indicative of Michigan's "putting the game in his hands" clearly wasn't paying attention). And now, here in Week 5, comes another disciple of Joe Tiller's crazy lock-and-load, fun'n'gun, spread-and-bread offense. Or you could just call it "basketball on grass". Your pick.

Following in the footsteps of Drew Brees & Kyle Orton is senior Curtis Painter, who's bloomed in his second full season as Purdue signal-caller. After leading the nation in picks last year, Painter's thrown just 1 through the first four games of 2007 to go with 16 TDs and a completion rate just under 69%. In short, he is the veteran QB talent that Notre Dame hasn't seen yet this season, unless you want to count Anthony "12-of-22 with an interception" Morelli. With favorite targets Dorien Bryant, Greg Orton, TE Dustin Keller, & Selwyn Lymon (pictured, right, burning the Irish secondary for some of his Irish-opponent-record 238 yards in last year's game) to choose from, Painter should feel giddy at the prospect of facing a reeling Irish defense that has been historically bad against the pass during the previous two seasons and has many of the same players Painter teed off on a year ago (Curtis threw for 398 yards in the loss). Why does Purdue win this game? Because they run an offense the Irish haven't seen yet, run it ridiculously well, and pounce on the fragile 0-4 psyche that wanders into their stadium.

Why Notre Dame Will Win

Because the law of averages says they have to at some point...right? Unfortunately for the Irish, the schedule doesn't ease up for them in the seemingly neverending quest to put a 'W' on the board in 2007. But Purdue's lofty 4-0 record and gaudy stats being pitted against the unprecedented Irish start gives everybody a convenient reason to ignore the fact Painter and the BoilerBoys accomplishments came against an opening slate that included 3 Division I teams that are a combined 3-9 (Toledo, Central Michigan, & Minnesota), plus Division I-AA Eastern Illinois (2-2). Purdue's defense is just as shaky as Notre Dame's - overall rank of 59, and surrendering 227 passing yards per game. Though an optimist could argue those numbers to be misleading because Painter and the offense have raced to the type of leads which pretty much force their opponents to throw on every down in order to catch up.

This is why the Irish will win: controlling the line of scrimmage for the second straight week. While their weren't many positives to take out of last week's Michigan State loss, here was one undeniable plus - the offensive line cleared holes for James Aldridge and Robert Hughes, while allowing 4 sacks (two of which were indisputably the result of a young QB not knowing when to throw the ball away). For a unit that surrendered an astonishing 23 through the first three games being matched up with a team that led the nation, that was a fair showing for the Irish vs. the Spartans. As long as the game is close, within 10 points, the Irish shouldn't bother throwing the ball. Pound, pound, pound, play keep-away from Painter and Co., and frustrate Purdue by being an opponent they can't knock out in the first round - Purdue has outscored its opponents 72-20. And when all other reasons for optimism fail, remember that this guy...

is still Purdue's defensive coordinator.


The Prediction

One never knows when Brock Spack is running the D for the opponent, does one? While a veteran crew probably could slice-and-dice the Boilers D (like Brady Quinn did for the past two seasons), it is by now painfully obvious that the Irish are not a veteran crew, a lesson Charlie Weis was unwilling to accept for the first three weeks of the season. With a more humble, aggressive, gut-check attitude in place over the past two weeks, the Irish should just keep moving forward with the few things they did well against the Spartans, hoping that it's enough against an overconfident Purdue squad. Unfortunately, I doubt it will be enough, but I've been wrong before...

Purdue 35, Notre Dame 24.

Post Mortem: Michigan State 31, Notre Dame 14

Notre Dame has played 119 seasons worth of football, and has lost at least four games in 25 of them. So the 2007 season isn't exactly alone in its ignominy. It'll get special attention though, since it is now the first time Notre Dame lost their first four to open a season. If you'd rather not be hammered over the head with that statement, don't watch ESPN this week, read the paper, go on the internet (in which case you could not be reading this blog post...interesting catch-22 we find ourselves in), or do anything except drink water and go to the bathroom. "Notre Dame is 0-4" is about to become the second most overused phrase in sports television, right behind (you guessed it, Pat), "The Masters is on CBS".

The real bug about yesterday's 31-14 loss to Michigan State is that, even for a 17-point loss, it was a game that was quite obviously winnable. The Spartans aren't that good. Right now, Notre Dame's just that bad. When they needed to mix up the offensive gameplan a bit in the second half after some first-half success on the ground, they couldn't do it. When they needed to come up with one more play on defense on 3rd downs to get Michigan State off the field, they couldn't do it (3rd and 17? C'mon.) And on a day when they really needed to get some consistency out of their special teams play, they got what was hands down the worst performance of Geoff Price's career and YET ANOTHER penalty on Travis Thomas that pushed the young offense deep into the shadow of their own goalposts during the second quarter. The hits just keep on coming.

But, and it is a least a token of saving grace to say this, there were legitimate positives to take away from the game (the first half, anyway). "Training camp" seemed to have finally established the possibility of a core, power running game out of James Aldridge (with Robert Hughes as a 'Plan B' with loads of potential). The defense continued to put out a game effort despite being faced with a staggering 7 possessions that began in Notre Dame territory. Seven. Half of the Michigan State drives began on the opposite side of the 50 - usually when a stat like this pops up, you think the other team shot themselves in the foot with turnovers, like how Michigan State fumbled inside its own 10. But only one of those 7 turns in 'plus-territory' for the Spartans once set up by a turnover. I guess the Irish special teams were tired of the offense being the only ones to hang the defense out to dry.

What the defense could not do...AGAIN (at the risk of sounding like Mike Valenti) was contain the rushing attack along the edge. I know the Spartans pride themselves on having their pounders like Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick carry the ball, but a healthy portion of their 219 rushing yards came by running to the boundary. It's almost sad to think about how much Pat Kuntz and Trevor Laws are leaving on the field only to be totally let down by a linebacking corps which can't shed blocks. Maurice Crum was all over the place, racking up 16 tackles, but mostly he was the one cleaning up after at least one other Irish defender either couldn't bring down Ringer or had been taken out of the play.

In total, Saturday was probably the most frustrating of the four losses this season because this was a team Notre Dame was capable of beating, and in the first half the Irish accomplished most of the things they needed to do in order to win. When the Irish can figure out how to make that carry over across 60 minutes, they're not just going to win a game this season. They're going to win a whole bunch in the years to come.

Other observations from a weekend of football:

• What's going on in New England is starting to border on criminal (in the figurative sense, not the literal). Tom Brady-to-Randy Moss is quickly becoming like a real-life version of SuperTecmo Bowl. You know, when you would choose to be the Raiders and intentionally down all the kickoffs at your own 1-yard line, just because you knew Bo Jackson would score whenever he touched the ball? Right now, New England's that good. I know Mike D never loses faith in Peyton and his Colts, but if they meet up in the AFC title game again this year? Don't count on being saved by dropped touchdown passes.

• We have an early leader for greatest sports rant of 2007. As you might all guess, Mike Valenti was the runaway winner in 2006, and pretty much has the rant of the century award locked up. But for sheer "A-Bomb style" meltdown quality this year, we haven't really seen it before Saturday, when Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy stepped to the podium after his Cowboys rallied to beat Texas Tech. Here's what he had to say towards one columnist who questioned the heart of his quarterback after the previous week's loss to Troy. (Note: this happened shortly after Oklahoma State won on Saturday. So just imagine what might've gone down had they lost...

• LaDanian Tomlinson has only one rushing touchdown through three games. Or, to sum it up in a way that makes all those who scrambled to pick him first in fantasy football feel really bad about themselves, he has one fewer than Notre Dame.

• Forget all this talk about 0-4. How many days until Season 4 of Lost?

Circle the Wagons

Fear, Fear for Old Notre Dame. The Frightened Irish. The Fighting Rash. Three-and-out Jesus. If it was a 'clever' pun designed to tweak Notre Dame's storied past in comparison with its stormy present, you heard it this week.

Not without good reason, mind you. The Irish have been historically bad up to this point in the season, dropping to 0-3 while scoring just 13 points, none of them in the form of an offensive touchdown. And now the Irish, who've allowed 23 sacks through the first 12 quarters of 2007, get to face the upstart Michigan State Spartans, 3-0 under a new head coach (Mark Dantonio) and still ticked about blowing a 37-21 lead in last season's downpour that produced the single greatest rant in the history of sports rants. If Sparty pulls a similar trick this weekend, everybody tune into 1270 WXYT on Monday morning to hear Mike Valenti's thoughts. You will not leave disappointed.

Game 4...

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Michigan State Spartans
3:30 PM EDT
Notre Dame Stadium - South Bend, IN

Why Michigan State Will Win

Describing Notre Dame's offensive line as a 'sieve' is an insult to sieves everywhere. The Irish would probably have better pass blocking results if they unveiled a big sheet of Charmin-Ultra in front of Jimmy Clausen on every play. Under the aggressive schemes of former Ohio State defensive whiz Dantonio, Michigan State has racked up 17 sacks, tied with Penn State (gee, wonder who helped them get up there) and Indiana for tops in the nation. Georgia Tech and Michigan are tied for second nationally with 13, before you ask. And yes, the Irish "lead" the nation in sacks allowed with 23.

So there's no big secret behind what the Spartans want to do here - pressure, pressure, and more pressure, until the Irish finally start to beat some of it back. MSU's defense is a hodgepodge of youth and experience, with vets like DE Ervin Baldwin (who picked-six Brady Quinn last year), LB SirDarean Adams (who did the same thing to Quinn in '05), and LB Kaleb Thornhill. The front seven are, for the most part, a battle-tested group. The back four are not, as Sparty trots out no seniors on the two deep at either corner or free safety - if the Irish do open up the passing game, look for them to stay away from team captain Travis Key at strong safety. For the moment though, Michigan State's concerns about inexperience versus an explosive passing attack are academic - the Irish may be a lot of things at the moment, but nobody would apply the word 'explosive' towards their offense in a positive light. If State controls the line of scrimmage and collapses on top of the Irish running game, allowing them to tee off on young Clausen in the backfield, it'll be another long day for ND and its fans.

Why Notre Dame Will Win

Can we invoke the rule that, at least once a season, the Irish win a game they have absolutely no business winning? Sometimes this occurs because the Irish trip over themselves and outplay a superior opponent, other times because they do just enough to overcome their incompetence when playing a lesser opponent. Recent examples of this rule being executed include: 2002 Michigan, 2003 Navy, 2004 Tennessee, 2005 Stanford, 2006 UCLA. Somehow, when all seems lost forever, ole Notre Dame pulls yet another rabbit out of the hat and makes you think, "Ya know what? Everything's gonna be ok."

Saturday is going to have to be one of those days. In terms of raw physical talent, the Irish match up just fine with the Spartans. It's the psychological disposition of each team which will determine whether it's a tough, competitive football game or just another "go-through-the-motions" affair for the Irish. They spent all week back in a barebones, training camp mentality, bunkered in from the negativity swirling around the national media and what surely must've been a depressingly bad on-campus environment. How bad did things get? Even a well-intentioned attempt by student government to let the boys know we're still behind them went horribly awry, caught in a net by the P.C. Police - Kelly Green has the blow-by-blow of how it went down; check out Tuesday's entry on the main page. Shame on the Student Body Prez for leaving the GaTech game with 3 minutes to go.

So if the Irish win, they're gonna have to take all that anger and emotion and vortex of doom and spit it back in the face of the guys they line up across - in other words, I don't think it'll take very long to tell if the last week of "training camp"-style practices made the team hungrier. Things are going to get better, or they'll just continue to get worse. Look for the Irish to spend a lot of time in the first quarter asserting themselves in the trenches; if they succeed, that'll mark the first time this season. And it'll be why they can carry the momentum deep into a game they desperately have to win.

The Prediction

Too much was expected too quickly out of many areas for this 2007 Notre Dame team. Not that we should just excuse the level of awfulness they've managed to plummet too, not that it has somehow become okay to get taken behind the woodshed by an 0-2 Michigan team, but we have to recoginze that not only fans but the coaching staff expected a lot of players to climb the ladder quicker than they were able to. The Irish are back to basics this week, and look for that to mean a lot of running plays and the expectation of tough, aggressive spirit, particularly on the offensive and defensive lines. That should yield at least an offensive touchdown or two, and beyond that...who knows? This is the first time in a while where I'm picking against the Irish even though I feel it's a game they can definitely win. Too many variables surround the squad right now to go into the game with a good feeling.

Michigan State 24, Notre Dame 14

Post Mortem: Penn State 31, Notre Dame 10

Superman didn't exactly fly on Saturday night. But he gave some encouraging signs that he will one day soon.

Jimmy Clausen, parents and older brothers in tow, arrived on Saturday night, and the results produced a little bit of everything: encouragement, incompetence, improvement, regression, and ultimately a 31-10 loss to the veteran Nittany Lions in which Notre Dame's performance echoed all the same themes as a week ago: the Irish are young, inexperienced, and played the part all too often.

Darrin Walls got the game off on the right foot for the Irish with a terrific interception of an Anthony Morelli jump-ball , then darted back upfield, weaved past a couple blocks and notched Notre Dame's first touchdown of the year. That would be as good as it got, with the Irish piling up 3-and-outs due to a conservative gameplan clearly designed to keep Clausen upright. It was modestly successful at best, as the young signal-caller still got beat up and sacked 6 times, to say nothing of numerous hurries and scrambles. Meanwhile, the Irish managed to pull off a Bluto Blutarsky-esque 0.0 net yards of rushing.

The opening drive was Clausen's best, as Charlie Weis called for a steady diet of Armando Allen around the edge with screen plays that moved the ball into Penn State territory, but a pair of false start penalties on Paul Duncan short-circuited the momentum and the Irish came away with nothing as Nate Whitaker missed a 50-yard field goal. On the positive side, he clearly had the leg. Damn accuracy issues.

With Walls' big play the obvious highlight, the Irish defense for a second straight week put up a game effort under adverse conditions - Penn State had 9 possessions in the first half and only two of them began inside their own 25-yard line. Of the three Nittany Lion touchdown drives, none covered more than 65 yards. And the Irish's best chance to turn the field position battle in their favor went out the window when they turned into their own worst enemy with another idiotic personal foul penalty, this time on former linebacker and current special-teamer Travis Thomas.

That, unfortunately, was the watchword of the evening as far as the Irish were concerned: mistakes. Every variety too - dumb ones, communication ones, assignment ones, coaching ones, mental ones, made by youngsters and veterans alike. The Irish racked up 97 yards worth of penalties on 14 flags, and in nearly every situation where they could least afford a mistake, they made one. Clausen's one legitimate chance to air it out while the game was still in reach came on a dazzling FedEx laser to Golden Tate which would've moved the ball from the ND 33 to the Penn State 25...but it was nullified by a holding call against RT Sam Young. When the Irish D again stiffened after the only pass coverage breakdown of the night (51-yard completion from Morelli to Chris Bell made possible by a gamble-gone-wrong from David Bruton), Ambrose Wooden got flagged for pass interference and took the Lions from a 4th-down field goal try to first down at the 2. Of all the penalities, Wooden's was the least justifiable, the definition of a questionable-at-best PI call, but the yellow laundry was on the field whether the Irish liked it or not.

Finally, the dam broke in the fourth quarter as Austin Scott chewed turf at Beaver Stadium and scored the clinching touchdowns against an exhausted first-string for the Irish. Penn State wasn't a particularly impressive team on Saturday, but they didn't have to be with a solid, explosive defense matched against a Notre Dame offense searching to establish an identity. The silver lining is that, true to Charlie Weis' word, they did in fact get better this week. Instead of looking stupid on about 80% of the plays, they cut it down to 60%. One can only hope the percentage drops drastically for this upcoming matchup against Michigan, suddenly deprived of all luster and hype in the wake of the first EVER occurrence of an 0-2 start for both schools.

And make no mistake, the Irish did in fact make strides towards figuring out what type of offense they're going to be, with Clausen at the helm, Allen in the backfield, and an offensive line which (on occasion) bought the young QB time to collect his wits on passing attempts. Notre Dame clearly was at its nadir against Georgia Tech (which rose to #15 in the polls this week...just so you know), and the results against Penn State did in fact reflect improvement, albeit not nearly enough. Now a second week of work with Clausen as the undisputed first-stringer takes the Irish into their titanically underwhelming battle with the Wolverines, who will be without senior quarterback Chad Henne. Looks like the bally-hooed battle between Clausen and Ryan Mallet, another top-ranked prep QB who enrolled early at UM, will commence a year or two earlier than expected.

Into the Lion's Den

No, I'm not gonna apologize for this obvious cop-out of a headline. Because right now, having suffered a 30-point beatdown and now sending in a freshman quarterback to compete amid the bright lights of a 108,000 blood-thirsty Penn State fans...a little gallows humor is appropriate.

Happy Valley will be rocking tomorrow night, awaiting the Irish's first visit since 1991 and more than ready for payback after Brady Quinn and Company quickly derailed the Nittany Lions' hopes of repeating their 2005 success with a 41-17 smashing on September 9th, 2006. 365 days later...

• Paterno's crew is the veteran outfit, led by matured quarterback Anthony Morelli, versatile running back Austin Scott, athletic receivers Deon Butler & Derrick Williams (pictured below, right) and All-America caliber linebacker Dan Connor.
• Notre Dame is hording a lot of young talent, but it bears repeating that they are young and inexperienced - and they certainly played the part last Saturday. Maybe it would've been a different story had the Irish broken their young bucks in against, shall we say, Florida International. But they didn't.
• The Penn State fans have the super-intimidating "WHITE OUT" stunt planned for Saturday night. And they give the Irish crap about the green jerseys...

So here we are, another go-round for the Irish and the first in the 2007 series of game previews. Let it begin...

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. #14 Penn State Nittany Lions
6:00 PM EDT
Beaver Stadium - State College, PA

Why Notre Dame Will Win

Is this a trick question? Hard to find is the optimistic Notre Dame fan after the week ND Nation has been through. The 33-3 loss to Georgia Tech set a lot of people to wondering if those who had foretold doomsday (Mark May) were actually right, if the Irish really were so wet behind the ears that they would lay an egg to the tune of a 1-7 or 0-8 start. Tough to think such things coming off the previous two seasons, but such is life in the world of Notre Dame. You are either on top or scrambling like crazy to get there. There is no middle ground, and if you didn't win then you lost. Doesn't matter if you looked good or respectable doing it - you still lost. And when you look silly doing it, like in a game when you rack up just 122 yards of offense, that's when the enemies really start brandishing the heavy artillery.

The "advance scouting report" on Penn State's defensive was relayed to me on Saturday as this - "They're all great, but you haven't heard of any of them." After hearing that except same superlative being lobbied on behalf of the Notre Dame offensive line all summer, color me unimpressed. Even so, as Charlie Weis quipped this week, the Lions don't employ the 'blitzkrieg' defense alà Georgia Tech, "but I would". Count on seeing plenty of pressure coming from the Lions back-7, which features two outstanding linebackers in Connor & Sean Lee, plus great defensive backfield led by corner Justin King (blazing fast) and Anthony Scirroto at free safety.

So what the hell does Notre Dame have to do to stay in the game - forget for the time being about planning to win, how do you find a reason to believe they won't be humiliated and let Jimmy Clausen be devoured? For one thing, expect the offense to stay far more true to its NFL-style Patriot roots this week. The Boy Wonder showed even in mop-up duties against GaTech that he has a lot of the attributes Weis wants from the QB position in his preferred offense. And for all the hype, for all the accolades, for all the doubt and occasionally self-inflicted criticism Clausen creates, it's still true that he's no ordinary college freshman. The kid's about to turn 20 - held back once to develop physically before high school, and that was after starting school at age 6. Never lost a game in three years as a starter in Southern California. While some pointed out that he usually faced less strenuous competition being part of a small private school's conference in Thousand Oaks, I'd wager even 'lesser competition' in SoCal trumps what he'd see in the 'elite' Pennsylvania divisions.

But the Irish need two things - one, minimize the mistakes on offense. Clausen needs to be held back from attempting to be another Brady Quinn (for now). Second, and here's how the Irish can win, is to attack and create turnovers. Force a couple, turn them into points, and all of a sudden we've got a ballgame. The Irish are underdogs and with good reason, so we have to chalk this game in the same category of '02 Florida State, '04 Michigan & '05 USC. The 'hidden plays' of special teams, of momentum-changing turnovers and stops, will determine the Irish fate. The minimum threshold of success: force at least 3 turnovers, and score 14 points off those turnovers.

Why Penn State Will Win

Because Ed Bradley (we can assume) is not an idiot and saw everything he needed to see in last week's Georgia Tech film. He has a defense on caliber with Georgia Tech's - not as proven a commodity along the front 4, but solid at linebacker and safety and more than capable of bringing the pressure. But will history repeat itself? Last season the Nittany Lions got caught with their pants down, Butkus Award winner Paul Posluszny admitting after the game, "We expected them to keep going deep, but they just cleaned us all out and went underneath." That's why, if he really isn't an idiot, Bradley won't rely solely on what he saw in the Georgia Tech game film when preparing. With Clausen back under center, new wrinkles from what the Irish ran last week are not just inevitable but essential. However, the Penn State defense is still quick, angry about what happened last season, and fully aware of just how inexperienced their opposing quarterback is.

What does it all add up to? A potentially very long night for Clausen - despite the fact that not every one of them was a protection problem, the Irish offensive line still surrendered 9 sacks last week. And Weis may have noted that Bradley doesn't blitz quite like Tenuta. "But I would."

The Prediction

Despite all the doom-and-gloom that hovered over the Irish for the past 6 days, there may just be no better tonic than to strap on the pads and get back to hitting people under the lights on Saturday. It's just too much a leap of faith to expect a win, but with the guy Weis has wanted since the day he was hired (Dec. 12, 2004) now quarterbacking the Irish, expect a more fluid offense that at least nets a touchdown or two. If the Irish can catch JoePa's crew off-balance and exploit the same type of mistakes that happened last year to turn the game into a blowout, they've got a fighting chance. But like I said, this game represents some very inexperienced hunters going into the lion's den. And they're talented, ornery lions...not to mention one very senile one.

Penn State 34, Notre Dame 21

Post Mortem: Georgia Tech 33, Notre Dame 3

It could've been worse.

That's your first reaction. And then the counterpoint: How? How in the hell could it POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN WORSE?






Well, if the kicking game had been as bad as rumored and Brandon Walker missed that 24-yard field goal, the final score would've been 33-0.

How bad was Notre Dame's debut on Saturday? It was the worst opening game in the history of the program, going just off the score. Problem is, the score makes the game seem closer than it really was.

Everybody said the deathly hallows began calling for Tyrone Willingham after the 2004 opener against BYU when the Irish mounted a paltry 11 yards of rushing. Hey, at least that game ended in the black - Notre Dame's net total yesterday was -8, thanks mainly to 9 sacks given up. (For those interested in exploring the parallels further, the Irish had just 24 total yards against the Cougars in '04, but ran for 92 against the Yellow Jackets.

After all the cloak-and-dagger routines were finally exhausted, Weis did indeed send Demetrius Jones out to lead the Irish offense. That probably didn't shock most Notre Dame fans; what did was the offense Weis asked Jones to lead. It bore no resemblance to the confident, crisp attack paced by Brady Quinn and Darius Walker over the previous two years. Instead, Jones' mobility and a never-ending rotation of personnel unveiled an offense that seemed nearly identical to West Virginia's spread-run attack. As far as overhauls go, this was a pretty drastic one by Weis. And it didn't work.

It very well could have behind a more experience offensive line. But the transition from an older but unspectacular group to a talented but inexperience one couldn't have been rockier. Along the interior, nothing changed from 2006 - it was still John Sullivan alone on an island, with Dan Wenger (LG) and Mike Turkovich (LG) having a severe case of "deer-in-the-headlights" syndrome, totally unable to adjust to the tenacity of the Georgia Tech blitz. Sam Young was effective at right tackle against Adamm Oliver, but junior left tackle Paul Duncan got beat like a drum all day against the agile Darrell Robertson (3 TFL and a fumble recovery).

Behind that kind of offensive line performance, any quarterback would struggle. But the biggest question left on a day full of them seems to be: why didn't Jones run Notre Dame's offense? Instead of the quick passes and designed screens and slants meant to counter a blitz-happy defense like Tech's, the Irish lived on the edge by calling one sweep and option after another throughout the first half, with only quick flashes of success. Jones threw only three times (1 completion) and it looked like he was only given four or five called passes in total.

The offensive ineptitude ruined any opportunity for the Notre Dame defense to establish a new rep for itself, although its first-half efforts are worthy of mostly praise instead of criticism. Of Tech's first five possessions, the worst starting position they had was their own 32. Three times in the opening 20 minutes they started with the ball in Notre Dame territory. Yet Corwin Brown's 3-4 scheme beat them back from the endzone all three times. But the D also contributed a penalty that seemed to totally deflate the Irish spirit when, having gotten a stop to put Tech at 4th and 9 from the 40, Justin Brown got into a shoving match that resulted in a dead-ball foul and moved the ball 15 yards forward on a drive that Tech would use to score the game's first touchdown.

Seeing nothing in the run-first attack piloted by Jones, Weis turned to plan B with Evan Sharpley leading a pass-first offense. Sharpley played alright, but he compounded the problem of pass protecting by displaying none of the quick decision-making skills needed to be Division I-A quarterback while being sacked 7 times. Despite leading the lone scoring drive, he didn't do much to to impress in his 10-of-13 stint save for picking up a fourth down (where most of the credit should go to Robby Parris for adjusting to a badly thrown ball) and staying alive after fumbling a play-action fake before completing an 11-yarder to John Carlson that put the ball on the Tech two. That's when the most head-scratching moment of the day occurred.

The Irish were down 19-0, less than a yard from a first down, two from the goaline, and desperately needing a score to turn a little momentum in their favor. Weis had Armando Allen, James Aldridge, Robert Hughes, and Travis Thomas to choose from, apart from a fullback dive by Asaph Schwapp or a straight-on QB sneak. Of all the options, the one that had shown absolutely nothing so far on the day was Thomas. And Weis called for the stretch play to his senior, who promptly got drilled back five yards and forced in Brandon Walker to kick a glorified PAT, lest the Irish come away with nothing. Walker's spot-on kick wound up being the highlight of the day.

But not all the drama was done yet - with the Irish down 26-3, in what Weis termed a "get-your-feet-wet situation", the Boy Wonder himself strolled onto the field. Jimmy Clausen answered questions about his arm strength by lofting a perfect spiral well over the head of a streaking DJ Hord, but did go 4-of-6 for 34 yards. Of the Irish QB trio, Clausen seemed to be the only one with a true grasp of Weis' offense - the real offense, not the bizarre DNA-experiment doppleganger that was concocted for Georgia Tech - and could be the starter against Penn State.

It's hard to say what Jones' might do in Weis' offense, because despite playing all but the two-minute drill of the first half, he never got an opportunity to run Weis' offense. The mish-mash of sweeps and options and draw plays netted the Irish some yardage, but they blunted their own progress by looking completely dazed in the face of Tech's blitz. If Jones is, as he describes himself, "a drop-back passer who can run", why did you get the feeling not one of Weis' first-half play calls was a pass play?

Despite the QB drama that will continue to simmer until Weis names the starter on Tuesday afternoon, the real issue is still in the trenches. Not that I want to brag, but I guess I was prophetic when stating that line play (both offense and defense) would be the biggest factor in deciding Notre Dame's fate. The O-Line was horrendous. Defensively the Irish didn't get beat much up the middle, and Trevor Laws was again a force while playing defensive end. But the key to the 3-4 is athleticism in the open space and sound technique by the linebackers to keep things between the hashes and not get beat to the corner. Tashard Choice, a ridiculously under-rated back who led the ACC in rushing last year, routinely got to the corner and that played a big role in his 196-yard day.

Now the Irish are left wondering how things could've gone so wrong so quickly, especially with trips to Penn State and Michigan (go Appalachian State!!!) looming. Judging by Weis' post-game comments - namely, that Clausen was held back from getting as many snaps as Sharpley because of the elbow thing, and that the plan was for the QB AGAINST GEORGIA TECH to be an additional running threat - I was wrong to think Weis would immediately go with whomever he saw as the best long-term option. The plan for Jones to be the quarterback and run this type of offense was a self-contained plan meant for Georgia Tech and their mad scientist of a D-coordinator, Jon Tenuta. Turned out not to make much of an impact when you have a lot of players who've never played more than a couple of meaningful snaps (if any at all) at nearly all the key positions. What's next for the young squad? Weis said it best:

"We're either going to get better or get worse, but we're not staying even. I'm not going to make any idle threats. We're going to watch the tape tomorrow and critically evaluate where the problems are and go about fixing them; so that when we go to Happy Valley, we are not having this same conversation next Saturday night."

#1 - The Countdown Ends...

And so we've arrived...

#1 - Leaving Me in the Trenches, Taking Grenades

I hope you flip over your handle bars and knock your two front teeth in! You selfish son of a B&*&H!!! You're leaving me in the trenches, taking grenades John!!!

This quote from America's consummate Notre Dame fan, Vince Vaughn, neatly summarizes the one thing on which success hinges for the Irish - winning the battle in the trenches, and not merely from one side. It isn't only that the Irish front line defense, reduced to 3 in Corwin Brown's new scheme (Justin Brown, Trevor Laws, & Pat Kuntz) needs to succeed against great running backs over the first two months. Or that the Irish offensive line must break in three new starters and so quickly and without missing a beat in front of an inexperienced quarterback. Either of these things would prompt huge concern for the Irish coaching staff and become a point of emphasis. The fact that both are paramount at the same moment demonstrates why the battles along the trench line will make or break the Irish season.

Funny thing is, that might be just where Charlie Weis, John Latina, Jappy Oliver, and Brown want it to be. Like several other positions, they see each line as "question marks" more because they are unknown rather than untalented. While green, the o-line certainly has tremendous upside, with a Rimington Award-caliber center surrounded by prep All-Americans plus a right tackle coming off a solid freshman year in which he became the first frosh to start every game for the Irish since freshman regained their eligibility. On defense, Laws more than proved his worth at the interior tackle spot, and Brown was a capable backup over the last two seasons. So it isn't a question of talent, it's a question of results.

The "results" could determine the win or loss in as many as half of Notre Dame's games, starting with tomorrow. If the Irish 3-4 scheme controls the line of scrimmage and beats up last year's ACC-leader in rushing, Tashard Choice, the Irish win the game. Plain and simple. On the flip side, if the Irish offensive line asserts itself against elite caliber defenses like Michigan and USC, building opportunities for a deep running back corps and a (one might assume) mobile quarterback, ND will be more than capable of pulling the upset.

So pull up a chair, Irish fans. We're a little over 14 hours from kickoff, and the biggest key for the Notre Dame season is also football's greatest cliche: the game will be won and lost in the trenches. Be rooting for Laws/Brown/Kuntz to provide the complement to Young/Wenger/Sullivan/Turkovich/Duncan. Be looking for the Irish to make a statement.

Be looking for them to leave some other teams stuck in the trenches, taking grenades.

#2 - "MAKE PLAYS!!!"

26.5 hours to kickoff...The penultimate key has arrived.

#2 - "MAKE PLAYS!!!"

If you want to hear a grown man slowly descend into the darkest depths of his soul, simultaneously losing all perspective on life as we currently know it, then listen to WXYT's Mike Valenti during his Monday morning recap of the 2006 Notre Dame-Michigan State game.

Here are the questions confronting unranked Notre Dame...

Who's replacing Brady Quinn? If you believe Morgan Park HS Coach Lexie Spurlock, it'll be Demetrius Jones (this can also be confirmed if you believe what gets reported on AOL Sports blogs using the unimpeachable source known as Facebook). If it is Jones, the reason is simple: the Irish need the best playmaker at the most important position. Not the best caretaker, not the guy with most raw skills, but the guy who can pull the ball in, get creative, use his weapons, and...wait for it...MAKE PLAYS!!!

This is the biggest problem Notre Dame has been confronting over the years - their supposed lack of talent, dearth of playmakers, and lazy coaching that allowed the likes of USC, Michigan, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, and Rutgers (Rutgers?!?) to speed past the nation's most storied program in those key categories. But the tide is turning inside the Irish program. It isn't just the tantalizing possibility of Jones piecing together Vince Young-style highlight reels that should put a smile on Charlie Weis' face.

How are the Irish gonna compete without a receiver that cracks six feet? Notre Dame's two starting wideouts seemed more equipped for Mighty Mites football than Division I. No Jeff Samardzija and his lanky 6-5 frame to win jump balls. No Maurice Stovall with his acrobatic catches. Instead, tiny George West and David Grimes, who are listed (emphasis on listed) at 5-10 each. DJ Hord is the tall man of the group at a stout 6-1. But like many of the skill positions, the Irish have talent and depth at wideout. It's simply inexperienced and (for now) unknown outside the circle of diehards. Frosh Duval Kamara invites plenty of Stovall comparisons with his 6-5, 222 LB. frame, as does 6-4 sophomore Robby Parris. The real reason not to be concerned with wideouts is the height and talent back in the fold at tight end, from likely All-American John Carlson to head-turning freshman Mike Ragone. We already said it once during this countdown, but...the tight end is the quarterback's best friend.

The skill positions are littered with talent for the Irish, more than they've had in the program for quite some time. But college football isn't like the NFL; there's no preseason exhibitions, and Notre Dame, for the time being, doesn't schedule I-AA schools in the opening game to give their young guys a chance to break themselves in. No getting around it, the Irish are walking into an opening gauntlet of games with little margin for error and have plenty of players who you'd have to expect a going to make errors, but they mental or physical. But they can also "MAKE PLAYS!!!" On both offensive and defensive fronts, the emphasis this offseason has been on breaking down the playbook, giving players the freedom to use their athleticism and create chances for themselves rather than working inside a pre-determined frame. The big moment on Saturday could very well be the one that features nothing but improvisation and pure playmaking ability, and it may not be coming just from Demetrius Jones. Stay tuned Irish fans - Irish football returns in one day.

#3 - Starting Fast

And then there were three - the countdown marches on with just 39.5 hours until kickoff...

#3 - Starting Fast

The trademark of Notre Dame's breakthrough in 2005 was fast starts. Each of the first two games has come to be defined by the first Irish offensive series. With that in mind, a little trip down memory lane...

September 3, 2005 - Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh

The Irish defense didn't come out awe-inspiring, yielding a 8-play, 73-yard touchdown march capped by Tyler Palko's 39-yard alley-oop to Greg Lee that infuriated Weis and left every Irish fan with the gnawing feeling of "Here we go again..."

What happened next is hard to describe even with the benefit of two year's hindsight. The Irish offense trotted onto the field, and immediately things seemed off. Three tight ends? Jeff Samardzija as the ONLY wideout? Standing high in the corner endzone of Heinz Field at that moment, most of us didn't even know who Samardzija was. And then the Irish ran a bootleg. What kind of crazy offense is this?

5 plays had the Irish at midfield. The sixth play was the one where you just knew everything was about to change for Notre Dame football. Brady Quinn ran a designed screen play to Darius Walker, who just scooped in the pass and started running, using his convoy all the way to the endzone. A 51-yard screen pass TD on the sixth play of the season. To put this in perspective: Notre Dame had more offensive touchdowns after the first six plays under Charlie Weis than they did after the first 139 plays under Tyrone Willingham.

September 10, 2005 - Notre Dame vs. Michigan

An even bolder opening-act was planned for the next week against then-#3 Michigan.

Having drilled them on it all week, Weis opened the game with the Irish in a five-wide shotgun set and had Quinn run the no-huddle. The junior responded by going 5-for-6 for 44 yards to complement tough running by Walker, and the Wolverines were still looking around confused as hell when Quinn connected with Rhema McKnight for the 7-0 lead. The Irish held on for a 17-10 victory and UM never recovered, dwindling to a mediocre 7-5. The game was ultimately cited as proof that Weis can't win the big game because the Wolverines weren't that good. Hey media, you guys made the rankings, so don't whine when somebody makes you look stupid.

Over the past two years, Weis has gone back to 'empty' to strike the opening notes several times, notably against Penn State in '06 (drive stalled thanks to a penalty, but the Irish claimed a 3-0 lead) & BYU in '05 (touchdown on a drive in which Quinn threw against the Cougar blitz on every down). What does he have in store for Saturday?

That, far more than the seemingly interminable drama over the identity of the starting quarterback, is the real strategic advantage Weis needs. Jon Tenuta is no dummy; while life would be easier for the Yellow Jackets if they knew with certainty that it were Sharpley, Clausen, or Jones behind center, the real challenge is prepping for the offense Notre Dame runs. Whoever becomes QB adds wrinkles, but Tenuta had all last summer and all this summer to devour tape of Weis' system and try to pick out the coach's tendencies.

Anybody who's heard Weis talk knows his personal point of honor is to avoid patterns in his playcalling. That seemed to recede a bit in 2006, as a softer interior of the line changed his running preferences and defensive lapses coupled with turnovers and missed opportunities forced the Irish to toss out the script in their biggest games (case in point Michigan '06, in which whatever gameplan Weis had going in surely must've been blown to hell before the end of the 1st quarter).

Late last season, especially for the USC and LSU games, the Irish repeated ad nauseum the importance of a quick start, the kind that knocked teams like Pitt and UM back on their heels in 2005. Neither game produced one, as the Irish squandered the momentum of a highlight reel catch by McKnight that covered 38 yards on the game's first play from scrimmage against USC (as previously mentioned, the drive stalled on the Trojan 29 and Weis gambled on 4th down rather than basically give the ball away on a missed field goal). The Sugar Bowl was an even bigger flop out of the gate, as Samardizja got dinged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that wiped out a first down gain to the 42 and put the Irish in 1st-and-20 from their own 27. Weis gambled again when the drive stalled and lost with Travis Thomas' fake punt run stuffed for a loss.

So, under Weis, Notre Dame fans have been getting (for better or worse) a pretty good read on what kind of game it's gonna be based on the first drive. This season, for obvious reasons, is no different. New quarterback, revamped defense, high expectations as usual from the fanbase with little to no regard for the non-expectations of outsiders, and all those questions wondering, "How can Notre Dame move on from the loss of all those playmakers?" To which I laugh a little, not because I disrespect Quinn, Walker, Samardzija, Rhema McKnight, Anthony Fasano, et al, but because these were all the same guys that belonged to a team "WITH NO PLAYMAKERS!!!" back when Tyrone Willingham coached them. Essentially, I'm looking at the opener on Saturday as a dare - a dare for Charlie Weis to shock people once again, to change it up so dramatically that people can't help but notice.

And, for some spine-tingling reason, I think Weis (and, far more importantly, his players) are about to take people up on that dare.

#4 - Time to Get Their Kicks

There's a strong case that this baby could be the #1 key to the Irish season, but it certainly merits being one of the top few...

#4 - Time to Get Their Kicks

Quickly, think of how many teams have multiple kickers on scholarship yet have no clue who the starter is, let alone if any of them can get the job done consistently.

Being a place-kicker is like being a plumber; the job's not glamorous, you get described in only the broadest stereotypes, and as long as you do you're job correctly you get neither praise nor damnation . Occasionally, if you really come through in the clutch by patching a messy leak or plunging a dangerous clog late in the day, you get rewarded. But if you f&*k up...well, then s&*t literally rains down.

Since Nicholas Setta suffered an injury during the 2003 season, the Irish have been relying on walk-ons to brace the gap in the kicking game. Local South Bend hero DJ Fitzpatrick had a moment of glory with a game-winner that season...against NAVY, but he was mainly invisible through 2+ seasons as the number-1 kicker. His most notorious miss? A 35-yarder in the 4th quarter against USC in 2005, one that would've put the Irish up 27-21. Who knows what might have happened? Fitzpatrick was serviceable, but still connected on only 34 of 49 FG attempts. His successor Carl Gioia, a walk-on from Valparaiso, didn't fare any better, going just 8-for-13 on FGs and also inexcusably missing 6 PAT attempts. From the moment Setta went down in 2003 through the Sugar Bowl in January, ND made just 12 of 24 attempts from 40 yards of more. And in 2006, perhaps the most fatalistic statement about the range and accuracy of the Irish kickers was made through the stat that Charlie Weis opted to go for it on fourth down a staggering 33 times, third most in the country.

Now, occasionally that was a decision based a strategy and momentum and was in no way of reflection on the kicking game; case-in-point agianst Michigan State, when the Irish were trailing 24-7 and desperate to swing some big mo in their favor, so they went for it from their own 37 on 4th-and-1. But there were also times like the opening drive against USC, when the Irish faced 4th-and-9 from the 29 and didn't even bother asking Gioia to come out and make a kick he clearly couldn't make. Although he was sometimes looking for his offense to shoulder more of the burden and make statements that would resonate louder than chip-shot field goals, Weis' gambling ways on fourth down were often indicative of the fact that he would rather take chances against defenses then give away scoring opportunities due to missed field goals (and piling onto his kicking squad's self-doubt with each miss). By the end of last season's opener vs. Georgia Tech, when Gioia missed from 42 and 36, Weis knew what to do for the rest of the season if caught between the 20 and 35 yard-line - send Quinn back out there and go for broke.

The Irish come into the season with a legitimate battle for kicking duties, between scholarship players Brandon Walker (true freshman) and Ryan Burkhart (sophomore), plus walk-on Nate Whitaker (sophomore). During their one open practice on Aug. 11, none of the three did much to assuage concerns among Irish fans, as they went a combined 6-for-14 and failed to reach the endzone during kickoff practice - another point of concern. The Irish had just 13 touchbacks last season, 8 from Burkhart and 5 from walk-on senior Bobby Renkes, and their opponents average start position was the 26-yard line. With rule changes pushing the kickoff spot back to the 30-yard line, the Irish need to get better - not just hold form and certainly not regress, but significantly better.

That's where Walker comes in. The depth chart released on Monday narrowed the choices at kicker to him and Whitaker, though it's not explicitly clear yet who's handling kickoffs and who's got FGs. Both need to be at their best, because as was mentioned yesterday with respect to a potentially-electrifying return game, nothing could help a refigured defense and inexperienced offense settle in quicker than the safety net of solid special teams play. It would be nice for the new QB not to take the offense to the 25 and then get sent back out to pick up a 4th-and-8 that could rattle his composure when two scholarships ought to be produce at least ONE player who can nail kicks from 40 yards (think the 2002 Setta, who was 8-for-8 from that benchmark distance.)

After wandering around in the walk-on wilderness for the better part of four seasons, the Irish are hoping two scholarships can net at least ONE reliable field goal kicker. The top contender? Brandon Walker, pictured above.

#5 - "Something's Gonna Happen"

Into the top tier of the keys to the season...

#5 - "Something's Gonna Happen"

Q: Coach, you've got (Armando) Allen and (Golden) Tate listed as kick returners. What's the expectation there?

Charlie Weis: Well, we're gonna put two freshman back there who can run real fast. They're gonna kick the ball off, it probably won't get to the goal line, and when they get the ball...something's gonna happen...(Weis pauses, reveals a huge s&*t-eating grin, then claps his hands)...something big's gonna happen.

You've been hearing about it for almost 20 years now, as the Irish have gone through the ups and downs of being knocked by USC, LSU, Ohio State, hell, even Purdue and Nebraska. "Notre Dame is always a step behind at the speed positions, and it'll kill any chance they have of returning to true elite status."

Fundamentally, this is a correct statement. For a variety of reasons, the Irish will never stockpile pure speed the way a Florida or a USC does. But things are changing and changing quickly under Weis. They started last year as frosh George West and Darrin Walls took a stab on the return units. Both have graduated to starting roles in their respective offensive and defensive positions, but another crop of ultra fast backs is set to come onto the field and validate Weis' announcement that freshman will be on the field for Georgia Tech, and not just one and not just in garbage time.

Armando Allen (above) hasn't seen a live down of football in almost two years after he missed his entire senior season with a broken leg, but that didn't stop the recruiting hype from boiling over for the Miami native. Allen blazed through the South Florida prep record books with a 4.31 40-yd. dash, the fastest ever run in the state notorious for producing football's speediest players. More significant was the fact that Notre Dame went head to head with the Urban Legend for Allen's services and won (no sweat though, Urban recovered nicely by landing a transfer from USC).

Opposite Allen is Golden Tate (pictured, right), the 6-footer with speed aplenty who hopes to be making more headlines in the spring as Notre Dame's centerfielder in baseball - he was drafted this summer by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Tate, along with safety/athlete Harrison Smith, represent the 2007 example of recruiting highway robbery, as both got plucked straight from the backyard of Phil Fulmer and the Tennessee Volunteers. Tate, a Hendersonville, TN native, turned aside offers from most of the SEC and ACC to showcase his 4.42 speed on the turf at Notre Dame Stadium. If you haven't seen his high school highlights tape at und.com, check it out. He scores every freakin' time he touches the ball.

This, if you believe all the pundits out there, is the missing link for Notre Dame. Game-changers. Rocket Ismail clones. Heirs to the throne of Reginald Bush. The guy's who keep defensive coordinators up at night because every time they have the football, the odds go up dramatically that the other team is going to get caught with its pants down.

As a young kid, I remember what it was like to sit and watch Rocket Ismail field kicks. This guy (along with Jerome Bettis) was Notre Dame football to me. Every time he touched the ball was an event. So much so that now, almost 20 years later, it doesn't matter if you happen to be watching the '89 ND-Michigan game for the 114th time on ESPN Classic. When the second half rolls around, you stop what you're doing and watch, every time stunned by how effortlessly Ismail burned the artificial grass at Michigan Stadium. He was so good the next year against Miami he simply had to get to his own 30 before Jim Nantz screamed, "LOOK OUT!" Each and every time a swing pass sailed his way, or an opposing coach was dumb enough to give him open space on a return, you caught your own breath - that's how captivating the very idea of him and three yards of free grass was.

It's been a long time since a Notre Dame coach could legitimately get those ideas about a player. Judging by Weis' body language when asked Tuesday about Allen & Tate, he clearly thinks that both of them have that kind of potential. With the new rules changing kickoffs back to the 30-yard line, meaning far fewer touchbacks and far more returns in open space, the two of them can make life much easier for the rest of Notre Dame's offensive attack. Weis' priority since he arrived has been solid special teams play, an area that was lacking last season in the placekicker department...and doesn't figure to be a whole lot better this year, going by what's been seen at practice up to this point. The Irish return unit hasn't taken a kickoff back for a touchdown since Vontez Duff housed one vs. Navy...in 2002.

With a new style of defense, a lot of inexperienced talent on offense, and as challenging opening slate of game as you'll find in college football, the Irish need to place a premium on field position every single time the offense takes the field. Of the 23 Irish scoring drives that followed a kickoff last season (or, every time Notre Dame opened a game, a 2nd half, or answered an opponent's score with one of their own), the Irish needed to march at least 70 yards to that score 17 times (basically 75% of the time). And all of this roots back to...you guessed it, the quarterback spot. Nothing can be more calming on a team than the security of knowing a top-flight return unit is gonna let you have a shorter field to work with.

Allen and Tate both came to Notre Dame expecting to battle and contribute right away. While we of course need to ease up on the Rocket or Tim Brown comparisons until one of them actually, you know, fields a kick return, the gleam of potential is in there eyes - and Charlie Weis'. There's no more pressing need for their skills right now than on kick returns, and if and when something big does indeed happen, you can bet that Irish eyes will be smiling.


And On the Seventh Day, Weis Rested

At least, the great multitude of columnists with apparently nothing better to write would have you believe it works that way. Tuesday's press conference again saw Weis saddled with the questions regarding the quarterbacks. Weis didn't get grouchy, but he did share the news that "the competition" is officially over, after having been unofficially so for at least a few days, and the workload for each man in practice reflects that. Further, the moment Jones and Sharpley finished their interview sessions this evening, the big mystery will finally be solved on an official, announced basis inside the Irish locker room. In response to a new batch of questions on "should we read too much into who gets picked to start the opener", Weis was careful to ask what exactly that meant. Well, Charlie, if you read the popular theory making its way around the authors of countless "impact freshman" lists on ESPN and The Sporting News, they figure there's NO WAY Jimmy Clausen rode his stretch hummer to South Bend to ride the bench for a whole year, and also predict the Irish will limp so badly out of the gate that you will have NO CHOICE but to play Clausen even if he doesn't start the opener. Right?

Charlie Weis: The answer to that question is, "The No. 1 is No. 1 for a reason."

#6 - Six-Pack

Continuing to size up the key positions and issues as we're now only 5 days away from the return of Notre Dame football...

#6 - A Linebacker Six-Pack

Meet the six men who are going to save Notre Dame's defense.

From left to right: Seniors Maurice Crum, Jr., Joe Brockington, and Anthony Vernaglia, sophomores John Ryan, Morrice Richardson, and Toryan Smith.

If you believe what the outsiders say, linebacker is the position most riddled with questions when it comes to Corwin Brown's new 3-4 scheme. The line may be thin but it still has talent thanks to Trevor Laws, and the secondary still has potential and experience thanks to Tom Zbikowski, Ambrose Wooden, and Terrail Lambert. But linebacker? Only Crum has multiple years of experience at the position. Brockington was a journeyman who couldn't beat out a converted running back (Travis Thomas) until Thomas suffered an injury on the final play of the Michigan State game. Vernaglia has been one of those players who's been "on the verge" of a breakout year for the third straight season now. Ryan and Richardson are learning the position after being defensive ends last year. Smith was kept to special teams and garbage time last season.

Yet there's a reason you should be excited to see these guys on the field - they're leaner, hungrier, faster, and more agitated than ever when it comes to quieting the critics of the Notre Dame defense. Inside Brown's simplified "see ball, attack ball, rip ball-carrier's head off" philosophy, they'll finally get a chance to run wild much the way a steady stream of swift, hard-nosed linebackers have been for a certain NFL team in New England.

In 2006, Notre Dame linebackers accounted for only 18.5 TFL (Tackles for Loss), six of those sacks. That was out of a defense that had 78 TFL and 31 sacks - most of the heavy, penetrating lifting was being done by Laws and departed lineman Derek Landri and Victor Abiamiri. There was all the talk about how vulnerable and unathletic Notre Dame's back four were on defense, but that seemed to deflect some critical eyes from noticing just how ineffective the front seven could be. Caught up in the confusing "stratego" stylings of Rick Minter and his "gap sound" defense, the Irish yielded 3.8 yards per rush and 14.1 yards per catch in 2006; solid against the run, but awful against the pass. Two years ago a lot of people, including this humble blogger, compared Minter's defense with the 3-4 because of it's shifting emphasis was meant to be outside of the standard "run vs. pass" choice most defensive coordinators make on each play. But it seemed to do nothing except confuse the hell out of people.

For the Irish to have success in 2007, those percentages of TFLs and sacks coming from the linebackers (roughly 20% of each in '06) need to go up significantly. Linemen will be keying on Laws as he shifts out to the defensive end spot, and the Irish are perilously thin in the middle with only junior Pat Kuntz and true frosh Ian Williams anywhere close to being ready for the field. But this is what the '3-4 personnel' defense is all about; figuring a way to but your 11 best athletes onto the field, and in that department Brown's linebacker corps is making strides in a hurry. The starting four will be Crum & Brockington on the inside (Brockington has bulked up significantly as he prepares to take on more offensive guards) and Vernaglia filling the role of a standard outside linebacker thanks to his outstanding speed. Ryan is the "hybrid", roving open space much the way Roosevelt Colvin or Adalius Thomas might for New England.

The backbone of the 3-4 as Belichick runs it, as Brown learned it, and as Weis installs it depends on four fluid, versatile linebackers to be on the field at all times. Thanks to diligent recruiting and an insane amount of work over spring and fall, the Irish have a two-deep chart at linebackers which fits the bill. Get to know this six for sure, but keep an eye on: junior Scott Smith as well as freshmen Kerry Neal & Brian Smith, both of whom could be part of the dozen or so first-years on the field Saturday. Here's one particularly "GET PUMPED UP!" quote from the 6-2, 222 lb. Smith, who came to Notre Dame late in last year's recruiting cycle after Brown was hired and he had already committed to Iowa:

There are folks back in Smith's hometown of Overland Park, Kan., who could envision him handing out water at ND rather than playing football. But the son of former ND fullback Chris Smith has played himself out of scout team or water boy duties and should see meaningful playing time at outside linebacker as a freshman.

"That's what makes Brian Smith tick," he said. "All those people who doubt me back home. They didn't think I could play Division I. They didn't think I could make it here. I get a lot of satisfaction out of proving those people wrong."

And starting five days from now, the rest of a deep and hungry linebacker unit gets the chance to do the same.

#7 - Sullivan's Travels

You can please some people all of the time, and all people some of the time, but you cannot please all the people all the time. That must be what Charlie Weis is telling himself as he continues to take a beating for having the audacity not to reveal his starting quarterback to the public. I can't say I don't see where the cynics are coming from; this is a very fine psychological tightrope Weis has chosen to prance out onto, but if the media horde is simply trying to set him up so he can throw one of his QBs under the bus, think again. I also find it odd that Stewart Mandel calls Weis arrogant when Mandel claims to know who the starter is, the extent of Clausen's injury, the fact that Clausen won't start but will sometime soon, and that Notre Dame's offense has already been so thoroughly dissected by Jon Tenuta that Georgia Tech will have the Irish beat no matter who the QB is.

My biggest problem with Mandel is his ridiculously out of context quote taken from Justin Tuck propped up as evidence of Weis' arrogance. Tuck was commenting on how Weis, brought in as a guest speaker for the Irish squad during off-season workouts after their dubious 5-7 2003 campaign, let them hear it instead of being the standard "Notre Dame is a magical place" mouthpiece. Tuck came away impressed by Weis' confidence/arrogance, yet Mandel apparently felt he must've surely been reaching the conclusion which the mass media has of Weis being an arrogant S.O.B. Which he is - but in a good way.

Moving along in the countdown...

#7 - Sullivan's Travels

John Sullivan finally came full circle last week. In a Thursday team huddle before practice, Weis not only surprised 4 walk-ons with full scholarships for the coming season, but announced that the coaching staff had unanimously selected a fifth captain. Sullivan, a hulking 6-4 center from Greenwich, CT, has traveled a long way towards that moment, covering 33 starts (the last 21 in a row) at the position. And now, in his fifth year, 'Sully' stands alone on an offensive line that is for the first time that anyone can remember long on talent and short on experience.

Bob Morton, Dan Santucci, Ryan Harris, Mark LeVoir, & Dan Stevenson have all moved on. And, with due respect to the quarterback position, the one spot on the field where Weis needed to make an impact and make one immediately was the recruiting of the offensive line. Willingham's staff badly understocked the position, often relying on converted defensive players (like Santucci), and Weis' "arrogant" style of tough love chased off John Kadous & Chauncey Incarnato. As good as Sullivan and fellow '03 recruit Ryan Harris turned out to be, they were the only O-Lineman in that class. The '04 and '05 hauls likewise produced just two true "blocks of granite".

So Weis and John Latina went to work, first at teaching the few men they had still standing to be expected to play multiple positions. Sullivan was the prime example, switching frequently between guard and center with Morton before settling back in as the primary snap man following Morton's injury in the Purdue game. Then the recruits started to pile up: Eric Olsen, Matt Carufel, Chris Stewart, Bartley Webb, Dan Wenger, & Sam Young last season. Matt Romine and Taylor Dever this season, along with Northwestern transfer (and one of the rewarded walk-ons) Thomas Bemenderfer. Suddenly, lo and behold, just like with cornerback, there are second and third options. Unusual, I know.

Sullivan was one leader amidst a crowd over the past two seasons. But with most of those guys now gone, Weis and his staff took the time to realize that the rest of a very green offensive line is taking its cues from him and responded accordingly. If Sullivan had a tall task compensating for Morton and Santucci on either side of him, what challenges might await when he has to break in both Wenger and Olsen in the trenches, especially against three stout defenses to open the year (Tech, Penn State, and Michigan). It has all the classic marks of a unit that could go through massive growing pains and potentially cost the Irish some games - kind of like the one Sullivan watched from the sidelines in 2003 that had 4 new starters, was forced to put Harris onto the field by October and stumbled to the 5-7 marked that first introduced all of Notre Dame to the arrogant buffoonery of Charlie Weis. Or something like that, right Stewart?

So basically what I'm saying is that Sullivan's important this year. How important? Well, take a look at what the first-rate analysis from Blue-Gray Sky last week, a breakdown of Notre Dame's running plays over the last two years, showed. Weis' offense, due to being led by the sleek but not explosive Darius Walker, earned a reputation for being a finesse running attack dominated by sweeps and draws; not enough counters and slashes and bursts into the line. I think some coach once referred to this as "three yards and a cloud of dust." Whether it was situational, coincidental, or accidental, Weis stayed on the outside a lot more in Year Two, probably due to the fact that with the loss of Stevenson he had an average-at-best interior of the line. The pounding runs weren't an option regardless of who was toting the rock. Maybe if James Aldridge had been healthy from the start of the year, Weis would've explored that avenue earlier so he could've used it instead of calling for sweeps in short yardage against USC and LSU. But he didn't. Now he really needs Sullivan to take his game to the another level, and more importantly, get Wenger, Olsen, Stewart, & Carufel to go their with him. To again point out the obvious, there are far greater things developing inside the Irish program than the "nuke-code-like" security blanket Weis has thrown over the starting QB line on the depth chart. If Sullivan brings the youngsters up to speed in a hurry and buys whomever is behind him a little bit of time to settle in, great things could await the Irish in 2007. But it also could be an o-line that looks very, very familiar.