Moving Right Along

Well, it's time to look at the future. Obviously this season is a waste. As a Cubs fan, I'm used to saying, "Wait till next year!" We can still cheer for Clausen, Tate, and Floyd to build impressive numbers. They are fun to watch. We just have to hope and pray that all 3 stay one more year and a good coach can what out of this team what they should. Let's first take a look at the obvious things for next year. If those guys are back, we're looking at a senior QB who will be #1 in the nation. Clausen is on track right now to end with 3,689 yards, 25 TDs and 4 INTs. He'll break pretty much all of Quinn's records in one more year. We'll have Tate who has already set ND single season marks for receptions and receiving yards, and will easily set records for career yards and TD catches in one more year. He's on track to end with 1,413 yards and 13 TDs. If Michael Floyd can stay healthy and stays at ND for 4 years, I still believe he will eventually break all the records that Tate is setting! After 2 years (of which he has missed games) his numbers better Tate's first 2 years by 1494 yards and 15 TDs to 1211 yards and 11 TDs. Next we'll have one of the best tight ends in the nation back in Kyle Rudolph. As our 3rd receiver, we can pick from Kamara, Shaquelle Evans, or Goodman. Then we'll have Robert Hughes, Armando Allen, Theo Riddick, and our redshirted RB Cierre Wood to pick from at RB. Maybe a good coach can figure out how to use all these weapons. The bad news is the loss of 4 out of 5 offensive linemen. While that is very important, we will have Trevor Robinson back and have to hope that highly recruited freshmen Chris Watt and Alex Bullard will be ready to step in as Sophs along with senior Matt Romine. Then we take a look at the D. LB Manti Te'o is the real deal and will only get better. Darius Fleming and Brian Smith will also be back at LB and both have looked strong at times. Our entire defensive line also returns. We do lose a lot in our secondary, but they aren't very good anyway. Kyle McCarthy and John Ryan are the only defensive players we'll miss. Now in coming freshmen rarely make a big impact, but we do have the #4 defensive lineman in the nation coming in DE Chris Martin. Now looking at the 2010 schedule, tell me why if we have Clausen and Tate back and a good coach that we can't go 10-2?
vs. Purdue-beat them this year
vs. Michigan-should have beaten them this year
@ Michigan St.-beat them this year
vs. Stanford
@ Boston College-beat them this year
vs. Pitt
vs. W.Michigan-what do I need to say here?
@ Navy
vs. Tulsa-what do I say here?
vs. Utah
vs. Army
@ USC

Enough Is Enough

I really don't even want to keep this thing going the rest of the year, but I'll do my best. I defended Charlie all last year, but said coming in with this weak schedule and the talent we have that anything less than 9-3 going into bowl play was unacceptable. Well, with Stanford looking the part right now, I'd say we'd be lucky to be better than 7-5 going into bowl play. That's not even improvement from last year! Bring on any of the rumored coaches. TCU, Cincy, Boise St., Gruden, even Skip Holtz. We've got to go another direction. I like the idea of writing Urban Meyer a blank check and telling him he can have and do anything he wants if he'll come. I still doubt it, but maybe after he's won his 3rd National Championship he'll feel like he needs a new challenge? As for the game, I thought the play calling was ridiculous. I actually thought Jimmy's decision making was very questionable as well. So much for the Heisman hopes. Why did it take so long to get Tate and Floyd involved? If you look at their numbers, it looked pretty good: Tate had 9 catches for 113 yards and a TD and Floyd 7 catches for 107 yards. However, it came so late. How does an offense like this sputter for so long? I think because Charlie tries to be too smart. He makes it too complicated. It should be simple. The defense was actually a pleasant surprise. I honestly thought we'd give up 40 or more for sure. The overturned call that went against us and ultimately cost us the game was crazy. How was that play overturned? His arm was going forward and was called that way on the field. Bottom line is we didn't deserve to win anyway. BTW-Tate needs 78 yards to break the single season receiving yards record at ND. He's projected to end the season with 1,406 yards. That would break Samardzija's record by 257 yards! He needs 4 catches to break his receptions in a season record and is projected to end with 89. That would break it by 11. If he finishes at this projected pace, he will also break the all-time receiving yards in a career at ND. Anyone else nervous he'll leave early? I think all we can do is pray that Urban Meyer calls up Tate, Floyd, and Clausen and says, "Boys, I'm coming to town. Give me one more year of your life, and we'll bring the glory back to Notre Dame!"

Odds and Ends

I'm a little slow on this, but I don't know if some of you heard Dayne Crist tore his ACL. He is out for 6 months or so. I really wanted to see him get a few more snaps of experience this year with the fear that Clausen may leave early. Not to mention it's not the easiest injury to come back from. They are reporting that Kyle Rudolph is probably out until the bowl game. On a bigger note, it's time to start daydreaming about possible Weis replacements. The names that pop up immediately are Jon Gruden and Cincinnati coach, Brian Kelly. Gruden scares me a little. Here's a big name former NFL coach that I'm afraid could end up like Weis? Maybe not though. I couldn't be too upset with that choice. Other unrealistic names that are coming up are Urban Meyer (of course) and Nick Saban. Obviously if either would come, it's a no brainer. Just not going to happen. Other more realistic names are Skip Holtz of East Carolina, Gary Patterson of TCU, and Chris Peterson of Boise St. Wow! I'd have to say I'd be excited about any of those possibilities at this point. Let's also talk about the scary possibility of losing Clausen, Tate, and Floyd early to the NFL. How would a Weis firing affect their decision? I would have to think Clausen likes Weis. His system definitely helps Jimmy's numbers. I guess you can point to Jimmy's injuries and say that should encourage him to leave or stay, however you want to look at it. He will also lose most of his line this year. Tate's stock is awful high. You would think Floyd would want one healthy college year, but he could play in the NFL next year no problem. Some very scary thoughts.

A Look Ahead: Pitt

It's painful to even do this anymore because I feel like it really doesn't matter what we do from here. I guess at this point I'm cheering for Jimmy, Golden, and Michael to put up big numbers. I guess it's interesting to see how many games we manage to lose and will it make it obvious that Charlie is gone. I say we have to win out and be 9-3 going into bowl play for him to stay. I really think we'll lose 2 of 3. Pitt is #12 in the BCS and #8 in the AP. They have an experienced QB (Bill Stull)with a high completion ratio, 17 TDs and only 4 INTs. That's about the worst thing this Irish D could go against. He may break Pitt passing records against us! They also have a RB (Dion Lewis)with over 1,000 yards and 12 TDs. They beat Navy 27-14. I guess the only good news is they really haven't played anyone. I guess UConn and S.Florida are the two best teams they've played. No one ranked. Early line has Pitt favored by 6.5 points. My prediction: Pitt 40 ND 31.

Heartbreak City

Wow. How quickly everything changes! Coming out I was surprised and disappointed we would once again not have Armando Allen, but Michael Floyd was back in the starting lineup with Robbie Parris. Floyd starts right off with some catches and looks great! He ends up with 141 yards and a TD. If by chance this guy stays 4 years, he will shatter ND records even with his missed games due to injury. Parris comes out and makes 2 catches, but then it all starts. Parris fumbles and Navy takes possession forever. Just shoves it down our throats running the ball. From there we manage another fumble, two missed FGs, a missed conversion on 4th and goal from the 3, and an INT that really wasn't Jimmy's fault. He had gone 124 passes without an INT coming in and completed his first 10 passes to start the game. It was a miscommunication with Floyd that was a fluke. So curiously, Tate disappears in the offense. Is that Weis or Clausen's fault? I don't know, but he basically didn't get involved until 9:00 to go in the 3rd. From there he ended up with 132 yards and a TD for the game. At times Rudolph looked good again. It's just mystifying how we can seem so unstoppable, yet somehow stop ourselves so often. I really think Charlie over complicates. Theo Riddick looks good again. Actually ends up averaging 7 yards a carry, but only gets 5 carries? Then Charlie decides to hand Hughes the ball on 1st and goal and 2nd and goal. Then we are obviously passing on 3rd and things didn't turn out well. It really feels like Charlie has so many weapons that he doesn't know how and when to use them. I said coming in this year that if we end up any worse than 9-3 going into bowl season that I'd be ready for Charlie to go. I think 8-4 or even 7-5 is looking very likely. If that's the case, Charlie needs to go. Period. In addition, I would think the loss officially rules out Jimmy's chances for a Heisman. Heisman watch-Mark Ingram-Alabama-144 rushing yards and 0 TDs, Colt McCoy-Texas-33-42 for 470 yards 2 TD 1 INT, Tim Tebow-Florida- 15-20 for 208 yards and 1 TD no INTs with 1 rushing TD, Jimmy Clausen-ND-37-51 for 452 yards 2 TDs and 1 INT.

A Look Ahead: Navy

Well folks, this one has scared me since the beginning when I saw Navy give Ohio St. a scare. Navy has always been a tough running team with the option, but they now have probably the best passing QB they've had since I've followed football. QB Ricky Dobbs (pictured left)has rushed for 16 TDs. However, Dobbs missed the Wake Forest game 2 weeks ago with a knee injury and barely played this week. Sounds like the biggest stories going into this week will be injury reports. Armando Allen, Clausen, Michael Floyd, and Dobbs all make a pretty big difference! Looks like Navy's defense has been average. They seem to struggle against the run. They have given up decent yards vs. the pass as well. I like that ND seems to play better run defense than pass in this match-up. Navy comes in at 6-3 with a good win over Wake Forest. One of their 3 losses was to Ohio St. 31-27. One of their other losses was to Pitt. The only bad loss they have was this week to Temple, but Dobbs was out. ND comes in ranked #22 in the BCS. It would be so exciting to see a healthy Michael Floyd and Armando Allen with Hughes, Kamara, Tate, Rudolph, Riddick, and Parris! That is flat out scary. I expect to see the Wildcat hurt Navy pretty bad too. This is huge because if we win this, Penn St. plays Ohio St., and that's the only likely help we'll get, but we could move up as high as #19 or so. The early line has ND favored by 11. My prediction: ND 35 Navy 28

Movin On Up!

Golden Tate (81 yards, TD 61 rushing yards, TD)and Jimmy Clausen (22-27 267 yards, 2 TDs 0 INTs)set the tone again! Tate is just unbelievable! The 50 yard catch he made to end the 1st half was as impressive as I've ever seen. He had no business catching that ball. He simply took it away from the defender. That coupled with his runs provided the highlights for the first half. Jimmy was 18-21 including 11 straight completions in the 1st half. Robert Hughes (137 yards, TD)ran really well in Allen's absence. The big surprise was freshman Theo Riddick. He is a speed guy who has mainly been a kick returner, but kudos to Weis for going with him over Jonas Gray with Allen out. Gray is a bust who never needs to play. I cringe when he gets the ball. We got Rudolph (58 yards)a little more involved, but I don't understand why he doesn't get more balls. I don't like to see Clausen hurt, then to make matters worse Crist gets hurt after he throws his first TD. Kamara (36 yards, TD)looked pretty good again. Wow. think about this offense when healthy: Allen, Hughes, and Riddick and RB. Tate, Floyd(maybe next week), Kamara, Parris, Goodman, and Rudolph. Are you kidding me!? With #13 Virginia Tech losing to unranked NC, #14 Oklahoma St. lost bad to Texas, #22 S.Carolina losing to Tenn, and #21 WV losing to unranked S.Florida, I expect us to land as high as #19 in the BCS rankings. As for the Heisman watch: Tebow had 164 yards passing with 2 TDs and 0 INTs and 2 rushing TDs. Colt McCoy had 171 yards and 1 TD. Alabama RB Mark Ingram was off this week. Cincy QB Pike didn't play for the 2nd straight week due to injury. Boise St. QB Kellen Moore had 278 yards and 3 TDs.

A Look Ahead: Washington St.

Well, there is every reason to believe that this should be the easiest game left on our schedule. Coming in at #25, we have the opportunity to move up to about #22 in my estimation. Interesting games include: N.Carolina @ VT, WV @ S.Florida, Texas @ OK St., USC @ Oregon, Purdue @ Wisconsin, S.Carolina @ Tenn. Washington St. comes in last in the PAC-10 and 1-6 overall with their one win being over SMU in OT. They are averaging giving up 37 points! Get this: They are averaging giving up 279 passing yards! Let's hope Clausen can help pad his Heisman candidacy. I think it's just a question of how many games we win. If we win out, I say he wins it. I'm just not convinced we'll win out. Anyone else getting nervous that Clausen and even Tate may consider going pro after this season? Washington St. has played 3 different QBs who have totaled 7 TDs and 10 INTs. Their running attack averages 2.2 yards per carry and they have no one who has rushed for more than 1 TD this season! The early line has us favored by 31! Maybe for once we won't have a nail-biter? My prediction: ND 45 WSU 17

Always Interesting!

It's never easy with this team, but all that really matters is the win! First time against BC since 2000. Started off pretty good with Allen running well. He ended up with 98 yards on the game. Hughes was disappointing though. Then Tate makes some nice catch and runs as always, but we settle for the FG. Good news continues when Robbie Parris starts, and I figure our offense is going to click vs. this defense. However, we just didn't seem to get it going. The botched FG for a TD was very heads up and impressive, then it was called back. Hughes failed to get the TD out of the Wildcat. The run D was really impressive though. Montel Harris had 264 yards and 5 TDs last week and we held him to a 1.7 yards per carry average and 38 yards! Of course we managed to make their QB look good, but Kyle McCarthy came through big time again with 2 huge INTs! Golden Tate had another impressive performance with 128 yards and 2 TDs. He may end up breaking some ND records. Wow! Jimmy ended up with 246 yards and 2 TDs. Not bad. I just don't understand why we can't get Rudolph more involved. How about Duval Kamara though! I've been so disappointed in him, and he finally comes through with 7 catches and 60 yards. He really could be our answer for having Michael Floyd out. Floyd just may be back in a couple weeks though. With this win and #25 Kansas losing, we definitely should be back in the top 25. #16 BYU got man-handled too. With Washington St. next week, I expect us to be around #20 in 2 weeks. As for the heisman watch: Alabama RB Mark Ingram had 99 yards and 0 TDs. Tim Tebow had 127 yards 0 TDs 2 INTs, 88 yards rushing and a TD. Colt McCoy had 269 yards 3 TDs and 1 INT. Miami's Jacory Harris had 256 yards 2 TDs and 3 INTs, but most importantly, they lost. Cincinnati QB Tony Pike didn't play due to injury. I like Jimmy's chances at this point, but I think the Irish would have to win out. What I don't like is that Pitt and UConn both look pretty good right now. I don't think Navy or Stanford can be overlooked either!

A Look Ahead: Boston College

As you can say with many of the Notre Dame opponents, this is always a tough one no matter the talent level due to the rivalry. These two teams have played so many times and had so many great games. ND comes in at 4-2 and BC comes in at 5-2 with losses to VT and Clemson. BC's biggest win thus far is vs. Florida St. They start a freshman QB, but he has pretty good numbers with 9 TDs and 4INTs. I would think the bigger concern would be sophomore RB, Montel Harris who has 10 rushing TDs to go along with his 756 yards and a 5.6 YPC average. But with this ND defense, I'd rather face a good RB than a good passing game. The BC defense definitely gives up it's share of passing yards. Once again, I find it really hard to believe we won't put up big umbers in the air. Clausen update: 1804 yards, 14 TDs 2 INTs. Projected: 3608 yards 28 TDs 4 INTs. Tate update: 719 yards 6 TDs. Projected: 1438 yards 12 TDs. Pretty impressive by both. Love that Parris, Goodman, and even Kamara can contribute some. Really want to see Rudolph get more throws in his direction. Like the combo of Allen and Hughes. Let's get this offense really rolling the rest of the season! I call another high scoring affair in this one. I like that we play at home. This is a must win. We are #26 in one poll and #30 in the other. With #24 Kansas playing #25 Oklahoma, Pitt vs. S.Florida, TCU vs. BYU, and UConn vs. WV, I think we can move up to about #23 with a win. Then with Washington St. the next week, we can continue to creep up. I call another high scoring affair in this one. The early line has ND favored by 9.5 points. I say ND 38 BC 31.

Tough Loss

Moral victory? Maybe. For once, it wasn't embarassing. I think the difference was pass protection/pass pressure. Jimmy was being rushed most of the night and Barkley had plenty of time most of the time. The run defense wasn't bad. We just didn't get much pressure on the QB most of the night. Freshman QB, Matt Barkley had a career night. Too many big missed takcles too. We could have really jumped way up the rankings with all the top 25 losses, but I guess we'll just hope to start our climb again slowly. WR Robbie Parris stepped up big time with 9 catches including some clutch ones. Kamara even had some big ones. I just don't understand throwing to him when the game was on the line. Clausen ended up with 260 yards and 2 Tds with no INTs. He was only 24-43 though. Tate ended up with 117 yards and 2 Tds. The Wildcat looked good. I liked Goodman back there. Loved the fake FG. That was awesome! This performance actually encourages me that we could win out. However, that is no easy task with now 6-1 Pitt, BC, Stanford, and Navy. Michael Floyd may be back as soon as the Navy game on Nov. 7th though. Even with his injury problems, he and Clausen are easily on pace to shatter ND records.

A Look Ahead: USC

All right. This week, #17 Auburn, #20 Mississippi, #24 Missouri, #26 Wisconsin, #28 Georgia, #29 Stanford, #31 Michigan, and #32 BC all lost. Therefore we crept in at #25 in both polls. Nice to be ranked again. This is actually right where I thought we'd be. We had a week to get much needed rest and healing time. We have Aldridge back for the 1st time since week 1. Hughes has established himself as a power runner. Allen's ankle should be fine. Clausen got some much needed healing time. Most everyone has Jimmy in their top 3-5 Heisman candidates, and some have him #1 at this point. A strong showing vs. the Trojans, and he might have a shot. Jake Locker of Washington had 238 passing yards against USC. Freshman QB, Matt Barkley has been good, but a look at the numbers shows 3 TDs and 2 INTs. Not all that impressive. I'm worried about their running game, but at times our run D has been pretty good. What I really don't like is that their D has only given up 3, 15, 16, 6, and 3 points! They certainly haven't gone against a passer like Clausen though. I think we'll beat the 16 points that Washington put up against them. We are at home. Early line has USC favored by 8. My prediction: USC 31 ND 21. Sorry, I'm just not very confident, but I will hold out hope and cheer my head off!

Bye Week: Couldn't Get Here Soon Enough!

Well, if any team in the nation could use a week to rest and heal, the Irish are it! Here's to hoping the rest will do Clausen and Allen a lot of good. Last I knew they thought Aldridge would be back for USC as well. With Aldridge, Hughes, and a healthy Allen, we have a lot of weapons. Of course this USC game is the only one going into the season that I thought we had no chance in, and that's probably the case, but I do like that Washington beat them and Jake Locker threw for 237 yards in that game. I like Jimmy's chances of being productive against them this year. The scary part is that the USC D has given up very few points this year. They really have been good against the run. Of course Washington also beat them when their starting QB was out. I'll do a more in depth look and make my prediction next week. We are currently #28 in one poll and #34 in the other. With #24 Mizzou playing #21 Nebraska, #20 Miss playing #3 Bama, #22 GT playing FSU, BC @ VT, Wisconsin @ OSU, and Michigan @ Iowa, I think it's very safe to say that 5 teams in front of ND will go down. I'm hoping by deafult we could find our way to #25 going into the USC game. I sure hope so because Stanford is 4-1 and looking good. BC is looking pretty good. Pitt and Navy scare me too! On a positive note, Jimmy leads the nation in QB rating. He's 4th in passing yards, and 7th in passing TDs. Better numbers than Colt McCoy, Tebow, and Terrell Pryor. I think he has to have a real Heisman argument at this point. Obviously our W-L record and what he does from here will make it much more clear.

Just Win Baby!

One thing is for sure, these ND games are exciting to watch! I only got to watch the 4th quarter and OT live, but wow! What can you say about Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate? They are both so clutch and how can you be any tougher or more of a leader than Clausen? Jimmy ended up with 422 yards and 2TDs with an INT. More impressively is how cool he is under pressure. He's now on pace for 3706 yards, 29 TDs and 5INTs. Gotta like his Heisman chances at this point! How about Tate!? A 31 yard run to go along with his 244 yards and a TD. What a tough runner for a WR. He's on pace for 1445 yards and 10 TDs. Another huge catch for Rudolph. Evans and Parris had some big catches. I was getting a little perturbed about Hughes not getting more carries early, and I'm definitely concerned about Allen's health, but I think we've found a nice power back in Robert Hughes! Man if we could get everyone healthy we have so many weapons! This defense is what gets me. They give up a lot of points, but they do some great things too. How about all those goal line stands? That was almost unbelievable! I thought that terrible roughing the snapper call might lose the game for us, but we came up big. Then how about McCarthy? Almost had another game winning INT, but eventually had the game-winning hit. Huge sack from Brian Smith who has been looking better and better. #22 ,#24, and #30 all went down. I'm hoping we'll maybe come in around #30 or a little better. With a little luck from losses to ranked teams on our bye week and we could go in right around #25 vs. USC in two weeks. I think the bye week couldn't come any sooner for us. Give us some time to rest and heal, and maybe we actually have a chance against USC? A detailed post looking at Allen and Aldridge's status, our reamaining opponents and why we have a chance vs. USC will be up in a few days. Go Irish!

A Look Ahead: vs. Washington

Well, obviously the scary thing here is the fact that the Huskies beat USC. They are 2-2, but have played a tough schedule. They played LSU very well in their season opening loss, beat USC, beat Idaho, and lost to a pretty good Stanford team. However, USC was without their QB and Washington lost to Stanford 34-14 this week. QB Jake Locker threw 2 INTs on his way to a 16-31 passing performance. Their leading rusher averaged 3.9 yards a carry. The Washington defense gave up 321 rushing yards to Stanford. So far they've given up 31, 23, 13, and 34 points. I have to admit that I'm a little surprised the line has us favored by 14. ND comes in at #33 and Washington is no longer receiving votes. My feeling is that this offense should only get better after toughing out this win against Purdue with all our injuries. Hughes established himself as a nice powerful runner and we should have Allen's big play ability back. Weis said he probably could have played last week. Add to that the threat of Tate now out of the backfield and suddenly I like our running game! Clausen should be more himself the more time he has to heal and we can bring in Crist for a few series if we need to. By the way, Jimmy is projected to throw for 3366 yards, 30 TDs and 3 INTs at this point. Someone needs to step up as Tate's compliment on the outside, but Rudolph and Tate alone make us pretty dangerous. My prediction: ND 34 Washington 24. I think this win coupled with a few losses to top 25 teams and we'll find ourselves cracking the top 25 again after this week.

Tate Golden As Banged Up Irish Win

Well, it certainly wasn't an impressive performance, but we did see some really nice things in a 24-21 win at Purdue. Boiler up is one of the worst war cries I've ever heard! Good to see a coaching staff mess up (calling a timeout when we were about to spike the ball, giving us 2 shots at the endzone) worse than ours usually likes too! Huge clutch throw and catch from Clausen to Rudolph with 25 seconds to go. Definitely not Jimmy's best performance, but he was obviously hurting and toughing it out. He did throw his first INT of the season, but over 1000 yards in 4 games and 10 TDs and 1 INT is a pretty good start. Crist got some good experience and didn't hurt us. 5-10 for 45 yards and no INTs. I had no idea Allen wouldn't play at all, but it was nice to see Hughes step it up and rush for 68 yards and a TD while averaging 4.5 a carry. But how about Golden Tate!? Suddenly doubling as a running back, he rushed for 55 yards and a TD while posting 57 yards receiving. He seems ready to step up in Floyd's absence, and although no one else really established themself as his compliment, we had 8 different guys catch a pass. For once penalties didn't hurt us! Purdue really shot themselves in the foot here. They had 13 penatlies for 103 yards to our 6 for 41. Nice change for us! The defense held speedster Ralph Bolden to 67 yards on 3.9 a carry. As a whole, Purdue averaged 2.8 a carry. Unfortunately we didn't get a lot of pressure on the QB, but we did have 2 sacks. It was really good to see Te'o get one of them! Darrin Walls had a nice INT too. This is certainly not a signature win, but encouraging to see how deep we are and hope that with Allen getting healthy, Clausen getting healthy, and Aldridge back in a couple weeks, we have a lot of weapons. I think with Florida St., North Carolina, Pitt, Washington, and Texas Tech all going down we will be somewhere around #28 or #29. A win next week and bye the next, and I think we'll be top 20 going into the USC game. My look ahead to Washington will come in a couple days.

A Look Ahead: at Purdue

Well, the 2-1 Irish head into Lafayette at #32 in one poll and #34 in the other. Purdue comes in at 1-2 after their loss to Northern Illinois last week. The line has us favored by 8. Purdue has given up 31 to Toledo, 38 to Oregon, and 28 to N.Illinois. My prediction is a lot of points for ND even without Michael Floyd. I hope Charlie spreads it out again with Tate, Rudolph, Kamara, and Parris. That is pretty tough to defend. My question is can we get any kind of pass rush? If we give QB, Joey Elliott all day like the MSU QB's, he's going to kill us. He's completing 61% of his passes with 4 TDs thus far, but he has 5 INTs. They also have a solid RB, Ralph Bolden. He has 421 yards and 4 TDs in 3 games. However, N. Illinois held him to 64 yards and our run D looked decent last week. He is averaging 6.8 a carry though. My prediction: Notre Dame 42 Purdue 27. We can hope to move up a little with Miami and Virginia Tech playing each other, TCU @ Clemson, Washington @ Stanford, Texas Tech @ Houston, and Georgia Tech/North Carolina. I say we're right around #30 or a little better after this week.

Huge Win! Huge Loss.

Where do I start? My dad and I show up at ND Stadium not knowing where our seats were. We get there and fidn out we are on Field Level, front row behind the endzone. My feet were two steps from being in the grass on the field! Unbelievable experience! Thanks Bets! I had amny words with Sparty the Spartan. I finally got the last word! Let's start at the end. No sacks or INT's all game. A ridiculously little amount of pressure on the MSU QB's all game long, but my man, Kyle McCarthy comes through with the one big defensive play of the day with a game winning INT when all State had to do was kick a short FG to send it into OT. Couple that with the fact that McCarthy led us in tackles and I might call him the MVP of the game. To stick with the defensive theme, I thought the run D was pretty good, but if we can't get any kind of pass rush going, QB's are going to pick apart what is actually a pretty good secondary. I'm waiting for Manti Te'o to become a factor. Now sticking with D and bringing coaching in, what is going on that we have guys running in on D, looking confused, and running off? We got a penalty the one time because I think we had like 15 men on the field. We continuously looked confused and I blame coaching there. Maybe not Charlie's fault, but it's a bad reflection. Penalties were once again crazy. I think it's a combo of a poorly disciplined team and bad calls. It felt like the officials were marching the Spartans down the field. The season ending play for Floyd was clearly a TD. The pass interference call late in the game against us was terrible. Rudolph had a blatant face mask they didn't call. At the same time, we deserved some too, and that makes us seem like an undisciplined team. I think Charlie is in trouble folks. I think we need to win 9 or 10 games to keep him off the hotseat and now that Floyd is out for the year I don't think there's any way. Pitt beat Navy who looked awful good against OSU. Both teams now scare me. Washington beat USC and climbed into the top 25. We still play BC and USC and people say to fear Stanford. If we win 9 games, I'll be ecstatic! Now to be a little more upbeat, how tough is Clausen? Broken toes and we throws for 300 yards and 2 TDs with no INTs! This kid is tough as nails. He can take a hit and play through pain with the best of them. He's completing 68.1% of his passes with 951 yards, 9 TDs and 0 INTs after 3 games! Are you kidding me? That's on pace for 3804 yards and 36 TDs. Floyd ended his 3 game season with 358 yards and 5TDs(really 6). That was on pace for 1462 yards and 20 TDs. He's going to break ND records if he has a healthy junior and senior season, but now we need Robbie Parris or Duval Kamara to step up. Golden Tate becomes the big play guy. He has 301 yards and 3 TDs in 3 games. Not too shabby(on pace for 1204 yards and 12 TDS), but we need one more guy to step up in Floyd's loss. Maybe freshman Shaquelle Evans can help some? Kyle Rudolph will definitely break Irish records for TE's. He had the most receiving yards for a freshman TE last year and has 162 yards in 3 games already this year. I like Charlie's game plan with the spread out 4 receivers. We're awful hard to stop that way. Armando Allen looked really solid again, and I have to admit the Wildcat looked really good. Allen to Parris on the TD pass was pretty sweet. Armando is on pace for 1304 yards and 12 TDs. I'm hoping James Aldridge may be back this week for a little pick me up. Purdue has given up a lot of points to Toledo, N.Illinois, and Oregon, so I really don't see why we don't score 40 in Lafayette, but will our D get any pressure on QB Joey Elliot? We actually dropped a little in the votes to #32 and #34. A preview to the Purdue vs. Notre Dame match-up will be ready by mid-week. Thanks again Betsy!!!

A Look Ahead: vs. Michigan St.

Well, let me start by reminding you again that I will be at ND stadium with my dad! Next, it is somewhat encouraging that MSU lost to C.Michigan this week. Clausen has 651 yards while completing 67% of his passes and has 7 TDs to 0 INTs after 2 games. Michael Floyd has 320 yards and 4 TDs! Armando Allen looked like he may finally be ready to be a feature back, and I actually thought the D was pretty good even if the 38 points allowed don't show it! We go in ranked #30 in one poll and #31 in the other. The line favors The Irish by 10.5 points. Once again, it's hard to imagine us not scoring a lot of points. Michigan St. seems to like shoot outs. If C.Michigan can score 29, I think we have to be able to put up some pretty big numbers. How bad will Charlie mess us up with his play calls? Will we have a hangover from the loss or come out fired up? My prediction: ND 38 MSU 24. Believe it or not, I think we'll win this one, @ Purdue, and vs. Washington, then have a bye, and go into the USC game ranked right around #20. Just in time to lose and get knocked out again!

Time For A Change

I'm surprised at how strongly I feel about this right now, but I'm ready to see Weis go. My dad will like to hear this, but I'm done already. I said they should win 9 games or he goes. After the play calls in this game along with the penalties, I'm ready to say it's the coach's fault. ND was clearly the better team today. Penalties flat out killed us. As dad would say, that's a reflection on the coach for lack of discipline. I think the officials stuck it to us some too though. We're up 34-31 with a little over 2 minutes to go, and we pass 2 times? Run the ball and run the clock. Michael Floyd is out of the game and we throw to freshman, Shaquelle Evans. Just a poorly played game. Tate drops 2 TD passes. Multiple delay of game penalties. Terrible play calls. Missed 28 yard FG. Jonas Gray fumbles whe he shouldn't even have been in the game. Armando Allen dominated the game. Kyle Rudolph was great, but they never threw to him. Why do we run the "Wildcat?" Why did we run a QB draw on 3rd and 5 inside the 25? It's sad because we should be saying the D has looked pretty good. Michael Floyd is a stud. Armanda Allen had a career game. Instead Clausen and Weis's decision making killed us, and we still can't kick a reasonable FG. Add to that that Floyd is injured and we play Michigan St. next week. Atleast I'll be there!

A Look Ahead: at Michigan

Well, week one sure looked good. I still believe week 2 will be a win too, but you don't go into the Big House and expect a cake walk! My Michigan fan friend Court and I are pictured left. Atleast he is the rare Michigan fan that cheers for ND when they aren't playing each other! Michigan has some enthusiasm coming in after a 31-7 win over W.Michigan, but I'm not sure how much that means. They have 2 freshmen QB's that both looked pretty good. Denard Robinson actually led them in rushing with 74 yards on 11 carries and a TD. Tate Forcier was 13-20 for 179 yards and 3 TDs, but our defensive secondary is quite a step up from W.Michigan, and we got pretty good pressure on Nevada as well. Can the freshman take the pressure of his first ND/Michigan game? WR Junior Hemingway accounted for 103 of the 179 receiving yards and 2 TDs. I'm sure we can expect a better running game with the offensive line that Michigan always boasts, but they don't seem to have the dominant RB they usually have stepping up yet. Obviously we can expect a better defense than Nevada's. They only gave up 38 rushing yards and that is still what worries me about our offense. They did give up 259 passing yards to W.Michigan though. I think our passing game is a little more potent! The Irish jumped up from #23 to #18 with very few teams in front of them losing. The line favors ND by 3. My prediction: ND 31 Michigan 24. 2-0 and a climb to let's say #16 after week 2.

Notre Dame Is Back!

That was the rallying cry before the game started, and it seems appropriate after game 1. You could see the swagger before the first kick-off, and I have to say I was extremely excited! It just got better from there. Notre Dame 35 Nevada 0. I like Aldridge at fullback. He wasn't a great RB, but he's a solid running FB. I hope he's going to be all right for next week. Rudolph looked good from the start with a nice juke on a LB, then a TD. Then what can you say about Michael Floyd!? Not a fan of the "Wildcat" formation with an average RB like Armando Allen. Let's get rid of that. The defense was definitely the question mark coming in. It had been 7 years since ND had shut out an opponent. Yes, we have to keep in mind that we played Nevada, but they did bring in an experienced QB who nearly had 20 rushing and 20 passing TD's last year. Freshman phenom, LB Manti Te'o showed his speed pretty early. Not a spectacular play, but ran the QB down from behind. LB Brian Smith had 2 sacks in the first half. Overall, the defense was a nice surprise. Allen had some nice runs, Gray did too. A look at the top 25 hurts a little. Iowa and OSU almost got upset, but pulled them out. #16 Oregon lost to #14 Boise St. 19-8, but I don't think we'll pass them. As of this post, I'm sure #20 BYU will wind up losing at #3 Oklahoma. As far as future opponents, Navy scares me! They gave Ohio St. all they wanted at OSU. 31-27. They have led the NCAA in rushing 4 straight years and now have the best passing QB they've had in 6 years. Purdue beat Toledo pretty easily, but gave up 31 points and their new QB threw 3 INTs vs. Toledo. Michigan St. beat Montana St. 44-3, but what does that say? Boston College beat Northeastern 54-0. Michigan beat W.Michigan easily.

Offensive MVP: How could it not be Floyd? 189 yards and 3 TDs. Clausen had nice numbers(15-18 315 yards 4 TDs) too, but a lot of that was because of his weapons!

Defensive MVP: LB Brian Smith set the tone with 2 sacks in the 1st half. Freshman Manti Te'o seems to already be a crowd favorite though.

Pleasant surprise: The defense in general.

Disappointing: Maybe the running game, but it was sufficient.

I'd say look for us to be #22 or #21 in the new polls, and I expect a win next week, so we can climb to #20 or better very easily. Go Irish!

National Champs!?

I don't think so, but Lou Holtz is calling it. I think he's losing it a little. I am excited though! By the way, I apologize for the late post. I will get a game preview and prediction out much earlier from now on. With starting at a new school and starting basketball workouts I've been so busy, it snuck up on me! Anyway-Nevada. It sounds like a joke, but this is one of the few teams we'll play with an experienced QB. Not only that, but he is a dual threat. He almost posted 20 rush TDs and 20 pass TDs in the same season last year. They can really put points on the board, and right now, the ND defense is the question mark. The good news is that our secondary is experienced and pretty solid. Bad news is our line is very suspect. LB's-I'm not sure, but I am ready to see if freshman phenom, Manti T'eo is ready for this level. The really fun part is that Nevada has one of the worst pass defenses in the country. Couple that with our strength, and it should be fun to watch. They do have a solid run defense so with our struggles last year, it will be interesting to see if we can run the ball. I guess Allen gets the bulk of the carries. The experienced and improved line could make the difference-let's hope! The line has ND favored by 14.5 points. I think we'll put a lot of points on the board. Let's say Irish 45 Nevada 24. I'm ready to get started!

#23 In The USA Today Coach's Poll

Well, the USA Today Coach's Poll came out, and though it is controversial to many, the Fighting Irish are #23. Most seem to feel it has to do with the soft schedule, but that's all right by me. Some of you are going to think I'm crazy, but seeing how we start off at home vs. Nevada, at Michigan, home vs. MSU, at Purdue, and at Washington followed by a week off, I predict we will be around #16-17 going into the USC game. Unfortunately, I'm sure that will knock us down, but we haven't been up around there in awhile. I still say a 9-10 win season is realistic with the schedule. I have outlined it in previous posts, but bottom line is finally an experienced QB with and experienced offensive line. Two phenominal receivers and two solid Tight Ends. A fairly experienced defense. The Running Back situation still concerns me, but once again we have plenty of experience there and 3 or 4 to choose from. It's getting close, and I'm getting excited! Can't wait to go see them play Michigan St. with my dad! By the way, we picked up another 2010 recruit-a NC kid, Prince Shembo. Defensive End. Not extremely highly regarded, but sounds like a nice pick-up. The school I teach at and coach at plays his basketball team this season. Of course he is a good hoops player as well.

Montana To Transfer

This is an interesting decision. Walk-on Nate Montana has decided to transfer to a junior college with the intentions of getting playing time and experience, then transferring back to ND in the spring. I like the idea. Obviously we're set at QB this year and probably the next 3 with either Clausen or Cryst, but at this point we don't have anyone being groomed to step in after that that I'm excited about. The thing that kind of shocked me is the mention of Evan Sharpley returning for his 5th year. Man, it seems like he's been there forever! I'm guessing he's #3 QB behind Clausen and Cryst, so obviously Nate would have no hope for any snaps. The season will be here before we know it, and I'm excited!

Cheer Cheer For...Me!

As big of a ND football as I am and I've only been to 2 games. One at Georgia Tech with my bro and only one time at Notre Dame stadium with my dad. Well, thanks to my friend and ND law school grad., Betsy Finnerty, I am attending game #2 at ND stadium on my dad's B-day, Sept. 19th vs. Michigan St.! All the sweeter because I am taking my dad!

2005 vs. 2009

This is an interesting article I found a little while back that might make some of you doubters feel a little better:

An interesting talking point came up Monday during a discussion on our BlueandGold.com radio show, The Benchwarmers, that colleague John Haynsworth and I host. The premise was that in many respects, 2009 looks like the year when the Irish football program will come full circle in the four full seasons Charlie Weis has coached the Irish. The similarities in both the players and circumstances between 2005 and 2009 are remarkably similar. It’s hard to argue that 2005, the first season for Weis, was his highlight as Notre Dame coach. Weis took a program that had limped to an 11-13 record in the two previous seasons, overhauled the offense, and finished 9-3. In 2009, the Irish will be coming off a 10-15 record in the last two seasons, and the talent is firmly in place for the offense and team to make a similar renaissance as it did in 2005.
It appears the Irish program has come full circle under Weis, with striking similarities between the 2005 and 2009 squads.
Given the circumstances, we thought it would be interesting to compare this year’s team with the Irish team coming into the 2005 season, and try to determine which one was better, based on unit comparisons.The offensive breakdown is the first installment of this two-part analysis: QuarterbackOf course, one of the top stories during the 2005 college football season was the emergence of Brady Quinn under Weis. Quinn sort of muddled along his first two seasons before a breakout junior year that made him the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy as a senior. Jimmy Clausen has had a similar ride in his first two seasons, showing some flashes of brilliance with some bonehead decisions. So if history is any indicator, perhaps Clausen’s third season will be his breakout year as Quinn’s was.When you compare the two players through their first two seasons, the statistics are remarkably similar. Both quarterbacks had attempted exactly 685 passes, with Quinn completing 51-percent for 4,417 yards with 26 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. Clausen has completed 59-percent of his passes for 4,426 yards with 32 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.Charlie Weis said during Clausen’s freshman year that by the time preparations for his junior season arrived, he would be well ahead of Quinn’s evolution pace. It’s hard to argue. Advantage: 2009 Running BacksThe running game has been a colossal disappointment in recent seasons for the Irish, even as the promise remains consistent that the talent is in place for this to be a solid running team. It isn’t completely unlike 2005 when plenty of uncertainty surrounded the Irish running game. With the graduation of Julius Jones, and injuries and ineffectiveness slowing senior Ryan Grant, freshman tailback Darius Walker emerged as a reliable back in 2004, rushing for 786 yards and seven touchdowns, while adding 10 receptions for 74 yards. With Grant gone after the 2004 season, Walker became the workhorse and an important part of that successful 2005 season. The 2009 running game needs to be looked at collectively more than individually. Walker was really the only option at tailback in 2005. This season, Notre Dame continues to have three options, all of which have shown flashes, none of which has been spectacular. James Aldridge, Robert Hughes and Armando Allen have combined for 2,514 rushing yards, 97 receptions, 612 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in their careers. That’s more than three times the overall production that Walker brought with him when he became the feature back in 2005, so obviously the experience and promise is there for the 2009 running game to turn things around.Advantage: 2009Wide ReceiversLike Quinn at quarterback, turnaround stories such as Jeff Samardzija and Maurice Stovall were in the news all of 2005, and nobody had hardly heard of Samardzija, until an injury to Rhema McKnight forced the junior receiver into action. When you look at the top three receivers that emerged in 2005 – Samardzija, Stovall and Matt Shelton – there wasn’t a whole lot to get excited about, especially in the preseason. The trio had combined for 109 catches, 1,986 yards and 14 touchdowns, most of that production coming from Stovall. The diminutive Shelton’s 613 career receiving yards were almost twice as many as Samardzija had. In 2009, Notre Dame returns the most dynamic pair of wide receivers perhaps in its history, and definitely the most productive tandem. Golden Tate and Michael Floyd combined for 106 catches and 1,799 yards with 17 touchdowns last season, and Floyd even missed almost three full games with injury. Throw Duval Kamara into the mix as the No. 3 receiver and the Irish bring back three players that have combined for 164 catches, 2,493 yards and 23 touchdowns in their careers, about a 25-percent production increase from the to top three receivers that emerged in 2005.Advantage: 2009Tight EndsWith the one-two punch of Anthony Fasano and John Carlson, tight end was an opportunity for great things for the Irish in 2005, and Weis maximized every opportunity to use it, especially with Fasano as the front-line guy. But heading into the 2005 season, the numbers were solid, but not staggering. The senior Fasano, and the rarely used Carlson, had combined for 51 catches, 200 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers were posted before either fully emerged as valuable weapons in the offense. The 2009 season brings similar promise, with a bit of uncertainty also. Injuries and suspension made freshman Kyle Rudolph essentially the only tight end option for Notre Dame last season, and he responded with 29 catches for 340 yards and two touchdowns. Rudolph’s 369:56 minutes of playing time dwarfed any other player at the position. It is interesting that Rudolph’s minutes during his freshman season are only about one minute less than Fasano played total in his first three seasons (370:53). Mike Ragone and Joseph Fauria add some depth and talent to the position, but they bring no tangible production. Advantage: 2005Offensive LineThis unit and quarterback are the two areas where the comparisons to the 2005 team are uncanny. Led by NFL prospects Ryan Harris, Dan Stevenson and Mark LeVoir, the 2005 line was touted as one of the best returning units in the country, but the performance didn’t always match the hype. The line was solid, but not spectacular, especially given the experience level of the group. Rounded out by Bob Morton and Dan Santucci, this five-man unit combined for 125 appearances and 90 starts, heading into 2005. The average playing time per man was 510:08. Jump to 2009 and the experience numbers are almost identical. Led by Sam Young’s 38 starts in 38 career games, the projected unit of Young, Chris Stewart, Dan Wenger, Eric Olsen and Paul Duncan has combined for a 136 career appearances and 97 career starts, slightly more than the 2005 line.The starting 2009 linemen average 544:05 career minutes, about a half hour per man more than the 2005 group. The experience numbers are slightly higher, but with the struggles today’s unit has had the last two seasons, it’s hard to give it the edge.Advantage: 2005

In an article Tuesday on BlueandGold.com, we talked about how similar the 2009 preseason looks and feels when compared to what happened in 2005 during the first year of Charlie Weis. The premise of the story was that in many respects, 2009 looks like the year when the Irish football program will come full circle in the four full seasons Charlie Weis has coached the Irish. The similarities in both the players and circumstances between 2005 and 2009 are remarkably similar. It’s hard to argue that 2005, the first season for Weis, was his highlight as Notre Dame coach. Weis took a program that had limped to an 11-13 record in the two previous seasons, overhauled the offense, and finished 9-3.
Tenuta will take over calling the plays for the defense in 2009.
In 2009, the Irish will be coming off a 10-15 record in the last two seasons, and the talent is firmly in place for the offense and team to make a similar renaissance as it did in 2005. We continue our comparison between 2009 and 2005 today with a look at the defenses. Now, with less substitutions and clear yardage statistics to base comparisons off of, it was easier to match up the offenses between the two years. Comparing the defenses is trickier because there is still some unsettlement along the defensive line and at linebacker this spring that won’t be fully ironed out until fall camp, but we’ll give it a shot anyway.Defensive LineHeading into the 2005 season, most people figured that junior defensive end Victor Abiamiri was getting ready to hit his stride, and that Derek Landri was a solid up-and-coming player also. But nobody would have guessed that three future NFL players were lining up together on that line when you added relatively unknown defensive tackle Trevor Laws.Those three along with Chris Frome combined for some major minutes before 2005 but all were still a bit unproven. Abiamiri and Landri had 19 starts between them, but Laws and Frome had never started a game. The four averaged 28 career tackles per man, and 212 career minutes played, not too shabby, but there was still plenty of unknown with this group.The 2009 unit actually brings slightly more experience back than the 2005 group, but probably also more unknowns because of the youth. Using Ethan Johnson, Ian Williams, Kerry Neal and Morrice Richardson as the four anchors of this group, Notre Dame will return four players that have averaged three more starts and 13 more tackles per man in their careers than the four players that emerged as DLine regulars in 2005. Of course, untested linemen Kapron Lewis-Moore and Hafis Williams are getting their shots to secure major minutes also. It almost doesn’t seem possible, but the 2009 foursome (with Richardson included) averages 23 appearances a man going into 2009, compared to 17.5 for the 2005 group.Even with the slight edge in minutes played and production, the presence of Abiamiri and Landri is too much to give the edge to the younger guys.Advantage: 2005LinebackersLike the defensive line, the uncertainty at linebacker this spring makes it difficult to accurately compare this unit with the one in 2005 that started seniors Brandon Hoyte and Corey Mays. Hoyte was a mainstay at linebacker, logging 506:41 career minutes and 205 total tackles, coming into the 2005 season. The 2009 list of linebacker candidates has only slightly more minutes than Hoyte logged by himself. Mays came into 2005 with 35 appearances and only one start, but together with Hoyte, the pair made up a terrific tandem both in terms of production and leadership. Redshirt freshman Maurice Crum was the third linebacker on that 2005 unit. Brian Smith isn’t unlike Hoyte in his ability to lead by words and deeds. The junior to be easily leads the returning Irish linebackers with 395 minutes played and 79 total tackles. The other two linebacking Smiths, Scott and Toryan, have 52 appearances and 74 tackles between them. Brian Smith keeps the 2009 linebacker corps in the conversation when compared to 2005, but the stability and experience Hoyte brought to the group gives 2005 a slight edge. Advantage: 2005Defensive BacksEven though three future NFL players lined up in the 2005 Irish defensive backfield, the numbers aren’t even close to what the 2009 group brings back this season. In Tom Zbikowski, Chinedum Ndukwe and Michael Richardson, the Irish had three future NFL Draft picks, but probably didn’t even realize it at the time. Along with cornerback Ambrose Wooden, this unit featured four players that averaged an impressive 16.5 career appearances per man, and that was spread out fairly evenly, other than Wooden’s lack of experience. Zbikowski and Richardson were proven tacklers also, combining for 119 of the 131 tackles this group combined for, entering the 2005 season. That said, the 2009 DB unit not only seems more talented, but it is obviously much deeper. In safeties Kyle McCarthy and Harrison Smith, and cornerbacks Raeshon McNeil and Robert Blanton, the Irish return four players that have averaged an impressive 24.75 appearances, 10.5 starts, and 335 minutes per man for their careers. And that’s without mentioning Sergio Brown and Darrin Walls, who have logged almost 600 minutes between them. Consider that Leo Ferrine was the nickel back in 2005, and it becomes obvious how much depth and talent has been stockpiled in the backfield since 2005.Advantage: 2009 Injuries, schedules, and other factors have to be considered when trying to compare different teams from different eras. But when you look at the difference in top-tier talent, and all-around depth between 2009 and 2005, there is no doubt that this season should have a similar breakout feel, it better.

Like Father Like Son?

Now tell me this isn't a dead-ringer for old Joe from this angle! Unfortunately, this Montana probably will not be an impact at ND. Nate Montana is currently a walk-on and the 3rd string QB as a freshman. However, he obviously has a great bloodline and stands at 6'4''. He actually put up the best numbers of the three QBs in the Blue/Gold game recently. This was the report: In a game that featured vanilla offensive playcalling and a heavy dose of the running game, measuring the play of the quarterbacks wasn’t the easiest job. That said, third-stringer Nate Montana certainly left his mark with one touchdown and one field-goal drive in his two meaningful series. Montana was terrific on the spring-game stage, leading his offensive on a 65-yard touchdown drive, which was highlighted by consecutive pass completions to Deion Walker for 17 yards and Mike Ragone for 34 yards, the longest offensive play of the game. Although it came against the No. 3 defense, it should provide a confidence boost – especially with so much recent attention on receiver John Goodman potentially becoming the third quarterback. “It was nice for Nate to get those couple of passes and a couple of completions. I think it was good for him to get those under his belt,” Weis said. “There’s a lot of pressure being a legacy, especially now you’re playing in front of more than 30,000 instead of just in practice when there is nobody else around.”

Now Nick Montana on the other hand is the #11 QB in the 2010 class according to Scout, and probably the highest ranked, most likely QB ND has a shot at in that class. He's a 4 star recruit with Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Ohio St., Stanford, and Washington all interested. One thing is for sure, this is a very high profile family. If you Google Nate Montana escpecially, it's easier to find pictures of him with his shirt off, at the beach, playing volleyball, etc, than actual football info. He may never contribute at ND, but I for one think it would be pretty cool if our #1 QB recruit in the 2010 class was a Montana.

We Will Be Back!

For all of you who still doubt the kind of season ND football is going to have, (yes, Dad, that means you) I want you to think about how important it is to have an experienced quarterback. Then think of how weak the Irish's schedule is going to be this season. Now combine the two! Check out our upcoming opponents:

(Sept. 5) Nevada is a bad example to start with because they do have an experienced, skilled QB, but come on, Nevada? At home? (1-0)
(Sept. 12) Michigan. Steven Threet started 8 games last year and he transferred. Nick Sheridan started 4 games last year. He suffered a small fracture in his lower right leg that sidelined him for Spring drills. Third string QB, David Cone is rumored to have a broken hand. They were even talking about Greg Paulus who has been playing basketball for Duke since 2005? Always tough winning at Michigan, but I like our chances! We beat them last year and we should be much better this year. (2-0) (Sorry Court)
(Sept. 19) Michigan St.. Kirk Cousins threw for a total of 340 last year and transfer Keith Nichol is a running QB. The biggest thing is that they also lost Mr. Everything, RB-Javon Ringer who accounted for 96% of their rushing yardage. We were in the game last year, we’ll be better, and we’re at home this year. Should be 3-0.
(Sept. 26) Purdue. The Boilers lose Curtis Painter and appeared to have Justin Siller ready to step in after starting 3 games last year. Well, Siller is out for the season for academic reasons and leaves only Joey Elliot who attempted 15 passes last season. Add to that the loss of their top 2 receivers and RB-Kory Sheets. Purdue should be really down. 4-0.
(Oct. 3) Washington. Jake Locker is coming back from a broken thumb. He is adjusting to a new coach and a totally different offensive style. They were terrible last year, they have a new coach, and we are at home. 5-0.
(Oct. 17) USC. Okay I know we have to assume that USC will be USC, but atleast Mark Sanchez left early for the NFL and they will have an inexperienced QB! 5-1.
(Oct. 24) Boston College. With starter Chris Crane gone, last year’s backup, Dominique Davis did play in six games last year. However, he completed only 45.7% of his passes and struggled in his first Spring scrimmage. 5-2.
(Oct. 31) Washington St. Last year they had 6TD passes and 21 INTs. Their top candidate, Kevin Lopina threw 0 TDs and 11 INTs last season. Played on a neutral field. Back in the win column! 6-2.

(Nov. 7) Navy. We almost blew this one last year, but another home game, and we’re a better team. 7-2.
(Nov. 14) Pitt. They do have their QBs from last year back, but neither were great. RB LeSean McCoy was their Mr. Offense, and he’s gone. This is a tough game at Pitt. I think it could go either way. 8-2.
(Nov. 21) Connecticut. Threw for 5TDs and 17 INTs last year. Starter is gone. Back-ups were unimpressive last year. Home game. 9-2
(Nov. 28) Stanford. Stanford has an experienced QB who has averaged 6 yards per attempt and has 15 TDs and 22 INTs. At Stanford. 10-2.

Believe it!

Side notes:

Tim Brown became the 43rd ND football player elected into the college football hall of fame

Armando Allen along with Julius Jones were considered the swiftest running back recruits for ND in the last decade. Allen’s 4.38 40 was the best of 550 competitors at the US Army All-American Bowl junior combine in 2006.