Know your Role

This Saturday I will be rooting for the Irish I will however not be rooting against their opponent.  When Notre dame plays a Service Academy there are two things you need to know.  First I know where these guys could be in the future.  Anyone with a heart and a brain could not boo young men that at as early as next year could be overseas putting their life on the line to defend our freedom and way of life.

Second, I know a lot of people think that having Air Force, Army and Navy on their schedule gives the Irish a fluff schedule and a cop out of playing higher ranked squads.  However it repays a debt of honor going back to when the Services Academies were powerhouses and played Notre Dame and of course for all they have done for our country.

I enjoy watching a good option offense but not against the Irish.  I want a Notre Dame win.  I want over 200 yards rushing, no turnovers, a defensive score and no missed field goals.  On paper against a traditional team this would not even be close.  The heaviest player on the Air Force roster is 285lbs, the next heaviest weighing in at 265, the Irish have 24 players listed at 285 or higher topping of at 326lb Louis Nix.  The Falcons have 4 players standing 6’5’ or taller while Notre Dame boasts 20 players standing at 6’5’ or taller.

This Air Force offense may be undersized but they have the three E’s; Effective, Effort, and Efficient ) one of every six passes goes for a touchdown).  They may throw a lot of formations at a the defense but trust me this is not a “trick” play offense, there is intelligence and discipline at play here.

Air Force

This week the Irish face the first – and probably the best (especially since Air Force beat Navy in overtime last week) - of two service academies this season.  Air Force is one of the best running teams in the nation (ranked 3^rd in yardage).  Although their rank is not as high on their passing game (112^th in yardage), when they do throw the ball, they can score.  Brian Kelly spouted out a stat that one in six of their passes results in a touchdown.  Air Force runs the option offense and is well disciplined and experienced with 14 seniors starting (Air Force has been to a bowl game in each of the last four seasons).

Ethan Johnson is in a boat with a sprained ankle.  Against other teams I would not worry about it with the two freshmen Tuitt and Lynch as well as sophomore Kona Schwenke, but against the option you need more patience and discipline, which comes with experience.  In addition, while Lynch is a beast, he may be a little too aggressive and over pursue against the option, and that can cost a defense big.

The offense needs to continue to bully defenses with both the run and the pass.  Gray and Wood are a tough one-two punch to stop, and Floyd and Eifert can abuse defensive backs.  The offensive line should be able to control the line of scrimmage, opening holes for the Gray and Wood as well as giving Rees plenty of time to find his receivers.

After the Air Force game, the Irish will have a bye week. 

What to look for on Saturday:

The running game should be sound. I look for one back to be more dominant in terms of yardage than the other (probably Wood), but Gray could bust out for his signature game of the year allowing Wood to get fewer touches and a little more rest.

The defense may struggle early against the option and/or the zone offense Air Force runs.  The defensive backs will be cheating up to stop the run and possibly get burned on some big passes (not to jinx him but I think Harrison Smith and his great game preparation will pay of in this game and he will stand out as a big defensive player).  

Air Force Quarterback Tim Jefferson is and will be the bread and butter of their offense.  Bob Diaco and his defense will no doubt have a game plan and the coaches will work with players to learn their keys, but come game time, the speed and excitement of the game can cause confusion.  If all the defensive players read and react on their keys and don’t over pursue, the option is relatively easy to defend as it has the most clear reads.  Each defensive player is assigned an offensive player to cover.   The first challenge is reading the keys correctly and being able to follow the ball.  The second challenge is sticking with your assignment and not falling for a trick and pursuing another defensive player’s assignment, leaving yours open.  The final challenge, and the one I feel may be most difficult for the Irish defense, is patience and not over pursuing the play.

Prédiction: Notre Dame 34   Air Force 17         

Satisfied and content.

It was a good win and a well played game Saturday night.  Unfortunately, I cannot say great win and a perfectly executed game.  Brian Kelly said it early on in his career in South Bend, “There is being the head coach and then there is being the head coach at Notre Dame.”   For most teams this is a big win and a statement game, and most fans would be thrilled. Notre Dame is not most teams and Irish Fans are not most fans.  Since this game put Notre Dame north of the 500 mark, let’s start with the good.

The offense had two running backs rushing for a total of 299 yards including Cierra Wood’s 20 carries averaging 9.6 yards a rush.  Tommy Rees passed for 254 yards with three touchdowns (Floyd, Eifert and Jones) and…wait for it…NO interceptions.   Floyd becomes Notre Dame’s all time 100-yard game receiver with 12 catches for 137 yards and a touchdown.

The defense did a great job against the run, limiting all eight Purdue rushes to a combined 105 yards, none gaining more than 25 yards.

Also, I was really impressed with the backups, especially on defense. I am looking forward to the athletic ability of this team in the years to come.

Now, let’s look at the “not bad.”  Ben Turk averaged 44 yards a punt with one within the 20; this is not good, but definitely an improvement for him.  The defense also sacked Purdue quarterback Caleb TerBush twice and picked him off once.   Although the two fumbles are ugly, the fact that the Irish recovered both of them makes it not bad.  George Atkinson had three kickoff returns for 76 yards, and  I like to see him come out of the backfield.  If he can return punts, he becomes even more valuable (I’ll address this later in the “ugly” section).   Tommy Rees is getting better at the line of scrimmage, changing the play, or not changing the play with time running down on the play clock.

I know it’s hard to believe that there is an ugly side to a 38-10 win, but there was.  As far at punt returns go, John Goodman couldn’t return a phone call.  He continued his awful season with two return “attempts” for a total of -3 yards.  Penalties, which represent mental mistakes, continued to plague the Irish (8 for 85 yards including two personal fouls by Lynch and Cowart), displaying a lack of discipline.  Back to special teams, David Ruffer went one for three on Saturday, and one of those misses was at the hands of a block.  This could be the worst of the worse down the road for the Irish.  Kickoff coverage is still weak at best, giving up over 21.5 yards per return, but what makes it worse is that Brindza is kicking the ball very long, and the Irish could be pinning opposing offenses very deep.

The Irish still seem to have their difficulties finishing in the red zone, as there were several opportunities for touchdowns where they had to settle for field goal attempts.  This is linked to their poor play at crucial times.  Notre Dame was 4 for 11 on third down conversions.  If the offense can increase that rate and continue drives, more scoring will come, or at least better field position for the defense to work with.  With over 30 first downs and the offense moving the ball between the 20’s, the Irish are still having good drives with no points, and against good teams, we’ll end up with a loss.

Lastly, I was totally disgusted with a statement statistic that was glaring at me through the entire fourth quarter.  I know that the only statistic that truly counts is on the scoreboard, and that Brian Kelly is not (and most coaches should not be) concerned with individual records and statistics, but as he himself said, “There is being the head coach and then there is being the head coach at Notre Dame”.   Cierra Wood already had a 100 yard game in the bag (he finished with 191) and Jonas Gray, who finished with 94 yards, was denied the opportunity to get a 100-yard game.  From what I can see, the last time Gray touched the ball, there was more than eight minutes left in the game, the ball was on the Purdue four yard line and Brain Kelly’s offense runs two pass attempts (both incomplete) and the Irish would have two more possessions after Ruffer’s field goal.  I understand Kelly does not know everyone’s stats during the game, but someone on that staff has to know what’s going on.  Gray, a senior who Kelly swears by, was denied a 100 yards game by six yards.  I was told, for all intents purposes, it’s  a hundred yard game and six yards is not a big deal.  Well, if it’s not a big deal, why can’t Gray get at least one rush attempt for it?  To add to this frustration, Cam McDaniel, a true freshman running back, burns a year of eligibility to get one rush for one yard.

Some random notes and observations include the fact that Dayne Crist was the next QB in the game and went one for one for 10 yards.  Again, I like Dayne, and if Tommy goes down during a game, Dayne is who I want stepping in, but the next game I want to see Hendrix starting.  If it’s an optional next man in as it was on Saturday, Crist has earned the right of first refusal. However, let’s get Andrew some snaps and keep Golson on the sidelines and retain a year of eligibility.

The defense looked decent against the option plays, which will serve them well down the road against teams like Navy.

Oh yeah, by the way, Michael Floyd looked like a senior playing against high school freshmen and Eifert is too fast to be covered by a linebacker and too big to be covered by a defensive back.  What to do?