Changing Gears

For ten years now, I have driven a four cylinder Hyundai Accent and it has served its purpose.  It starts and it gets me to where I need to go.  I have had a couple of fender benders needing repairs, I have changed the oil regularly and have replaced brakes, tires, etc.  For those same ten years, I have had Irish teams that have shown up on Saturdays to run the ball, pass the ball and kick the ball; and we’ve seen some wins and some loses.  Notre Dame has recruited players, graduated players, had players go down with injuries, and so on.  For years, the Irish teams started, stopped and moved, getting us somewhere, but not always where we wanted to go.

Although Lou Holtz might have looked like a compact economy car, make no mistake about it, he was a hot rod.  We know Bob Davie was more like a station wagon - no frills but solid and dependable.  When Davie stalled out, Ty Willingham seemed like a nice, new, shinny model with some excitement, but he skidded of the road.  And when Charlie Weiss rolled in the driveway, he may have looked like a dump truck, but his team was supposed to be like a corvette.  We obviously needed a recall on that model.  That’s why when Brian Kelly was introduced as the new coach at Notre Dame, we thought we were getting a “Lamborghini” offense.

I keep waiting for Kelly to put the pedal to the metal and take this offense to the checkered flag.  I’m looking at this roster with guys like Golson, Atkinson, and Eifert along with his young and speedy receivers, all supported by a good line.  It’s been frustrating to have this sports car in the driveway and not take it out on the Autobahn.  However, I also understand it’s still a young(ish) team (Kelly and his staff’s third season) that is still learning “Kelly’s Process.”  At least after five games this season, it appears that the car is out of the garage and on the road.  With Golson only five games into his eligibility and Kelly easing him along one gear at a time, it may be a little while before we’re on the expressway, but boy, when we hit the gas at the green light, look out.  We’re definitely going to win some pink slips.

The numbers tell the story, sort of.

5-0: Notre Dame’s record and the most important number.  One of 13 undefeated teams in Division I.

7: Notre Dame’s AP Rank.  A fair ranking putting the Irish in the BCS conversation.

827:  Total number of passing yards Golson has over five games.  For perspective, Rakeem Cato of Marshall leads the nation with 2311 yards in six games with a 2-4 record.  I’ll take 5-0 any day.

269: Yards gained by George Atkinson III to lead the Irish in rushing.  That puts him at 147 in Division I compared to number one ranked Stefphon Jefferson of Nevada with a 5-1 record in the MWC.

12 and 207:  Receptions and total yards Davaris Daniels has to lead Irish receivers.   For perspective, DeAndre Hopkins from Clemson leads the nation with 777 yards and Tavon Austin of West Virginia (5-0) and Tommy Schuler of Marshall (5-0) each have 58 receptions.

1:  The most touchdowns caught by any Irish receiver this season, total.  Three players with one touchdown reception each share the team lead.  For perspective, Stedman Bailey of West Virginia has 13 to lead the country.

9:  Field goals made by Notre Dame this season, 8 by Brindza and 1 by Tausch.  For perspective, Steven Schott from Ball State (3-3) has 14.

Overall the math does not add up.  Most teams in the top ten with an undefeated record usually have players higher up on the individual statistics list.  Kelly’s “Process” makes the Irish different than most teams.

Developing Irish

A game overseas and one in an NFL stadium, undefeated at 5-0, a number seven ranking in the AP, fancy Shamrock Series uniforms and now ESPN Game Day coming to campus for the Stanford game  on Saturday… there is a lot of flash for recruits and potential recruits to be impressed with this year.  Traditionally, Notre Dame has relied on great tradition of 11 National Championships, icons including seven Heisman Trophy winners and historic visions like the Golden Dome and Touchdown Jesus.

Times they are a changing.  When the uniforms for the game in Chicago were unveiled, there was a collective “Rockne is rolling over in his grave” from every fan over 30 years old.  Well, they weren’t designed for has been’s  and never was’s,  whose playing days are long gone.  They were to excite 18-21 year olds who are playing for the Irish and high school players thinking of choosing a college to play at.   Last week, when listening to the Notre Dame players being interviewed, I was initially disappointed in the lack of knowledge of the Miami rivalry.  Once I realized that almost all of the current players were not even born the last time the Irish played the Hurricanes in the regular season and that they were more focused on the game at hand, I had a new appreciation of where they were coming from.

In no way do I want Oregon or Maryland uniforms, nor do I want our players flying overseas every other game fighting jet lag and time changes, but it may be time to modernize a little.  I do follow equipment manager Ryan Grooms on Twitter and appreciate the behind the scenes pictures he posts.  I also follow a handful of players and coaches for the up to the minute insight they offer.  And let’s not forget about Louis Nix and Chocolate News. 

Brian Kelly has made a concerted effort as a head coach to get closer to his players this year.  As a result, communication and overall trust are improving (I am not saying it was poor before).  If Kelly can do that, we as fans can try – at least a little - to embrace a new way of college football at South Bend. 

Hawaiian Manti Te’o helps Irish go 5-0

He (Everett Golson) was meeting with a professor (education should be the main reason he is in South Bend), lost track of time and needs to communicate better with is about it so you suspend him for the first series as a slap on the wrist punishment, and in the process, put fans into a confused stupor as the game began.  I have officially given up on trying to figure out how Brian Kelly is managing Golson’s development.  Kelly keeps talking about “the process,” and for the life of me I cannot figure out how that process translates to players.  Yes, I know it’s about the team, but the whole is made up of its parts.  I keep trying to figure out the plan of how Golson, Eifert and the Three-Headed Monster at running back will be used.  With that being said, they keep winning and that goes a long way in having overall confidence with Kelly in the head coach position.

In addition to the stat of 5-0, the game produced a lot of numbers for fans to be happy about, from both  team and individual perspective.  Starting with the running game, having 376 net yards running with two players having over 100 yards and four different players rushing for scores, it not only speaks to the talent in the backfield, but it also showcased the offensive line. 

Although the passing game statistically looked mediocre, it definitely passed the eye test.  Passes were caught by nine different receivers and although none of them had more than 48 total yards, the longest reception was for 24 yards and no one caught a touchdown.  I loved the spreading of the ball to the left and to the right for 6 yards, 8 yards, and 10 yards, always moving the ball and chewing up clock (Notre Dame lead in time of possession 39:08 to 20:52), thus keeping Morris and the Hurricanes offense off of the field.

Although on the stat sheet shows a run dominated offensive game plan with 51 rushes and 26 pass attempts, I felt overall the offensive game plan was a delight to watch, with solid drives and a good mix of run and pass plays; 10 plays, 88 yards, 3:54, 13 plays, 70 yards, 6:22, 14 plays, 65 yards, 7:17, 3 plays, 2 yards, 0:24, 6 plays, 53 yards, 1:02, 6 plays, 81 yards, 3:03, 12 plays, 86 yards, 6:47, 3 plays, 66 yards, 1:34, 13 plays, 93 yards, 8:45.  With no real “big chunk” pass plays (11.1 yards per pass completion with a long of 24 yards on a Daniels reception), the running game was a bit more than above average with 7.4 yards per rush and a long of 55 yards by George Atkinson III; the offense did have five drives of 10 plays or more…not bad.

Don’t expect the Irish special teams to win many games but they seem solid enough to no lose any either.  Brindza went two for three on field goal attempts, hitting from 22 and 32 yards while missing one from 34 yards as the first half came to an end.  It wasn’t so much about the lack of getting three points, but it would have sent a dagger into the hearts of the Miami players heading into the locker room.  Sometimes the mental points are as important, if not more important, than the ones on the scoreboard during a game.

From a statistical standpoint, the defense looked solid but not great with no sacks, no interceptions and only one tackle for a loss (by Kapron Lewis-Moore)  of one yard unless you take in to consideration they held a Miami offense that was averaging over 43 points a game until Saturday night to only three points a have extended the number of games to five in which they have not yielded a rushing touchdown.  Of course, Manti Te’o  had his standard game of 10 tackles (eight solos) and one pass break up.

Talking Irish suggests that Brian Kelly gives the game ball to the Miami Hurricane receivers for dropping passes.

Special recognition to #33 running back Cam McDaniel who came in for mop up detail but ran like a starter with the game on the line, racking up 55 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown.