What to expect.

What to expect, watch to watch for and what to hope for.

Irish fans should expect a win at the very least, but how it happens remains to be seen.  I expect that the best match up to watch this Saturday will be between Maryland’s offensive line and Notre Dame’s defensive line.  The Irish faithful should not have to hope for but need to hope for its front seven win that battle (especially the running game), because if they do, everything else should easily go Notre Dame’s way.

Although upperclassmen with injury issues such as Manti Te’o and Ethan Johnson are expected to play, their time should be limited.  This is Johnson’s first game in a while and he does need to get in some “knock off the rust” reps.  I look for underclassmen to get in some meaningful work and have a chance to shine.  What Notre Dame can’t have and what we all need to hope for is no more injuries. 

I expect that at 2-7 and becoming bowl eligibility out of Maryland’s future, playing the Irish at Fed Ex field may be enough motivation to get the Terps fired up enough to get and keep them motivated.  I hope to watch the Irish load up on highlight film plays and statistical numbers for the season.

Maryland

At 2-7 and riding a five game losing streak, Maryland is not exactly a major obstacle in the Irish picking up a win this Saturday. Although it’s technically a home game for the Irish, they will be playing at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.  As you look over the Terrapins’ depth chart, you can see it’s peppered with freshmen, sophomores and juniors in starting and key roles. 

Taking into consideration how banged up the Irish are, especially on defense, I would expect to see a number of regular starters on the sidelines this weekend not in pads.  I can live and the Irish can win with giving a week off to Lynch, Hounshell, and Te'o.  Offensively, since Braxton Cave needs to sit out, Golic has proven he can handle the workload. 

This is the kind of match-up that Notre Dame may not need to rest guys, but it is an opportunity to get some of the young guys some game reps and experience.  George Atkinson III and even Cam McDaniel should get some meaningful touches in this game.  In no way should we play any freshmen that we have not used yet and burn eligibility.  There are a number of sophomores that have no eligibility to save and could use the reps.  These players include Luke Massa who was converted to wide receiver.  This game could also allow Kelly to see more of guys like Collinsworth at receiver and Hendrix at quarterback.

Of course, it would be horrible if the Irish stumble this weekend.  With the hype around the uniforms for this game as part of Shamrock Series, I don’t want a repeat of USC where the best part of the game was the helmets.  Two outcomes will be satisfactory this Saturday.  First, the Irish totally dominate Maryland from start to finish.  Along the way Wood and Gray each have 100+ yard rushing games, and Floyd has a career game.  On defense, Notre Dame racks up 3 sacks, two interceptions and scores a touchdown off a turnover.  Special teams also has at least one touchdown.  Second, Notre Dame works in their second and third teams for most of the game, young guys get playing time and the Irish win if even by only 7 to 10 points.

Wake Forest Review

Overall, Saturday’s game against Wake Forest was a good win for the Irish.  The Demon Deacons are a solid team and beating an ACC team on the road is not a huge statement, but it’s still a solid win.  The win officially makes Notre Dame bowl eligible. Brian Kelly said several times Saturday night after the game “we did not beat ourselves.”   That doesn’t mean there was perfect execution. There were mistakes to be sure but none that were fatal. 

Senior center Mike Golic Jr. had to come in for Braxton Cave and got some solid playing time and performed well.  The player combination that really stood out was the front three on defense with Lynch, Nix and Tuitt.  To think we could see them together for the next three years is a great prospect for Irish fans.

I liked Kelly’s fire on Saturday.  He went after players and referees as deserved.  During his press conference after the game there was a discussion about the success of the running game a reporter asked a question about the deficiencies and Kelly took him to task.

"I mean is there a negative to everything? Is there a negative?" Kelly said. "We just won a football game, on the road. I mean, what kind of, really, what kind of question, what do you want me to say? What's the answer? We won 24 to 17 against a good football team, and you want to know what's wrong with the passing game. You know what's wrong with it? Um, the coach doesn't call good plays. How's that? There's nothing wrong with it. We're fine. We just won a good game."

Although I think that Notre Dame could have and should have played better against the run, they stepped up when they needed to.  The Irish shut out Wake Forest in the second half despite the Demon Deacons being in or on the Irish 10 yard line twice and walking away with zilch.

Offensively the Irish did well with Gray accumulating 92 yards (4.8 yards a carry) and Wood with 87 yards (averaging 6.2 yards per rush).  I am still waiting for Gray to get a 100-yard game this season and I hold Brian Kelly accountable for getting that done.  Rees did what he needed to do to win by going 14 for 23 with a touchdown and two interceptions.  Thankfully, the interceptions did not cost them the game.  The receiving corps duties were fairly shared between six players (including running back Wood), with Michael Floyd leading the way with five catches.

Special teams were led by kickoff returns (as they have all year).  Collinsworth and Atkinson both had two returns each; Collinsworth’s long went for 41 yards while Atkinson’s long was 32.  As for kickoffs and field goals, both were sufficient with Ruffer making his only attempt of the day for a 44 yard score while Brindza kicked off five times averaging nearly 70 yards per kick.  Even the punting game was respectable, with Turk kicking three times for an average of 41.3 yards per kick. 

Assuming the Irish win their next two games over Maryland and Boston College and lose to Stanford, is an 8- 4 record a good enough regular season improvement over last year’s finish of 7-5?  I think the bowl game scenario becomes much more important in judging the success of the season.  What bowl, against who and what kind of win?  Some early predictions include a matchup with Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando.  At 6-3 and 4-2 in the ACC the Seminoles would be a respectable opponent.  Florida State has an explosive offense led by its passing game averaging over 292 passing yards per game.

Enjoy the now.

Enjoy, enjoy the last third of this season not with feelings of disappointment or frustration, but with the vision of the carrots left in front of us.  What is dangling out in front of us that will make this season a success or at the very least, enjoyable?  What will keep the Irish faithful tuning in each week, cheering and following her loyal sons?  It may not be a run at the National Championship, a BSC Bowl or even a meaningful New Year’s Day game, although it may, so let’s start there.

After Wake Forest, most are picking the Irish to beat Boston College and Maryland before facing Stanford, where the same following are picking Stanford to beat the Irish, resulting in a regular season record of 8-4.  Along with the Notre Dame history and following an 8-4 record should land the Irish on a decent bowl, the other half of the equation would be their opponent.   Last year’s match up with their arch nemesis the Miami Hurricanes cannot be duplicated, but there could be several intriguing match ups.  The season will have to be played out and followed to see it come to fruition.

Although he owns every important career receiving record at Notre Dame, we only have a handful of games left to watch Micheal Floyd play in an Irish uniform.  Remember Tim Brown, Rahib Ishmial, Jerome Bettis, or any other Irish great?  They live now in our memories, so savor the plays this year. There is not much time left to see Floyd do what he does so well.

Traditionally I don’t bet, and I surely don’t root against the Irish, but I would bet the farm (if I had one to bet) that Notre Dame will lose to the Stanford Cardinals on Saturday, November 26.  However, there is a reason they play the games.  I don’t like the idea of one game makes or breaks a season but this is close.  Beating Stanford at this point won’t put us in a position to win a National Championship or a BSC Bowl, but if we win out, it definitely would put us in the top 25 at the end of the season. 

As we have dreams of future seasons that don’t come with disappointment or frustration, we can look at our underclassmen and speculate how great they can become.   Austin Collingsworth with his athleticism, George Atkinson III with his speed, and the defensive studs like Lynch, Tuitt, and Hounshell with their unlimited potential are like dreams of sugar plums dancing in the heads of children on Christmas Eve.

Of course, there are all the things that happen each game that makes the hairs on the back of my neck sand up.  When the players take the field and you hear “here come the Irish.” When the Fight Song Plays after a score.  Every first down and every touchdown.  Every interception and every big tackle.  Every big run and every big block.  Talking to Greg at the corner of the bar at Shamrock Jacks, hearing Mo scream YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!  Hearing Chuck go “na na na na na na na na” after each score, having Mark and Mike offer my tab up to buy shots if the Irish score, and then doing them to swing the momentum in Notre Dame’s favor (usually offering the shots up to the football gods for a turnover).  Talking to Pete and Keith at the YMCA about the good the bad and the ugly of the previous game while looking to the next.  Yeah there is enough to keep me cheering her loyal sons onward to victory.

Saturday Night Live

Another night game for the Irish.  With a loss from North Carolina last Saturday the Demon Deacons dropped to 5-3 and 4-2 in the ACC.  This wake forest may be as inconsistent at the Irish with a loss to Syracuse and a win over at the time #23 Florida State.  Traditional thinking says that the Deacons will have to pass on the Irish defense because their rushing game is weak at best whereas their passing game is good to pretty good. 

When the Irish meet Wake Forest this Saturday night it will be their first meeting in Notre Dame’s 123 years of football and theirs 141 different opponent.  The good news is the Irish have a winning percentage of .846 and a record of 117-20-3 when facing a team for the first time.

Wake Forest has a big and an experienced offensive line and is more than capable of winning this game.  The Irish need to keep their momentum rolling and go into the Stanford game with three consecutive wins.  If Notre Dame losses Saturday night odds are that they will end with four loses before a bowl game.  November was very good to the Irish last season let’s hope it is as kind to them this year. 

A bad note in the recruiting trail out of South Bend literally; South Bend’s (Washington High) own David Perkins de-committed from Notre Dame.  Perkins dominated at The Opening run by Nike this summer.  Technically he is shopping around and taking some official visits to other schools.  LSU, Oregon and Boise State are on his radar.

Getting the job done.

Over the last 36 hours I have had many people come up to me so happy and impressed that the Irish beat Navy 56-14.  That’s what they’re supposed to do.  With seven rushing touchdowns and 182 yards on the ground, Notre Dame dominated the Midshipmen’s rushing defense in traditional impressive manner.  However, size, speed, and blue chip recruiting talent overwhelmingly favored the Irish and should not have surprised anyone, even if Navy has enjoyed victory over the Irish in the last two years.  Even though Notre Dame had one passing touchdown (one compared to seven rushing), they out passed Navy 260 yards to 33.  With that being said, Navy is a good team compared to their record.  Prior to playing Notre Dame, they had lost four games by a total of eight points.

Not to say I was disappointed, I was happy with the game overall and there were highlights to be sure.  None more impressive than when after the game the Midshipmen stood behind the Irish players while they sang the alma mater to the student section, then the Navy players headed to their students in the stands to sing the Irish players stood behind them in support.  Why? Out of respect.

On the field, here were the highlights to be happy about and build upon as the season progresses.  There were a lot of numbers that stood out on the stat sheet but the first one that hits me was that the Irish offense was 7 for 7 in red zone scoring (all touchdowns).  This shows the ability for Notre Dame to finish drives strong.  On the defensive side of the ball, Notre Dame held Navy to 196 yards rushing, which under normal circumstances would be a good day, but against a team that averages over 300 yards a game on the ground, it’s a great accomplishment.

Manti Te’o led the Irish with 13 tackles while playing for his “bros.”  There was an obvious issue stemming from Brian Kelly’s comments in the media about the buy-in from the players he recruited versus those he inherited, but it wasn’t evident on the field Saturday.

I have finally come to terms with Michael Floyd and have made a full confession that I am a Floyd fan.  For years I have been hesitant to support him based on my perception of his non-football persona.  On Saturday I was willing to move forward.  He is immature and I can deal with that.  He is not a bad person, and as a matter of fact I think he is a good kid.  Sure, he is being a puppet and regurgitating what he is being told to say, but he is willing to do it because he wants to say the right things. 

Getting the job done.

Over the last 36 hours I have had many people come up to me so happy and impressed that the Irish beat Navy 56-14.  That’s what they’re supposed to do.  With seven rushing touchdowns and 182 yards on the ground, Notre Dame dominated the Midshipmen’s rushing defense in traditional impressive manner.  However, size, speed, and blue chip recruiting talent overwhelmingly favored the Irish and should not have surprised anyone, even if Navy has enjoyed victory over the Irish in the last two years.  Even though Notre Dame had one passing touchdown (one compared to seven rushing), they out passed Navy 260 yards to 33.  With that being said, Navy is a good team compared to their record.  Prior to playing Notre Dame, they had lost four games by a total of eight points.

Not to say I was disappointed, I was happy with the game overall and there were highlights to be sure.  None more impressive than when after the game the Midshipmen stood behind the Irish players while they sang the alma mater to the student section, then the Navy players headed to their students in the stands to sing the Irish players stood behind them in support.  Why? Out of respect.

On the field, here were the highlights to be happy about and build upon as the season progresses.  There were a lot of numbers that stood out on the stat sheet but the first one that hits me was that the Irish offense was 7 for 7 in red zone scoring (all touchdowns).  This shows the ability for Notre Dame to finish drives strong.  On the defensive side of the ball, Notre Dame held Navy to 196 yards rushing, which under normal circumstances would be a good day, but against a team that averages over 300 yards a game on the ground, it’s a great accomplishment.

Manti Te’o led the Irish with 13 tackles while playing for his “bros.”  There was an obvious issue stemming from Brian Kelly’s comments in the media about the buy-in from the players he recruited versus those he inherited, but it wasn’t evident on the field Saturday.

I have finally come to terms with Michael Floyd and have made a full confession that I am a Floyd fan.  For years I have been hesitant to support him based on my perception of his non-football persona.  On Saturday I was willing to move forward.  He is immature and I can deal with that.  He is not a bad person, and as a matter of fact I think he is a good kid.  Sure, he is being a puppet and regurgitating what he is being told to say, but he is willing to do it because he wants to say the right things.