Catholic Conflict - Boston College

Notre Dame plays Boston College Saturday afternoon and there is no reason to think that the Irish will lose.  However there is a reason that games are played and no one say let’s just skip it because everyone thinks we’re going to lose.  At 3-7 the Eagles aren’t coming into South Bend as a big threat but after knocking off North Carolina State 14-10 last week and winning 2 of their last 3 (including a win over Notre Dames previous opponent Maryland) they are on as good of a roll as they can be this season.  Last year Notre Dame went into Alumni stadium and beat the Eagles 31-13, I doubt Boston College will fare any better coming into South Bend.

With all of that being said Boston College is a Division I ACC Conference team and deserves some respect.  Offensively 6’3” 212 lb sophomore quarterback Chase Rettig is having a decent year for a second year player on a 3-7 team.  On defense it starts and finishes with junior linebacker Luke Kuechly, who is considered as a mid first round pick if he were to enter this year’s draft.

Between injuries and not needed to keep starters on the field the whole game to win I except to see young guys and non-starters getting playing time again this weekend.

Robby Toma did a good job last week against Maryland covering for the injured Theo Riddick.  It was a good example of Brian Kelly’s “next man in philosophy”.  Robby had seven catches for 73 yards, both career highs.  Toma started against Army and USC last year due to injuries and will get an opportunity to crack the starting lineup on a regular basis next year in his senior season.

We will continue to see Freshman Stephon Tuitt who has gone in for Kapron Lewis-Moore.  Tuitt has played in eight games this season but has only started three.  Along with Super Freshman Lynch who has gone in for injured Ethan Johnson, Stephon can use this playing time to tune his skills for the future on the defensive line.

One position we will not see a lot of new faces is at running back.  Either Wood or Gray could be a standalone starting running back carrying for most teams.  Having them rotating on each series will keep them fresh and lessen the chance of injury.  George Atkinson III is seeing a little action at the end of games and that will probably continue this week.

These guys are following in the footsteps of last year’s “next man in” players; Tyler Eifert in for Kyle Rudolph and Tommy Rees for Dayne Christ.  Another thing to remember this is the last game some of these Irish players will ever have at Notre Dame Stadium.

Getting the job done.

Let’s go in reverse.  The Ugly; both teams’ uniforms.  I almost had a seizure when the teams took the field.  The Bad; Beating up on a 2-7 team may be expected but Maryland may be the best 2-7 team out there.  Notre Dame’s punt return is still a no threat with too many fair catches

There was a lot of good on Saturday night.  First off I am finally happy with Jonas Gray getting his first 100 yard rushing game (136 yards / 6.5 yards per carry) after being close several times this season.  It was however a pretty balanced scoring attack for the Irish.   Three rushing TD’s (by two running backs), two passing TD’s (by two receivers), an interception for a TD (57 yards) and a field goal (52 Yards).

The Irish offense looked good and the numbers support a good distribution of the ball.  Overall Notre Dame racked up 212 yards rushing with an average of 4.6 yards a carry, 296 yards passing with an average of 9.9 per completion.   Going 10 for 16 on third downs kept drives going and by going 1 for 1 on fourth down kept the Irish perfect on fourth down conversions.  In addition to Gray’s rushing Wood had 99 yards with a touchdown.  Tommy Rees utilized seven receivers for a total of 30 receptions and 296 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Defensively again the Irish shared the work load, Notre Dame had a total of 71 tackles by 26 different players, none of which had more than 6 themselves.  Lo Wood had a gift in the form of pass thrown directly to him which he proceeded to return for a touchdown.

The players and coaches should feel good and observe the 24 hour rule Kelly has instituted to morn a lose or celebrate a win move on to the next opponent. 

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.