Who: Brian Kelly. What: Hot Seat (at least lukewarm seat). Where: Mostly outside the inner circle. Intelligent friends and fans of Notre Dame know he is our guy for the foreseeable future. When: Not so much now but it will get warmer soon without a win. How: Just win, stop the mental mistakes and look good doing it.
Who: Michael Floyd. What: Notre Dame’s best player who has played well even being targeted as the best player. Where: Everywhere, he plays well home and away. When: Always, Floyd is a treat on first, second, third even fourth downs. How: Other players need to feed off Michael’s ways.
Who: Cierra Wood. What: Next to Floyd definitely the most productive Irish weapon. He is on track to be Notre Dame’s next 1000 yard rusher. Where: Pretty much everywhere, Wood can run inside or out, he can also make receptions out of the backfield. When: More consistently and more important times (third and short). How: Use the size, strength and experience of the offensive line to keep the defense honest with the passing game.
Who: Offensive Line What: They have done a good job both with the running and passing games. A few untimely offside calls have hurt, but overall they have performed well. Where: We need better overall production on third and short and in the red zone. When: Every play is important for O-linemen, you can make 10 perfect blocks in a row then give up on sack or tackle for loss at the wrong time and blow the game. How: Staying healthy.
Who: Tommy Rees. What: True sophomore said to be allowed to make mistakes. Sorry, not in South Bend. Tommy is a quarterback with poise and glimpses of brilliance and accuracy, and is becoming a leader to this team. Where: On the field, Tommy leads by example and takes responsibility for his team. He is not the ra-ra cheerleader type and I’m ok with that. When: We need wins now, fans are tired of hearing next week and next year. How: Make better decisions and don’t be afraid to lay into someone in the huddle every now and then. Stop the turnovers, especially in the red zone, and finish strong.
Who: Theo Riddick. What: Maybe the player with the most potential (and that’s saying a lot on this team). Where: Riddick is supposed to be Mr. Everything when it comes to offense, touching the ball coming out of the backfield, catching passes and running back kicks. When: Theo needs to find his niche and it needs to be a big one. How: I don’t care - run, catch, receive, run the wild cat, and just get it done.
Who: Jonas Gray. What: The senior big back that is supposed to be a fast bruiser coming out of the backfield. Where: Between the tackles. When: Jonas definitely needs to produce on short yardage and when Wood needs a rest. How: Know your role, run hard and don’t fumble.
Who: Tyler Eifert What: The main tight end of a once deep crew (with injuries to Mike Ragone, Jake Golic and Alex Welch). Where: Anywhere. Eifert is good across the middle and even down field (unusal for a tight end). When: As often as possible with true freshman Ben Koyack as his back up and getting reps (that’s no knock on Koyack, he will be a great tight end). How: Run your routes, catch the ball and occasionally score.
Who: John Goodman. What: Maybe the best hands on the team. Where: Forward, onwards, ahead, north, advancing, just gain yardage after catching the ball. When: Every punt. How: Don’t fair catch with no one around.
Who: Ben Turk. What: The player you don’t want to use often but you need to do a good job when you do. Unfortunately, we have used him more than we wanted to and he has underperformed. Where: Might be from the sidelines if the freshman gets a shot. When: Next kick, and every kick. Turk finished with a good kick last game, maybe too little, too late. How: Kick it high and far, consistently.
Who: The Defensive Backs What: The ones giving up untimely receptions that are costing games. Maybe the area in most need of improvement and most underperforming. Where: Anywhere on the field would be appreciated. When: Two weeks ago! How: Interceptions would be great. Deflecting passes would help. Make it difficult to catch passes would be acceptable. Tackling the opposition after they do catch the ball before they score a touchdown would at least keep us in the game.
Who: The Defensive Line. What: Good, but not good enough. They could stop the run but they need to get to the quarterback. Where: In the middle Nix is performing well and the ends can do a little better. When: Every down even when other players are mixing in. How: Stay healthy, keep in condition and believe in your linebackers and defensive backs (which I know is tough).
Who: The Upper Classmen. What: Guys who have been down this road before and you would think they would not want to go down it again. Guys who need to lead this team. Where: In the locker room, on the practice field and in the game. When: Three weeks ago. How: Make plays, and not bad ones.
Each player needs to ask themselves “If not me, who, and if not now, when?”
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