The defense: Thumbs up - without a doubt, this has been the
bread and butter and the saving grace of this team. The front seven have been dominant, and have
helped the defensive backs step up and become impressive in their own
right. The starting defensive line of
Lewis-Moore, Nix and Tuitt have been very impressive. Lewis-Moore being the elder statesman using
his size and experience, Nix with his mass and strength drawing double teams
while clogging the middle and Tuitt embarrassing offensive linemen and racking
up the sacks. Add the steady rotation of
backups, including true freshman sensation Sheldon Day, Nix’s self-proclaimed
brother Kona Schwenke, and mountain of a man Tony Springman, all of whom can
play at multiple spots along the line; and it’s no wonder no one has scored a
rushing touchdown against the Irish this season. The safeties and cornerbacks lacked experience
to start the season, and they added to that challenge several season-ending
injuries, giving fans every reason to fear the worst. However, their talent, speed and ability to
learn quickly have helped this group earn high marks thus far.
It’s a little more of a mixed bag when it comes to Notre
Dame’s offense through the first six games.
On the surface, it would be hard to find fault with an undefeated team,
but there is a lot of opportunity for improvement on the offensive side of the
ball. I would have to be a little critical of the offensive line, as they have
not lived up to their preseason hype or potential. The running game has got me at a loss, from
play calling to ball distribution. I
believe it has been, is and will be a team strength; I just think it is
underutilized and/or the timing of run plays are off. The passing game is coming along and passes
are being distributed all over the field, almost to a fault, but Eifert needs
more looks. The debate whether or not
there is a quarterback controversy is irrelevant as long as Kelly says Golson
is his starter. Golson is a work in progress and Kelly sees him as his team’s
future, at least for now. Kiel’s clock starts ticking next fall as Golson’s did
this year. Kelly has had the ultimate
security blanket in Tommy Rees and has used him more than effectively. I am concerned how this opener and closer act
is affecting the psyche of the players and team as a whole.
Special teams, much like the offense, has not lost a game
for the Irish and has done enough to win.
Obviously, punt returns could not have gotten any worse and this area has
seemed to at least been stabilized. Kick
returns are solid, and although some may say we are down in this area, I would
say we are just spoiled after Atkinson’s run backs last year. Brindza is good and getting better.
The team (players, coaches, staff, etc.) seems to be in a
good place, both mentally and physically.
Kelly’s “process” is clicking on all cylinders and he has buy in. At this point most fans would have been happy
with Irish at 4-2, so being 6-0 and ranked #5 is pretty close to
unbelievable. With six games to go, I
would caution players and fans alike not to look past the next game and to
continue to focus on one game at a time.
That mentality has served the Irish well during the first six games of
the year. I know people are talking
about Oklahoma, USC and numbers like 12-0, but let’s talk about BYU and the
number 7-0.
