Monday, January 21, 2013
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Looking Forward: Running Backs
We continue our look forward to where the Irish are and
where they are going in 2013 with a look at the running back position. Notre Dame has a stable full of potential and
talent at running back, but it is a little thin on meaningful game
experience. We know that Notre Dame will
be losing Theo Riddick, hopefully to the NFL, but Cierre Wood has a year of
eligibility left, and his plans are somewhat unclear. At the time of posting, we are proceeding
with the assumption the Cierre Wood will not enter the NFL draft.
Cierre Wood was to be the premier back in 2012, but a two-game
suspension at the beginning of the season derailed that plan allowing Riddick
to prove his value. Wood may not have
been the “starter” in the backfield, but he shared a lot of time, allowing him
to gain 742 yards on 114 carries (both good enough for second best on the team)
for a 6.5 yards per carry average with four touchdowns. I expect Wood to leave to take a shot on the
NFL, but I wouldn’t be overly surprised if he stays for one more year to
improve his resume as well has his draft potential. Cierre is a good to very
good back and would most likely be the starter, leading the team while
developing the younger talent.
George Atkinson III was the third and less used piece of
Notre Dame’s publicized three headed monster at running back this past
year. Atkinson, whose brother is a
defensive back for the Irish and whose father played for Notre Dame, gained
early recognition during his freshman year by running two kickoffs back for touchdowns. Although he played behind Riddick and Wood,
Atkinson was able to gain 365 yards on 51 carries and five touchdowns while
averaging an impressive 7.1 yards per carry. Most believe George is the heir
apparent to lead the Irish rushing game, and with good size (6’1” and over 210 lbs.)
and great speed, that is a safe bet.
Cam McDaniel runs hard like a tough fullback might, but at
5’10 190 lbs. and a bit better than average speed, his profile looks more like
his position of running back. Cam has
two years of limited game experience but he has made the most of those
opportunities, impressing coaches, fans and teammates. The combination of flashier, bigger and
faster backs in the stable with McDaniel means he may not see the field as much
I would like, but make no mistake about it, he will see meaningful game time
and contribute in 2013.
Amir Carlisle transferred from USC last year, got NCAA
permission to play right away in 2012, then suffered a season ending injury (he
may have been able to play later in the season if needed but why burn a year of
eligibility) in spring practice.
Carlisle, a Parade All-American (along with dozens of other national and
regional accolades), was highly recruited out of Kings Academy in Santa Clara,
California. Amir did see action in eight
games for the Trojans and showed some of the explosive talent the Irish hope to
see in seasons to come. Carlisle could
be a key piece of Notre Dame offense in 2013 since he could also line up in the
slot.
William Mahone redshirted his freshman year working with the
practice squad gaining solid experience.
Mohone was a nominee for the Offensive Scout Player of the Year Award
for the Irish in 2012. I look forward to
spring practice and preseason camp to see how he has developed and how he can
contribute.
Greg Bryant is a five-star running back commit that has
Irish fans excited for the running game in 2013. Nabbing Bryant out of deep SEC territory
Florida is an example of Notre Dame’s return to glory in the world of
recruiting. If there is a big time
division one football program, Greg got an offer from it. Assuming that Bryant signs his letter of
intent to Notre Dame on February 6, I do expect him to see the field sooner
than later for the Irish.
Tarean Folston may not be a five-star recruit, but as a
solid four-star, he is an impressive commit.
Folston may have the ability to play as a freshman but with the number
of backs in front of him in South Bend, I suspect Notre Dame will redshirt him
and save him for the future.
*Note – Notre Dame had junior non-scholarship running back
Tyler Plantz on the roster.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Looking Ahead: Quarterbacks
The 2012 season is officially over, and in my mind, the 2013
season has officially started, so it’s time to look ahead. As we move toward National Signing Day on
February 6 and look at our beloved team speculate where we are and where we are
headed, the best place to start is at the quarterback position.
The Irish should be pretty secure with where they are at quarterback. There is a solid starter with great potential
and talent, and now he’s proven it in both college and high school game
experiences.
Everett Golson has grown leaps and bounds during the
season. He easily could have packed it
in, especially having been pulled several times this season. He came to South Bend with more than a few
big offers, sat behind a sophomore with turnover problems on an 8-5 team, and
hung in there to earn the starting job.
His growth potential and celling are still pretty high after a year of
being on the scout team and a year of game action. However, there is enough talent in his rearview
mirror to keep Everett honest and working hard.
Tommy Rees brings three years of live game experience, and
not just mop up or back up duty, but as a starter and a “reliever” in big time
situations. I doubt Tommy will ever be
in the mix again for a starting role. I
don’t even see him being a solid second.
I do see him as the next man in during a game if things go bad due to injury
or poor play. After that, the team takes
a week to incorporate their next starter.
Gunner Kiel should work his way into the number two spot by
next fall. In my opinion, he is
physically ready to start in the NFL right now.
Although Kiel is not the same style player Golson is and the transition
may be rougher, he has as much potential as Notre Dame has history. With Golson growing and Malik Zaire (Golson
2.0) coming in, Kiel may not fit the offensive direction, but he is a solid,
big-time division one quarterback prospect.
With four years of eligibility left, he may be a starter for the Irish
yet.
Malik Zaire fits the current direction that the offense
seems to be going in with Golson.
Everett has done well, but not great, with Kelly’s offense. Malik will have an uphill battle coming onto
campus to see the field anytime in 2013.
Golson has earned the chance to lose the starting job next year and should
be able to hold off the contenders, but Zaire may be the best long-term
challenge to his crown. Like Golson,
Malik is enrolling early at Notre Dame to get a jump on learning the college
game and culture.
Andrew Hendrix seems to be the odd man out. At 6’2”, 220+ lbs. with a strong arm and
proven running ability, coupled with two years of positive game experience, he
would be a sure fire number two at most programs (if not competing for a
starting role) heading into his fourth year in South Bend.
Overall, the Irish seem to be in good shape at quarterback for
the near future. Notre Dame seems to
have a good combination of experience, ability, potential and eligibility.
*Note – Notre Dame had sophomore non-scholarship quarterback
Charlie Fiessinger on the roster.
Friday, January 11, 2013
A knock out in the first.
Nearly a week has passed and the swelling has subsided (a
bit) after being punched in the mouth by the Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday
night. When Brian Kelly arrived in
South Bend, he instituted a 24- hour rule for his team - you have a day to
celebrate a win or a day to mourn a loss.
I extended that a bit after the National Championship debacle. Although most of the Irish faithful took the
loss in stride, being thankful for a great season and believing Kelly has this
program truly returning to glory, it is hard to dismiss the true domination
Alabama had over Notre Dame. Some fans are
sour on some early officiating, bad bounces and mistakes, but there is no
question that this was a one-sided effort from start to finish. Here are some statistics that I didn’t
expect to see, which demonstrate the tale of the tape. We’ll use some boxing terminology since the
Irish took such a beating.
Halftime Score: Alabama
28 – Notre Dame 0
Rushing First Downs: Alabama
12 – Notre Dame 3
Net Rushing Yards: Alabama 265 – Notre Dame 32
Average Per Rush : Alabama 5.9 -
Notre Dame 1.7
Time of Possession: Alabama
38:13 - Notre Dame 21:47
Defensive Stats: Alabama 2 sacks, 5 tackles for loss (26
yards), 1 interception, 4 Pass breakups, and
quarterback hurries – Notre Dame 0 sacks, 3 tackles for loss (7 yards),
0 interceptions, 1 pass break up, and 0 quarterback hurries.
Special Teams Stats: Touchbacks: Alabama 4 – Notre Dame 1
Oh yeah, Alabama reached the Red Zone five times and scored
touchdowns each time. And as for the
officiating complaints, Alabama had more penalties called against them for more
yardage than the Irish.
Even though the season ended in disappointment, the Irish
seem to have a bright future. Talking
Irish will take the weeks leading up to National Signing Day in February to
look at the positives moving forward.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Initial reaction and feelings
First and foremost, hats off to the Alabama Crimson Tide for
a tremendous performance, secondly congratulations to the Irish for a very successful
season. We will dive more into the game
itself in the upcoming days but for now I will characterize my feelings during
the game in three phases.
At the start of the game the Fighting Irish looked like the Italian
Stallion fighting Clubber Lang; too fast and too strong. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTbF5B1mlNw
At halftime we were coming to the realization that 12-1 with
a loss in the championship game was inevitable, but still we didn’t like it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSQxtMWJzGQ
After the game we knew it had not turned out as we had hoped
and things actually turned pretty bad but in the end we were thankful to our
boys. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLoEkt-hI0o
Monday, January 7, 2013
Open letter to Coach Kelly
Dear Coach Kelly,
Please accept and pass along to your players, coaches and
staff our most sincere and heartfelt gratitude for providing us with a season
of hope and happiness. We realize your
job is not done yet and we are looking forward to celebrating Notre Dame’s
latest Championship Monday night.
We are sure you know as well as anyone from fans, alumni,
donors and the media that Notre Dame Football means an awful lot to many people. The season starts in January with early enrollees
getting a jump start on their college careers and our first insight to how they
adjust to college life. Then will come February
with National Signing Day brining new hope and players to South Bend. Spring brings practices and of course, the
Blue and Gold game, which will give us our football fix through the
summer. Fall comes with debate and
expectations, hope, and until recently, disappointment.
Each Saturday, we gather in front of televisions and radios
all over the country - actually, around the world - to pull for the Irish. The reasons vary as to why…our family’s
influence, raised Catholic, Irish descent or we just like the fight song…but
the one thing we all have in common is our loyalty to the team.
We realize that each coach and player has been chosen by
Notre Dame for individual reasons and you will never meet or know 99.99% of
us. We realize that our passion can
become ridiculous and even silly at times and that although we may not always
show it, there are more important things in our lives such as our families and
jobs than a football team and the game they play. However, this team gives us not only a
distraction from the trials in our lives, but gives us an opportunity to gather
with friends and family to cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame.
Sincerely,
The Irish Faithful
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