The good?, the bad and the ugly.

The good; the helmets were very nice.  That’s about it.  I guess I could throw in George Atkinson’s 96 yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

The bad and ugly consumed the rest of the Irish night.  It just looked bad - bad tackling, bad timing, bad play calling, bad execution, bad, bad, bad.  The first quarter set the tone and was a prelude to the rest of the evening.  For crying out loud, I swear I saw Tommy Rees trying to run the option. 

Defensively, we appeared outmatched in talent, speed, power and coaching.  Receivers were wide open with defenders yards away, allowing significant yards after the catch.  The defensive line looked as though they were the offensive line; they would engage the Trojans’ offensive line and fight for the line of scrimmage, not trying to shed the blockers to make tackles, let alone putting any pressure on the quarterback (which was needed for a chance at a win).   By not stopping the run (not even close), it obviously opened the passing game.

Brain Kelly has got to be going out of his mind, although I don’t think he will be out of a job.  I know he is frustrated, apparently primarily with Tommy Rees.  He made it very clear after the game that the blame belongs on the players’ shoulders.  I don’t disagree, however, after what I saw last night there is more than enough blame to go around.  When Rees came out of the game due to injury I did expect Crist to come in, but at the goal line (which if Notre Dame punched it in it would have been tied at 17), I expected Hendrix.  Kelly went with Dayne who fumbled the snap, resulting in six points the other way, making the USC lead 24-10.

Like most games, the numbers don’t lie, and here are some that tell the tale.  29 rushing and 16 passing first downs for the Trojans compared to 17 and 5 for the Irish (and two USC  first downs were courtesy of Notre Dame penalties).  219 net rushing yards for USC compared to 41 for Notre Dame (averages of 5.0 to 2.9 per carry).  Time of possession favored USC 39.41 to 20:19, including a mismatch of 12:36 to 2:24 in the fourth quarter).  The one-two punch running combo was closer to a one-two dance step. Wood had 5 net yards and Gray had 38 (25 on one run).  Two other bad numbers – two lost fumbles and zero passing touchdowns.

So where are we?  We knew we were not as talented as the likes of LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma State, but now there is no doubt we don’t even belong in the top 25.  So what is the silver lining? We could end the year with four losses (best mathematical scenario assuming we are no match for Stanford), which is an improvement from five last season, and with four loses what kind of bowl are we looking at?  Last year’s match up with Miami was as good as it gets due to the history and rivalry with the Hurricanes.  

By the way, I’m sure the recruits in South Bend Saturday night were not impressed.

In closing, because I can’t continue to think about this game any longer, let’s say something positive.  Sunday morning I ran into a fellow Notre Dame fan who is happy with the direction of the Irish and Kelly.  To put things in perspective, the fan’s last name is Pitts, so he probably should think positive things.

Everyone is a recruiter on Saturday.

If the there is a top recruit in the country they will be in South Bend this weekend.  Traditionally big time programs like to showcase schools when their rivals come to town and there is not a bigger rival than USC especially when it comes to recruiting.  Irish commits, Trojan commits, the uncommitted even those who have committed to other schools all together are coming to South Bend for this game.   It’s going to be the who’s who of prep list, top 100’s and All this, that’s and  All Americans.  I’m not just talking about seniors with official visits there are underclassmen taking unofficial visits as well.

For those who have already committed this is a fortifying game to strengthen their commitment.  Even though no one who is verbal committed is on my radar as possibly changing their mind it is very important for them to be there.  Those recruits will serve at ambassadors and recruiters to the other high school stars, who better to talk to these kids than their own peers.  This is the perfect opportunity to grab some talent who are on the fence or even those who are standing on the other side of the fence.

Although there are too many recruits to talk about there are several I will be keeping my on the days following their visit.  First is a recruit that I did not think much of until I saw him in a couple of camps this past summer including Nike the Opening.   Currently Bryce Treggs Jr. is verbally committed to Cal, who got pounded by USC last week,

The new big fish on the market is recently USC de-commit Arik Armstead.  At 6’7” 280+lbs Arik is a five star prospect on both the offensive and defensive lines.   He has said he wants to play on defense in college as well as basketball.  As talented as this kid is and he still has potential to grow physically and with technique he can play on the hop scotch team for all I care.

Shaq Thompson is a five star recruit in two positions; safety and running back.  At 6’2”, 195lbs Shaq has offers from every and any program in the country but has yet to commit.  As a junior he had rushing for 1882 yards and 25 touchdowns on only 164 carries, while racking up 54 tackles from his safety position.   Like Bryce Treggs Jr. Thompson committed to California.  We are hoping Treggs continues to follow suit and de commits from California like Thompson has.

Basically it’s all hands on deck this weekend for recruiting; coaches, players, administrators, faculty, students, and fans.  In addition to the class of 2012 visitors there are a number of recruits from the class of 2013 who are revving up their recruiting cycle and will be in attendance.  After listening to current Notre Dame Players and hearing about their memories of the Irish vs. Trojans games before they committed to their school there may be ten and twelve year olds watching TV this weekend forming their loyalties to one camp or another.

USC Preview

Although it may not be the USC vs. Notre Dame super match up of the glory days, it should still be a good game overall.  For the past 10 years it has not been much of a rivalry, with the Trojans dominating in the win column.  The Irish did come close in the “Bush Push” game when we had our hearts broken in the closing seconds of that matchup.  Of course, last year Notre Dame began to right the ship with a victory. 

USC is weathering the storm of NCAA sanctions and like the Irish, are not ranked.  However, this is still a good team.  The offense, which is averaging 30 points per game this season and averaging nearly 450 yards in its last four contests, is a big reason why the Trojans are 5-1.

It all starts with golden boy quarterback, junior Matt Barkley.  With 2½ years of collegiate experience, Barkley is completing over 68% of his passes and has thrown for 16 touchdowns, while only throwing 4 interceptions and picking up 1782 yards in the process.  Matt is a very good quarterback and his strong arm will carry him into the NFL down the road.  Barkley continues to improve his accuracy but needs to be more mobile.  This is where the Irish defensive ends could really be the difference between a win and a loss on Saturday.  Barkley’s offensive line is suspect and inconsistent with the exception of 6’7” 295 lb. junior left tackle Matt Kalil.

Barkley’s main targets are young but good.  6’1” 180 lb. sophomore Robert Woods and 6’1” 190 lb. freshman Marqise Lee have combined for 1,187 yards and 10 touchdowns through six games.  Although Lee is only a freshman, he is averaging 16.2 yards a catch and is big and strong, making him dangerous after the catch.   He did leave last week’s game against Cal with a shoulder injury but should be fine for this Saturday.  Woods is an overall offensive weapon - he lines up at wide receiver, in the slot and even in the backfield.

On the defensive side of the ball, USC is classified as athletic, quick and undersized.  The Trojans are giving up points and yards in the air (271.7 per games, which ranks them 105^th nationally in pass defense).  The other concern is their depth on the defensive side of the ball.  However, there are several players that can be the difference in the game and if they have good games, and it could spell trouble for the Irish.

Starting up front, 6’4” 310 lb. senior defensive tackle Dajohn Harris has 16 tackles on the year, six of them were for a loss along with 1½ sacks and four pass breakups.  Not super numbers, but he has changed the way offenses attack them, mostly running away from him, and pressuring the linebackers to do their jobs well.  Down the line from Harris is junior defensive end Zack Martin, who at 6’3” 250 lbs. is not the biggest end the Irish will face, but he is quick and athletic.  With 30 tackles, six for a loss, four sacks and two forced fumbles, Zack Martin will have his hands full.

After 6’3” 205 lb. junior safety T.J. McDonald, the Trojans get young and small for pass protection.  USC will look to a couple of underclassman for help in the defensive backfield.  At 5’8” 165 lbs. sophomore cornerback Nickell Robey will have a tough time covering the likes of Michael Floyd and Tyler Eifert.  One of their better, if not best linebacker is 6’0” 200 lb. redshirt freshman Dion Bailey who has 48 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions on the season.

The Irish don’t need a fancy game plan to beat USC this year.  The offensive line needs to control the line of scrimmage, limit turnovers, and get the ball to Floyd and Eifert.  Defensively, they need to put pressure on Barkley and keep the offense in check.

The future

The Irish have solid upperclassmen at many positions who will make fans look ahead to next year a little early imagining how much better they will be in their senior season (or 5^th year senior season).   When asked about future plans, both players and coaches all say the same thing, we’ll talk about it after the season is over.  We fans can speculate now, especially since what happens during the season will have a lot to do with those conversations.

Dayne Christ technically has a year of eligibility left, although even at the beginning of this year when he was the starter, many felt that because of up and coming talent at the position he would not be back in 2012.  I believe Christ could play at the next level, it will just require a lot of work, the right circumstances and a little luck.  Traditionally, I would love to have someone with so much experience around, but it’s just not needed here and there is little room for him in the mix.

Defensive end Kapron Lewis Moore could make himself eligible, has a solid collegiate resume and at 6’4” 300 lbs. coming off the end he has much to offer, but will most likely be back for another year.   Next to Kapron is Senior Nose Guard Sean Cwynar who looked good early this year before an injury sidelined him for several games.  Cwynar has young talent on his heels for playing time for the rest of this season and next year. 

On the offensive line, seniors Andrew Nuss (6’5” 303 lbs.) and Taylor Dever (6’5” 301 lbs.) both have an NFL frame, but both need another year to develop consistency and improve technique.  They also should want to play on an offensive line with juniors Chris Watt (6’3” 310lbs) and Zack Martin.

Senior John Goodman has not had nor will he have the opportunity to play his way onto any NFL team, scout or TV analyst radar but he seemed to be a coach favorite at the beginning of the season.  However, his dismal performance as a punt returner and very limited action at wide receiver would lead me to believe he will not be with the Irish for a fifth year.  

Mike Ragone has been at Notre Dame for five years now and may become eligible for a sixth if he petitions the NCAA for another year due to injury.  Mike has never lived up to his potential, ability or hype.  I have never been a fan or impressed with any aspect of his time in South Bend.  Brian Kelly, however, speaks highly of his leadership with the younger tight ends.  This may earn him an invite back next year if the NCAA allows it.

There are a couple of juniors in my opinion that could make their way into the NFL next year, but most would be low draft picks, free agents and practice squad guys.  Guys like Zack Martin (he has 2 years of eligibility left) and Tyler Eifet have the talent and ability to play on a NFL team next season.  Eifert has 2½ years of game experience, and while Zack Martin only has 1½ years of game experience, he is consistently playing at a level that is heads and shoulders above other offensive linemen.

There are probably people out there thinking that I’m forgetting guys like Theo Riddick and Cierra Wood.  No doubt, they are future NFL talent, they are just not there yet.   Both have the rest of this year and all of next to cement their reputations and move up in the NFL selection process.   The class of 2013 has several other players with NFL potential to be sure.   Carlos Calabrese, Dan Fox, Zeke Motta and Jordan Cowart (as a long snapper specialist) are on a track that could lead to NFL potential.  There are still a few more guys that will probably be on the outside looking in at a NFL shot unless their senior seasons really take it to another level all together.  Guys like Jamoris Slaughter, Robby Toma, Hanfis Williams also have up and coming freshmen and sophomores competing with them for playing time this and next season.

Nick Tausch looked like a NFL place kicker prodigy his freshman year before an injury put him behind Davis Ruffer on the depth chart.  If Tausch can step in and up next season and recreate his freshman campaign, teams could use a guy like that on Sundays.

The main player of interest in the Class of 2012 with eligibility left would have to be Manti Te’o.  Manti has been a stud at middle linebacker since his first game freshman year (he has played in every game since).  At this point it’s probably a 49-51 split weather he will stay or not, leaning toward him staying. 

Reviewing Redshirt Sophomores

Looking at all the talented freshmen this year, the next three and a half years look pretty good.  With next year’s incoming class of those who have given a verbal commitment,  it gets even better, but since signing day isn’t until February, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  However, if you add on the talent of some of the sophomores that saved year of eligibility by not playing their freshman year, things begin to look great.

There are some impressive linemen that were put on hold.  At 6’5” 280+lbs., Bruce Heggie has a nice frame for a center (although another 20 lbs. could be used).  This is a new position for Heggie, who came to South Bed as a defensive end.   As a two way player in high school he played tight end. I’m not sure we will ever see a lot of Heggie in games but he is a solid football player.  As a freshman Christian Lombard was mentored my Zack Martin and Taylor Dever while working on strength and conditioning, and at 6’5” and over 300 lbs. the potential is there.  Tate Nicholas is a mountain at 6’8” 320 lbs., but we will need to wait another year due to injury and surgery have sidelines Nicholas this year.

Andrew Hendrix has been a question mark since he got to South Bend, not whether or not he was good enough but how to get him on the field.  As a freshman he was in with Tommy Rees and Luke Massa, both of whom were behind Dayne Christ on the depth chart.  This year didn’t make things any clearer.   Andrew was noted for having a very strong arm and being a good runner, and by throwing freshman Everett Golson into the mix the waters only got murkier.  I had a fear that Hendrix may be looking to transfer if he did not get a legitimate chance to show what he can do.  A lot of that was put to rest against Air Force where Andrew went 4 for 4 in the air and had over 100 yards on the ground.  I look forward to having Kelly and his staff develop packages for Hendrix not only this season but for the next three as well.  Oh yeah, he’s also pre-med at Notre Dame which qualifies him as wicked smart.

Luke Massa  came to South Bend as a quarterback but was moved due to the log jam at wide receiver.  At 6’4” 220 lbs., he has the size to be a big target and from what I recall his athleticism will also be a plus in this new role.

Tight End Alex Welch was forced onto the field a little sooner and more often than may have been originally thought due to injuries at his position.  He will continue to gain game time and will contribute in the future.

The most anticipated sophomore who was redshirted last year was Notre Dame’s biggest player, Louis Nix III.  Nix was highly touted coming out of high school as a strong and super big lineman, but when he got to South Bend, he was a physical work in progress.  Nix took his first year at South Bend to focus on conditioning and strength training, and I would say that year of development is paying off.  If his progression and growth continues at this pace, in two years opposing centers may choose not to play.

Choosing which players to sit and develop through strength training, conditioning and learning from the sidelines and the practice squad and which to thrust into action may be one of the toughest head coaches need to make - not only for the player but the program as a whole.  Four years (of eligibility) go by quickly and when they are up there are no second chances unless you can talk the NCAA into giving you another year for injury.

Let’s see where the freshmen are.

Ishaq Williams  At 6’5” 255 lbs. his time will come.  However, he has only recorded one tackle in the Michigan game.  I hope to see him more this season and also hope we did not burn a year of eligibility for one tackle in a loss.

George Atkinson III         He has been a bright spot in a relatively poor special teams year, including a kickoff return for a touchdown.  George only has a couple of rushes and one reception coming out of the backfield on offense. 

Evert Golson      The best thing Golson has done for the team this year was act as the Air Force option type quarterback on the practice squad.  I would be happy if the only other contribution he makes this year is to do it again in preparation for Navy.  He will be a huge part of Notre Dame’s football future, so let’s not limit that by using a year of eligibility for a handful of plays.

Stephon Tuitt    Although I would like to see Tuitt used more, I am very happy with what I have seen so far.  I like the fact that it looks like he can play defensive end and at the nose, and at 6’6” 295 lbs., this kid is only going to get bigger and better.

DaVaris Daniels                  A great athlete who we will see a lot more in the future (not so much this year), but look for him to help on special teams and on the offense.

Ben Koyack         I was hoping Ben would not have to play this year and keep a year of eligibility, but injuries and circumstance forced him into action.  He has played well, more so blocking than receiving, and the game reps will serve him well in the future. 

Aaron Lynch       A very good football player, a great freshman football player.  Lynch is a man among boys in this freshman class.  The scary thing is he is still learning the game at the college level.  He has made an instant impact and is the best freshman on the field right now.  I remember saying “I can’t believe we get to see three more years of guy,” when Manti was a freshman.

Jalen Brown       Don’t expect to see Jalen playing cornerback this season.

Kyle Bindza        Kyle has done more than hold his own on kickoffs.  Kyle is the future of the Irish kicking game for the next four years.  He has a super strong leg and his performance should only improve.

Ben Council        At 6’4” 230+lbs., he has good size for a freshman linebacker.  Kelly seems pretty set with his linebacker rotation so we may not see him on the field this season, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him.  I hear good things out of practice about Council and look forward to seeing him in a game.

Cam McDaniel   After watching Cam’s high school scouting footage I was very excited to see him play. However, I wish it would have been next year.  With Wood and Gray being so dominant, I doubt he will see much action.  Even in the case of an emergency, Theo Riddick could help, and George Atkinson III has already burned a year of eligibility for kickoff returns and also could be used in a pinch.

Eilar Hardy  Hardy was a four year starter at the high school level but will have to wait another year to see the field in South Bend.

Eric Lee                As a walk-on, Eric has a long road to hoe and as a wide receiver/running back he also has a line of guys to leap frog to see the field.   Lee was a three-sport, hard working athlete in high school and had interest from Division II and III schools but had his heart set on Notre Dame.  The next Rudy?

Joe Schmidt  A walk-on linebacker who had interest from schools like USC, Arizona, Cincinnati and Air Force, Schmidt has been on the travel list and has a fan in Brian Kelly. “He's a good player. Tough, physical, got a great sense for the ball. He's just in a tough position, but he's going to play for us. That guy is going to be on the field. He's a football player. I like that kid”

Connor Cavalaris  Former high school teammate of Tommy Rees, Connor chose to be a walk-on for the Irish as opposed to taking chances on getting offers from other schools.  He strikes me as the kind of kid whose hard work will pay off, just not this year.

Matthias Farley                  Wide Receiver at the most recognizable college football program in the country who did not start playing football until his junior year in high school (he played soccer).  The fact he is playing at this level with only 2 years of organized football under his belt is amazing enough, but I doubt he’ll play this year.

Josh Atkinson  Brother of George Atkinson III who has already seen action this year, Josh has not hit the field yet but there has been some chatter that may end soon.

Chase Hounshell  Chase is the inspiration for this piece.  Hounshell had his debut against Air Force (4 tackles, 1 solo and 3 assisted) and stood out right away.  I thought we were all set at defensive end and there would be no need to introduce another into game time, especially a freshman.  However, I loved watching this kid play and look forward to seeing more of him.

Brad Carrico  Carrico was an early enrollee from Dublin, Ohio (Brady Quinn’s hometown), which is no surprise because he was the first Irish commit of 2011.  At 6’5” 290+lbs. and watching his scout films he will be an anchor on the O-line for years.

Anthony Rabasa  Anthony has a lot of accolades coming out of Miami, Florida.  All that is moot until spring practice, as he is having season ending shoulder surgery.

Troy Niklas  Man-child.  Out of high school he was recruited as an offensive tackle by USC, tight end by Stanford and defensive tackle by Notre Dame, who is now using him at outside linebacker.   Since he’s been at South Bend he has been nicknamed Hercules.

Jarrett Grace  Another player from Ohio.  Although the word is that he is doing very well in practice, because of depth issues he probably won’t see the field this season.

Conor Hanratty                  I am thrilled Conor has not and in all probability will not play this year.  He comes highly touted and at 6’4.5” 315 lbs., you can’t teach size.  

Tony Springmann  At 6’5.5” 280+lbs., Sprinmann, who attended the same high school as wide receiver John Goodman and Tyler Eifert, has been listed as a defensive end and nose guard.  At either position I hope I don’t see him on the field this season and he saves a year of eligibility for the future.  And the red hair and beard just seems to fit in at South Bend.

Nick Martin  Younger brother of starting junior offensive lineman Zack Martin will save a year of eligibility and surely up the offensive line for the future while getting valuable practice experience.

Matt Hegarty  Another good sized freshman offensive lineman who does not have to be rushed into action and will have four years of eligibility left at the end of the year as well as valuable training and practice.

Jordan Prestwood  A Florida State commit who changed his mind and ended up at Notre Dame will have to sit out this year due to NCAA rules.  He was highly recruited and received offers from many big name schools, but we’ll have to wait to see his abilities at the collegiate level.

Connor Little  Closer than I’ll ever get to playing in South Bend, even though he’ll never see game time.

Overall, the current batch of freshmen are exceeding expectations this season and are setting up nicely for the future.  I am not thrilled about burning a year of a kid’s eligibility for kicks, but I think Brian Kelly has a method to his madness. I just hope he keeps it under control as the season progresses. 

The defensive side of the ball is downright scary with potential with guys who are contributing now.  Add in Louis Nix who redshirted next year, and this defense could be legendary. 

With Matt Hegarty, Brad Carrico, Conor Hanratty, Nick Martin, Jordan Prestwood  and Ben Koyack  the offensive line’s future feels secure.

Moving forward from content to satisfied

A win should have been expected, and a 26 point win should not be a huge surprise. Many will point to the fact it was Air Force, not Oklahoma, but this was a good Air Force team and an impressive one for the Irish.  The first thing that stood out to me on the stat sheet was that nine different Irish players scored in the victory; four rushing touchdowns, four passing touchdowns and one field goal.

Obviously, the statistic that is most important is the final score and that is very true against a team like Air Force.  There were several statistics that did not seem to fit in a 23 point Notre Dame win.  The Irish were outrushed by 97 yards (363-266 yards and 60-29 attempts).  However, Notre Dame averaged 9.2 yards a rush whereas Air Force averaged 6.1 which was enough to help the Falcons gained more total yards than the Irish, albeit by 5 yards 565-560.  Air Force also led in time of possession - 32:26 to 27:34 - running at total of 23 more offensive plays than Notre Dame.  Some other statistics that jump out for a team that lost by 26 points include going 5 for 5 on fourth down conversions, going 5 for 5 in the red zone (3 touchdowns and 2 field goals).  I knew Air Force had a running arsenal but really, 14 players rushed the ball during the game.

Obviously, the Irish had some good statistics as well.   Let’s start with the score - 59 points is their highest offensive output since 1996.  Tommy Rees was very effective, going 23 for 32 for 261 yards and 4 touchdowns, and wait for it…no interceptions.  Hot on his heels was fellow sophomore (redshirted last year as a freshman) quarterback Andrew Hendrix, who was a perfect 4 for 4 with 33 yards, but even more impressive, rushing for 111 yards on 6 carries, averaging 18.5 yards per rush.

After Hendrix’s 111 yards, the Irish did not have another back close to a 100 yard game.  However, both Wood and Gray had good averages for the game.  Wood averaged 6.6 yards on 10 carries (66 yards total and 1 touchdown) while Gray averaged 9.9 yards on 7 carries (69 yards total and 2 touchdowns).  Although no one receiver overly dominated, the receiving corps was great.  The Irish had 7 different receivers catch a pass and 4 different receivers catch touchdowns, for a combined total of 294 yards.

Special teams were led by George Atkinson III with 5 kickoff returns, averaging 24.8 yards per return with a long of 40.  It’s seldom that the stat of 1 for 1 in field goal attempts (39 yards) and your punter averaging 37.5 yards per kick on 2 punts is something to be happy about.

Air Force Game Grades

Quarterbacks: A-         Tommy Rees continues to develop and is making better decisions.  He needs to be more willing to change who he wants to throw the ball to while the play is underway.  Once the ball is snapped he tends to choose his designated receiver and give no one else a look no matter how open they may be.  Obviously, Andrew Hendrix’s 111 yards speaks volumes, but I think it’s the way he carried himself on the field was what really impressed me. 

Running Backs - B+:  Averages were strong and Wood and Gray ran well, just not as dominant as last week. 

Offensive Line – B:  Great job with pass protection.  They could have and should have done more for the running game.  Wood and Gray made them look good.  They did well, it’s just that due to the massive size difference over the Ari Force defensive linemen, the dominance should have been obscene.

Wide Receivers - B+:  Like the running backs, there was no dominant receiver, but great ball distribution.  Tyler Eifert played especially well in my opinion seemingly popping up when you weren’t looking for him.  I also want to recognize Floyd’s blocking.

Defensive Line - C+:  Although they were respectable against the Air Force’s option-like offense, it’s hard to give a high grade to a line that gave up 375 yards rushing.  I would give a B+ to the interior of the defensive line, but the ends could have done a better job containing.

Linebackers – C+:  Again, giving up 565 yards of offense is going to make it tough to give high grades here.   However, the overall play was good.  Mani Te’o had 10 tackles (2.5 for a loss) and a pass breakup.  Daruis Fleming had 7 tackles (.5 for a loss) and 2 quarterback hurries and I liked the pass coverage of Carlos Calabrese.

Defensive Backs - C+:  Overall, giving up 2 touchdowns and 202 yards is a respectable performance.  Harrison Smith led the team with 12 tackles, Robert Blanton had 10 tackles (one for a loss), Jamoris Slaughter had an interception, forced a fumble and had a pass break-up as well.  Gary Grey continues to struggle.

Special Teams - C-:  Everyone saw the fake punt coming and they still ran all over the place. 

Coaching – C:  Personal fouls continue to show a lack of discipline.  General penalties are better but the timing still kills the Irish, point in case was when an Air Force field goal attempt in the 2^nd quarter becomes a touchdown after encroachment on the defensive line.  The defense looked good covering the quarterback during option plays, but there seemed to be no one assigned to who they were pitching to.

Notes:

Navy will score 100 points if the coaching staff does not use this game to learn how to better defend the option (specifically after the pitch).  Underclassmen look good and need to be developed and played appropriately.  I am happy that Everett Golson did not play, save this kid’s eligibility.  Also, I would like to give recognition to Freshman Chase Hounshell.  Hounshell was recruited by several colleges as an offensive lineman but the Irish coaches saw something that made them believe his toughness would serve him well on the defensive side of the ball.  Hounshell looked real good in his first action this year.