Slump busting in the Big D

 

The win over Arizona State was the best and most balanced game Notre Dame has played this season.  ASU iss a talented team as well as a ranked team that the Irish should feel proud about beating.  The Irish needed to get out of a funk, and that process has started in Dallas against Arizona State.

No, the defense did not return to the greatness of 2012, but it was as close as we have seen this year, having held the Sun Devils to 65 yards rushing.  The pass rush was back, resulting in six sacks on mobile quarterback Taylor Kelly.  At the end of the day, the defense was good enough to win on Saturday night.  Stephon Tuitt may be getting over the hump with his closing attack.  Prince Shembo showed how good he can be putting his hand on the ground coming off the edge.  Jaylon Smith did a great job and much needed one on containment.  The defensive backs are still getting beat on man to man.

The win, however, did come at a price with season ending injuries to redshirt junior inside linebacker Jarrett Grace and senior wide receiver Dan Smith, which will end up being a career ending injury as he will be out of eligibility.  Grace’s loss can be covered by Dan Fox as well as backups Kendall Moore, Joe Schmidt and even freshman Michael Deeb. 

The offensive line played well and it was nice to see Steve Elmer rotate in with Christian Lombard at right guard and not only play well but hold his own against 310 lb. ASU defensive tackle Will Sutton.  Hard-nosed running back Cam McDaniel gelled well with the line to grind out tough yards in his home state on Saturday.  This line showed it can get the job done not allowing a single sack against the Sun Devil defense, allowing Rees to be successful including tossing junior tight end Ben Koyack his first career touchdown.  However, the mistakes by center Nick Martin need to be fixed immediately if not sooner.

Take away Kyle Brindza’s first field goal attempt that looked like he was kicking it with his opposite foot, and the Irish special teams actually looked special.  Brindza redeemed himself by hitting a career long field goal, and the Irish had a punt that was downed at the one yard line late in the contest.  The Irish even had a non-terrible return game.

 

Overall, this was a solid showing for the Irish with great effort and contributions from veterans likeT.J. Jones, Dan Fox and Bennett Jackson, as well as newer on field supporters such as Ben Koyack and Romeo Okwara.

By the numbers ASU

We have two weeks with a bye coming up before USC to breakdown this matchup.  Let’s take a quick look at the game from the stats line.

37-34; the score are the only numbers that really count at the end of the day.

3.9; average yards per rush for the Irish, good enough this week but needs to get better.

2.6; Yards per carry ASU’s rushing game was held to (they had been averaging 4).  Improving defense.

9; Penalties giving up 64 yards.  Unforced errors on mental mistakes.

4; Punts (out of 5) placed inside the 20 yard line for the Irish.

7; Touchbacks (out of 8) on kick offs for Kyle Brindza.  That is exactly what he needs to do.

4 of 15; Third down conversions for the Irish offense, The Irish need to improve this number and be able to extend drives.

4 for 13; 30.8% third down completion rate for ASU who had entered the game with a 43% conversion rate.  This is how the Notre Defense must stop opposition momentum.

4-4; Scoring on Red Zone chances, 2 touchdowns and 2 field goals.  It could have been better but it could have been worse.

3-3; Scoring in the Red Zone by the Irish defense, one touchdown and 2 field goals,  It’s usually a good night when  your opponents score more field goals than touchdowns.

6; Sacks for 45 yards.  That’s the defense we remember.

0; Sacks given up by the Notre Dame offensive line.

3; different Irish receivers who caught touchdowns (Jones, Niklas, & Koyack).

53; Yards for Bindza’s career long field goal (3-4 on the night).  We know he had the leg.

2; Leg fractures (D. Smith and J. Grace). Long term losses.

2; Interceptions (Farley and Fox).  These are huge momentum swingers.

9; Tackles for true freshman Jaylon Smith.  He is improving every week.

3/3; Three tackles for a loss and three sacks for Prince Shembo.  He could be totally unstoppable.

13; Points from the leg of Kyle Brindza (9 via field goals and 4 via PAT’s).  He may end up as team MVP.

47; Career touchdown pass thrown by Rees.  He will still probably will not be remembered as an all-time ND great at quarterback.

33; Consecutive games that T.J. Jones has had at least one reception.

82; Career best in yards for Cam McDaniel.

18; Career high carries in a game for George Atkinson III.

 

ASU in the Big D

At the beginning of the season this Saturday’s matchup with Arizona State looked to be a solid test or even referred to as a “trap game” to a good but lesser team.  However, after five weeks of college football, the Irish are just one win above .500 and are sitting outside the polls looking in while the Sun Devils are sitting at 3-1 and # 22 and #24 in the AP and Coaches Polls, respectively.  In addition to all of that, since this game is being played in Texas, it is a huge recruiting opportunity for Brian Kelly and the Notre Dame program.  For the ASU program, this is still an important game but now the question is, is it more important for the Sun Devils to beat the Irish or is it more important for them not to lose to the Irish?

When it comes down to it, it is really quite simple for the Irish on Saturday - win and keep your BCS hopes alive; or lose and slip to .500 and start…well, you can fill in the rest.  And as simple as that sounds, winning on Saturday may even be simpler - stop Arizona State’s quarterback Taylor Kelly.  Kelly is a true dual threat quarterback who had four carries for 79 yards last week against USC, and who has also passed for at least 300 yards in their first four contests.

The Sun Devils may not be the Oregon Ducks, but you had better believe they have a lot of firepower on the offensive side of the ball, ranking 11^th in scoring (44.3 points per game), 15^th in total offense (505 yards per game) and 7^th in passing offense (358.8 yards per game).  ASU’s hurry up offense can score fast and early, which does not play well for the Irish who have shown they have trouble playing from behind.  Arizona State can score; 55 pts., 42 pts., 62 pts., even 32 pts. against #20 Wisconsin who is only giving up 14.6 per game this year.   Coach Todd Graham’s offense will challenge the Irish defense on the perimeter where they have shown to be vulnerable. 

Defensively, the Sun Devils are not has potent at their offense; they’re not terrible but solid.  The bread and butter of their defense had been the defensive tackle Will Sutton and outside linebacker Carl Bradford who combined 24½ sacks last season but only have three so far this year.  This year, outside linebacker Chris Young leads the Sun Devils with 29 tackles.

If the Irish are to win Saturday night, their rushing game will most likely be a big reason.  ASU’s rush defense is ranked 92^nd, giving up 192.3 yards per game.  The run game is also very important because it will eat up clock and most importantly keep Taylor Kelly and the Sun Devils’ offense off the field.  For the run game to be successful for the Irish it would will be important for George Atkinson to continue his good play from last week by making improved decision making on his cuts and not going down on first contact.  We know he’s a speedster and can be long gone if he gets to the outside or to the second level, he just needs to get there.

So this weekend, it’s either back to winning or back to basics.

State of the Union; Sooners.

At this point is the season 3-2 should be considered a step back, especially comparing it to the 12- season of last year.  Most realists had to concede that another undefeated season may have been a bit much to ask but it is not only the record that seems to be downgraded from last year but the overall play on the field as well.  The coaching staff also has seemed to be in a funk as well, I have always been perplexed by some of the decisions made on the sidelines but if it was putting a check in the win column it was hard to argue. 



Irish fans don not want to go back to this.

We all have to agree that last year produced a magical season that fans should be thankful for and aren’t blessed to be a part of often.  Manti was a once in a generation player for the Irish and he had a lot of support around him but talent was I could not say that it was a once in a lifetime team.  Although there have been some sizable losses from last year’s team outside of Manti (Kapron Lewis-Moore, Golson, Motta, Cave and Spond) the majority of the team remained intact.

With starting expectations high at 12-0 and an undefeated season gone by week two and Michigan Irish fans had to adjust to the hopes of 11-1 and a chance of squeezing into the BCS Title Game.  Now after week four the hopes of a return trip to the National Championship Game are gone after Oklahoma dropped the Irish to 3-2.  Refocusing again Her Loyal Sons will most likely have to run the table to get into a BCS game at all.  With upcoming games against the likes of #22 Arizona State and #5 Stanford the reality of an 8-4 regular season and an appearance in the BBVA COMPASS BOWL is something most Irish faithful do not want to think about.  Kelly “I don’t really care about that stuff, that’s for you guys to talk about.”  That is the right answer for a coach, however he knows better.

Let’s start on offense.  Tommy Rees has been a loyal and valuable quarterback for the Irish and has contributed as a starter and as a backup in some big wins.  I am reminded of the seen from Risky Business when Joel is being interviewed for possible admission to Princeton “Well, Joel, this is very respectable.  You've done some very solid work her...but it isn't quite lvy League, is it?”  I feel the conversation with Rees should / should sound very similar “Tommy you’ve got some respectable numbers here in South Bend, but it’s not quite BSC level, is it?”  Frankly speaking Rees has hit his peak and does not have room or time to improve.

 

Hendrix is in his fourth year in South Bend and has tallied 24 completions on 50 attempts.  Not a lot of important game experience if he is needed to step in and start.  Andrew’s inexperience in games and his obvious use in the run game not only made him ineffective but a liability.  Could he work himself into a productive duel threat quarterback?  Maybe.  But for when?  He has one year of eligibility left, Golson is scheduled to be back on campus in January, Malik Zaire is in the bullpen and DeShone Kiezer will be here for 2014.

For an Offensive line that seem to have a great mix of experience and potential they have in my opinion underachieved.  Overall they have done an effective and adequate job but that won’t get you to the Promised Land.  And hey I could be wrong, at eh end of Risky Business; “Princeton could use a guy like Joel”.

A one-two punch at running back is nice, but a four-five swat shows that less is more.  The Irish are still trying out running backs and it appears it is causing more harm than good.  No back has been able to get into a rhythm getting a handful of carries sprinkled throughout the game waiting anywhere from 6-24 plays between touches.  By the way Lou Holts agrees with me; "I think it's a motivational ploy. I don't like what they've been doing so far. Each player gets in the game and thinks he needs to make a huge play on each snap and isn't getting into the flow of the offense and executing properly."   Saturday Atkinson got 14 carries (the second most by an Irish Rusher this season) that turned into 148 yards for an average of 10.6 yards per carry (highest game average of any running back in a game with more than two carries this season) on the day.  I saw a headline that said George Atkinson IS electrifying I would say George Atkinson COULBE BE electrifying.

It is easy to second guess coaches however I do feel comfortable saying Kelly’s decision to start Rees this season may have been the wrong one.  Chuck Martin’s Offense has been called predictable, to that Kelly said referring to the insertion of Andrew Hendrix at the quarterback position “We’re just trying to diversify the offense a little bit, trying g to add more looks.”   Really who doesn’t know when Hendrix is in he’s going to run?  Against Oklahoma Hendrix took six snaps where he had one incomplete pass and five rushes for a total 10 yards.  With Kelly’s commitment to Redshirting Malik Zaire Kelly and Martin’s conservative and cautious play calling may continue for the rest of 2013 which will make it tough to play from behind if the Irish fall behind early as they did against the Sooners.

I hear “the defense is making strides”.  Strides?  How has the Irish defense gone from being ranked seventh in total defense last season to 46^th after five games this year?  Anything to the outside is potential a dangerous play for the Irish defense.  And a mobile quarterback who can break containment is a serious threat to extend plays and drives.  There has been pressure to be sure however running backs are either breaking containment or getting to the outside and or quarterbacks are scurrying around just long enough to get passes off.  Offenses are having big success with short dump passes for little to moderate gains turning potential three and outs into eighty yard scoring drives.  Bell only averaged 7.7 yards per attempt but those short passes added up.

I am “Calling Out” several players specifically by name.  Traditionally I have not used players as fodder for my articles however I believe these are based on performance and are not personal and most importantly can be addressed and rectified.  Bennett Jackson; your coverage is not close enough and you need to contain better.  Ronnie Stanley; I know this is your first year playing but you are starting for the Fighting Irish and need to improve sooner than later.  Tommy Rees; stop the turnovers and complete passes, simple.  Team captains and seniors; where is the leadership?

Turnovers and penalties are mental mistakes that cannot continue.  Saturday the Irish saw the yellow flag eight times costing them 77 yards.  Add in three turnovers leading to 21 points it’s not helping the cause.  Tie in poor times that’s three strikes and you’re out.  Several Irish penalties came on Oklahoma third downs extending their series.

I know there is a lot of chatter about how the Irish have fought till the end in every game this season

and how they fought back against Oklahoma but that and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee.  It’s also easy to say if it were not for the two early and quick turnovers leading to touchdowns it would have been a tie at the end of regulations.   There are two flaws to that line of thinking.  One; if you only count the second half scoring against Alabama in January it was a tied contest yet Nick Saban was the coach holding the crystal football at the end of the night.  Two; if I was 6’8”, 275LBS and ran a 4.3 forty I would be in the NFL.  Could have, should have does not cut it.

 

 

On a brighter/lighter side Carlo Calabrese is racking up tackles and showing he is the hardnosed (headed) run stopper he should be and although Louis Nix is not filling the stat sheet he is filling the middle by taking double and triple teams and forcing teams to go outside where the Irish containment has repeatedly failed.   George Atkinson did show more than just glimpses of his ability and world class speed.

To salvage this season, whatever you may determine that to mean, the Irish need to fix things and do it soon.  The good news things are fixable, the bad news, time is not on their side.

 

Game Note Highlights

Each week The University of Notre Dame’s Media Relations Department puts out its weekly game notes.  Talking Irish went through all 64 pages this week and pulled out timely and relevant information so you don’t have to.

Notre Dame has nine victories in 10 games against Oklahoma. No school that has played the Sooners more than twice has a better win percentage than the .900 percentage posted by the Irish.

Notre Dame ranks second all-time in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision winning percentage at .733 (868-302-42) and Oklahoma ranks fourth at .719 (834-310-53).

Oklahoma (101) and Notre Dame (98) rank first and second all-time in NCAA FBS history in No. 1 rankings.

Notre Dame has totaled just 13 losing seasons in 125 seasons, while Oklahoma has just 12 in 199 (ranking first and second in all of FBS football).

No Irish player has ever had more than one interception in a game against Oklahoma.

Notre Dame's all-time varsity football roster includes nearly 2,800 players who have appeared in at least one career game, with 29 from the state of Oklahoma.

Notre Dame’s roster does not feature a player from the state of Oklahoma. The Sooners' roster does not feature a player from the state of Indiana.

Six of Notre Dame’s twelve opponents this season are currently either ranked or receiving votes in either the USA Today Coaches Poll or the Associated Press Poll, including Oklahoma (12/14).

Notre Dame has played 11 previous games in its history on Sept. 28. The Irish are 5-5-1 (.500) all-time on this date.

Stephon Tuitt is 0.5 sacks to move into tie for 9th all-time, 1.0 sacks to move into tie for 8th all-time, 2.0 sacks to move into tie for 7th all-time.

Notre Dame has played opponants with a combined record of 8-7 (.533 winning percentage), Oklahoma has played opponants with a combined record of 5-7 (.417 winning percentage).

Average weight of the offensive and defensive lines:

Notre Dame OL 311.4 lbs. vs. Oklahoma DL 280.5 lbs.

Notre Dame DL 317.0 lbs. vs. Oklahoma OL 313.8 lbs.

Notable Head to Head Statistical Comparisons

Notre Dame                                       Oklahoma

26.5 77th Scoring Offense vs. Scoring Defense 5th 9.0

133.66 69th Passing Efficiency Off. vs. Passing Efficiency Def. 9th 88.54

0.75 114th Sacks vs. Sacks Allowed 46th 1.33

64.3 112th Red-Zone Offense vs. Red-Zone Defense 15th 66.7

Points of Interest… Oklahoma

This weekend’s matchup is composed of two all-time great programs that are again having early season success this year.   Although Oklahoma is 3-0 but has yet to play a team with a winning record (Louisiana-Monroe from the Sun Belt League, West Virginia by 9 points and 1-2 Tulsa  team) and has yet to play away from the friendly confines of Norman.

This will be only Blake Bell’s (6’6”, 252lbs) second start at quarterback for the Sooners.  However he did pass for over 400 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions and a 73% completion percentage.  Offensively look for Bell to be different from last years “BellDozer” and a more complete quarterback package.  Make no mistake the Irish defense will not hold Oklahoma to 15 net yards as they did last season.  Bell may lack starting experience but he has seen action on big stages over the past two seasons (Insight Bowl Offensive MVP as a freshman and scoring the game tying touchdown last season against Oklahoma State with four seconds left) so pressure should not be an issue.

The Sooners also have a solid running game in a balanced offensive attack.  Oklahoma averages just less than 272 rushing yards a game good enough for 16^th in the nation, including 27 rushes for 10 yards or more.  Bob Stoops running game is led by Brennan Clay with 45 rushes for 262 averaging 5.8 yards per carry and 2 touchdowns followed by Damien Williams who has 37 carries for 161 and averaging 4.4 yards per carry.

Freshman Trevor Knight came out of camp as the starting quarterback but after a rough start and an injury (knee) Bell stepped in.  If Bell gets hurt or does not deliver early against the Irish Knight would be coming in after missing practice time recovering from his injury as well as coming back with shaken confidence.

Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops has implemented a 3-3-5 defense this season which has led to a number 5 ranking in scoring defense with 9.0 points per game.

The good news is that this Irish team fights till the end and since that year’s game had a score of 13-13 with six minutes to go it truly matters more how you fished as opposed to how you start.  Don’t let Notre Dame’s 9-1 all-time record against Oklahoma fool you, none of that matters this Saturday.

 

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