Postgame Analysis- NOTRE DAME 20, USC 16

THE EIGHT GAME LOSING STREAK IS OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!! FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2001, NOTRE DAME HAS BEATEN USC!!!!!!!!

*Deep breath*

WE WON WE WON WE WON!!!!!

I'll calm down now, I promise.

This one was an absolute nail-biter. It came right now to the wire. It seemed bleak for Notre Dame at times. It looked there was a chance we were once again going to be on the receiving end of some ridiculous, "you've gotta be kidding me" crap. There was a lot of nervous pacing and loud swearing at my house.

But the Irish held on. They stood their ground, didn't give up and fought back. I didn't lose hope that they could come away with the win (my Twitter feed can back that up).

It wasn't the prettiest win. It was far from flawless. There were plenty of mishaps to go around. But right now, all that matters to the Irish is the scoreboard. The scoreboard that reads Notre Dame- 20, USC- 16.

And what a sweet sight it is.

Game Ball-

This was a no-brainer. The entire defense played great. They were easily the most dominant unit in the game, for either team. If they didn't play the way they did, Notre Dame doesn't win this game. End of story.

If I had to choose one player to give the game ball to, it would be a three-way tie between Manti T'eo, Brian Smith and Robert Hughes. All three had great games for the Irish. Brian Smith came up with some big plays when the team needed them. Robert Hughes gave the offense a much needed boost late in the game. And can anyone tackle better than Manti T'eo? Imagine what a dominate player he'll be when he's a senior.

Positives-

-Notre Dame beat USC for the first time since 2001 in Southern Cal!

-The defense. Whether it's the adjustments Bob Diaco has made or Brian Kelly instilling a new mindset or something else altogether, I don't know. But whatever it is, it's working wonders. It's hard to believe that just a few short weeks ago, the defense was being heavily criticized. The defense has been Notre Dame's biggest asset over the past three weeks and the defense is what won this game. They played with heart and didn't give up, even when things were rough. They came up big when they needed to and were the difference in the win. They were especially effective against the run game- without their starting nose tackle. Even with the offense committing turnover after turnover and giving the USC offense short field after short field, the defense didn't cave under pressure and held strong. They couldn't have played much better than they did last night.

-As badly as they struggled most of the game, the offense produced in do-or-die situations. That last touchdown drive was a thing of beauty.

-Notre Dame beat USC for the first time in 8 years!

-Robert Hughes. The sight of him pounding the ball hard up the middle was glorious. I'm not sold on Cierre Wood (he does well when he finds the right hole but he dances around and is too indecisive for my liking). Hughes was just what the doctor ordered. He gained good chunks of yardage and gave Tommy Rees some much-needed relief. I don't think he had a single negative run all night. He's a beast.

-As you all can imagine, I was happy that Brian Kelly didn't completely give up on the run. A few play calls were questionable, but that last drive was made up almost completely of running plays which took some pressure off of Rees. The final run-pass ratio was 27:32.

-The offensive line had one of their better games. When you're watching the highlights of the game, keep an eye on Braxston Cave during Hughes's five yard touchdown run. Perfect blocking.

-Gary Grey has another year of eligibility left and will bring his tackling skills back to Notre Dame next year.

-Did I mention that Notre Dame beat USC?

-The Irish only took one penalty the entire game (a 10 yarder). USC took eight for 47 yards. Penalty yardage is an often overlooked but key component of football games. It's something that only gets noticed when it starts costing you the game(s).

-This game reaffirmed what we already knew- Lane Kiffin can't coach and his dad takes power naps when he's supposed to be calling plays. If this game is anything to go by, Brian Kelly is going to have fun with USC while he's at Notre Dame.

Negatives-

-Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. Not only did Notre Dame lose the turnover battle 4-1, but USC scored all 16 of their points off of Notre Dame turnovers. Yes, they still found a way to win but if the defense hadn't been so lights-out, those turnovers would've been lethal. They nearly were, even with the way the defense played.

-I hope Brian Kelly is working on recruiting some defensive linemen because Notre Dame needs a better pass rush if they're going to return to relevance. The defensive line did a good job of getting penetration when USC ran the ball, but gave Mustain too much time to throw.

It was an excellent win to finish the regular season and a fitting way to end Brian Kelly's first regular season at Notre Dame! The Irish finish the season 7-5 and are bowl eligible. Everyone savor the fall of Troy as we await to find out which bowl game Notre Dame is going to attend.

Postgame Analysis- Notre Dame 27, Army 3

Start spreading the news- Notre Dame is on a roll.

After a huge win at home last week over a ranked Utah team, the Irish picked up right where they left off and dominated Army almost the entire game. As a result, Notre Dame left NYC bowl-eligible.

For the second straight week, the entire Irish team played consistently and played well. The defense, Notre Dame's weakest point for most of the season, has been phenomenal. They're playing with a purpose and with heart. And it's incredibly encouraging.

I, unfortunately, only caught bits and pieces of this game (family obligations take precedence, even over Notre Dame football) so this week's entry might be a bit on the short side, but I'm confident I saw enough to at least write a post.

Game Ball-

I considered not giving out a game ball this week since I didn't get to watch the whole thing, but I'm going to go ahead and give it to the entire Notre Dame defense. I'll sing their praises more specifically in a bit, but I like the energy and physicality they've been showing over the past two games. And hey, I love defense.

Positives-

-Overall consistency. Notre Dame played well on both sides of the ball last week against Utah and continued to do so against Army. Special teams has been solid too. Playing all-around good football is generally a good way to win games.

-The defense. They've been lights-out the past two games. Haven't given up a touchdown in the past 11 and a half quarters they've played. I was worried about they'd fare defending the triple option after the Navy game (can you blame me?) but they did well. I give credit to Bob Diaco for making some late season adjustments. Notre Dame's been going with a four man front as opposed to a three-man front, and it's made a difference. He also had the safeties creeping down to the outside to help out against the option, and it showed.

-Tommy Rees is improving each game. And he's doing so without Kyle Rudolph or Theo Riddick. He still makes some stupid passes/mistakes but he is looking better.

-Turnover battle won. Success.

-Notre Dame beating a team they're supposed to beat! This isn't something Notre Dame fans can take for granted. Yet.

Negatives-

-The o-line has been a little better as of late but they still look shaky to me. I hope Brian Kelly goes out and recruits some offensive linemen in the offseason because if the Irish are going to become an elite program again, they'll need to be able to protect their quarterback.

-Even though Notre Dame won the turnover battle, they still need to do a better job taking care of the ball.

Enjoy this win, Irish fans, and get pumped for the USC game this weekend! How fitting would it be if Brian Kelly was to beat the hated Trojans to finish his first season 7-5?

Postgame Analysis- Notre Dame 28, Utah 3

First and foremost: WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a game! What a win by the Irish! After two very disheartening losses, to see Notre Dame come out and play so inspired against the reeling Utes was just what the doctor ordered. Again, what is a Ute? Does anyone know?

My dad was actually at the game and he told me that from the start Notre Dame had all the intangibles to win, from their extra week of rest to Utah's crushing 47-7 loss at the hands of TCU the week before. He also said the atmosphere was incredible after Robert Blanton's blocked punt, and that the defense was the biggest difference maker in the game. He was thrilled to see them win their best game of the season in person. But not enough to storm the field.

I myself was so pumped that as I was driving back to school with my friends (we had gone to Pittsburgh for the weekend), I rolled down the windows, blared the Notre Dame fight song full volume on my iPod and sang along at the top of my lungs. My friends half-jokingly groaned (I'm a terrible singer) but luckily they all understood what a big win it was, or at least know how useless it is to try and reel me in when I'm riled up over football. I have such great friends.

Notre Dame came to play. They got big plays when they needed them. Their defense was strong. Tommy Rees stepped up. They finished the game. No fourth quarter lapses. The seniors had the satisfaction of winning their last home game against a ranked team. They came into the game believing they could win and they played their hearts out.

Her loyal sons marched onward to victory to end their 11 game losing streak against AP top 25 teams. And they did it without their starting quarterback, leading running back and three of their top four wide receivers.

Game Ball-

I give this week's game ball to every single senior on the Notre Dame football squad. The Fighting Irish haven't won a Senior Day game since 2007 and these guys more than deserved it with the way the played. I also want to give wide receiver Duval Kamara a special nod. The senior, who had 7 catches on the season, caught two touchdown passes in his best game of the season, maybe of his career. He stepped up in a big way for a team missing three of their top four receivers.

True freshman quarterback Tommy Rees gets the honorable mention for his three touchdown performance and first career win.

Positives-

-EVERYTHING! Just kidding.

-The entire defense. As my dad said, they were the biggest difference maker in the game. Manti T'eo had a huge third down stop. Harrison Smith had a huge pick. They forced turnovers. They never let Utah's running game get going, giving up only 71 yards on the ground. Utah didn't even score after the first quarter! If the opposing team doesn't score a touchdown the entire game, you know you're doing something right on defense. Especially against a team that can put up 400 yards of offense and score 40 points a game.

-NOTRE DAME RAN THE BALL MORE THAN THEY THREW IT! IT'S A MIRACLE! The ratio was pretty even, 29 rushing attempts and 20 passing. Maybe Brian Kelly learned last week against Tulsa that he can't put the entire game on Rees' shoulders. You all can imagine how happy I was to see the Irish constantly pounding the ball effectively and Brian Kelly not abandoning the run game. It definitely helped to give Rees some relief and wear down Utah.

-Notre Dame played almost completely mistake-free and didn't turn the ball over while forcing Utah to make mistakes. The Utes had three turnovers (counting the blocked punt) and 11 penalties. They also capitalized on Utah's mistakes. The Irish weren't lazy or sloppy. They got the job done.

-Killer instinct. After jumping ahead to a 14-3 lead at halftime, Notre Dame never let Utah get back in the game. They finished them off and didn't let the Utes hang around like they did with so many other teams this season. I can't have been the only one worrying about another fourth-quarter collapse, but it didn't happen.

-As I mentioned above, Notre Dame has now snapped a 11 game losing streaked against top 25 teams, which could end up being significant in the new Brian Kelly era.

Negatives-

-I'm not to spoil such a great victory by the Irish by nitpicking. I'm going to continue being excited over this win and relish it. I hope you all do the same!

This was definitely Brian Kelly's signature win this year under the Irish. These are the kind of games he was brought here to win. Whatever he did to prepare them in the bye week worked. Notre Dame is now 5-5 on the season and still in the hunt to remain bowl eligible. Let's see if they can keep the momentum from this game and come out with the same heart and inspiration against Army next week.

#15 Utah at Notre Dame Preview

Well, this marks the last Notre Dame home game of the season. This will be the seniors last home game at one of the most special places ever in college football. Notre Dame will be facing a tough opponent when the #15 Utah Utes come to South Bend. This should be a great match-up for Brian Kelly's squad as they have had an extra week to prepare. Utah also got manhandled last week by a TCU squad who is trying to boost their resume so they can hopefully be in the Nation Championship talk. So, what is it going to take for the Irish to come out on top?

Utah is coming into this game with a record of 8-1, while Notre Dame sits at 4-5. So what can we expect out of Utah when they make their trip to South Bend? Well, their only big win of the season came in their first game of the season against Pittsburgh. The only other big test was TCU, which ended badly for them. Utah has a QB who is not lighting the world on fire. Wynn had thrown for 14 touchdowns, but also 8 interceptions. One stat that should not be overlooked is the fact that he has only been sacked 3 times. This is a pretty outstanding number which shows that he had time and can move around in the pocket to extend some plays. Utah has no lost back to back games since their 0-2 start in 2007, but coach Whittingham can't overlook the Irish.

Wynn is the leader of this Spread Offense attack that Utah runs. They also have 2 backs that almost split time right down the middle. Wide and Asiata have combined for 15 touchdowns on the year. Utah also relies in running the hurry up, and getting into a rhythm a lot like Notre Dame, and a lot like the 2004 Utes led by quarterback Alex Smith. Utah is average 41 points per game which is 9th in the country, but this number is skewed because of the opponents they have played. Overall, the Utes will be a great matchup for Notre Dame, and we should learn a lot about the growth of Notre Dame after this game.

Notre Dame also has some interesting intangibles coming into this game. With quarterback Dayne Crist out for the season true freshman Tommy Rees will now step into the spotlight. He showed some signs of greatness last Saturday stepping in for the injured Crist, but he also showed some signs that prove that he is still just a true freshman. He has had an extra week to prepare, which should be beneficial with his relationships with the recievers. Also, WR Michael Floyd should be playing at a higher level this week since he had an extra week to recover from a nagging hamstring injury.  Look for Tommy Rees to be looking for Floyd as his primary target and go to guy.

Notre Dame is poised and ready for a signature win under Kelly and this could be it. Notre Dame's defense will have to step up, and force some turnovers if they want to be in this game in the fourth quarter. The key for there defense is going to be stopping the run by pushing them inside, and not letting them get the outside running lanes. The Irish are looking to become bowl eligible so this would be a great starting point to lead them on a run for their last 3 games. According to Coach Kelly Tommy Rees is ready and up to the challenge. Lets hope Tommy Rees can get our seniors a well deserved win, and get the whole Notre Dame Nation a win that we can ride into the last 2 games of the season!!

LETS GO IRISH!!!

Where do we go now?

Well Irish Faithful, for some of us this isn't the season we came to expect. With key injuries to Floyd, Riddick, Crist, and Rudolph our offense has been hobbled the last couple of weeks. We have been fighting and clawing without them, but it has been noticeable in our offensive output. So, where do we go from here for the rest of the year?

Well I believe Tommy Rees has everything it takes to run this spread offense. For the time he played in Tulsa he looked very well. Aside from the 3 interceptions he ran the offense very well, and kept up the quick tempo. He is on the small side so I worry about him getting injured while scrambling or getting sacked, but the kid can throw. He is going to go through growing pains (see last minute interception against Tulsa) but he will learn, and hopefully get better over the last 3 games of the season. He has a tough final 3 games, so all we can hope for is to see growth, and hopefully a couple of wins!

Lets keep believing and give our beloved Irish some faith! Go Irish!

Postgame Analysis- Tulsa- 28, Notre Dame- 27

I don't even know where to start to talk about the Notre Dame-Tulsa game that involves family-friendly language. What a fiasco.

The best part about watching the game was that I got to watch it with my father who was visiting for parents weekend. He told me stories of the Notre Dame glory days, when the fullback ran the ball up the middle on first down and it was successful 99% of the time. It helped keep the two of us from losing our minds.

The blocked point after that was returned by Tulsa. Dayne Crist's season-ending injury. Tulsa's punt return for a touchdown. Notre Dame's defense giving up a 3rd and 26. A few questionable calls by Coach Kelly.

I miss the glory days.

Game Ball-

I thought long and hard about this one. I had a few candidates in my head but they all made too many or too big of mistakes for me to give it to them. I was going to give it to Tommy Rees for stepping in for the injured Crist, but then he threw the game-ending interception. I was going to give it to Kapron Lewis-Moore (#89 on the d-line) for deflecting a number of passes, but he was beat on the outside too many times for my liking. Finally, I decided on cornerback Gary Gray just because he continues to impress me with his ability to square up, wrap up and make the tackle. Plenty of the other Irish defenders would do well to take lessons from him.

Positives (spoiler alert: this list is very short)-

-The tribute to Declan Sullivan at the beginning was very appropriate and touching. (Read more details of the accident here.)

-Once Crist went out, Rees did do a better job than expected. After what happened in the Michigan game I'm sure most Irish fans were expecting much worse. He was the first freshman quarterback in Notre Dame history to throw for four touchdowns in a game. If only he could stop throwing off his back foot...

-Michael Floyd was able to play today so his hamstring injury is obviously doing better.

-Iowa creamed Michigan State 37-6. Woohoo!

Negatives-

-Injuries are piling up. Crist is done for the year with a ruptured patella tendon in his left knee. Theo Riddick is out for 2-3 more weeks. Nose tackle Ian Williams is out 4-5 more weeks with a sprained MCL. Armando Allen was out this game too. His hip was probably bothering him again and his absence was very noticeable in the running game.

-The run game was basically non-existent. They piled up a grand total of 70 rushing yards. Against Tulsa. The Golden Hurricanes were starting to look worn down at the end of the game, so why didn't Brian Kelly take advantage and pound the ball? Especially with an inexperienced backup in at quarterback. Putting the outcome of the game solely on Rees' shoulders was too much to ask of a freshman QB with little to no real-game experience.

-Turnovers. Again.

-Notre Dame always seem to fail to dominate on either side of the line of scrimmage, and that is where the game begins and ends. Tulsa was in the Notre Dame backfield too often for my liking (despite only registering one sack) and Notre Dame didn't get enough consistent penetration from the defensive line.

-As my dad and I were discussing, and Brian Kelly has hinted at, there may be a mental problem with the team. They've come to expect mediocrity and so they're sort of looking out mainly for themselves and waiting to "escape" to the NFL. This is just a theory but it makes sense in some ways.

Notre Dame is 4-5 going into the bye week on a two game losing streak. Utah is up after the bye week.

Postgame Analysis- Navy- 35, Notre Dame- 17

I would like to apologize to our readers for not writing a post after Notre Dame's game against Western Michigan last week. I did watch the game, but had some family stuff to deal with at home over the weekend and then a very stressful work week back at school.

(If I had posted something, it would've been a lot of ranting about giving up on the run way too early and letting Western Michigan hang around for too long.)

Anyway, back to the task at hand:

Navy- 35, Notre Dame- 17

Remember when Notre Dame won 43 straight games against Navy? Remember when playing a game against Navy might as well have been a guaranteed 'W' on the Irish schedule?

Me neither.

I don't know if this game was more or less heartbreaking than last year's triple overtime loss. Granted, Dayne Crist was missing his best three targets (Kyle Rudolph, Michael Floyd and Theo Riddick were unavailable due to injury) but in theory Notre Dame had plenty of talent to beat the Midshipmen. Notre Dame marched down the field on the opening drive but Navy made a huge goal line stand to force a turnover on downs. From there it only took them three plays to go 99 yards to score a touchdown. Notre Dame never quite recovered from that early blow.

Maybe Notre Dame got too comfortable after winning three-straight games. Maybe Navy was still riding the momentum of their come-from-behind win last week. We can sit here and speculate all day, but when it came down to it, Navy wanted it more and was much more fired up to play than the Irish.

Game Ball-

Backup quarterback Tommy Rees for putting together Notre Dame's best drive of the game at the end, even though it was in garbage time. He was 6-of-7 for 79 yards on the drive. It wasn't a bad idea to stick him in that situation and let him get a little playing time and he looked pretty confident.

Positives-

-Strained hip or not, Armando Allen still looked good (when they used him). He's not the biggest running back out there but he's very strong and physical for his size. Even more importantly, he keeps his legs moving until the whistle.

-At least Tommy Rees put together a nice fourth quarter drive on that last touchdown, right? Granted Navy had pretty much taken their foot off the gas at that point, but it was still a pretty drive. Notre Dame's offense actually did a decent job of moving the ball but made costly mistakes at all the wrong times.

-Other than one untimely pass interference call, Notre Dame was not flagged at all during the game. Not committing stupid penalties is always a plus. Too bad no one really notices how much a team in penalized until it starts costing them games.

-Navy could beat us by 50 points and we would still have a better mascot than them. I'm sorry, but those "Fear the goat!" signs that Navy fans bring to games fail miserably at sounding intimidating. There's not even an actual term for the irrational fear of goats. My roommates looked it up after one of them caught a glimpse of a "Fear the goat!" sign. The closest term is "zoophobia", which is the fear of animals in general. Ohh, what now Navy?! (Yes, I know there is an actual story behind why Navy's catchphrase is "Fear the goat!" Yes, I know I'm really, really pushing it here. But I couldn't think of anything else positive to say about Notre Dame's performance today. Forgive me.)

Negatives-

-Where to start? I'll go for the most obvious; the run defense. We all knew going into this game that Navy favors the triple option offense. It's their bread and butter. Their trademark. They've only been running that offense for the past ten thousands years. So why, why, why did Notre Dame look so ill-prepared to defend it? Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs attempted TWO passes the entire game. We all knew Navy would be running it to the outside all day and that's been an area of weakness for the Notre Dame defense, so it makes no sense that they wouldn't put a majority of their focus on that aspect of the game. Fullback Alexander Teich rushed for 210 yards (a season and I think a career best for him), averaging 8.1 yards per rush. He's not even Navy's first string fullback! Starter Vince Murray was out with a knee injury! Navy's rushing offense alone put up almost as many yards as the entire Notre Dame offense. Coach Kelly claimed the defense made adjustments at halftime, but it didn't show. The run defense was flat-out ugly any way you look at it.

-Dayne Crist took a step backwards this game. Again, Rudolph, Floyd and Riddick are all hurt which made his task all that much harder, but I don't know who or what he was throwing to some of the time. The timing on his interceptions couldn't have possibly been worse either. Some of this can be chalked up to missing his top three targets, but there was definitely something off with Crist today.

-As always, I would've liked to see the Irish run the ball more. I was willing to be more lenient in this category, given how fast they fell behind and were playing catchup the entire game, but handing the ball off to Allen and Wood more often would've taken some of the pressure off of Crist and the younger, more inexperienced receivers.

-I bet you all thought I was going to forget my traditional rant about turnovers, didn't you? No such luck. Once again, Notre Dame lost the turnover battle. As I mentioned two paragraphs above, Crist's pair of picks came at what might have been the worst possible times. The first one, at the end of the second half, was especially brutal. Notre Dame had the ball deep in their own territory with a little over two minutes left in the half to try and put together a scoring drive (the Irish were down only 14-10 at this point). Crist throws an INT to De'Von Richardson at Notre Dame's 30 yard line. Navy scores a touchdown to make it 21-10 going into the half and they would also get the ball first coming back from halftime. What a difference one touchdown makes, huh? Navy scored 14 points off of Notre Dame's turnovers. 21, if you count the turnover on downs at the Notre Dame one yard line that led to Navy's first touchdown. If Notre Dame scores that TD on their first possession and Crist doesn't throw those interceptions, it's a completely different ball game even with the horrendous run defense.

Notre Dame is now 4-4 on the year. Tulsa is looming next, a team with a decent running attack but a weak defense. Hopefully the Fighting Irish can rebound against a very beatable Golden Hurricane squad.

Injury Update

The Fighting Irish faithful received some sad news today. Tight end Kyle Rudolph, one of Notre Dame's premier offense players, is out for the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury.

The Cincinnati native sustained the hamstring injury in preseason camp and reaggravated it on Saturday's 23-17 victory over Pitt. Apparently Rudolph's hamstring pulled away from the bone (ouch) because of an injury to two of his tendons. The injury will require surgery and recovery could take up to six months.

Coach Kelly acknowledged that the injury is a huge blow to the Irish, but he expects backup tight ends Tyler Eifert, Mike Ragone, and Jake Golic to step in and help the offense. He added that he does not know how the injury will affect Rudolph's draft status or if he'll choose to return to Notre Dame next season.

Here's to wishing Kyle Rudolph a complete and speedy recovery. He is a vital part of the Irish offense and will be greatly missed for the rest of the season.

Postgame Analysis- Notre Dame 23, Pitt 17

That one got a little too close for comfort, huh? Notre Dame was up 20-3 at halftime and then the final was 23-17... Again, a win is a win, but is it too much to ask for Notre Dame to put an opponent away early instead of letting them stay in the game?

Still, the Irish hung on and are now 3-3 on the season. At the end of the day, that's what matters most. I just wish the finish hadn't been quite that exciting.

Game ball-

The birthday boy, quarterback Dayne Crist. On his 21st birthday, Crist played arguably his best game of year. He looked poised and confident, never put the ball in harm's way, threw for 242 yards while completing (roughly) 61 percent of his passes, and ran in a touchdown. As Brian Kelly said, he is improving with each game. Happy birthday Crist!

Positives-

-Notre Dame capitalized on Pitt's mistakes. They were able to come away with points off of Sundari's interception, and scored touchdowns on their drives following Pitt's two missed field goals. Ultimately, those two missed opportunities were the difference in the game.

-The Irish also exploited their opponent's weakness. In this case, it was Pitt's secondary. We all knew coming into the game that Pitt had a soft secondary, and Crist and his receivers took advantage of it. Wide receivers Michael Floyd, Theo Riddick and true freshman T.J. Jones all played great (other than Riddick's iditoic offensive pass interference penalty).

-NOTRE DAME WON THE TURNOVER BATTLE! I REPEAT, NOTRE DAME WON THE TURNOVER BATTLE! Pitt had two turnovers and for the first in a game this season, Notre Dame had none! As I said above, Crist did not make any dangerous throws. They protected the ball well. It was heartening to see them on the positive end of the turnover battle for the first time this season.

(Note: Armando Allen actually did fumble later in the game, but was ruled down before the ball came loose. We got lucky on that one, especially because Pitt would've recovered the ball on ND's 15 yard line.)

-I have to give a shoutout to Notre Dame's special teams, especially field goal kicker David Ruffer. Not only has he made all of his field goal attempts on the year, but he calmly drilled in a 50-yarder today. Ruffer has now completed his last 16 field goal attempts in a row- a school record. Not too shabby for a walk-on, huh?

Punter Ben Turk had a good game as well. He also deserves an Oscar nomination for his acting performance on the roughing the passer call against Pitt. He made a fine show of going down hard and making sure the ref saw him limping to the sideline.

-Gary Grey. Having a cornerback who can tackle is a wonderful thing. I also liked what I saw from safety Harrison Smith. Particularly when he intercepted Sundari.

-The run/pass ratio was pretty even. It's always a plus when a team has a balanced attack on offense and don't have to rely on your quarterback or running back alone. It also makes a team harder to defend. That's why Notre Dame going up early on Pitt was an advantage. Pitt has an excellent run game, but because they fell behind so early they had to throw the ball more and play catchup, which took them away from their strength on offense.

Negatives-

-Notre Dame went a little bit backwards with penalties today. It wasn't so much the number of penalties that was the problem. It was mostly that they took the penalties at the most inopportune times. The two that stick out to me were Riddick's interference call which called back a touchdown, and Braxton Cave's huge holding penalty.

-I'd like to see the Irish dominate on both sides on the line of scrimmage a little more. The game starts and ends at the line of scrimmage. It's hard to complain about the defensive line when they had a multiple-sack game, but they need to be more consistent with their pressure. The offensive line is also better than last year, but they still struggle at times.

-I bet you thought I was going to make another Brian Kelly visor joke here, didn't you?

-Finally, Notre Dame needs to develop a killer instinct. This is the second week in a row where they were dominating with a considerable lead only to let the other team get back in the game. Just like against BC, the Irish were on a roll, then seemed to get comfortable and take their foot off the gas, which let Pitt hang around for too long. This game could've- should've- been over soon than the end of the fourth quarter. Notre Dame fans have seen too many horrendous fourth quarter collapses recently. They need to be able to deliver the final blow and end games like this early.

Notre Dame now has a two-game winning streak going, a breathe of fresh air after a 1-3 start. They will hopefully be over .500 this time next week. I don't care to imagine what will happen if they lose to Western Michigan.

Week 6 Preview

Another week down in the college football season. There were several storylines coming out of the college football world after Week 5.

• Oregon jumps Boise State in the polls going from 4 to 3

I think that this wasn’t all that shocking. Yea Boise won by 59 points, but that was against New Mexico State and arguably one of the worst FBS schools in the nation. Oregon on the other hand put up 52 and beat another top 10 ranked school by 21 points. I almost believe that Oregon should have leap frogged over Ohio State. Oregon has played a tougher schedule than Ohio State and has won in a more convincing fashion.

• Denard Robinson has another 200-200 game and looks like the front runner for the Heisman

Can anyone stop “Shoelaces”? At this point in the season he looks like a lock to win the Heisman. With Terrelle Pryor suffering a minor injury last week and Mark Ingram having an average day, they all took a step back compared to Michigan’s QB. Still none of the experts are giving enough love to Oregon’s tail back LaMichael James. He’s now second in the nation in rushing only behind Robinson. He ran for 257 yards against a very tough Stanford defense. I don’t know how you can still put Boise State quarterback Kellen More ahead of him.

• Alabama blows away Florida in a much anticipated SEC match-up

• Oregon comes back in a big way against Stanford

• Oklahoma holds up against Texas in the Red River Rivalry

• Michigan State shuts down the Wisconsin run game and looks like a Big 10 contender with shoelaces coming up this week

• Iowa’s defense looks unstoppable even against a high school looking offense in Penn State

Now this week’s Top 25 Predictions and My Game of the Week

1. Alabama vs. 19 South Carolina

My pick: Alabama

Inconsistent play in the South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia keeps the Gamecocks from upsetting the top ranked Tide

2. Ohio State vs. Indiana

My Pick: Ohio State

Terrelle Pryor puts up big numbers as the Hoosiers face another tough quarterback assignment

3. Oregon vs. Washington State

My Pick: Oregon

Oregon wins in a landslide. No. 1 offense vs. a bottom 5 defense. No chance for Washington State

4. Boise State vs. Toledo

My Pick: Boise State

Broncos are way too much for Toledo to handle

5. TCU vs. Wyoming

My Pick: TCU

The Horned frogs continue to roll

6. Oklahoma off

7. Nebraska vs. Kansas State

My Pick: Nebraska

The Corn Huskers led by quarterback Taylor Martinez beat up on the Wildcats

8. Auburn vs. Kentucky

My Pick: Auburn

Back in SEC play, The Tigers win fairly easy in Lexington

9. Arizona vs. Oregon State

My Pick: Oregon State

The Rodgers brothers go down and steal one from the Wildcats

10. Utah vs. Iowa State

My Pick: Utah

The Utes go into Ames and walk all over the Cyclones

11. Arkansas vs. Texas A&M

My Pick: Arkansas

Ryan Mallett throws all over the Aggies but the Aggies keep it a game in the Jerry Dome

12. LSU vs. 14 Florida

My Pick: Florida

In a battle of defense Florida’s home field gives them the win.

13. Miami vs. 23 Florida State

My Pick: Florida State

Christian Ponder leads the Seminoles as Jacory Harris makes one to many mistakes.

15. Iowa off

16. Stanford vs. USC

My Pick: Stanford

The Cardinal come out swinging after a tough loss in Eugene. Look for a big game from Andrew Luck against a sub-par USC secondary.

*My Game of the Week*

17. Michigan State vs. 18 Michigan

My Pick: Michigan State

Kirk Cousins has his way with the last ranked Michigan pass defense in a shootout. Denard Robinson has a big game passing for the first time this season.

20. Wisconsin vs. Minnesota

My Pick: Wisconsin

John Clay gets back on track with a big game against the Golden Gophers.

21. Nevada vs. San Jose State

My Pick: Nevada

All Wolf Pack run game in this one.

22. Oklahoma State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

My Pick: Oklahoma State

High powered Cowboy defense runs and throws all over the Ragin’ Cajuns

24. Missouri vs. Colorado

My Pick: Missouri

Blaine Gabbert throws all over the Buffalo at home.

25. Air Force vs. Colorado State

My Pick: Air Force

Number 1 rushing team in the country keeps it going against a far inferior opponent.

Postgame Analysis- Notre Dame 31, Boston College 13

Victory!!!! Notre Dame snaps their three-game losing streak with a 31-13 victory over Boston College. It wasn't perfect, but a win is a win. And hey, they beat a team they were supposed to beat (*cough* Charlie Weis *cough* Syracuse *cough*).

Notre Dame as a whole put in a much better performance than last week, although they really had nowhere to go but up from the Stanford game.

Game Ball-

This is a little snippet I decided to add each week about the Notre Dame player that I thought really stood out in the game. This week's game ball goes to sophomore wide receiver Theo Riddick. I really liked what I saw out of him tonight. He looked especially good after the catch. Riddick is still a bit raw- he IS only a sophomore after all- but if he can continue to improve over the course of this season, he should be a dangerous weapon next year.

Positives-

-Obviously, the offense was much, much better this week. They were able to actually establish a rhythm, especially in the first quarter. Their attack was also much more balanced this week. Dayne Crist handed the ball off almost as much as he threw it. I absolutely loved their touchdown drive in the third quarter. Not only did the Irish convert several big third downs and mix up the play calling, but it was exactly the kind of drive I was talking about in my post last week; it was a time-consuming drive that allowed the offense to get into a groove, burned minutes off the clock, and gave the defense a rest. I guess Brian Kelly reads my blog posts.

-The defensive line did a much better job of getting pressure on the quarterback. It took them a while, but they did wind up with four sacks on the game. Granted, Boston College does not have the most physical offensive lineman in college football, so there is still plenty of work for ND to do on this front, but I was pleased to see them getting to the quarterback more this game.

-The receivers are doing a great job of blocking downfield, which comes in handy when Armando Allen breaks loose.

-Notre Dame did not have a single penalty in the first half (other than a holding call, which was declined) and only had one or two in the second half. This is the sort of discipline the Irish haven't seen in years, and it was a glorious sight to see. Okay, glorious is pushing it a bit. But it was very refreshing to see them penalized so little. Taking fewer penalties is one aspect of the game that I feel is often overlooked, but gives teams a better chance of winning.

-Brian Kelly did not wear a visor this game! More proof that he reads my blog posts.

-The defense was excellent against the run. Granted, BC doesn't exactly boast a high-powered running attack, but you know you did something right if you hold a team to only five rushing yards on the night. The defense did an excellent job on third downs as well. BC only converted two or three the entire game.

Negatives-

-TURNOVERS, TURNOVERS, TURNOVERS. Notre Dame had two interceptions this game, but lost two fumbles and Crist threw one interception. ND is now about -4 on turnovers for the year. This week's turnovers didn't end up being costly- BC only got three points off of them- but good teams will find a way to capitalize on those kinds of mistakes, just like Stanford did last week. The easiest way for a team to beat themselves is off of turnovers, and that's what will happen if Notre Dame doesn't start taking better care of the ball.

-The offense needs to adjust quicker and find more consistency. I'm willing to cut them some slack on the consistency front, as Crist is still getting comfortable with his role as starting quarterback and developing chemistry with his receivers. Also, the players are still learning Kelly's offense, which is very different from Weis's. But the BC defense made some adjustments after giving up 21 points in the first quarter, and it took the Notre Dame offense too long to readjust their scheme accordingly.

Work still needs to be done, but it was great to see Kelly get a "homecoming" win with a number of his friends and family watching. Notre Dame's next four games are very winnable. Pitt is up next, then West Michigan (if they lose to West Michigan, I may give up on life and join a convent), Navy, and Tulsa. We can't write them up for four straight wins just yet, but it could very well happen! GO IRISH!

Notre Dame vs. Boston College Preview

Well, once again Notre Dame has landed another 8 PM night game that will air on either ABC, or ESPN2.  This week we will be facing off against the Boston College Golden Eagles.  This could be the game that starts a winning streak for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.  As of now, Boston College is sitting at 2-1, while Notre Dame is at 1-3.  This is a big statement game for both programs that have had some bad blood over the past couple of years. 

            The big news of the week is that Boston College will be starting true freshman quarterback Chase Rettig.  He will be moved to number one on the depth chart, and Dave Shinskie (a 26 year old former minor league baseball player) will assume number two in the depth chart.  This could be good news for the Irish, who’s defense has struggled this year.  Hopefully the Irish will be able to put pressure on the true freshman, and force some big turnovers that will turn into Irish touchdowns. 

            Boston College is 2-1 this year with wins coming against Weber State, and Kent State.  There only loss was to Virginia Tech last week where the score was 19-0.  The Golden Eagles rank 73^rd in pass offense, and 93^rd in rushing offense.  They also only average 21.3 points per game.  This offense is not as strong as it has been in the past couple of years, so look for Boston College to struggle to put points on the board against Notre Dame.  Manti Teo recorded 21 tackles last week, so look for him to come out strong, and hopefully his work ethic and intensity will wear off onto other member of the Notre Dame defense. 

            On the flip side, Notre Dame struggled rushing the ball last game, totaling only 44 yards.  Notre Dame looks to get back on track running the ball considering this was one of the strong points in the opening game against Purdue.  If Notre Dame can come out and establish a strong running game with starting tailback Armando Allen, and now backup Robert Hughes.  Hughes has moved up to the #2 back, which pushes Cierre Wood to the #3 back.  Look for Hughes to have some power runs up the middle to establish a strong running game. 

            The Irish’s passing game has been its one strong point throughout the year.  They rank 7^th in the country with 315.5 passing yards per game.  Dayne Crist has found new offensive weapon Theo Riddick.  Michael Floyd has also played a larger role in the offense in the past 2 games.  Crist’s favorite weapon Kyle Rudolph was nearly non-existent last week against the Stanford Cardinal’s with only 1 yard on 1 reception.  Look for Dayne Crist to spread the ball around, and set up Michael Floyd for some shots downfield. 

            In a nutshell, Notre Dame has all the talent and weapons to win this game by two touchdowns.  In reality though, it should be another close game since they are heading up to Boston to play this game.  This will be a statement game for coach Brian Kelly and his reputation with all the Notre Dame fans.  I feel like he will not let his team lose this weekend.  With that said, my predicition for the game is Notre Dame 34 – Boston College – 28.  Lets Go Irish!

Week 5 Preview

Hello to all you Irish Football Nation fans. As Meghan did, let me give you a brief overview who I am. My name is Matt Foreman. I am currently a freshman at Lock Haven University studying as a Sports Administration major. I attended Penn State University as a Sports Journalism major but decided it wasn’t for me. I watch any college football game on television. However, I am I die hard Penn State supporter. Obviously you can see that I am not a huge Notre Dame fan so I a will be giving a look at other happenings in the NCAA.

Lets start off with the biggest topic all year. If Boise State goes undefeated do they deserve a shot to play in the BCS title game? Everywhere I go people tell me “no”. The most common reason I see is that they play in a weak conference. My question is, how can you punish a team for what conference they play in? They can’t just pick and choose a conference to be a part of. I guess they could have joined the Pac-10 this year but who knows if they would have been invited to play and I don’t think it’s fair to all the other sports teams at Boise to move into a power conference just because of one of their teams. They go out every year and play well and win against automatic qualifying conference schools. I do agree that if a team from one of the automatic qualifying conferences goes undefeated, that they deserve to play in the title game only because they play tough competition every week. But I don’t see how a one loss team deserves to play in the national title game in place of an undefeated Boise State team. We’ll see how Boise ends up at the end of the season with one more test left when they travel to play Nevada and the nation’s number 6 rushing offense.

Over the past several weeks the nation has seen Michigan QB Denard Robinson climb to the top of the list of many analysts list of top Heisman trophy contenders. And I agree, Robinson has played amazing football so far this year. Another person that has proved to be looking for a shot at college football’s biggest individual award is last years recipient, Alabama tail back Mark Ingram. After missing opening week games against San Jose State and Penn State, Ingram has put together solid games the past two weeks rushing for 151 against Duke and 157 against Arkansas. He almost single handedly won that game against Arkansas last week with big runs late in the fourth quarter. But, I want to talk about another stud tail back who I haven’t really heard much about for Heisman considerations despite putting up huge numbers and having a team in the AP top 5. This would be Oregon tail back LaMicheal James. James is currently 8th in the nation in rushing yards despite missing the first game of the year. James is also second in the nation in yards per game averaging 158.3 yards per game. If he continues at this pace, I think that you will see more and more people hop on the LaMicheal James bandwagon because it will be interesting to see if Robinson is going to be able to keep up his torrid pace for two reasons.

-First, cause there is no way defenses like Iowa, Ohio State and Penn State are going to let him go off for almost 160 per game

-Second, because I foresee an injury that puts him out a game or more. His 6”0” 193 lb. body isn’t going to be able to hold up in the very physical Big 10, especially if he keeps taking shots like he has been. He has been sidelined with injuries twice this season already; most recently being last week when he fell on his knee in the first quarter and was held out the rest of the game, most likely for precautionary reasons. But still, if he’s already banged up so as it is, teams are going to target that already weakened knee.

As for Ingram, he has a good shot, but I don’t see him putting the numbers capable of James in the SEC. The SEC has some of the best defense in the nation, while the Pac-10 has some shaky defense, most notably in Washington State who is ranked 118 out of 120 in total defense. And when looking at the stats, Oregon still has 3 teams, including Washington State, on their schedule who rank in the bottom 20 in total defense. While Alabama’s lowest remaining opponent is number 72 South Carolina. That makes a much easier path for James than Ingram.

Now for something I’d like to run weekly my top 25 game predictions and my game of the week.

1. Alabama vs. 7. Florida

My Pick: Alabama

Too much Alabama D for Florida’s pedestrian looking offense

2. Ohio State vs. Illinois

My Pick: Ohio State

Terrelle Pryor keeps his name in the Heisman hat with a great game

3. Boise State vs. New Mexico State

My Pick: Boise State

Playing arguably one of the worst teams in the nation, look for Boise to gain some of those much talked about “style points”

*Game of the Week*

4. Oregon vs. 9. Stanford

My Pick: Oregon

Oregon wins in a shootout by playing just a little bit better on offense

5. TCU vs. Colorado State

My Pick: TCU

Another team looking for “style points”, TCU ends this game early

6. Nebraska off

8. Oklahoma vs. 21. Texas

My Pick: Texas

After a crushing loss against unranked UCLA, Texas puts the loss behind them and makes Oklahoma a one dimensional team and wins this years Red River rivalry

10. Auburn vs. Louisiana-Monroe

My Pick: Auburn

Cam Newton leads the War Eagles in easy defeat after two hard fought games

11. Wisconsin vs. 24 Michigan State

My Pick: Wisconsin

No trick plays this week, Wisconsin lead by John Clay wins in East Lansing

12. LSU vs. Tennessee

My Pick: LSU

Patrick Peterson and the Tigers defense stifles Tennessee offense

13. Utah off

14. Arizona off

15. Arkansas off

16. Miami vs. Clemson

My Pick: Miami

The Hurricanes big play offense continues to roll

17. Iowa vs. 22. Penn State

My Pick: Iowa

My heart says Nittany Lions, but my head says Hawkeyes in close fought game; Iowa’s offense proves to be better than Penn State in a low scoring game

18. USC vs. Washington

My Pick: USC

Matt Barkley picks apart the Huskies defense as Jake Locker’s Heisman and first overall pick hopes continue to dwindle

19. Michigan vs. Indiana

My Pick: Michigan

Michigan’s offense led by Denard Robinson overpowers the Hoosiers average defense

20. South Carolina off

23. North Carolina State vs. Virginia Tech

My Pick: Virginia Tech

Ryan Williams has his first big game of the season as the Hookies steal one in Raleigh

25. Nevada vs. UNLV

My Pick: Nevada

The Wolf Pack runs every which way over the Rebel’s defense.

Notre Dame vs. Boston College

My Pick: Notre Dame

Dayne Christ and Michael Floyd steal the show as the Fighting Irish stop the slide