Fightin’ For Future Fame

Spruced-up Skills in South Bend Slay Spring Speak of Sour Squad

You know the expectations are high when even the President serves up sharp words about you. President Barack Obama took a jab at Notre Dame’s football program during the university’s commencement last weekend. Although it was all in good fun, Obama does have a point when it comes to the prior state of the storied Fighting Irish. The figment in South Bend is headed in a better, more promising direction. Let’s take a closer look at the Notre Dame team Head Coach Charlie Weis has at his disposal to open up play this fall.
The Irish have not won a national championship since 1988 and the school has suffered the most losses in a two-year period in history the past two seasons. The 2008 team went 7-6 after the young players stumbled through growing pains and an egregious 3-9 finish the year before. Everybody used to equate Notre Dame with success. College football can no longer proclaim the Irish a winning football school.
The school consistently signs some of the best recruits in the nation yet, the team has under performed since Weis inherited the team five years ago. Notre Dame should win more games this year with an improved defense and players who can rush the passer. The speed of the Irish secondary is sufficient enough in coverage and aggressive enough to create turnovers. The defensive line is not that far away from being a strong one, and the 2009 schedule is manageable. Weis has shifted the team’s focus to the offense over the past two years. This season, the figurehead coach has a more talented crop of players. The inexperienced and fragile offense provided no foundation for the future during Weis’ initial years with the headset. The team can no longer use young as the excuse for poor play on the gridiron. A less than arduous schedule features seven games at home and one against Washington State at a neutral site. The Washington State game will be played on Halloween in San Antonio for a spooky sling-fest. Perhaps the Irish face their most difficult game when they face the looming USC Trojans. Notre Dame plays the Pac-10 three other times next fall. Weis is 8-0 in games played against the Pac-10, not including USC. The Irish will try to topple Stanford, WSU, and Washington, in addition to the threatening Trojans.
Last year, the Fighting Irish inked their first two games, winning at home against San Diego State and Michigan. They lost on the road, 23-7, to Big 10 foe Michigan State in their third contest of the year, and closed out September with a home victory against Purdue. A seven-point Stanford win gave the Irish a 4-1 early season record but they went down to North Carolina and lost a tight test, 29-24. After a Washington win in mid-October, Weis and Notre Dame dropped two games. The first was a heartbreaking overtime loss at home to Pitt and the second came on the road in a Boston College shutout, 17-0. A Navy victory and USC defeat were sandwiched between the Irish’s most memorable (and not for a good reason) loss of the season. Notre Dame went down to Syracuse in South Bend 24-23. The embarrassment of losing to the Orange put Weis’ job security in serious question. The way in which they lost was crushing because Syracuse had been a struggling team in transition all year, with no hopes of turning things around. As if the Orange didn’t kill the Irish enough, USC was the final game on the 2008 schedule. The Trojans roughed up Notre Dame in a 38-3 Southern Cal annihilation. A lighter schedule should help bring respectability to the program.
Notre Dame returns 18 players in 2009, including 10 starters on offense. Quarterback, Jimmy Clausen, has developed and matured under Weis over the years. He is coming off a win at the Hawaii Bowl and has focused on his footwork and pocket protection this Spring. Clausen’s coiled and contorted chucks as a novice passer should not be as big a problem for Notre Dame as before. The running game has been pinpointed as the team’s main weakness the past few years. The Irish return their top three running backs, and all needed to get their legs in gear for Weis to have a successful season. If the team can hold down the running game and Clausen can control his passes, Notre Dame will win. A reorganized offensive line should prove positive too. Right tackle, Sam Young, is a prospective pro who will join three other Notre Dame starters up front. All are necessary in protecting Clausen, who finished with 401 yards and five touchdowns in the Irish’s Bowl game. Clausen has evolved as a play-calling and operating quarterback. He has a deeper passing game than two years ago and with a flashing running game, will only get better behind center. Clausen is the key to the Notre Dame offensive attack. Weis ceded play-calling duties to his coordinator last season but recants the role this year. The Fighting Irish will rely on wideout, Michael Floyd, to be a playmaker. The true freshman Floyd and Golden Tate are Clausen’s first targets, and tight end, Kyle Rudolph, will add depth on drives for Weis. Floyd starred in 10 games last season and compiled 719 yards on 48 receptions. Tate, a junior, scored 10 touchdowns in 13 games.
The Irish are renewing their focus on running the ball, and none other than junior halfback, Armando Allen can help them improve their 100th place national ranking in 2008. Allen may also be used as a return specialist. He had a fiery 96 yard punt return last season. James Aldridge is a senior scrambler who will carry a portion of the running load. Brian and Patrick Coughlin are both 6 foot receiving options who can enhance the offense. Dan Franco and Barry Gallup return as senior ball snatchers, and junior, Robert Hughes, may also handle duties during running plays. Everything is easier when you run the football because it opens up the field for more plays. Protection and passing also thrive under good running squads.
The defense adds a dose of athleticism with the arrival of linebacker, Manti Te’o. Jon Tenuta, defensive coordinator, returns the Irish to a 4-3 look and Te’o as an incoming freshman is expected to pick up on the scheme quickly. Manti is a Mormon athlete from Hawaii and one of the best line backing recruits in the nation. Outside linebacker, Zeke Motta, was impressive in spring drills. His tackling ability and Te’o’s physicality will impact the defensive depth on the line. The can’t miss prospects will be joined by returning free safety, Harrison Smith and senior, Kyle McCarthy. Smith is a standout versatile defender and McCarthy is a team leader. The two safeties will step up the blitzing game, as well as attack and launch tackles from the angles against offenses. Darrin Walls is Tenuta’s cutup cornerback. Walls is returning to the team after a year on the sidelines for personal reasons. Walls started 10 games in 2007 and may have to earn a starting spot this year. The team is expected to showcase more aggression in the secondary with corner, Robert Blanton, who won the spring game defensive MVP. The defense finished in the nation’s top half in most defensive stats last year after a less-than-average 2007. The Irish gave up 330 yards per game in 2008. It was the most dynamic defense since 2003 and Notre Dame finished 38th best in the nation in the category. Sophomore, Ethan Johnson, is being billed as a tough inside blocker who can put pressure on the quarterback. Junior place kicker, Brandon Walker, is 14 of 24 in field goals in two years. Walker returns to Notre Dame, along with punter, Eric Maust.
Notre Dame kicks of the season at home against Nevada. They travel to Michigan the second week of September to take on the Wolverines in the Big House. Before a trip to Purdue, the Irish host Michigan State at home, looking to get revenge from last season’s first loss. A trio of home games follows, highlighted by a USC showdown on October 17th. The Halloween meeting in San Antonio closes out the month of October as Notre Dame welcomes Navy in November. A trip to Pittsburgh for a rough re-match is followed by Connecticut at home and a climatic conclusion with Stanford on the road.
Weis has a team built for success and one capable of winning more than seven total games. He was scrutinized for stumbling with an underachieving Irish program. It would be wonderful for Weis to wrest out wins and wind up in a BCS bowl. USC is out of the Irish’s league, but the other opponents are mostly winnable or toss-up games. A ten win season is not out of the realm for South Bend supporters. The error-prone offense of years’ past is of better-quality. Radiant and resourceful recruiting has always been the reason Notre Dame is in the hunt for a national championship. Weis’s efforts should finally begin to pay off as the garnished Irish look to halt their recent losing tradition. They do not have an abundance of talent, but are better prepared than they have ever been under Weis.

Parting points: How about LeBron’s Jordan-esque shot in Game 2? The court-jester’s buzzer beater is one to savor.

Congratulations to WR, Brian Robiskie, on winning the Big 10 Medal of Honor for Ohio State.

One of my favorite songs- “Anytime” by Brian McKnight