Here's hoping that Jimmy is holding a much nicer and more meaningful trophy after ND's bowl game this year
Tomorrow, Coach Weis will finally be able to start answering some of the questions that Notre Dame fans have been asking for the past 8 months. The last time ND played a team out of the WAC, they laid a beat down of historic proportions (at least for ND bowl history) and beat Hawaii 49-21. Will Notre Dame be able to repeat that effort tomorrow in the House that Rock Built?
To start, Weis is in his make or break year. While he has received a fifth year to prove himself, while Ty had only 3 years, there is something interesting in that Notre Dame is playing their opponent tomorrow so that Ty could play his first opponent of that third season when he did (wow, that was pretty confusing). Let me explain: Notre Dame was planning on starting the 2004 season with a game at home against Michigan. However, Michigan had scheduled a MAC patsy game for the weekend before the game. Notre Dame, meanwhile, had planned for the game to be its season opener. Since most teams make their biggest improvement from their first game to their second, people became concerned that Notre Dame would be a game behind the Wolverines and therefore not able to compete on the field. To combat this, the powers that be decided that the Irish needed to also play a warm-up game. So, Notre Dame asked BYU to move from a midseason game to the first game of the season. Evidently, and I am not sure exactly how it worked out (maybe Nevada and BYU were playing that first weekend, and they moved that game to accomadate ND), Notre Dame became indebted to Nevada. Thus, ND promised to play Nevada. While that 2004 game didn’t turn out very well at all, and left one tgiab.com member bleeding from wounds sustained while in protest of the 20-17 loss, there is hope that the 2009 edition of the Michigan warm-up will go better. If it doesn’t, Weis’ season will likely end the same way that Ty’s 2004 season ended.
Notre Dame’s Offense vs. Nevada’s Defense
While the ND passing game should be dynamite, it would be helpful if Jonas Gray and the boys can create a running game to help keep the defense honest and slow down the pass rush
Nevada sucks at pass defense. Notre Dame’s biggest strength is its passing offense. That probably means good things for the Irish. Jimmy Clausen is likely salivating as he walks around campus today; Golden Tate, Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph are probably already exhausted from all of the big pass plays they are going to be apart of tomorrow (or, hopefully, they save that exhaustion for after the game). Or at least that better be the case. The offensive line needs to be able to give Jimmy time in the pocket. Nevada had a very good pass rush last season, and ND can’t allow that t effect the rythym of the passing game. Better yet, it would be nice if the line can open up some early holes for Armando Allen, James Aldridge (from the Fullback spot), and Jonas Gray to run through early on. And those running backs, especially Gray, better be able to hold onto that ball when it is put in their hands. If the running game is successful, I look forward to seeing if Jimmy has gotten as good at running the play action pass as Brady was. Suffice it to say, though, that the ND offense should be much better than the Nevada defense, which leads us to when the Wolfpack have the ball…
Nevada’s Offense vs. Notre Dame’s Defense
We need production from our front 4 - Can Ian Williams play like Trevor Laws (above)?
Where things get dicey is Nevada’s offense. Nevada spreads the field out and then runs the ball down your throat. Notre Dame’s strength this season should be their secondary. The team also has some great athletes in the linebacking group, and there really aren’t major concerns there. The biggest concern, really, is the front 4. And when you are having the run thrown down your throat, you need the front 4 to hold tough. What we need is for Ian Williams to go all Trevor Laws for us at Tackle.
Particularly scary is Nevada’s QB, Colin Kaepernick, who ran for over 1,000 yards last season while throwing for another 2,800+. However, I’ve seen that he has a tendancy to float balls over the middle, and I think our safeties will be ready to feast on any balls they have a chance at. What ND really needs is for tenuta’s defense to put pressure on Kaepernick and force him to make errors. While he has been one of the best in the game when you factor in games against the WAC, his numbers are less impressive against BCS conference foes. Notre Dame needs to make that trend continue. If the offense can put on some fireworks early and take an early lead, that may force Nevada to start passing, and that may cause Kaepernick to make errors that our excellent DBs can take advantage of.
Special Teams
Mike Anello is back to bring the pain as a gunner on special teams
We have a new kicker who beat out last years guy. If Tausch can do that, then I am happy. Walker came on strong last year, and so I think that if Tausch can beat him out, then we may have four years of stellar kicking ahead of us. Also, supposedly he can kick the ball to the end zone, which hasn’t happened in a long time. Finally, if the other team can return it, Anello is back and ready to bring the pain.
Intangibles
Weis needs to win. The players want to prove that they belong at ND. While Nevada will have motivation on their side as they want to succeed on the biggest stage in college sports (in the regular season), Notre Dame should want it more to prove the naysayers wrong. And I think they don’t want to be the reason Weis isn’t roaming the sidelines next season (or at least sitting in the coaches box upstairs). I expect big things tomorrow, and this season. Who cares about the Syracuse and USC games last season… they were last season, and this is now.
Notre Dame 41 – Nevada 14
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