The battle of embattled coaches...
In a game that had little significance 7 days ago, the Notre Dame v. Michigan game may be one of the most hyped/watched games of the weekend. It is a classic case of embattled coaches butting up against each other. For the winner: a 2 and 0 start, top 20 AP ranking, and, albeit slim, the hopes of a perfect season awaits. The loser will be 1 and 1, unranked, and undoubtedly questions will be raised about the coach and the state of the program.
Some keys to the game:
Offense:
- Jimmy Clausen needs protection. Passing protection.
Maybe he needs protection as well, but that is not here nor there. In the last two games Jimmy has played, he has put on a clinic when given time. He has checked down well, found the open guy, and delivered the ball where it needs to be. The pass to Golden Tate in the first quarter of last week’s game was an absolutely perfectly thrown ball, given the coverage. And his pass to Rudolph for our first touchdown showed a little zip that was lacking last year. In his last two games, Clausen is 37 for 44, for 716 yards, 9 TD’s, and ZERO Int’s. Not too bad. Clocks in at an NCAA rated 288.28. Long story short, Jimmy needs to put up somewhat similar numbers against an aggressive, hungry, talented defense. Protection will be key. 
Jonas Gray, Armando Allen, Robert Hughes and co. need to rush for over 150 yards. Period. When we completely abandon the run, ND is easy to defend. Our passing plays aren’t exactly unique or complicated. If we can get these guys to run the ball, keep our defense off the field and theirs’ on it, we should have a large advantage.- Sam Young needs to block Brandon Graham, and block him well. Nevada had a decent front four, and, for the most part, ND’s pass blocking was solid. Notre Dame needs Sam Young to control Graham. Graham is a big, strong end and as Mel Kiper Jr. would say, he has a great motor. If Sam Young can neutralize Graham, it should allow Jimmy to throw some pinpoint passes and ND to run the ball to either side of the field.
- Get the ball to Michael Floyd and Golden Tate. I am hoping for 15 touches combined between the two. They are playmakers. Notre Dame hasn’t had a playmaker like these two since Samardzija. If these two touch the ball on a consistent basis, it should put ND at a distinct advantage.
Defense
- Tenuta’s wild, wild west defense needs to bring its timely blitzes and get to Michigan’s Freshman quarterbacks. If we can pressure Forcier/Robinson and force them into some bad decisions, Notre Dmae should create some turnovers. The important thing is to have a containing blitz, especially when Robinson is in. We can’t throw 8 guys upfield and then have Robinson scamper straight downfield.
The Smith triplets need to be effective. Toryan and Brian need to be huge contributors to stopping the run. Also, Harrison, with his time at linebacker last year, should be able to help out significantly as well. I see a little Zbikowski in Harrison, which is both exciting and nerve-racking.- ND needs to stop the run. The front four needs to stand its ground and not get pushed back 5 yards every damn running play. Last week, anemic Nevada averaged 5.3 yards a carry against Notre Dame’s front four. This needs to change. If Michigan can get 5 to 6 yards a run, Notre Dame will be in a lot of trouble. Maybe we should throw Chris Stewart and his huge frame back into the Defensive tackle mix.
- Cornerback play needs to be spot-on. McNeil, Gray, Blanton, Brown, Walls, etc. need to shut down Michigan’s wide receivers. They must have played well last week, because I did not hear their names announced or see the TV zoom in on their faces post-mishap. Here’s to hoping we get another week of solid performance.
Intangibles
- Turnover battle will be huge. Absolutely huge. If we can win that, there is little doubt that Notre Dame will get to 2 and o.
- The play of the dual-threat quarterback. Robinson is quick as hell, and I could see him exploiting our slower front four. If Robinson gets a lot of snaps, I think the advantage goes to Michigan.
- Get that taste out of your damn mouth. The last time these players played at Michigan, it was a 38-0 shallacking. Absolute man-handling of epic proportions. I have never seen a quarterback hit as many times as Clausen was two years ago. That needs to change.
Overall
- It’s gut-check time for Charlie Weis, the players, and Notre Dame football. If Notre Dame can look impressive this weekend, they will jump to a top 15 ranking and have 3 winnable games before USC. I never like to put too much weight on a specific game, but this game is huge. It’s not a program-changer, but Notre Dame, and especially Charlie Weis, will be on much more solid ground if they can pull this out.
Oh yea, MICHIGAN SUCKS.
Filed under: Notre Dame
