Week 12 Preview: Notre Dame at Stanford

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (8-3, 25^th ranked) will wrap up their regular season with a trip to Palo Alto, California to take on the Stanford Cardinal (9-2, 8^th ranked) later tonight. The Irish will be looking to pick up their ninth win of the season, and their fifth victory against teams that are currently ranked in the Top 25. Stanford is hoping to finish their season strong prior to their date with the Arizona State Sun Devils next week for the PAC 12 championship.

This matchup has the potential to be a very exciting and competitive game. A few weeks ago I would have picked the Cardinal to win by three touchdowns, but I think it will be closer than that. Notre Dame is coming off of arguably their best played game of the season, and Stanford looked a lot less dominant in their loss to USC a couple weeks ago. In addition, I believe that these two programs are similar in their style of play. Ideally, both teams would like to play a more physical brand of football and rely on their running game and defensives to win games. To this point, Stanford has proved to better than Notre Dame in those areas this season, but I think the Irish still matchup fairly well against the Cardinal.

Offensively, Notre Dame would love to be able to run the ball like they did last week versus BYU, but I don’t see that happening. Stanford owns the nation’s third best rushing defense by allowing a meager 89.5 yards per game. If Notre Dame is going to have any success running the ball, they are going to need to break multiple 20-plus yard runs. I don’t think the Irish will be able to line up and gain four to five yards a carry. Stanford will likely be able to shut down the Irish rushing attack more times than not, so the Irish backs need to make the most of their opportunities. Although Stanford’s rushing defense is elite, their passing defense is a weak spot. The Cardinal secondary has struggled to defend the pass all season by allowing 259 yards per game, good for 101th in the country. Given that, I expect Brian Kelly to dial up plenty of longer passing plays in hopes of getting several big plays against a stout defense. I know Irish fans hate when Kelly favors the pass over the run, but this time it may be necessary in order to have success offensively. Don’t get me wrong, Notre Dame still needs to try to establish the run, but don’t look for 47 rushing attempts again this week.

Defensively, Notre Dame knows that Stanford will try to run the ball and out-physical their opponent. The Cardinal are ranked 32^nd in rushing offense at 203.7 yards per game, but come in at just 93^rd in passing offense with 199.4 yards per game. The key for the Irish will be stopping the run. Notre Dame ranks 68^th in rushing defense by allowing 167.5 yards per game, but most of that damage has come against spread/triple option schemes. While quarterback Kevin Hogan has deceptive speed (258 rushing yards this season), Stanford’s running game is a traditional, power running attack which Notre Dame has had some success against this season. Probably the biggest reason to stopping the run is to force Stanford to throw the ball more often than they would like. As I mentioned, the Cardinal’s passing game has struggled at time this season, and surprisingly Notre Dame’s pass defense ranks 21^st in the country by allowing only 205.6 yards per game. If Stanford is going to have success through the air, it will likely come from play-action type passes. If Stanford can run the ball at ease versus Notre Dame’s defensive front, then the Irish secondary will be playing closer to the line to help out with the run. If this happens, Stanford will likely be able to get several big plays against the Irish secondary. On the receiving end of those throws will likely be Ty Montgomery. The junior receiver has had a great season by hauling in 50 passes for 822 yards and nine touchdowns. At 6’2’’ and 215 pounds, Montgomery will present a mismatch wherever he lines up on the field. Hopefully the Irish front seven will do a good enough job at bottling up the running game so Notre Dame can bracket Montgomery with an extra defender for certain situations. In the end, the key will be stopping the run. If Notre Dame can hold the Cardinal under 150 yards rushing, I think they will have a chance to win this game.

This game will be closer than most people think, but ultimately I think Stanford is just a little bit better in every facet of the game.

Prediction: Stanford 31, Notre Dame 23

-Eric Tichelbaut

Follow me on Twitter @etichel07

Week 11 Recap: Notre Dame 23, BYU 13

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame picked up their eighth victory of the season by defeating the Brigham Young Cougars, 23-13 last Saturday. I predicted the Irish to win 23-20, so this game went about as I expected. It was a well played game and an exciting way to send out the senior class on their day. The Irish played extremely well in all facets of the game for a complete team-victory.

The action started when Tommy Rees hit DaVaris Daniels in stride for 61-yard touchdown to give the Irish an early 7-0 lead. The Cougars responded with a 12-play, 71-yard drive that was capped off with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Taysom Hill to JD Falslev. With the game now tied 7-7, Notre Dame answered right back with an 8-play, 75-yard touchdown drive of their own to give the Irish a 14-7 lead. Kyle Brindza would later add a 26-yard field goal to extend Notre Dame’s lead to 17-7 at halftime. In the second half, BYU and Notre Dame each kicked two field goals to secure a 10-point win for the Irish.

The Positives

1. Brian Kelly’s game plan. In order for Notre Dame to win this game, I said they needed to run the ball and have a balanced attack. Maybe it wasn’t balanced, but the Irish were running at will on the Cougars’ defense. With the weather and the success of the running game, Brian Kelly keep feeding the ball to his running backs to the tone of 47 carries. The Irish backs racked up 235 yards on the ground, led by Cam McDaniel (117 yards) and Tarean Folston (78 yards). It was the type of performance Notre Dame needed to win the game, and it was refreshing to see Brian Kelly lean on the running game. In addition to the successful day on the ground, the Irish also had a very productive passing day. Tommy Rees completed 15 of his 28 passes for 235 yards and one touchdown. Rees did throw a poor pass that resulted in an interception, but overall he had a strong performance. After the game, Brian Kelly said that this is the type of game the Irish need to play moving forward, and I agree. While Brain Kelly has shown a tendency to abandon the passing game like he did against Pittsburgh, Kelly has also shown that he can lean heavily on the running game when needed. If Kelly is going to be ripped for his pass-heavy game plans, then Irish fans should also applaud him for his coaching on Saturday.

2. Few mistakes. Outside of the Tommy Rees interception, Notre Dame made very few mistakes. There were no fumbles, the Irish only committed four penalties that totaled 25 yards, and they were flawless in the kicking game.

3. Special teams. Kyle Brindza lead the way by converting all three of his field goal attempts and both of his extra point tries, including a clutch 51-yard field goal to extend Notre Dame’s lead to 23-13 in the fourth quarter. Jarron Jones also made a huge impact by blocking a 22-yard field goal attempt with 4:15 left in the game. In any close game field goals are important, and the Irish made plays in the kicking game that significantly affected the outcome of the game.

The Negatives

1. Rushing defense. One of the keys to winning this game was to keep Taysom Hill and the BYU running game in check, but that didn’t go as well as planned. The Cougars were able to rack up 247 yards on the ground, with Hill and Paul Lasik each gaining 101 yards. In particular, Hill carried the ball 24 times and proved to be a real threat against the Irish defense. Fortunately, Notre Dame’s passing defense picked up the slack and held the Cougars to only 168 yards through the air on 36 pass attempts. Because BYU was only averaging 4.7 yards per attempt, Notre Dame’s defense was able to keep the big-plays and scoring to a minimum.

2. Rees’ interception. With the Irish leading 20-13 with just over 12 minutes to go in the game, Tommy Rees threw a careless interception on 2^nd and 14 from the BYU 22. Rees was looking for the 6’7’’ Troy Niklas in the front corner of the end zone, but Craig Bills stepped in front of the pass to get the interception. It was really the only mistake that Rees made on Saturday, and it was one the Irish were able to overcome by forcing a BYU punt five plays later.

3. Nick Martin’s injury. The injuries continued to mount on Saturday when center Nick Martin left the game early due to an injury. Martin tore his MCL and will be out for six months, which will also include the Spring 2014 practices. Matt Hegarty will step in Martin’s place for the final two games of the year. It is just another significant injury for a key member of the team, and another example of how the “next man up” mantra continues to be a slogan for the 2013 season.

-Eric Tichelbaut

Follow me on Twitter @etichel07

Are the Chicago Bears Ready to Make a Playoff Run?

At 6-4 and tied atop the NFC North (Detroit holds the tiebreaker), the Chicago Bears have positioned themselves to make a run to reach the playoffs. In order to obtain a playoff berth, the Bears will likely have to go 4-2 over their last six games to finish with a 10-6 record. Even with Jay Cutler’s status up in the air, I believe the Bears will get those four wins, maybe even more. The remaining schedule is as follows:

November 24^th – at St. Louis (4-6)

December 1^st – at Minnesota (2-8)

December 9^th – vs. Dallas (5-5)

December 15^th – at Cleveland (4-6)

December 22^nd – at Philadelphia (6-5)

December 29^th – vs. Green Bay (5-5)

I understand that four of those games are on the road, but I believe all six games are winnable. Will the Bears win all six? I doubt it, but it is possible. What is more likely is that the Bears will win at least four of those contests and position themselves for a playoff berth.

Probably the biggest reason as to why I think the Bears are about to go on a roll is because of the reemergence of their defense. In their last three games, the Bears have allowed just 61 points, good for a solid average of 20.3 points per game. One of the knocks on the Bears defense earlier this season was their lack of pass rush, but that appears to be turning around. The Bears have recorded eight sacks in the last three weeks, with Julius Peppers accounting for three of those sacks. Peppers had a poor first-half of the season, but he seems to be getting hot at the right time. Peppers is coming off of one of his best games of his career with 12 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 additional tackles for loss. If the Bears are going to make a run, then the defense needs to continue to perform well until Jay Cutler gets back.

Yes, Jay Cutler is still the Bears’ quarterback. As well as Josh McCown has played during Cutler’s absence, Jay is still the best option for this team when healthy. McCown supporters (or Cutler haters) will point to the fact that McCown is 2-0 in his two starts this season. While that is certainly true, the Bears still win those games with Cutler under center. The victory against the Green Bay Packers was more about Aaron Rodgers not being on the field than the Bears’ offense. Last Sunday, McCown made some great throws to pull off the win versus the Baltimore Ravens, but he also made many poor throws. Obviously the weather was less than ideal, but I have a feeling Cutler’s arm strength would have been better suited for the windy weather than McCown’s. Either way, the Bears are winning and that is all that matters. McCown has done exactly what every team wants their backup to do. Step in, perform adequately, and keep the offense clicking as much as possible.

Personally, I’m looking forward to the final six games of the season. Hopefully, the Chicago Bears will make this an exciting winter.

-Eric Tichelbaut

Follow me on Twitter @etichel07

Jordan Lynch Deserves Heisman Consideration

Northern Illinois University quarterback Jordan Lynch deserves to be in the discussion for the Heisman Trophy. The senior quarterback has put up gaudy numbers for the second consecutive season while leading the Huskies to an 11-0 record to start the season. Now, I should state that I am a proud NIU alum, but that does not fuel my claim. Just look at the statistics:

Passing Yards: 2,418

Completion Percentage: 66.3%

Passing Touchdowns: 21

Rushing Yards: 1,434

Rushing Touchdowns: 17

Those numbers would make any BCS conference quarterback the front runner for the Heisman Trophy, yet Jordan Lynch is having trouble just garnering serious consideration. While I do think Lynch deserves consideration, I do not think he should, nor do I believe he will win the Heisman Trophy. I just simply feel he needs to be recognized for his accomplishments.

Detractors could easily point to the fact that Lynch plays in the Mid-American Conference, and by doing so he faces inferior defenses. Fair enough, but Lynch has also succeeded when given a chance to compete against BCS schools. This season against Iowa and Purdue, Lynch has completed 65% of his passes for 482 yards, 6 TDs, 0 INTs, 91 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown. Granted, Iowa and especially Purdue aren’t the greatest BCS opponents to make a strong case for Lynch’s Heisman campaign, but Lynch has proven that he can perform well against better competition. Furthermore, I’m not necessarily sure that Lynch’s numbers would be a whole lot worse if he played for a quality BCS program. Even though Lynch would be facing tougher defenses, he would also have much more help offensively. If Lynch was the quarterback of an average BCS conference school, he would have a better offensive line, better receivers, and better running backs to compete against the tougher defenses in the country.

Whether Jordan Lynch is the quarterback of NIU or Alabama, the fact still remains that he is one of the most dynamic players in all of college football. The Heisman Trophy is awarded annually to the nation’s “most outstanding player”, and I find it hard to believe that Jordan Lynch isn’t near the top of that list. I’m not asking for Lynch to win the Heisman, I just believe that he has done everything he can to deserve a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation.

-Eric Tichelbaut

Follow me on Twitter @etichel07

Week 11 Preview: Notre Dame vs. BYU

Tomorrow afternoon, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (7-3) will host the Brigham Young Cougars (7-3) on Senior Day. Senior Day is always a special day for the university and one that I particularly enjoy as an Irish fan. As part of being a student-athlete at Notre Dame, the players rarely get an opportunity to have an “individual moment” on the field. Notre Dame has always preached the concept of “team-first” by running out of the tunnel as a team, not having names on their jerseys, and embracing each other while they sing the alma mater after a home win. However, for a brief moment, each senior player will be individually announced and have a chance to walk to 50-yard line to greet their families. It is always great to see each senior get recognized for all the effort, time, and dedication they have given to the program and school.

With that being said, I am personally looking forward to seeing players such as Tommy Rees, T.J. Jones, Zack Martin, Chris Watt, Louis Nix III, Prince Shembo, Carlo Calabrese, Dan Fox and Bennett Jackson run onto the field. All of these players have had a pivotal role in resurrecting the Notre Dame football program, and they truly deserve their few minutes of appreciation from the Irish faithful. Of course, there are other seniors that will be honored tomorrow, and all of them should be commemorated for coming to play football at Notre Dame when the program was at arguably its’ lowest point ever. All of these players committed after the Irish were in the midst of a 15-21 record over the final three seasons of the Charlie Weis era. Before these players even got to South Bend, they had to deal with a coaching change. To their credit, these players held their commitment to Notre Dame and gave Brian Kelly their best effort for four seasons. Most of these players were recruited to play under different offensive (pro-style vs. spread) and defensive (4-3 vs. 3-4) schemes, but they handled the situation the best they could. Like last season, this senior class will always be a memorable one for me as a fan. They came to Notre Dame under less than ideal circumstances and helped bring the program back to where it should be.

In any event, there is still a game to be played. Notre Dame’s BCS hopes came to an end two weeks ago when they lost to Pittsburgh, but they still have plenty to play for on Saturday. With two games remaining, and a bowl game, the Irish still have an outside chance to get to 10 wins which would be nice for two reasons. First, a 10-3 season would look pretty appealing to future recruits and would aid the perception that the program has turned the corner. Second, I am a firm believer that finishing the season on a high-note can build momentum for the following year. Despite Notre Dame having many talented seniors, the Irish also have plenty of underclassmen that have made an impact this season, so finishing strong could boost their confidence and improve their preseason ranking for next year.

Offensively, Notre Dame will be facing a tough defense, but they are not an elite unit. BYU ranks 23^rd in scoring defense at allowing 21.0 points per game, but they have allowed some yardage along the way. The Cougars find themselves towards the middle of the pack in total defense by allowing 377.3 yards per game (46^th in the country). It will be interesting to see how the Irish decide to attack this defense since BYU ranks 57^th in rush defense (155.0 yards per game) and 46^th in pass defense (222.3 yards per game). The Cougars don’t appear to be significantly better in one area over the other, so Notre Dame’s entire playbook should be available. However, Brian Kelly may have tipped his hand during his press conference earlier this week when he said the Irish would have to make plenty of big plays offensively to win the game. Now, I don’t expect Notre Dame to plan on throwing the ball 50 times, but I do expect them to take several shots down the field. With the big and physical receivers Notre Dame has, Brian Kelly may feel like he has an advantage over the Cougars’ secondary. With that being said, Notre Dame needs to have a balanced offensive attack to win this game. If Notre Dame comes close to their average of 65 plays per game, I would hope that they run the ball at least 30 times. The running back position has been a bit of a revolving door this season, but I expect to see more of Tarean Folston tomorrow. Folston was hardly used two weeks ago against Pittsburgh, but I think his number of carries will be closer to what he had against Navy three weeks ago. I would like to see Folston tote the rock at least 15 times, with George Atkinson III and Cam McDaniel handling the bulk of the remaining touches. Also, don’t be surprised to see T.J. Jones get a few carries out of the backfield. Jones had three carries against Pittsburgh and I would think that Brian Kelly will be looking to get the ball into his hands any way he can since it is Senior Day and T.J. is Notre Dame’s best offensive weapon. Whether it is by run, pass, or returning, I’m counting on a big day from T.J. Jones.

Defensively, it all starts with containing Taysom Hill. The sophomore dual-threat quarterback is having a solid season with 956 rushing yards and 2,379 passing yards. Hill has also accounted for 24 total touchdowns (16 pass, 8 rush) and 12 interceptions while completing just 52.4 percent of his passes. If there is one knock on Taysom Hill, it is hill accuracy, but his running ability more than makes up for it offensively. The Cougars are averaging 33.5 points per game (42^nd) and are gaining an impressive 503.7 yards per game offensively (13^th). Needless to say, Notre Dame’s defense could be in for a long day trying to defend both the run and pass. Besides Taysom Hill, BYU also features a talented back in Jamaal Williams. The sophomore has racked up 940 rushing yards and six touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. With both Hill and Williams, Notre Dame’s linebackers will have to be very active by making plays all over the field. If Hill and Williams can’t get anything going on the ground, look for Hill to target his favorite receiver Cody Hoffman early and often. Hoffman is a big receiver at 6’4’’, 210 pounds and he should present matchup problems anywhere he lines up versus the Irish defense. With Notre Dame battling injuries on defense, BYU should be able to move the ball fairly well and should score at least a couple of touchdowns.

I’m expecting a tough game, much like last year’s 17-14 victory. BYU will be looking for revenge, but the Irish find a way to win behind Tommy Rees and T.J. Jones.

Prediction: Notre Dame 23, BYU 20

-Eric Tichelbaut

Follow me on Twitter @etichel07

Kelly, Rees Unrightfully Criticized by Irish Fans

As I was on Twitter after the game, I heard two things that really irritated me as a Notre Dame fan.

1. Brian Kelly needs to be fired. Really? Do I need to remind Notre Dame fans where this program was before Brian Kelly took over? Except for a few season, Notre Dame football had become the laughing stock of college football after Lou Holtz left. Notre Dame’s woes were highlighted by a 3-9 finish in 2007, followed by two 6-6 seasons in 2008 and 2009 and a 4-5 start in 2010. Since then, Brian Kelly has led the Irish to a 30-7 record during the regular season and a trip to the BCS National Championship. Granted, the Irish got stomped by Alabama in the title game, but it shows that Notre Dame has come a long way from being a middling program. I will admit that Brian Kelly’s coaching performance on Saturday was not his best, probably his worst at Notre Dame, but one game should not decide his fate. It is easy to bash the guy after a tough loss, but there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the direction the program is heading. Kelly has continued to recruit players to fit his style of play and plenty of underclassmen are making a tremendous impact on the season. After a 12-0 season last year, expectations were obviously high, but they were likely unrealistic. Notre Dame lost a lot of veteran talent and leadership in Manti Te’o, Tyler Eifert, Cierre Wood, Theo Riddick, Kapron-Lewis Moore, and Zeke Motta. Not to mention, Everett Golson’s departure from the university was crippling to the offense’s development. All of those players are tough to replace, and a litany of injuries this season certainly have not helped matters. Let’s at least wait a year or two before we run Brian Kelly out of town. If Notre Dame is still going 8-4 in 2014 and beyond, then there may be some reason for concern. For now, pump the brakes Irish fans.

2. Tommy Rees being verbally attacked. I will admit that I probably like Tommy Rees more than the average Notre Dame fan, but the amount of blame and abuse that he has received for this team and past Irish team’s woes is absurd. When Rees entered the Tulsa game in 2010, and subsequently won the final three games and a bowl game, I believed Notre Dame had their quarterback for the next three years. Despite Rees’ success, Dayne Crist was given his starting role back in 2011, a decision that I still feel was wrong. After sitting on the bench for the season opener Rees led the Irish to an 8-3 record during the final 11 games. Then came 2012, Rees was suspended for the opener versus Navy because of an incident he had involving the police. The suspension opened the door for Everett Golson to start versus Navy, and the freshman remained the starter for the majority of the season. Despite losing his job, Rees remained professional the whole time and succeed in his role when called upon. Rees technically started two games in 2012 (Miami and BYU), but his impact was felt the most in games versus Purdue, Michigan, and Stanford where the veteran was called upon to close out three games. Simply put, Notre Dame does not go 12-0 in 2012 without Rees on the team. Now in 2013, the tables turned and Golson was the one who lost their starting job, leaving Rees the starter once again and becoming an easy scapegoat for a disappointing season. All Rees has ever done is go about his business and perform his job to the best of his ability. I say that because in all honesty, Rees is limited in his ability and his lack of sheer talent sometimes gets the best of him. As a son of a coach, Rees is a very knowledgeable player and knows this offense like the back of his hand. In my lifetime, I can’t think of a college quarterback that has had more control over an offense and changes the play at the line of scrimmage more than Rees does. Some players have had similar control, but not many have had more control. After Rees left the USC game due to injury, I thought Notre Dame fans would get off his back after seeing what life without Rees looks like. I guess that wasn’t the case, and once again Irish fans are unrightfully bashing Rees.

-Eric Tichelbaut

Follow me on Twitter @etichel07

Week 10 Recap: Pittsburgh 28, Notre Dame 21

Notre Dame’s BCS hopes came to a crashing halt last Saturday night when the Pittsburgh Panthers handed the Fighting Irish their third loss of the season, 28-21. I thought the game would be a close one, but I did not expect the Irish to play as poorly as they did. Notre Dame made many mistakes throughout the game and they could not overcome the errors. As a result, by losing their third game of the season, Notre Dame will have to regroup and focus on ending the season on a positive note. After a bye week this week, Notre Dame will host BYU and travel to Stanford for the season finale. With both games providing tests for Notre Dame, the Irish will be fortunate to finish the season 8-4.

Notre Dame started off the scoring when Tommy Rees found DaVaris Daniels for a 10-yard touchdown with 3:41 remaining in the first quarter. From there, the Panthers and Irish would trade scores with Notre Dame eventually taking a 21-14 lead with 3:29 remaining in the third quarter when Rees hit T.J. Jones in stride for an 80-yard strike. After the Irish took the lead, the Panthers would dominate final 18-plus minutes to come away with the victory.

The Positive

1. Big play potential. There weren’t a lot of positives to choose from in a very poorly played game by Notre Dame, but the one bright spot was the Irish’s ability to make big plays offensively. Notre Dame had 451 yards of total offense, with a good percentage of that production coming on six plays that totaled 243 yards. Rees had pass plays of 80, 38, 34, and 23 yards on the night, while T.J. Jones (35) and George Atkinson III (33) added long plays of their own on the ground. Without the big plays, it would have been a long night for the Irish offense as they could not sustain any long drives. Despite the explosive plays, Notre Dame was on the losing side due to many mistakes, miscues, and errors.

The Negatives

1. Turnovers. In a game that was as close as Saturday’s, turnovers proved to be the difference in the outcome as the Irish lost the turnover battle, 3-0. Tommy Rees threw two careless interceptions and T.J. Jones had a costly fumble after hauling in a 34-yard grab. One of the Rees interceptions and the Jones fumble occurred in the red zone and cost the Irish potentially 14 points. The other interception set up a Pittsburgh touchdown as Ray Vinopal returned the INT 40 yards to set the Panthers up with first and goal from the five yard line. In all, the three turnovers created a potential 21-point swing that was too much for the Irish to overcome. All three turnovers were careless and are mistakes that senior players should not be making in November.

2. Time of Possession. Based on Notre Dame’s tendency for big plays, the Irish controlled the ball for only 23:27. The 13:06 time of possession advantage for Pittsburgh was critical for sustaining offensive drives since the Irish defense could not stay off the field. I will never bash an offense for scoring too quickly, but there are times when sustaining a drive are crucial to the overall outlook of the game. There was several times where Notre Dame’s offense needed to chew up some clock to give their defense a breather, but failed to do so because of big plays, three-and-outs, and two quick possessions that ended in turnovers.

3. Play calling. Immediately after the game ended, I was looking for reasons as to why the Irish lost the game, and the play calling stood out right away. During the first half, Notre Dame displayed balance on offense by rushing 18 times for 128 yards and passing the ball 14 times for 115 yards. During the second half, Notre Dame rushed the ball just 6 times for 10 yards and threw 24 passes for 203 yards. With Notre leading or tied for the majority of the game, it is inexcusable to pass the ball 14 more times than running it. Uneven play distribution like that causes the defense to favor the pass and that often leads to interceptions and sacks. One of the reasons both of Tommy Rees’ interceptions occurred in the second half was due to there being no threat of a run. When looking at the play and yard distribution, it is worth pointing out that 68 of Notre Dame’s 128 rushing yards in the first half came on two plays. If you take away those two plays, Notre Dame had 70 yards on 22 carries for the entire game. That may not seem like a lot of production, but it is still 3.18 yards per carry and a strong enough output to stick with the running game. Instead, Brian Kelly completely abandoned the running game and put his team in a difficult situation to win. Furthermore, four of the Irish passing plays resulted in 175 yards, meaning the other 34 pass plays only accounted for 143 yards. That comes out to about 4.02 yards per attempt and further proves that the Irish passing game was not as efficient as it should have been to warrant relying solely on the passing game in the second half. This is a coaching mistake, and one that is correctable. For those saying that Brian Kelly can’t call a balanced offensive attack, look at some of the games earlier this season and most of the entire 2012 campaign.

-Eric Tichelbaut

Follow me on Twitter @etichel07

Week 10 Preview: Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (7-2, 23^rd ranked) will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers (4-4) tomorrow night. The Irish will be looking to win their fifth straight game and keep their BCS hopes alive after narrowly defeating Navy last weekend. Pittsburgh welcomes Notre Dame hoping to avoid their third consecutive defeat after dropping their last two contests to Navy and Georgia Tech.

Offensively, Notre Dame will be facing a much tougher test than what they saw the last two weeks with Air Force and Navy. Pittsburgh is allowing 26.8 points per game (66^th), but they have a much stronger defense in terms of total defense by allowing only 366 yards per game (33^rd). Pittsburgh biggest strength defensively is in their secondary where they are only surrendering 202 passing yards per game which is good for 18^th best in the country. Based on that statistic, Tommy Rees could have a difficult time moving the ball through the air. One of the reasons Pittsburgh has such a good pass defense is because the Panthers get a tremendous surge from their interior defensive linemen. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald is one of the best defensive players in the nation. The senior lineman has 36 tackles (19.5 tackles for loss), and nine sacks on the season. He has been disruptive in the passing game, so center Nick Martin and guards Chris Watt and Steve Elmer will have to make sure they help each other out to give Rees enough time to read the defense. But, the Irish have weapons to throw the ball to, so if Rees gets time, I think he can still have a productive passing day. If the Irish passing game is thwarted, they will have to rely on a running game that has been rejuvenated in recent weeks. In particular, last week’s 264 yards on the ground was highlighted by a 140 yard performance from true freshman Tarean Folston. Look for Folston to receive the bulk of the carries once again as Brian Kelly has been looking for someone to step into the featured-back role all season. In addition to Folston, I also expect George Atkinson III and Cam McDaniel to receive 8-10 carries a piece. The Irish have a tougher assignment offensively this week, but they should still be able to put up points provided they have a balanced attack.

Defensively, the Irish are back to playing against a more traditional offense. After facing Air Force and Navy the last two weeks, one would expect the Irish defense to pick up where they left off after stifling the USC Trojans offense three weeks ago. While that is certainly possible, the Notre Dame defense will have to overcome a litany of injuries. Defensive lineman Sheldon Day and Louis Nix are expected to play and that should provide a boost in the trenches, but both are hobbled. In the last six games, Notre Dame has only had Day, Nix, and Stephon Tuitt on the field together for 13 plays. The trio’s success is evident by only allowing 21 yards and recording two sacks during those 13 snaps (Thanks to IrishIllustrated.com for that little nugget). Although Day and Nix are returning, the Irish lack depth all over the defense and simply can’t afford any more injuries. Looking at this Pittsburgh offense makes me think the Irish matchup well defensively. The Panthers rank just 104^th in rushing offense at 122.5 yards per game, so I would not expect a huge day on the ground considering the Irish typically have success versus traditional ground attacks. Should the Irish stop the Panthers’ running game, Pittsburgh will have to lean on veteran Tom Savage who is enjoying a solid senior season. Savage has completed 60.7% of his passes thrown for 1,779 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Notre Dame will need to generate pressure with their defensive line because the linebackers and secondary will have their hands full with a very talented receiving tandem. Senior Devin Street (40 rec, 690 yards, 4 TDs) and true freshman Tyler Boyd (45 rec, 644 yards, 6 TDs) are both big, explosive weapons at 6’4” and 6’2” respectively. If Savage gets time to throw, the Irish secondary could be in for a long day. Given the big play potential for Street and Boyd, I would expect defensive coordinator Bob Diaco to instruct his secondary to keep everything in front of them. Because of that, Pittsburgh may have multiple long drives, but Notre Dame will likely tighten up and keep the Panthers out of the end zone more times than not.

Based on how these teams match up and the recent history, I am expecting another close game. Ultimately, Notre Dame has more talent on both sides of the ball and comes away with the victory.

Prediction: Notre Dame 24, Pittsburgh 16

-Eric Tichelbaut

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Week 9 Recap: Notre Dame 38, Navy 34

Last Saturday, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame squeaked out a tough 38-34 victory over the Navy Midshipmen to improve to 7-2 on the season. Well, that was certainly more interesting and intense than I thought it would be. Based on how well the Irish have played against Navy and the other service academies since losing to the Midshipmen in 2010, I thought Notre Dame would cruise to their seventh win of the season. Boy, I was wrong. Hats off to the Naval academy, they played a nearly flawless game and gave the Irish everything they had.

When George Atkinson III split the middle of the Navy defense for a 41-yard touchdown run with 12:12 left in the first quarter, the rout seemed to be underway. But instead, Navy responded with 9-play, 56 yard touchdown drive to tie the score at 7-7. From there, a seesaw battle would begin with nine lead changes before the game ended in a 38-34 score. Notre Dame scored the winning touchdown with 3:47 left in the game on a 1-yard touchdown run by Tarean Folston. Navy was driving to set up a potential game-winning score, but their hopes ended when the Irish defense sniffed out a reverse on a 4^th and 4 from the Notre Dame 31-yard line.

The Positives

1. The Irish offense. Against an inferior defensive opponent, the Irish offense enjoyed a very productive and efficient day. Notre Dame tallied 506 yards of total offense with 264 of those yards coming on the ground. The Irish ran 56 plays on the afternoon, good for a 9.03 average yards per play. As a result, the Irish only faced five third downs and just one fourth down situation. In addition, Notre Dame racked up 25 first downs, meaning that 44.6% of the plays called resulted in a first down. That is a tremendous percentage and shows how effective the offense was when they had the ball.

2. Tarean Folston’s breakout game. Tarean Folston officially arrived in South Bend by accounting for 140 of the 264 rushing yards. Folston carried the ball 18 times, and may have cemented himself as Notre Dame’s featured running back for the remainder of the season. The true freshman was explosive by attacking his holes and making quick-hard cuts when necessary. This was a performance that the Irish were looking for out of one of their running backs all season, and one they desperately needed as they look to close out the season against some tougher defenses.

3. Another close win. It might not be good for the hearts of Irish fans, but Notre Dame has developed a knack for winning close games. The four-point victory on Saturday marked the 10^th straight win decided by a touchdown or less, a streak that ties Brian Kelly with Knute Rockne for the second-longest streak in school history. The record is currently 12, set by Elmer Layden. The ability to win close games proves that Brian Kelly has successfully changed the culture of this program. Since Lou Holtz left, Notre Dame seemed to be on the losing side of many close games, but Brian Kelly has instilled a confidence in his players that they believe they can win every game.

The Negatives

1. Irish defense had no answer for the Navy option. As good as the Irish offense was on Saturday, the defense was just as bad. Maybe I shouldn’t say that, because the Navy offense deserves a ton of credit. Navy ran 79 plays that totaled 419 yards, good for a 5.30 average yards per play. With the steady attack, Navy was able to control the ball for 37:36, while committing no turnovers and no penalties. It was a nearly flawless display of offense. Navy’s execution was paramount because of their ability to get off the ball quickly. There were numerous times where I thought either the Navy offensive line or running backs were moving early, but they were not. That’s how fast they were getting to their blocks and holes. As a result, the Notre Dame defense was not getting to their assignments quickly enough. Fortunately, the Irish offense was dominant in the second half and the defense made a play when they needed to secure the victory.

2. Turnovers, Penalties, and Time of Possession. As mentioned above, Notre Dame lost to Navy in all three of these critical areas. Navy had the ball for more than 15 minutes than the Irish did, and that really had an effect on how well the Navy offense played. The Notre Dame defense was on the field an awful lot, and they did not have much time to recover between possessions with the Irish offense scoring so quickly. Notre Dame also had a minus two turnover margin and committed five penalties for 55 yards. The fact that Navy won all three of these phases, shows how well of a game they play.

3. Early missed opportunities. With the scored tied 7-7, Notre Dame drove 67 yards in seven plays that led to a field goal to give them a 10-7 lead. While that is fine, Notre Dame missed a golden opportunity to take a 14-7 lead when Tommy Rees’ throw sailed on Troy Niklas on a 3^rd and 3 from the 8-yard line. Niklas was open, but the throw had to be high in order to get it over the underneath coverage. Rees put a little too much air under it, and the ball bounced off of Niklas’ extended hand. It was a pass that could have been converted, and one that both Rees and Niklas probably wish they could have back. After taking a 10-7 lead, the Notre Dame defense forced a Navy punt and had a chance to take a two-score lead. Once again, Notre Dame was driving, but that drive ended on an interception when T.J. Jones slipped making his cut on a deep-in route. If Jones doesn’t slip, the play would have likely resulted in a reception setting up a potential field goal or touchdown. In the end, Notre Dame was only up 10-7, when they could have been up 21-7. If that occurs, the rest of the game may have been a much different story with Navy traveling by two scores.

-Eric Tichelbaut

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Week 9 Preview: Notre Dame vs. Navy

Later today, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (6-2, 25^th ranked) return to South Bend to take on the Navy Midshipmen (4-3). Notre Dame is coming off of a 45-10 thrashing of the Air Force Academy last week, while Navy looks to win their second consecutive game after beating Pittsburgh 24-21.

After defeating the Falcons last week, Notre Dame’s BCS hopes are still intact. All the Irish have to do is win their final four games and the rest should take care of itself. For Navy, at 4-3 they are very much alive in the postseason discussion and are just two victories away from becoming bowl eligible once again.

Offensively, Notre Dame will likely try to throw the ball at an up-tempo. The passing game has been clicking in recent weeks, and Navy probably does not have the talent in their secondary to match up with the Irish receivers. However, it is interesting to note that Navy ranks 21^st in the country against the pass, allowing just 204.4 passing yards per game. As impressive as that statistic looks, it may be lower due to the fact that most teams have had success running ball against the undersized Midshipmen front seven. Navy has allowed 187.9 rushing yards per game, good for 89^th in the nation. Either by pass or run, I expect the Irish offense to be rolling once again.

Defensively, Notre Dame will face a similar option attack for consecutive weeks. Although it is a huge bonus to play Air Force and Navy in back-to-back weeks, it should be noted that Navy is traditionally much more efficient and effective in running the option than any other team. The Midshipmen ranked 10^th in the country in total rushing yards at 289.1 yards per contest. While the rushing game is always Navy’s strength, they continue to struggle in the passing game by throwing for a lowly 103.9 yards per game, putting them at 120^th in the nation. After facing Air Force last week, the Irish know what they have to do to stop the triple-option. Outside linebacker Jaylon Smith will be looking to repeat his solid game last week, and I would expect the Irish to bring pressure to the edge with their secondary to help out with the pitch man. Air Force slashed the Notre Dame defense in the opening drive last week when Smith was left out on an island, but Bob Diaco’s adjustments held the Falcon ground attack in-check the remainder of the game.

A second straight week against a triple-option team should do wonders for the Irish defense. Navy is a similar, but better, team than Air Force and I expect the outcome to resemble last week’s contest.

Prediction: Notre Dame 38, Navy 13

-Eric Tichelbaut

Follow me on Twitter @etichel07