Monday, December 29, 2014

Music City Bowl Preview: Notre Dame vs. LSU

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame will try to snap a four-game losing streak when they square off against the LSU Tigers in the Music City Bowl tomorrow afternoon. Both programs are in a less desirable bowl game after having disappointing seasons, so it’ll be interesting to see just how motivated either team is to win. With plenty of youth on both sides, this game could be an opportunity to gain some confidence and leave them optimistic heading into the 2015 season.

As you all know, starting quarterback Everett Golson was pulled during the season finale and replaced by redshirt freshman Malik Zaire. Shortly after the embarrassing loss to USC, head coach Brian Kelly stated that both Golson and Zaire would play against LSU. Earlier today, we found out that Zaire will be the “starting quarterback”. Normally, I hate having a “two-quarterback” offense, but this is one situation where I don’t mind it. While I will be rooting for Notre Dame to win as much as anyone else, it is not as necessary to win a bowl game like it would be if Notre Dame was 6-0 in the middle of October. Because Notre Dame is facing such a tough defense in LSU, I’m looking forward to seeing which quarterback will play better in a hostile situation. Probably the biggest thing to take away from this decision is that the quarterback competition will continue throughout spring and summer practices. As for tomorrow, if Notre Dame is going to win the game, they will have to play mistake-free football. The Irish might be able to withstand the impact of committing one turnover, but if they keep giving the ball away to LSU, this game will turn into a route. LSU owns the third ranked scoring defense at 16.4 points per game, so every possession will be crucial to Notre Dame’s success on offense. While the Irish have had success moving the football all season long, tomorrow will likely be their toughest test as the Tigers are allowing just 305.8 yards of total offense per game. Notre Dame’s biggest strength is the passing game which ranks 16th at 293.8 yards per game, but LSU is fourth best team in terms of passing yards allowed at 162.3 yards per game and first in defensive passing efficiency. In other words, the Irish will need to be able to run the ball to have a chance in this game. The Irish rank just 84th in rushing offense at 150.8 yards per game, but Tarean Folston came on strong during the second half the season, and Greg Bryant showcased his explosive ability in the season finale. With two talent running backs and the mobility of both Golson and Zaire from the quarterback position, the Irish have plenty of options to attack an LSU run defense that is good, but not elite.

For Notre Dame’s defense, the number one priority will be stopping the run. LSU owns the 29th ranked rushing offense at 219.5 yards per game, but a 116th ranked passing offense suggests that they are extremely one-dimensional. Anthony Jennings leads the LSU offense, but the sophomore quarterback has only thrown for 1,460 yards, ten touchdowns, and seven interceptions while completing just 48.8 percent of his passes. Given that, the Tigers will likely lean heavily on their rushing attack that is led by Leonard Fournette, Terrence Magee, and Kenny Hilliard who all average over five yards per carry. If you’ve watched Notre Dame during the second half of the season, you know that they struggled mightily to stop the running game after losing middle linebacker Joe Schmidt and defensive linemen Sheldon Day and Jarron Jones. Schmidt and Jones will not play tomorrow, but the Irish should get a boost up the middle with the return of Sheldon Day. True freshman Nyles Morgan replaced senior and team captain Joe Schmidt at middle linebacker, but the youngster struggled at times due to lack of experience. I’m intrigued to see how Morgan will play after nearly a month off and three weeks of additional practices. I would imagine that Morgan has a much better grasp of the defense and should do a better job of calling plays and lining up his teammates correctly. If Day and Morgan can make a big impact in the middle to slow down the Tigers’ running game, then Notre Dame has a chance to hang with LSU’s offense because I don’t expect much from their passing game.

Notre Dame will play better on defense then they have recently, but Leonard Fournette and company will be too hard to shut down and too much for the Irish offense to keep up with.

Prediction: LSU 30, Notre Dame 20

-Eric Tichelbaut


Twitter: @etichel07

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

White Sox Acquire Samardzija; Sign Robertson

The Chicago White Sox took a huge step towards contending in 2015 by acquiring right-handed starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija and closer David Robertson on the first day of the winter meetings.

To land Samardzija and pitching prospect Michael Ynoa, the White Sox sent infielder Marcus Semien, pitcher Chris Bassitt, catcher Josh Phegley, and first baseman Rangel Ravelo to the Oakland Athletics. While Samardzija only has one year remaining on his contract before he becomes a free-agent, this is a good trade considering the White Sox did not have to surrender any of their top prospects to get a top-tier starting pitcher. Samardzija will likely slide nicely between lefties Chris Sale and Jose Quintana, giving the White Sox a formidable trio at the top of their rotation. Samardzija is coming of a 7-13 season in 33 starts, but his record is deceiving. The righty tossed a combined 219.2 innings with the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics, while striking out 202 batters and owning an impressive 2.99 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. It remains to be seen if the White Sox will be able to work out an extension to keep Samardzija on the south side for several years, but even if they don’t, the White Sox will receive a compensatory draft pick by simply offer Samardzija a qualifying offer at the end of the season.

Robertson comes to the White Sox as a free-agent after agreeing to a four-year, $46 million deal. I’ll be the first to admit that paying $46 million to closer is a hefty price, but if you saw the White Sox bullpen last season, you will agree that they desperately needed dramatic improvements. Robertson saved 39 games in 44 opportunities while striking out 96 batters in 64.1 innings during his first season as a closer with the New York Yankees. While that was the only season Robertson has served as his team’s closer, the veteran reliever has been remarkably consistent over the past four seasons. Robertson has hurled more than 60 innings pitched while striking out at least 77 batters and owning an ERA under 3.08 and a WHIP under 1.04 in each of the last four years. Considering that most relievers are a volatile bunch, Robertson’s consistency will be a welcomed addition to one the league’s worst bullpens in 2014.

With the two moves, the White Sox have fulfilled arguably their two biggest holes on the roster with two of the better options available on the market. Add that to the signings of first baseman/designated hitter Adam LaRoche (.259 avg, 26 HR, and 92 RBI) and left-handed reliever Zach Duke (2.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 11.4 K/9); the White Sox appear to be going all-in in 2015. Having said that, there is still work that needs to be done if the White Sox want to be a serious threat to make a playoff run.

-Eric Tichelbaut


Twitter: @etichel07