On Tuesday, Kelly and his staff inked the #10 ranked class by Rivals.com and the #8 ranked class by Scout.com. But what they accomplished, beyond rankings, was nothing short of remarkable. Kelly vowed to focus on defensive recruits, and that he did. However, Kelly and his staff also recruited exceptionally on the offensive side of the ball.

Our job, as Notre Dame fans and writers, is mainly to predict what will happen in the months and years to come. The problem with predicting how athletes will do at the next level of competition is that, even with a slew of statistics and videos, forecasting how a collegiate or professional career will turn out means that you are like Carnac the Magnificent, but without the punchline. With that in mind, this roundtable article featuring all of the contributing members of Clashmore Mike will focus only slightly on prediction and more on reaction and evaluation.

Following a brief rundown of all 23 commitments to the 2011 class (see table below), are a series of comments/observations followed by each member’s thoughts.

2011 Recruiting Class

Position	Name	Height	Weight	Scout		Rivals
Quarterback	Everett Golson	6'0"	170 lbs.	#15 QB		#16 QB
Running Back	Cam McDaniel	5'10"	192 lbs.	#33 RB		NR
Wide Receiver	George Atkinson III	6'2"	190 lbs.	#30 RB		#7 ATH
	DaVaris Daniels	6'2"	175 lbs.	#23 WR		#21 WR
Tight End	Ben Koyack	6'5"	242 lbs.	#1 TE		#7 TE
	Troy Niklas (DL)	6'7"	240 lbs.	#8 OT		#24 OL
Offensive Line	Conor Hanratty	6'4"	295 lbs.	#31 OT		#38 OL
	Matt Hegarty	6'5"	280 lbs.	#11 OT		#6 OL
	Nick Martin	6'4"	270 lbs.	#39 OT		#66 OL
Defensive Line	Brad Carrico	6'6"	287 lbs.	#64 OT		#52 DE
	Chase Hounshell	6'5"	255 lbs.	#97 DE		#59 DE
	Aaron Lynch	6'6"	240 lbs.	#2 DE		#3 DE
	Stephon Tuitt	6'5"	270 lbs.	#10 DE		#2 DE (SS)
	Tony Springmann	6'6"	275 lbs.	#66 DE		#39 DE
Linebacker	Ben Councell	6'5"	220 lbs.	#32 OLB		#5 DE
	Jarrett Grace	6'3"	235 lbs.	#14 OLB		#24 LB
	Anthony Rabasa	6'4"	233 lbs.	#50 DE		#11 DE
	Ishaq Williams	6'5"	242 lbs.	#4 DE		#2 DE (WS)
Defensive Back	Josh Atkinson	6'0"	185 lbs.	#46 CB		#41 DB
	Jalen Brown	6'1"	180 lbs.	#52 CB		NR
	Matthias Farley	6'0"	194 lbs.	#82 CB		NR
	Eilar Hardy	6'0"	172 lbs.	#12 S		#15 DB
Kicker	Kyle Brindza (P)	6'1"	219 lbs.	#1 K		#17 K

Which commitment of this class was the biggest win for Kelly and his staff?

Andrew: Troy Niklas. There are higher rated players in this class that received more publicity, but at 6’7″ Niklas has the potential to become an elite left tackle. Not only did the Irish coaching staff beat out hometown USC for the nephew of USC/NFL greats Bruce and Clay Matthews, but they also had to fight off basically the entire Pac-10, Florida, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Tennessee. Niklas possesses the size and athleticism to play tight end or defensive end, but he looks to have the frame to safely add more weight and make the transition to the line.

Brian Kelly has experience taking an elite athlete and bulking him up into a left tackle: 2007 first round draft pick Joe Staley originally came to Central Michigan as a tight end, but Kelly reportedly had Staley add 80 pounds to his 6-5 frame during Staley’s freshman year. Staley was starting at right tackle by his sophomore year and then switched to left tackle during the remainder of his CMU career. According to a 2007 article on Staley:

“Joe always put the team first,” Staley’s offensive line coach and current Cincinnati assistant coach Jeff Quinn said. “When we came and put the spread offense in, he was excited because he thought he would get the chance to be bigger part of the offense as a tight end. We approached him and told him that team needed him at right tackle. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but he knew it was best for the team and he made the change, and he embraced the change.”

Nobody outside of the Irish coaching staff knows for sure what position Niklas will eventually play, and he could very well end up at tight end or defensive end. But, at least to me, Kelly’s history combined with Niklas’ frame, elite cohort, and the ability to fill a critical need with a little extra weight speaks of a potential future at left tackle.

Andy: Stephon Tuitt. There are so many blue chip recruits in this class—not to mention a host of players which have tremendous upside and are exciting in their own right—that it’s difficult to point to one as the largest victory. But Tuitt’s commitment turned de-commitment and subsequent re-commitment not only secured Kelly’s staff a high-profile player and outstanding talent, but the story of Notre Dame redoubling it’s efforts and the tremendous amount of chutzpah involved was also broadcast around the country on ESPN. A huge recruit and an equally large marketing win for the university and program.

Anthony: There are a host of ways to define “biggest.” Is it a recruit with the star power and notoriety of Jimmy Clausen? Is it a game-changing athlete like Michael Floyd? For me it wasn’t a singular recruit, but rather the type of recruit Kelly landed that Notre Dame simply hadn’t secured in the past.

Ishaq Williams, Stephon Tuitt, and Aaron Lynch are dynamic front-seven defenders with athleticism to spare. Williams is the tweaner of the trio, a long, rangy player that can man the outside linebacker position or play in a three-point stance and come off the edge. Lynch is a dominant pass rusher with an extremely explosive first step. And Tuitt is simply a man amongst boys. These three players will open up the playbook by allowing defensive coordinator Bob Diaco to get pressure with only three and four defenders.

Jon: Ishaq Williams. He’s probably already one of the most athletic recruits in this class, but the fact that he was able to enroll early into school and participate in off-season conditioning with the rest of the team really makes him a huge part of this class.

The outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid position has been painfully pedestrian in recent years with Brian Smith and Kerry Neal not performing up to their potential and hopefully Ishaq Williams will be able to rectify that. Considering the physical demands that the position puts on a player, it’s critical that the position be filled by someone who has the strength to rush the end, but also the speed and athleticism to drop into coverage to cover a tight end or a running back out in the flat. Ishaq has that athleticism and, with the added fact that he enrolled early, it makes him the most important piece of this class.

Which commitment is the most likely to have an early significant contribution on this team?

Andrew: Ishaq Williams. He’s an early enrollee who will have an entire spring and summer to bulk up in coach Longo’s strength and conditioning program while he learns how to be an outside linebacker in the 3-4. You will have to go back a long way to find an Irish linebacker prospect as physically gifted as Ishaq: 6’5″ and 245 pounds with the frame to put on more weight while maintaining an elite burst. He looks like a prototypical weakside NFL linebacker and will likely move to the line when Notre Dame is in a 4-3 look. Outside linebacker was an area of weakness for the Irish much of last season; Kerry Neal and Brian Smith are moving on, and it remains to be seen how Darius Fleming and Steve Filer will be used. Prince Shembo and Justin Utupo will also be in the mix. None of these players have Williams’ upside, however, and the battle for both outside linebacker positions is going to be interesting to watch this spring and summer.

Andy: While Ishaq Williams is the odds-on bet to see a fair amount of playing time in his rookie campaign, history has informed us that the most likely contribution by true freshman will come as a member of special teams. And Lord knows the Irish can use some help in the return game. Bennett Jackson was clearly not the long-term answer Kelly was looking for last season and I would put my money on George Atkinson III to lend his incredible speed and nose for the end zone to kickoffs and punt returns.

Anthony: The safe pick is one of the dynamic front seven defenders like Williams, Lynch or Tuitt. But I think the most significant contributor in the early going will be a defensive back. The Irish don’t have depth to spare in the secondary as the departure of Darrin Walls leaves only Robert Blanton and Gary Gray as experienced players on the edge. Harrison Smith, Jamoris Slaughter, and Zeke Motta have all proven capable of manning the backend but having only five experienced defenders leaves very little margin for injury and likely means there will be playing opportunity for some of the younger players. Lo Wood has a year of experience in the system, but hasn’t exactly drawn rave reviews, so athletic newcomers like Josh Atkinson and Matthias Farley may be thrust into action in the early going.

Jon: Aaron Lynch. Another early enrollee, Lynch is the star of this class. Even though Ishaq Williams is probably the most important recruit of this class, Lynch may end up being the best and, like Williams, Lynch will have the ability to participate in off-season workouts, which should bulk up his frame a bit.

The only thing Lynch has going against him, that Ishaq Williams does not, is that he is entering Notre Dame at a position that already has two returning starters (Ethan Johnson and Kapron Lewis-Moore) and with a class that features six defensive ends. However, Lynch’s sheer athletic ability and his knack for getting by blockers should have him making early and significant contributions to this year’s defense in a back-up position behind Johnson and Lewis-Moore.

Which commitment will be an unheralded contributor by the end of his career (not highly ranked, but makes significant impact)?

Andrew: Tony Springmann. He’s an Indiana kid that looks like a stereotypical orange-haired Irishman and could end up playing one of a number of key positions. He has the size to play an interior line position either as an offensive guard or as a nose tackle/defensive tackle. He’s one of those players who you may forget is on the roster for a few years because there’s already some depth at the positions he’s best suited for. But two or three years down the road, Springmann could be an unheralded starter that grows on Irish fans.

Andy: Matthias Farley. Already well suited to the physical aspects of college ball, Farley is joining a fairly depleted unit and has a real opportunity in a year or two to be able to make an impact. He’s only been playing football for two years—which Kelly sees as a positive—and was rated as a Top 25 safety by MaxPreps. Whether he ends up there or at defensive back, Matthias has the athletic ability and attacking mentality to become a solid contributor on the defensive side of the ball.

Anthony: Nick Martin. Martin may not have generated the same fanfare as his older brother (and current Irish left tackle) Zach, but he looks every bit the part. Nick has the frame to add more weight and plays with good physicality, but it is his footwork that really set him apart. The younger Martin works very well in space and a few years in coach Longo’s strength and conditioning program should allow him to fill out and reach his potential.

Jon: Everett Golson. He may be the prototypical quarterback that Brian Kelly is looking for to run his offense. From all accounts, he has great accuracy and is quick on his feet. Like any quarterback, there will be a transition phase for Golson from high school to college, but the fact that he enrolled early in school bodes well for his physical and mental development.

Going into the spring, it will be interesting to see just exactly where Golson falls on the depth chart. Crist probably has the upper hand on the starting job and, because of his stellar performance in a reserve roll, Tommy Rees will probably be the main backup. The question for the future is if Golson can pass Andrew Hendrix on the depth chart and, maybe, make a run for the starting position once Crist graduates. If this happens, Golson could be a Tony Rice-type quarterback for the Irish in the future.

What do you think of Kelly’s defensive-minded philosophy for recruiting, and how do you think that panned out for the class?

Andrew: What’s amazing is how closely Kelly stuck to the goals he outlined at the 2010 signing day. Kelly said this year’s class needed to improve the size and athleticism of the front seven, and then went out and recruited a bunch of tall athletic players. The difference between Kelly and Weis when it comes to recruiting appears to be this: Kelly has a plan. He clearly has physical requirements, or prototypes, that players must meet before Kelly will consider them for a position—his comments about how Harrison Smith would have never been considered a linebacker in his eyes, for example.

Weis didn’t care if a player fit any specific type of mold and figured he could “gameplan” the team around what he had. There was no consistency to the types of players he brought in, and I think that stems from Weis’ background with the Patriots. By this I mean the Patriots took players whom they felt were simply good football players and figured out how to build a scheme around them later, whether it be pint-sized possession receivers like Deion Branch and Wes Welker, or tall, rangy wide receivers like Randy Moss; a smaller but versatile running back like Kevin Faulk or a big bruising runner like Corey Dillon. I don’t think Weis would have recruited a class that was this consistently full of similar types of players because he doesn’t have the kind of foresight or ability that Kelly has to build a system and then develop players to fit it.

Andy: This was the year of the defensive end, but I think analyzing this class by looking at individual players’ projected positions is a bit of a fool’s errand. Kelly loves to recruit based on the measurables first—speed, size, and versatility—and in that regard Kelly himself views this as a great class. I am inclined to agree. I also believe that Kelly has much more confidence in his offensive acumen and wanted to shore up the defense by paying particular attention to the defensive line in this class. Let’s be honest though, Koyack, Golson, Daniels, Atkinson III, McDaniel, and possibly Niklas at TE is not a bad skill position class. No true 5-star recruits to get the headlines, but Kelly is very confident he can work with that group’s athletic abilities.

Anthony: It was a bit of hit and miss. As Andrew alluded to above, Kelly hit a home run at his primary target position—defensive end. Lynch, Tuitt, Brad Carrico, Troy Niklas, Chase Hounshell, and Tony Springmann all either have the ability to contribute right away or have tremendous upside. Williams, Anthony Rabasa, and Ben Councell also round out defensive front recruiting as dynamic playmakers.

But recruiting along the defensive front was only part of what this class needed. Following the 2011 season the Irish project to have no corners and only two safeties with any meaningful game experience. Furthermore, Wood is the only scholarship corner (minus Bennett Jackson who is making a position switch) on the current roster to fill in for the departing Gray and Blanton. Kelly needed to land quality and quantity in the secondary and missing out on recruits like Wayne Lyons and Bennett Okotcha may prove tough to swallow down the road. This has to be a high-target position in next year’s class.

Of course, if the front-seven recruits pan out and play to their potential, a strong secondary may not be needed.

Jon: While Kelly did commit to a more defensive-minded recruiting approach, the numbers suggest otherwise. Kelly and his staff recruited 12 defensive players this season, but he also recruited 10 offensive players and one special teams player. So while he did put an emphasis on defense, the numbers of recruits are almost split evenly between offense and defense.What numbers can’t quantify, however, sheer talent can.

Lynch, Tuitt, and Williams are all star players and will contribute in a significant way in the future. Eilar Hardy and Jarret Grace are also highly ranked in their position and have a good chance of contributing significantly at the next level. Manti Te’o was the best linebacker when he signed with Notre Dame and Lynch, Tuitt, and Williams all have the potential to produce like Te’o did when he came to Notre Dame. What’s spectacular is that all three of those players came in the same class. Bravo.

What positions should Kelly and his staff focus on for next year?

Andrew: Next year it’s imperative that the Irish bring in the so-called “skill athlete” types. Defensive back depth was already a concern entering the 2011 season, so much so that Bennett Jackson is switching to corner. It didn’t help that 2011 corner prospect Okotcha defected to Oklahoma at the 11th hour. The Irish also need some depth at running back and wide receiver, so it’s highly likely that Brian Kelly will be recruiting skill players that have the versatility to play both offense and defense. If Notre Dame’s 2011 class was the year of  ”big skill,” 2012 will be the year of the skill athlete.

Andy: Skill players are the obvious targets next year, with running back, defensive back, and wide receiver obviously in most demand. At least one 5-star recruit at RB and WR is a virtual must and if Kelly can improve Notre Dame’s record this season and give himself some momentum I will be anxiously awaiting what he can do to land recruits in 2012.

Anthony: I echo Andrew’s input. Defensive back, running back and wide receiver are the primary targets, and the Irish need at least one game-changer at each position. You can never take a year off in recruiting at any position but Kelly has secured enough solid players in the defensive front seven and front five on offense that they can be lower priority in the near future. Missing out on a “true” running back in this class, the graduation of wide receivers Michael Floyd, John Goodman, and Deion Walker after the 2011 season, and the aforementioned lack of secondary depth all point to the skill positions as the primary recruiting targets of 2012.

Jon: Running back, wide receiver, nose guard, corner back, and safety are all major concerns for next year. Losing Savon Huggins was a big blow to the offensive side of this recruiting class. Although the Irish will probably be alright without him, his absence makes it imperative that the Kelly and his staff land a Top 10 running back next season. Along with that, the Irish only netted two, maybe three wide receivers this season and one receiving tight end. This position will also be crucial next season.

On the defensive side of the ball, while this was an epic defensive-based recruiting class, there are some glaring holes, mainly in the secondary. Because of the lack of depth at cornerback, Bennett Jackson must move to that position. And with Gary Gray and Robert Blanton graduating after next season, the depth at cornerback will be slim-pickin’s. Landing a couple high-profile cornerbacks and a safety will be paramount to ensure that the Notre Dame secondary doesn’t return to the same form it had a few years ago.

As recruiters, what did you learn about Kelly and his staff this year?

Andrew: That they’re not afraid to get down and dirty and fight in the recruiting trenches. Between stories of Diaco showing up at Ishaq Williams’ house at 4:00 in the morning with donuts and coach Kelly appearing at the then-decommitted  Stephon Tuitt household on less than 24 hours notice to “answer questions” concerning Georgia Tech’s negative recruiting tactics, it’s clear that the Irish staff is in the recruiting game to win. It was refreshing to see the Notre Dame fighting off poachers and re-winning battles after too many years of the Weis regime seemingly giving up on any player that decommitted.

Andy: Kelly’s staff will out-hustle anyone and they work incredibly well as a team. It’s hard for me to be more positive and upbeat about this year’s class and the staff’s response to adversity and recruiting on a truly national level. Every assistant coach is pulling weight on the recruiting trail and the focus and organization in who they pursue and what physical characteristics they’re looking for is very encouraging.

Anthony: They’ll go head-to-head and work as hard as anyone. Diaco is a growing legend, wide receivers coach Tony Alford is an excellent recruiter in his own right, and secondary coach Chuck Martin more than pulls his weight. Additionally, Kelly’s staff has shown a marked departure from that of former head coach Charlie Weis’ “if they’re looking, we’re looking” mantra. The latter seemed to produce more negatives than positives and Kelly and his staff aren’t afraid to battle to the end for every recruit they value. The dividends in this class alone—Lynch, Tuitt and Williams—are ample evidence that this approach works.

Jon: What I learned about Kelly and his staff is probably along the same lines as what he learned about himself in the process:

When you’re recruiting nationally, you’re going into everybody’s home base and you’re taking their kid and that’s difficult…it requires a tenacity, it requires an attention to detail, and it requires a great deal of resources on Notre Dame’s part to fight that fight.

Along with the fact that Kelly and his staff did a remarkable job luring high-talent players to Notre Dame, what amazed me was the amount of players that they poached from other schools. Not necessarily stealing recruits that were committed to other schools, although that did happen, but the amount of players that also had offers from other schools, including USC, Florida, Alabama, Miami, and other high-profile schools.

Notre Dame was 8-5 last year, which by Notre Dame standards is a sub-par season. I am almost slap-happy thinking about what kind of recruiting classes Kelly and his staff would be able to sign if the Irish could form some sort of consistency on the field. Time will tell, but if Kelly and his staff could reel in a #8 ranked class, think what they could do if they won a BCS game or a National Title. Chuck Martin, Bob Diaco, and Brian Kelly all have shown the knack for getting high-profile recruits to Notre Dame, let’s just hope they can do it on a consistent basis.

Finally

We’ll wrap up this monster post with two videos a video from CBS Sports regarding the 2011 recruiting effort (CBS removed one of the videos, our apologies). Enjoy!

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This article is © 2007-2012 by De Veritate, LLC and was originally published at Clashmore Mike. This article may not be copied, distributed, or transmitted without attribution. Additionally, you may not use this article for commercial purposes or to generate derivative works without explicit written permission. Please contact us if you wish to license this content for your own use.

While most headlines between the end of December and the end of January center around recruiting, last Sunday, Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune provided us with this little gem of an interview with Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick. And while his article mostly centers around the future of Notre Dame athletics, towards the end of the interview the discussion hones in, albeit briefly, on the football program and the condition of Notre Dame Stadium, namely the condition of the field and whether or not a “video board” (read: Jumbotron) should be installed and used during football games or other events such as graduation.

While the discussion about the installation of a Jumbotron isn’t as prevalent among fans as, say, Notre Dame’s Independent status, or if future schedules should be as tough as they are, most traditionalists adopt the position of not making any significant changes to the way Notre Dame has always done things: the same is true on the issue of electronics and artificial field turf.

Installing a screen that projects advertisements, neon lights, and graphics, and something that may further obstruct the view of the “Word of Life” mural on the front of the Hesburgh Memorial Library, has many “traditionalists” squirming in their seats. However, the other side of the aisle believes that the installation of a Jumbotron or, probably even more importantly, the installation of artificial turf or field grass in the stadium serves to keep Notre Dame up to speed with the current pace of college football.

The tradition at Notre Dame is second to none. However, this same tradition, especially as it pertains to football, was forged in the belief that the University should be the first and the greatest. Many of the traditions that fans embrace regarding Notre Dame football were established by its forefathers as cutting-edge philosophies. They did not react to others changing college football, they initiated change. And as Notre Dame, as a University, has walked the political tight-rope between change and tradition, this is something that its supporters have lost sight of.

To say that Notre Dame shouldn’t implement changes to its facilities, scheduling, coaches, or operations is to say that it should undermine the philosophies of those icons that helped mold Notre Dame Football into what it is today. We have been gripping tightly to the traditions themselves, rather than honoring the attitudes that established those traditions in the first place.

If Knute Rockne or Frank Leahy were coaching the Irish today, would they want a Jumbotron, new turf, or scheduling format changes? Who knows? Jumbotrons and artificial turf, in the grand scheme of things, are fairly small potatoes and shouldn’t be at the top of Jack Swarbrick’s to-do list. And the problems that deserve to be addressed within Notre Dame’s athletics, and football in particular, are far more worthy of his attention than electronics and synthetics.

Notre Dame fans themselves aren’t overly unwilling to give things up, or accept changes in things that they have an emotional attachment to. The real problem in this debate lies in some fans failure to see why those things to which they have an emotional attachment were established in the first place.

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This article is © 2007-2012 by De Veritate, LLC and was originally published at Clashmore Mike. This article may not be copied, distributed, or transmitted without attribution. Additionally, you may not use this article for commercial purposes or to generate derivative works without explicit written permission. Please contact us if you wish to license this content for your own use.

The 2010 season contained many distractions and obstacles for first-year head coach Brian Kelly and his team. Dayne Crist, Armando Allen, Theo Riddick, Kyle Rudolph, Carlo Calabrese, and Ian Williams all had injuries that would keep them out of action for quite some time, some for the remainder of the season. Declan Sullivan’s death at a windy Irish practice and Elizabeth Seeberg’s suicide, in connection with an unnamed fooball player, while tragic, garnered some unwanted criticism and attention for Brian Kelly, Jack Swarbrick, and the University.

However, while it may have been easy for the team, and Irish fans alike, to chalk this season up to the growing pains that typically come with a new head coach, the team persevered to finish the season with four straight wins, including a victory over the University of Miami in the Sun Bowl. Win two out of the last three and make a bowl game—this was the goal of Brian Kelly and the Fighting Irish after their last-minute loss to Tulsa in late October. It was a tall order, but the Irish did one better, winning all three remaining regular season games and besting the Hurricanes.

The biggest question as we take one final look at the 2010 season is, “What if?” The Irish were a handful of plays from finishing the season with three more wins, a 10-2 overall record, and an invitation to a higher-profile bowl game that they may or may not have won.

What if Tommy Rees, Cierre Wood, and Tyler Eifert had not filled in for Dayne Crist, Armando Allen, and Kyle Rudolph as well as they did? What if the Bob Diaco-led defense had continued their mediocre performance of the first half of the season and continued to give up an absurd amount of yards to opposing offenses? The 2010 season could have turned out to look a lot more like 2007, which could have had the most extreme Irish fans questioning the Kelly hire all together.

Thankfully, the season didn’t end that way and Irish fans generally have pleasant things to say about the 2010 campaign. Tommy Rees took over for Dayne Crist midway through the first half of the Tulsa game, leaving most Irish with flashbacks of the game against Michigan where he and Nate Montana both struggled against a subpar defense. And while he certainly played like a freshman in that game, his next four starts all ended up as victories for the Irish. His numbers over the final four games certainly weren’t staggering, throwing for an average of 173.25 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception in each game, but his ability to pick up the baton that Crist dropped when he was injured against Tulsa certainly made Notre Dame’s prolific late-season surge possible.

Arguably a bigger surprise, the Notre Dame defense, which allowed an average of 393.1 yards per game through the first 9 games of the season, finished the regular season in spectacular fashion, only allowing an average of 233 yards per game. Additionally, during the last 3 games of the regular season, the Irish defense gave up one lone touchdown. And while the statistics for the bowl game against Miami are a bit misleading, the Irish still dominated the Hurricanes in every facet of the game. The Notre Dame defense gave up two more touchdowns in the Sun Bowl, but their dominating performance, and Harrison Smith and Manti Te’o in particular, did very much to quiet, at least temporarily, the reservations that most Irish fans had about the effectiveness of Bob Diaco as a defensive coordinator.

As the team now turns to the off-season, Kelly hits the recruiting trail, and strength and conditioning coach Paul Longo begins to take over the team for off-season workouts, several story lines will be scrutinized by the fans and media alike. Who will be behind center for the Irish against South Florida on September 3rd? Can Dayne Crist recover this off-season in time to reclaim his starting spot from Tommy Rees who, at the very least, has earned the right to compete for the position next year? Can Cierre Wood continue to improve and be an impact player next season as the starting running back? Will Jonas Gray or Cameron Roberson progress enough to challenge Wood for the starting position, or will they provide depth?  Will Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph declare for the NFL draft? If so, who steps up into the void left by their absence? How will Brian Kelly’s push for defensive recruits affect the team on signing day? What is a reasonable expectation for wins and losses for this team next season?

In his second season at Cincinnati, Brian Kelly led the Bearcats, who had finished the 2007 season with 10 wins, to the Big East title, an 11-3 record, and a spot in the FedEx Orange Bowl. It remains to be seen what the Irish will accomplish in 2011. But the success that Kelly has had as his previous schools, along with the talent and experience that Notre Dame will have next year, and a 2011 schedule that, at face value, doesn’t seem as difficult as this year’s schedule, is the perfect setup for a successful season.

There are still a lot of questions that face this team next year, but if the way that Kelly, his staff, the players, and University overcame several obstacles this season are any indicator of the toughness and resolve in Brian Kelly and this team, the outlook on 2011 seems very bright. Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, and Cincinnati are not Notre Dame and that could mean that success in 2011 might be more diffcult than anticipated, but the fact that those schools aren’t Notre Dame could give this team the advantage they need to be even more successful next year.

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This article is © 2007-2012 by De Veritate, LLC and was originally published at Clashmore Mike. This article may not be copied, distributed, or transmitted without attribution. Additionally, you may not use this article for commercial purposes or to generate derivative works without explicit written permission. Please contact us if you wish to license this content for your own use.

Johnny Lujack was just one of the former greats on hand at the new Yankee Stadium to witness a throwback match between two of the most historical and, at one time, greatest football teams in the country. As the Irish fan base let out a collective sigh when the Irish charged out of the tunnel in their “kelly” green uniforms, the uneasiness didn’t subside until later in the game when Notre Dame finally turned in a performance against the triple option that resulted in an unfamiliar feeling to settle in—boredom. But that’s a good thing, right?

“Redemption is a collaborative activity.”

Notre Dame arrived in the Big Apple poised to face an Army team that, like its fellow service academy brethren, boasted a formidable ground attack. In a surprising turn of events, Notre Dame’s defense is what has turned out to be the strength of this year’s Irish squad, but the question still remained if Notre Dame could stop Army’s rushing game, especially after they struggled mightily against Navy’s version of the triple option.

After Notre Dame’s offense took the opening kickoff and promptly trotted down the field and turned the ball over in the end zone, it was time for Notre Dame’s defense, and Defensive Coordinator Bob Diaco, to show that their performance against the Navy Midshipmen was a fluke and that they could stop the option attack. After one series, Notre Dame fans were still left in doubt. On their opening drive, the Army ground attack promptly took the Black Knights down the field on a 78 yard opening drive that stalled near the goal line and produced a field goal.

As fate would have it, that field goal turned out to be the only three points that the Black Knights would score that day. Throughout the rest of the day, the Irish would hold Army to just 96 yards and three first downs. As adjustments were made and Robert Blanton got some help on the perimeter of the defense, the Irish put on a dazzling display of defensive toughness that included an interception returned for a touchdown by senior Darrin Walls. Unsurprisingly, the Irish were led in tackles by sophomore middle linebacker Manti Te’o who tallied nine.

At the end of the game, it was clear that the Notre Dame defense achieved some sort of redemption from the poor performance they turned in against Navy. And Defensive Coordinator Bob Diaco showed that he can learn from his mistakes as well as make adjustments during the game to maximize his unit’s success. As the Irish, and their defense, are poised to take on a familiar opponent next week in USC, it will remain to be seen how well the defense can finish out their season. Fortunately, USC may be without the services of their starting quarterback Matt Barkley, allowing the experienced backup behind him in Mitch Mustain to get the start. If ever there was a time for Notre Dame’s defense to peak, it would be this Saturday.

Depth we didn’t know we had…

When Dayne Crist, Armando Allen, Kyle Rudolph, and Theo Riddick were ruled to be out for a considerable amount of time, the outlook on Notre Dame’s offense was bleak, to say the least. However, in their absence other members of the offensive unit have started to become consistent contributors. Led by freshman Tommy Rees, who got a rude introduction to college football against Michigan, the Irish offense has been very consistent as of late. Players like Cierre Wood, Duval Kamara, and Roby Toma have done their part in recent games to ease the drop-off that’s usually felt when one, or in this case many, starting players are sidelined for the season. This week, however, one player was added to the fold: Tyler Eifert.

In the absence of Kyle Rudolph, who is still undecided if he’s headed for the NFL, Tyler Eifert provided freshman quarterback Tommy Rees with something that most tight ends do not: a down-field threat. While Army’s defense seemed to be keying in on Michael Floyd, Eifert, who is a mismatch for nearly any defender, exploited the Black Knights’ secondary and led all receivers (and tight ends) with 78 yards and a touchdown.

As former Notre Dame quarterbacks Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen know, trial by fire is never a way you want to introduce a new player, quarterback or otherwise, to the speed of the college football. However, in the absence of Dayne Crist, Armando Allen, Kyle Rudolph and Theo Riddick, Tommy Rees, Cierre Wood, Tyler Eifert, and Roby Toma have done a serviceable job in producing for the Irish. Even though the Irish aren’t as potent on offense as they could be with their starters, combined with a defense that has been surprisingly stout and that has held opposing offenses to zero touchdowns for more than 11 quarters, the Irish are exceeding expectations.

The Best Worst-Case Scenario

This coming weekend, the Irish face a familiar foe in the University of Southern California. Even though the Trojans don’t have much to play for, including a post-season bowl game, the matchup will be as important as always and a key moment for this Notre Dame squad. Because the Irish have met their “last-ditch effort” goal of becoming bowl eligible, it would be easy for the players to ease up and coast through the last game. However, nothing is more paramount than the team finishing the season strong and heading into their respective post-season bowl game on a roll. Those extra 15 practices that a bowl game gives a team are essential to this squad to build more experience at key positions. However, a win on Saturday against USC will give the team something that’s more important than experience and something that Notre Dame hasn’t had in a long while: a strong finish to a somewhat complicated season, making the best of a worst-case scenario.

Similar Posts:

• Notre Dame vs. Army: Keys to an Irish Win
• Statistically Speaking: Notre Dame vs. Army
• Evaluating the Irish: Act II

This article is © 2007-2012 by De Veritate, LLC and was originally published at Clashmore Mike. This article may not be copied, distributed, or transmitted without attribution. Additionally, you may not use this article for commercial purposes or to generate derivative works without explicit written permission. Please contact us if you wish to license this content for your own use.

Following Notre Dame’s clash with the Pittsburgh Panthers, head coach Brian Kelly’s squad faced a very probable scenario of gaining some momentum with, what most people tabbed as, three “soft” opponents. The rhythm on offense, that was somewhat inconsistent through the first  six games of Notre Dame’s surprisingly tough schedule, could finally start to establish itself as the Irish headed into their bye week with Utah following the next Saturday. In fact, according to our readers, Notre Dame’s three-week stretch of Western Michigan, Navy, and Tulsa were tabbed as the most win-able stretch of three games in Notre Dame’s entire schedule. And, according to the last poll on our website, most readers weren’t concerned IF Notre Dame was going to win those three games, but by how much they were going to win those games. Instead of simply winning games, we were more concerned about “style points.”

As it turned out, the Irish failed to do what was expected of them and only managed a win against Western Michigan. But, no loss was more puzzling than the one to Tulsa. Sure, there were a lot of factors that went into that loss, but the fact remains that Notre Dame shouldn’t have been in a situation to have the opportunity to lose the game.

Dayne Crist, Armando Allen, Theo Riddick, Kyle Rudolph, Ian Williams, Carlo Calabrese: what do these players have in common? They have all been key contributors to the team this year and five out of the six of them didn’t see the playing field at all during Saturday’s game against Tulsa due to injury. Additionally, half of them won’t see the playing field again this season due to injuries and surgeries. However, the one position which most fans were worried about having an injury, quarterback, turned out to be the spark to ignite the Irish offense.

Hopefully, what doesn’t kill you will get bored and go away.

Earlier in the season, when Notre Dame faced Michigan, it was very apparent that Brian Kelly and his staff did very little to prepare their backup quarterbacks for action. When Dayne Crist went down after Notre Dame’s opening scoring drive, Brian Kelly switched between Nate Montana and Tommy Rees, looking for the hot hand to manage the Irish offense until Dayne Crist could return to the game. During that time, Notre Dame failed to score on the remaining 8 drives of the first half while the backup quarterbacks threw for a combined 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. After the game, Kelly admitted that he didn’t spend much time installing a package for the backup quarterbacks.

I think we’re going to settle on a package that suits both of them. I think we have to have something that really allows both of those guys to feel comfortable out there and still run our offense in a productive manner.

Obviously, Kelly was much more prepared with his backup quarterbacks going into this game. When Crist got knocked out early in the game against Tulsa, Tommy Rees came into the game and there was an audible collective sigh in the stadium when number 13 trotted onto the field. Regardless, Rees played much better this time around, tallying 334 yards on 33 completions for four touchdowns and three interceptions. But, the biggest aspect that Rees brought to the Irish offense was the energy  that was apparent as soon as he completed his first pass. Rees’ statistics for the game certainly had been helped a bit by the fact that Tulsa was sporting one of the nation’s worst passing defenses. So, while he certainly played much better than his debut against Michigan, it remains to be seen how well he’ll play against a more formidable passing defense. Luckily, he’ll receive an extra week’s worth of preparation before he squares off against Utah’s defense and Brian Kelly, and his staff, will receive an extra week to work with Rees and his backup, should the Irish need him as well.

Huh? Where did that come from?

I alluded to this earlier in this piece, but the most troubling thing about Notre Dame’s loss to Tulsa was that the Irish should have never been in a position to lose. It’s easy to look around at the adversity the Irish faced last Saturday and try to pin the loss on one or two aspects of the game, but the most glaring aspect—and one that probably deserves the most blame—is the fact that what has been a strength of Notre Dame’s team this season turned out to be a liability and was a major contributor to Notre Dame’s loss.

Nine points. Nine points is the amount that Notre Dame’s special teams gift wrapped to Tulsa. A blocked extra point that was returned for a touchdown accounted for 2 of those points. Okay, that’s not so bad. It’s not even a field goal’s worth of significance. However, the troubles didn’t end there. Notre Dame’s special teams also gave up a kickoff return that cost the Irish another 6 points (7 if you could the extra point). Fortunately, the Irish caught a break when John Goodman’s punt fumble didn’t do too much damage to the Irish.

Going forward, I honestly don’t expect the Notre Dame’s special teams to play much worse than they did on Saturday. Even though Boots Randolph could have had a field day with the highlight reels from those three unfortunate plays, the Irish special teams has been strength of Notre Dame’s in the season thus far and I don’t expect them to have a game similar to Saturday’s for the rest of the season.

Trying to save face…

Following Notre Dame’s loss to Stanford, the common attitude among Irish fans was, “If the Irish can win the games they’re supposed to and beat either USC or Utah, 9-3, or 8-4 at worst, becomes a very real possibility.” Think again. As the Irish were lumbering through the middle of their season, Irish followers had visions of playing in a respectable bowl game and finishing the season strong. Five games later and Irish fans are have begun to pray for a bowl game…any bowl game. Even Brian Kelly addressed the urgency needed throughout the rest of the season:

The most important thing still is for us to get to six wins. We’ve got to win two out of three now. That’s our number one goal, to win two out of three games minimally to get to six wins.

Unless the Irish can win two out of the next three games, we can all kiss a post-season goodbye. Sure, some Irish followers might be a little embarrassed for the team to be playing in a lower-tier bowl game, but the major motivator behind the extra urgency is the need for the additional practices, especially since so many of Notre Dame’s usual starters are hampered by injuries. Do the Irish actually have a shot of recording at least a 2-1 record in the final three games of the season? As I said last week, at Notre Dame, nothing is probable and anything is possible.

Just remember, acceptance is the final stage of grief.

I tell you, I never gave it a thought to kick the field goal. Maybe that’s my problem, but I didn’t even think about a field goal. If there was hindsight, 20/20, I would have called a different play…

In Brian Kelly’s postgame press conference on September 11th, he was asked a question about why he chose to opt for the touchdown at the end of the first half, with Dayne Crist on the sidelines, instead of kicking the chip-shot field goal to end the dismal half with a silver lining. Take the points and let the cards fall as they may, right?

After Notre Dame’s loss to Tulsa, the same type of situation presented itself to Brian Kelly in the media room. Why didn’t you just run the ball and kick the field goal and rely on your defense?

Why not try to get Michael Floyd one‑on‑one against a 5’9″ corner and call a timeout? …we’re going to play aggressive. We’re going to play smart…

There were a lot of factors that went into Notre Dame’s loss on Saturday—surrendering a kickoff returned for a touchdown, an interception returned for a touchdown, an extra point blocked and returned, losing the starting quarterback early in the game and for the rest of the season—but the straw that broke the camel’s back was Kelly’s refusal to put his team in a position to win.

But, that wasn’t all. After the game, Kelly seemed anything but apologetic when asked about his decision to throw the ball in such a crucial situation:

We certainly wanted to give that an opportunity for success and score a touchdown there. Took a timeout there to talk about it. I think we all know what happened there. But keep in mind, you better get used to it, because that’s the way we’re playing. If we can get a one‑on‑one matchup, and we think we can get that accomplished, we’re going to call that play again and again.

It’s bad enough that Kelly made a mistake in calling the play, but what’s worse is that his “my play-calling is always correct” attitude is something that most Irish fans thought we eradicated when Charlie Weis was relieved of his position. Yeah, we’ve gotten used to this type of attitude. And if that type of coaching mentality leads to more losses down the road…well, we’re used to that too.

Similar Posts:

• Evaluating the Irish: Michigan Wolverines
• Evaluating the Irish: Act II
• Evaluating the Irish: Act I

This article is © 2007-2012 by De Veritate, LLC and was originally published at Clashmore Mike. This article may not be copied, distributed, or transmitted without attribution. Additionally, you may not use this article for commercial purposes or to generate derivative works without explicit written permission. Please contact us if you wish to license this content for your own use.

“Purdue? Win. Michigan? Probably a toss up. Michigan State? Again, a toss up. USC? They’ve had our number. Loss. Navy…? Win.” In our minds, we mark a ”W” next to Navy for the same reason most fans hesitantly mark a “L” next to USC—in the past, we’ve had a stellar record against Navy and USC has recently been a tough opponent. College football and its rivalries are cyclical and even though Navy had been downed by the Irish 43 consecutive times, they have since been a much stiffer opponent. Simply put, Navy is a much better team than they used to be. It isn’t a cop out, but it’s the simple reality that Navy isn’t the same team that Notre Dame beat 43 years in a row.

After Saturday’s loss, some of my friends, who are all Ohio State fans, said, “Navy is a tough team. They ran all over us last year and almost beat us.” Yes, Navy has evolved from the doormat that used to be on Notre Dame’s schedule in years past and they executed their game to near perfection on Saturday, but that doesn’t make up for the litany of problems that Notre Dame created for itself. Some of them were a fluke and some will continue to plague the team throughout the rest of the season.

Preparation without execution is useless knowledge.

In the week leading up to the matchup against Navy, Brian Kelly made news by declaring that the Irish defense had been working on stopping Navy’s offense for quite some time. In the four weeks leading up to Navy, for just a little bit each practice, the Irish worked on some of the unique schemes that Navy would present.

“We’ve had to find time—five minutes here, ten minutes here—just to become more acquainted with it. We’ve been focused on the next opponent, [but this week] isn’t the first time our guys are going to see it or hear about it.”

However, all of that preparation didn’t do Kelly’s team much good. The offense that Navy runs was one of the primary concerns for the new head coach as he, and defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, had little experience with their unique look. And despite all of that preparation by Kelly and his staff, Notre Dame still struggled to stop a potent Navy rushing attack and imposed their will on Notre Dame’s defense. Navy entered the game with one of the best rushing attacks in the nation, partly because they rarely throw the ball, and partly because their entire offense is groomed to move the ball on the ground.

This season, Notre Dame’s rushing defense had been one of the strongest aspects of the unit, but it proved to be no match against Navy’s ground game. Navy’s backup fullback, Alexander Teich ran all over the Irish defense for 210 yards on 26 carries for a 8.1 yard average. Navy’s quarterback, Ricky Dobbs (Side note: maybe it’s just me, but with all the political commercials on, doesn’t that sound like a great name for a politician?) accounted for four total touchdowns: three on the ground, and one through the air. Dobbs ran the ball almost as much as Teich, with 20 attempts, but totaled significantly less yardage, with 90. However, Dobbs managed to score three rushing touchdowns.

Like I said earlier, this isn’t the Navy team from a few decades ago. They are a potent offense with an incredible ability to move the ball and chew up the clock. And even though the Irish spent more time than usual preparing for the Midshipmen, it still didn’t do a bit of good. Let’s just hope that this was a fluke and won’t become normal operating procedure for the Irish.

The developmental roller coaster is not over.

If nothing else, Saturday showed that Dayne Crist is, in fact, developmentally young. Part of that has to do with the fact that he didn’t see much action as Jimmy Clausen’s backup under Charlie Weis and the other is that he was recruited to be a quarterback in a pro-style offense, spent his first two seasons at Notre Dame studying a pro-style offense, and is now converting to a spread-offense quarterback.

The tougher pill to swallow, however, is that during a game when the Irish needed their quarterback to be on the top of his game, Crist turned in his worst performance of the season. Prior to the game against Navy, Brian Kelly talked about the added need for quarterback efficiency.

“The quarterback has got to put the ball on guys. He’s got to be on his game. If he’s on his game, we’ll be fine. But if he’s not efficient at throwing the football, obviously we’ll have to struggle at times.”

Bingo. Crist finished just 19 of 31 for 178 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. And while turning the ball over is never a good thing, turning the ball over in crucial situations is worse.

Hopefully, as the Irish prepare to face Tulsa this Saturday, Brian Kelly and Dayne Crist will use Saturday’s game as an opportunity to establish rhythm in Crist’s production and rebuild his confidence as Utah lurks on the horizon.

Are Irish fans prepared for what’s to come?

The biggest mental obstacle that the game against Navy presented, and one that Irish fans may struggle to accept, is the reality that Notre Dame might very well finish the season with a 6-6 record. If Notre Dame wins the remaining games in which they will be the favorite (Tulsa and Army) and loses the games in which they will most likely be the underdog (Utah and USC), the Irish will finish the season with a split record.

Even though most Irish followers, myself included, had higher expectations for this team and Brian Kelly in his first season, the main goal for the rest of the season should be to win the games in which the Irish are favored. Then, Notre Dame can look to upset Utah in two weeks and take it to the Trojans on November 27th. Win the games you should and the rest is a bonus.

However, if the Irish do finish 6-6, what would be an underwhelming inaugural season for Brian Kelly in South Bend, Irish fans will have to brace themselves and focus their efforts on tempering excitement and expectations next year. And while the eternal optimist in me says, with Brian Kelly’s previous success as a head coach and the promise that this team shows, it should only go up from here, at Notre Dame, nothing is probable and anything is possible. Will a split record this season bring some heat Kelly’s way? Yes. Is it deserved? Probably not. It has little to do with Kelly and everything to do with the string sub-par coaches who came before him.

Similar Posts:

• Evaluating the Irish: Act I
• Evaluating the Irish: Boston College Eagles
• Evaluating the Irish: Army Black Knights

This article is © 2007-2012 by De Veritate, LLC and was originally published at Clashmore Mike. This article may not be copied, distributed, or transmitted without attribution. Additionally, you may not use this article for commercial purposes or to generate derivative works without explicit written permission. Please contact us if you wish to license this content for your own use.

In many ways, the layout of a play or theatrical production is similar to the current Notre Dame football season. Half way through the season, the current Irish squad finds itself at the intermission and on the brink of beginning act two. The characters, main and secondary, have been introduced and problems have presented themselves and are waiting to be resolved. As the middle of the season draws to a close and the second half is all but underway, what problems are most pertinent to a favorable result in act two?

The Problem of Consistency

This has been a recurring theme throughout most of the season and even in this series of articles. But, it’s clear that the Irish simply haven’t avoided the stereotype that has become synonymous with the team in years past. At times, they play like a Top 10 team, and at other points, they play like a bottom-feeder. This year is no exception. Oftentimes, Notre Dame gets off to great start, but ends up fizzling out near the end of the contests. Nowhere is this more prevalent than on the offensive side of the ball.

Because the quarterback plays such a vital role in Brian Kelly’s offense—reading opposing defensive coverages and then, if need be, deciding to call an audible, throw the ball, or to run the ball himself if no receiver is open—it comes as no surprise that the offense goes as Dayne Crist goes. And right now, as a quarterback that’s started just six games, inconsistency is the name of the game. Dayne Crist will likely become a very successful quarterback for the Irish and will eventually adapt to Kelly’s offense, but right now there’s several things that Crist must remedy if the Notre Dame’s offense can hope to put together a consistent performance from beginning to end.

Can the Irish offense, and Dayne Crist in particular, continue to improve as the Irish hit a stretch of less-than-average opponents?

Eliminating the Exception

A big factor that contributes to the inconsistency on the offensive side of the ball is the amount of mental errors that stall what would otherwise be a productive drive. After the Pittsburgh game, Brian Kelly remarked, “We are really good at stubbing our toe.” And those mental errors are what is keeping the Irish from closing out games, when they’ve had the majority of the momentum, the same way that they started them.

While the Irish are tied for 13th out of 120 FBS teams in the nation in penalties per game with 4.5, they are ranked 71st in the nation, giving away an average of 1.7 fumbles per game and are tied with 22 other teams for 60th in the nation, giving up 1 interception per game. And while giving up an average of 2.7 turnovers per game won’t kill a team that’s firing on all cylinders, the Irish can’t afford these costly turnovers, especially when they occur at the most inopportune times. Even though Notre Dame failed to turn over the ball against Pittsburgh, that kind of mistake-free football has been the exception this season.

On the defensive side of the ball, while they are playing fairly solid, the Irish have been particularly prone to giving up one or two big plays per game. Against Pittsburgh, they gave up a long touchdown reception to Jonathan Baldwin and a long rushing touchdown to Ray Graham. Even though those two plays didn’t affect the outcome (after all, Notre Dame won), big plays have been the factor in close losses earlier in the season—a particularly long run by Denard Robinson early in the game against Michigan, and the game-winning fake field goal by Michigan State come immediately to mind.

Can the Irish offense avoid mental errors to help sustain productive drives? Can the defense continue to play tough while also minimizing their big play vulnerability?

Helping or Hurting?

As Notre Dame heads into a three game stretch of less-than-average opponents, one question that Brian Kelly will have to answer is whether or not to risk sitting some key players through the next game or two to rest up and heal for their games against Utah and USC or have those players continue to play with nagging injuries in order to foster some sort of cohesion and attempt to establish consistency with their presence.

The most notable injuries are to right guard Taylor Dever and tight ends Kyle Rudolph and Tyler Eifert. While Kyle Rudolph at 75% is still better than most tight ends in the country, as the Irish face Utah and USC, a healthy Kyle Rudolph could go a long way toward giving Dayne Crist another deep threat along with Michael Floyd, something that the Irish have not gotten out of Rudolph in his limited capacity. Additionally, if Tyler Eifert can heal up, he will provide some much-needed depth at the tight end position where Mike Ragone, who hasn’t played a significant amount this season, has struggled in limited action. Finally, if Taylor Dever can get back to full strength, Zack Martin can move back to the left tackle position to protect Crist’s blindside.

With the next three opponents, does Brian Kelly sit some ailing players in an effort to get back to full strength later in the season, or does he try to play some of these players in hopes of establishing some sort of consistency and rhythm that will hopefully continue through the end of the year?

Beggars Can’t Be Choosers

After the game against Pittsburgh, Brian Kelly made it clear that the Irish are in no position to be worried about “style points” when it comes to winning games. For him, winning is enough right now, no matter how.

“It’s not a beauty contest yet for us. It’s certainly not that. But my job is to get Notre Dame to win football games and we’re starting to do that,” Kelly said.

But, after some Notre Dame fans had their annual meltdown after the loss to Stanford, should Irish fans be worried about style points? Is a win enough or does it matter how the Irish win? As the Irish plan to face Western Michigan, Navy, and Tulsa before Utah on November 13th, if it’s style points that some Irish fans want, it’s possible that the next three games could be the best opportunity. However, if Kelly decides to face the next three contests without the players with nagging injuries, can Irish fans cope with winning in ho-hum fashion?

Right now, wins are more important to this team’s psyche and overall development than “style points.” And if the Irish can continue to win through the next three games leading into the game against Utah, extending the win streak to five in a row, style points should be the last thing on fan’s minds.

As my dad always said, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Similar Posts:

• Evaluating the Irish: Boston College Eagles
• Evaluating the Irish: Tulsa Golden Hurricane
• Evaluating the Irish: Navy Midshipmen

This article is © 2007-2012 by De Veritate, LLC and was originally published at Clashmore Mike. This article may not be copied, distributed, or transmitted without attribution. Additionally, you may not use this article for commercial purposes or to generate derivative works without explicit written permission. Please contact us if you wish to license this content for your own use.

Sure, the Irish were fairly dominating against a hapless Boston College squad, but reservations remain as the team wasn’t especially spectacular in their victory. While the defense played a great game, it should also be remembered that the Eagle’s offense doesn’t exactly have the same amount of production and “wow factor” that the upcoming offenses possess.

Additionally, while the Irish offense managed to score 31 points, it was a fairly inconsistent performance from a squad that is still learning the intracacies of Kelly’s offensive philosophy. Until the entire team can progress to that elite level that everyone associated with the program expects—fans, coaches, and players included—it’s clear that the identity of this team going forward is that they are a jack-of-all-trades. They do many things proficiently and few things spectacularly.

As Dayne Crist progresses, so does the offense.

It’s tough to nail the inconsistencies of any unit, offense or defense, to one particular player. But, in Brian Kelly’s offensive scheme, production stems from Dayne Crist’s continued ability to progress in his understanding of the offense and the role of the quarterback in that offense. And while Crist has shown flashes of brilliance, he has also been fairly inconsistent through five games, often times having a great offensive series followed by a three-and-out. Additionally, his ability to recognize opposing defensive schemes and counter those schemes has taken on the same personality.

While the offense started the game at an extrmely rapid and productive pace, scoring on three of the first four drives of the game, it subsequently regressed—turning in an underwhelming performance throughout the rest of the game which saw the Irish produce points on only two of their final 13 drives (which also included two fumbles and an interception). And Kelly understands the need for continued determination to turn Crist from a pro-style quarterback into the spread-style variety that Kelly’s offense needs:

“We’ve begun to build on that process of developing him as a spread quarterback. He’s not there, yet. But he’s developing. He’s showing signs, and I think we’re going to get better each and every week with him.”

And while Notre Dame’s remaining schedule is positioned to ease up a bit, there are still a few teams in Pittsburgh, Utah, and Southern California that will look spoil any confidence that the Irish offense has or will gain from playing teams like Western Michigan, Tulsa, and Army. As it is with multiple underperforming areas of this current Irish team, the quicker the offensive unit can gel to produce a cohesive, competent attack, the better. Unfortunately, that progression will rest on Crist.

Pulling the ol’ switcheroo…

While it’s obvious that Boston College’s offense wasn’t exactly a stellar unit heading into Saturday’s game, the defense, which has traditionally been the weaker unit of the Irish team, turned out to be its strength. Good for a ranking of 103rd in the nation, Notre Dame’s defense was giving up an average of 433.75 yards per game before their outing on Saturday evening. However, following their contest with Boston College, the Irish rushing defense, which was fairly pedestrian against Stanford a week earlier, turned in a spectacular performance that allowed the Eagles to accumulate only five total yards on the ground.

Just like last week, when Notre Dame’s poor showing on defense was, in large part, due to the fact that Stanford’s offense was among the best in the nation, it’s important to remember this week that Boston College’s offense is certainly not their strongest asset and contributed in large part to how dominant Notre Dame’s defense was on Saturday. However, if Notre Dame can continue to progress in proper defensive fundamentals, the unit, which has played spectacularly at times this season, could turn out to be a pleasant surprise when the Irish take on more compentent offensive units in the future.

A problem of miscommunication.

In a recent article on Clashmore Mike, there was a comment regarding Notre Dame’s football team seeming contradiction of the “5-minute plan” that Kelly professed when he was hired as the new coach at Notre Dame. When pressed with the thought of “rebuilding” a team, Kelly responded,

“We don’t get a five-year plan. This is a five-minute plan. We’ve got to do it right away.”

This excited most Irish fans. Instead of having a coach who insists that building a program takes time and patience, Kelly had a different mindset. But, what exactly does this “5-minute plan” entail, and why, when Notre Dame turned in a sub-par performance against Stanford, are Irish supporters so quick to point out Kelly’s self-professed plan? And does this win against Boston College aleviate these concerns?

Simply put, Kelly’s notion of a 5-minute plan is based on the fact that, at Notre Dame, people expect results right away and in no way is this sentiment more apparent than the outrage by fans following Notre Dame’s somewhat embarassing loss to Stanford. But what would Irish fans rather have: temporary success that satisfies immediate needs for a skilled football team, but sub-standard performances throughout the rest of the coach’s tenure (see Willingham, Tyrone and Weis, Charles) or a natural and steady progression of fundamentals, technique, and the ability to consistently win that puts more emphasis on sustained success (Holtz)?

In an ironical contradiction, some Irish fans who were so upset with Notre Dame for firing Ty Willingham after three seasons, citing a lack of patience to produce results on the field, have been vocally displeased with the first five games of Kelly’s inaugural season. Those fans would have a semi-legitimate foundation for their argument if it had been clear over the past five games that the Irish weren’t becoming more competent in nearly every aspect of their play. And while the next seven games will be a better indicator of the overall direction of this program than the previous five, I think Brian Kelly will prove many people wrong.

In the meantime, give the guy a break.

Similar Posts:

• Evaluating the Irish: Navy Midshipmen
• Evaluating the Irish: Stanford Cardinal
• Evaluating the Irish: Purdue Boilermakers

This article is © 2007-2012 by De Veritate, LLC and was originally published at Clashmore Mike. This article may not be copied, distributed, or transmitted without attribution. Additionally, you may not use this article for commercial purposes or to generate derivative works without explicit written permission. Please contact us if you wish to license this content for your own use.

Dating back to the beginning of November of 2009, the Irish are an astonishing 1-8. In those 8 losses, Saturday’s loss to Stanford was, by far, the largest margin of victory for an Irish opponent, as the Stanford Cardinal beat the Irish by 23 points. Excluding the loss to Stanford, the average point discrepancy is only 3.4 points. So what’s more difficult for the team, losing a close, hard-fought game or losing by a larger margin?

Looking back on the game against Jim Harbaugh’s squad, there’s plenty of blame to be spread around as to why the Irish had such an anemic showing. But the mistakes by Notre Dame, on both offense and defense, are nothing new for the Irish. They are mistakes that will continue to plague the Irish unless Brian Kelly and his coaching staff can foster some sort of growth and maturity over the remainder of the season.

It’s time for an offensive reality check.

The biggest eye-opener for the people tuning in and attending the game on Saturday was that the Irish offense is a very rough unit. For those that forgot or chose to overlook the details, Saturday was a good reminder that the offensive line is breaking in three new starters. The Stanford defense, who oftentimes only chose put three or four defensive lineman on field, was consistently generating pressure on the still-green Dayne Crist by causing fumbles, registering sacks, and driving Crist to the turf. And while coming into the game the Stanford defense was among the nation’s best in pass defense, it was painfully obvious that Dayne Crist is still maturing.

Following Saturday’s game, Stanford’s defense ranks 16th in the nation in opponent yards per game and nowhere was that defensive dominance more apparent on Saturday than against Notre Dame’s rushing attack. Stanford held Notre Dame to 44 yards on 23 rushing attempts for an average of 1.9 yards per carry. A stark contrast to the Irish average coming into Saturday’s game: 4.2 yards per carry. Comparing those statistics, it’s no wonder that Notre Dame’s offense struggled to produce meaningful drives.

For those who thought that Brian Kelly’s explosive offense from Cincinnati would translate into similar production at Notre Dame, Saturday was a rude awakening. This offense has enough weapons to be explosive. Kyle Rudolph, Michael Floyd, and Theo Riddick are all capable receivers and Armando Allen is a more than capable running back, but that doesn’t overshadow the fact that Dayne Crist was making his fourth start on Saturday and the Irish are breaking in three new starting offensive linemen.

Throughout the rest of the season, the primary indicator of growth and development on the offensive side of the ball will be consistency. Dayne Crist has the skills and physical attributes to be a great quarterback, but his command of the game has been inconsistent through the first four games of the season. If the offense can begin to eliminate mental mistakes, not only turnovers, but incorrect defensive coverage recognition and poor blocking, then they can begin to be the explosive unit that Kelly’s offense is known for.

You can’t help those who don’t help themselves.

The past three games have been really difficult on Notre Dame’s defense. Against Michigan, Michigan State, and Stanford, it has been painfully obvious that toward the end of games, the Irish defense has unfortunately received the majority of the playing time. In no case was that more apparent than when the defense tried to stop Stanford’s high-ranking offense.

Coming into the game on Saturday, Stanford’s Andrew Luck was a Heisman front-runner. He had completed 10 touchdown passes with no interceptions in the three games leading up to the showdown at Notre Dame Stadium. The bright spot on the afternoon was that the Irish defense was capable of disturbing Luck’s rhythm and forced two interceptions. However, toward the end of the 3rd quarter, Stanford finally decided to adopt a run-oriented offense. This isn’t anything new. Stanford just took a cue from Michigan State who did the same thing and wore down the Irish defense late in the game, which proved to be the straw which broke the back of the unit.

The unfortunate conclusion drawn from the way the defense played against Stanford is that, like the Irish offense, the defense played with little consistency, with one notable exception—Manti Te’o. Te’o had the game of his career thus far, tallying 21 tackles. However, the rest of the Notre Dame defense could do little match Te’o's production. Throughout the entire game, Notre Dame’s defense forced the Cardinal offense to punt only once. The more frustrating factor about that statistic is that the Notre Dame defense had consistently forced Stanford’s offense into 3rd-and-long situations all day, which Stanford regularly converted.

Additionally, Notre Dame’s defense had a horrible day keeping the Stanford offense from scoring, once they got into the red zone. Stanford was a perfect seven of seven in the red zone on Saturday, scoring two touchdowns and five field goals. While it’s somewhat good news that the Irish only gave up two touchdowns in the red zone, that statistic is grossly overshadowed by the fact that the defense shouldn’t have let the Stanford offense into the red zone that many times.

It’s time for a heart to heart conversation.

It seems like, for the past several seasons, there’s been a turning point in which Irish fans need to recalibrate their expectations for the team. This season, it feels like that point is now. Many people, including ESPN personality Mark May, expected this team to do very well this season. However, it’s painfully obvious that the team isn’t living up to those expectations like we had hoped. The most excruciating aspect of the situation in which Notre Dame finds itself is that it’s not too far away from actually living up to those expectations. This team is a few plays away from being 3-1 and only a few mental errors away from being 4-0.

The dominant characteristic plaguing this current Irish squad is the same force that pushed last year’s team to a sub-standard 6-6 final record—consistency. If the Irish are no longer “hanging their hats” on tough, energetic performances, the next step to achieving success is consistency. Unfortunately for Irish fans, consistency is something that takes time. It’s not easily implemented in a week of practice. However, consistency on offense, defense, and special teams will be a better indicator of the maturity of this team than wins and losses. But all is not lost. It’s not time to start looking ahead to next season.

At his press conference following the Stanford game, Brian Kelly relayed the same sentiment.

“There’s going to be a lot of 1-3 football teams across the country. Some are going to finish 1-11, some of going to be 8 or 9-3. It’s what you decide to do from here on out.”

Next week against Boston College will be as good an indicator as any which direction the football team wishes to take this season. But, one thing is certain, for the Irish to achieve the goals that they have set for themselves, consistency will be paramount to getting them there. If nothing else, Saturday’s loss to Stanford proved just that.

Similar Posts:

• Evaluating the Irish: Michigan Wolverines
• Evaluating the Irish: Boston College Eagles
• Statistically Speaking: Notre Dame vs. Stanford

This article is © 2007-2012 by De Veritate, LLC and was originally published at Clashmore Mike. This article may not be copied, distributed, or transmitted without attribution. Additionally, you may not use this article for commercial purposes or to generate derivative works without explicit written permission. Please contact us if you wish to license this content for your own use.

The loss to Michigan State might not have as profound an impact on Brian Kelly or the team as the other losses since 1988, but it stings nonetheless. This loss was so shocking because it proved the poor performance against Michigan was no fluke. Sure the team struggled, but at least they were playing with passion and enthusiasm, right? However, as Brian Kelly pointed out last week, that simply isn’t enough:

“So you showed me that you’re going to play hard, that you’re going to fight. That’s a great dynamic to have in a football team, but that’s not the end-all…”

Part of me hoped that the Irish could get their act together in time to play the Spartans. Part of me hoped that Michigan was better than the rest of the nation gave them credit for and that, over time, Notre Dame would look good for coming back before losing to them. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

It’s easy when a team is winning on a consistent basis to mention things that they’re doing great or nit-pick on things they could do better. But, as the Irish are currently struggling with a variety of things that take longer than a week of hard practice to correct, it would be useless for me to continue to list them week after week. The fact is that there aren’t many things that the Irish struggled with in this game that they didn’t against Michigan.

It’s tough to beat an opponent when you’re busy beating yourself.

The most frustrating thing about Notre Dame’s performance against Michigan State is that they had every opportunity to win. However, it’s tough to beat any opponent when you’re constantly beating yourself. One of the conclusions that most people were drawing from the Irish victory over Purdue is that it felt as though most of the technical difficulties and mental mistakes that hindered this team in seasons past seemed like they were being corrected under Brian Kelly. Now that two more games have passed, it seems as though that may not necessarily be the case. However, the problem is two-fold.

First,  for their current conditioning levels, the defense is on the field too much during the course of a game. Brian Kelly’s offense is designed to score quickly, often times employing a no-huddle offense which creates a sense of urgency in the offense and the opposing defense. However, the flip side is that it means that the Irish defense spends an inordinate amount of time on the field.

Last season at Cincinnati, Brian Kelly’s offense ranked 119th out of 120 FBS schools in time-of-possession with an average of 25:20 minutes a game. Through three games, the Irish are averaging just 25:27 minutes a game, improving on the numbers that Kelly’s team put up last season by only 7 seconds. Under normal circumstances this wouldn’t be a problem. However, Notre Dame’s defensive depth chart—primarily the secondary—is depleted with injuries which means that players like Harrison Smith and Zeke Motta (who is starting for the still hobbled Jamoris Slaughter) are playing nearly every down on defense.

What does this mean for the defense? Simply put, the Irish defense still isn’t conditioned to be on the field that long and there isn’t the depth to rotate in a fresh group when needed. So, as the game winds on and teams decide to run the ball on the winded Irish defense, the players resort to energy-saving tackling techniques instead of wrapping up opponents and driving them to the turf. This is exactly what plagued the Irish against Michigan State as the Spartans ran the ball a total of 43 times and gained 203 yards on the ground.

Second, the offense is making too many mental mistakes, consistently turning the ball over in crucial situations. Against Michigan State, the Irish turned the ball over 3 times (2 fumbles lost, 1 interception). Michael Floyd caught two touchdown passes against Michigan State, bringing his touchdown-to-fumble ratio for the season to 2-2. Through the first three games of the season, the Irish defense ranks 83rd in the nation in passing yards yielded with an average of 246 yards-per-game and 82nd in the nation in rushing yards yielded with an average of 197.7 yards per game, which makes them ranked 99th in the nation for total yards allowed with an average of 443.7 yards per game. Those numbers are undoubtedly exacerbated by the mental errors on offense, causing the defense to be on the field much longer than they should.

Is the defense really this bad, or is the depleted depth chart, the lack of conditioning, and the mental errors by the offense making an already poor situation worse? This is something that will be a true indicator of Coach Kelly and defensive coordinator Bob Diaco’s ability to develop talent and eliminate mental break downs on defense as well as strength and conditioning coach Paul Longo’s ability to continue to develop the player’s endurance.

Brian Kelly might not be that different from Charlie Weis.

Throughout his tenure, Charlie Weis was known for being somewhat reckless with his play calling. There were a number of times that he would go for a fourth down conversion when conventional wisdom would say kick a field goal or pin the opposing offense deep in their own territory with a well-placed punt.

When Brian Kelly was hired as the head football coach at Notre Dame, most people thought, just like in the past, Notre Dame had hired a coach with a starkly different mentality from the previous coach. Three games into the season, and there is already a growing body of evidence that perhaps Brian Kelly is as “reckless” in his play calling on fourth down situations as Charlie Weis was.

Against Michigan State, Brian Kelly elected to try a fourth down conversion on Notre Dame’s own 44-yard line with just over six minutes to play in the 4th quarter with the game tied. And for the second week in a row, Brian Kelly has stood by his decision:

“We had what I felt was a high-percentage opportunity. We just didn’t get it done. If I had to do it all over again…I would have done it again.”

There will be continued debate this week, just as there was last week when Kelly chose to go for a touchdown at the end of the first half against Michigan instead of kicking a high-percentage field goal, regarding whether Kelly should have elected to punt the ball and play defense or try the fourth down conversion. But the toughest thing to overcome is the reality that Kelly’s thought process in those situations isn’t much different than Weis.

There’s a bad moon on the rise.

Over the next three weeks, Notre Dame will face Stanford, Boston College, and Pittsburgh—arguably better foes than the previous three for the Irish. The common thought is that Notre Dame will struggle against the next three opponents. However, if the previous three games taught us anything, it’s that there aren’t many things keeping the Irish from being a good team. They lost their previous two games by no more than seven points each and both near the end of the game. Like I said last week, it’s common for Irish fans to look for the “silver lining” in each loss. Rather than demanding success on a weekly basis, we’ve grown accustomed to sub-par efforts and we’ve trained ourselves to look for some sign of progression. Unfortunately, with the items mentioned above, there’s not going to be a quick fix. These things will take time.

As has been mentioned several times, the first year of a coach’s tenure doesn’t necessarily correlate to the future. The obvious examples are Ty Willingham, who had a remarkable first season followed by unremarkable disappointment, and Lou Holtz, who had a lackluster inaugural campaign but ultimately went on to have a historic career.

So to say that Brian Kelly’s “seat” is starting to heat up is simply not the case. Sure, given his success as a head coach at his previous stops, the beginning of this particular season is a tough pill to swallow. But it goes without saying that building a consistently successful program, the type of program that every Irish fan wants, takes time. And if it’s obvious that the Irish are continuing to improve throughout the season on the areas noted above, time is something that Kelly will have a lot of.

I’d much rather have a season of growth and development now if it means sustained success in the years to come. It’s not settling for mediocrity. Rather, it’s an understanding that perfection takes time.

And in that, I have a feeling I’m not alone.

Similar Posts:

• Evaluating the Irish: Boston College Eagles
• Evaluating the Irish: Michigan Wolverines
• Evaluating the Irish: Act II

This article is © 2007-2012 by De Veritate, LLC and was originally published at Clashmore Mike. This article may not be copied, distributed, or transmitted without attribution. Additionally, you may not use this article for commercial purposes or to generate derivative works without explicit written permission. Please contact us if you wish to license this content for your own use.