Notre Dame Football

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

So I haven't Kept this Up to Date

But, the Irish are 4-1. The Offense looks great. If we could have finished off that MSU game, there's no telling how crazy the buzz would be around ND Football.

The Defense will be tested next week as the Irish take on the high powered offense of the Trojans.

Charlie's got an extra week to prep, plus the week leading up to the game is October break, so no classes. Things are in place for the upset.

I called it at the beginning of the year: ND will beat USC, and I feel more confident than ever about that now.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

ND 42 Pitt 21

Back from Pittsburgh and a spectacular victory for the Irish in their opener. What a difference a coach makes. While Ty blew an 11 point fourth quarter lead to Air Force, Weis lead the Irish to an impressive 35-13 half time lead that they would not reliquish. My thoughts on the game:

Play Calling: For the first time in many years, it wa difficult to guess what play was going to be run. It was a good mix of run and pass.

Offense: A nice balanced attack. Quinn looked good and recovered well from that early INT. Walker hit the 100 yd mark. I expected more, but Quinn and Powers-Neal each ran for 40+. And in typical Patriot fashion, 7 different players caught passes. Notre Dame had 6 possesions in the first and scored 5 TD and had 1 pick. I'll take those types of numbers all year.

Defense: The defense gave up 323 yards, had 2 turnovers and sacked the QB 5 times. However, they did not seem to be getting a great pass rush. The IRish got burned deep once for a TD, but seemed to be holding PIttsburgh highly rated passing attack to the underneath passes and then making sure tackles.

Special Teams: Zbikowski had 1 punt return for 23 yards and Hoskins had a nice 24 yard kick return. We didn't get to see much of the special teams play in the first half. Our punting and kick offs need some work.

Next Week: A tough matchup as the Irish go ont he road to play Michigan. This is a team they can beat. If the offense clicks like it did last week, and the defense can step it up a bit, this could be an Irish victory. Pressure on the QB and some stepped up DB play will be key.

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Let The Season Begin

The 2005 Football Season is upon us. The Charlie Weis era officially begins Saturday. Check back here often for my thoughts on the team and the games. Also, I will be posting a weekly prediction contest.