Breaking News: Charlie Weis Out as Head Coach

Perhaps the worst kept secret in sports over the past week or two, Charlie Weis will not coach a sixth season under the Golden Dome. Weis finishes with a worse winning percentage than both Bob Davie and Tyrone Willingham, he also dropped his final ten games against ranked opponents.

No real news on the front of who will replace Charlie next season, there have been strong speculations that Bob Stoops of Oklahoma is interested in the job while Brian Kelly of Cincinnati claims he would walk from Cincy to South Bend for the job. Then there are the hopes of a fanbase that for some unforeseen reason Urban Meyer would leave his post at Florida.

Students and staff of the University were notified by e-mail of the firing, you can read the official release just below. A press conference is scheduled for later today in South Bend where Rob Ianello will be introduced as the interim coach and Jack Swarbrick will address the media. More to come here at Domer Sports Report as news breaks, we'll have instant reaction throughout.


Official News Release:

Weis will not be retained as Notre Dame football coach

University of Notre Dame head football coach Charlie Weis will not be retained, University director of athletics Jack Swarbrick announced today (Nov. 30).

“We have great expectations for our football program, and we have not been able to meet those expectations,” Swarbrick said. “As an alumnus, Charlie understands those goals and expectations better than most, and he’s as disappointed as anyone that we have not achieved the desired results.”

Swarbrick recommended the dismissal Sunday night to Notre Dame’s president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.

“We have established an evaluation process for all of our athletic programs that, in the end, results in a recommendation from Jack to me,” Father Jenkins said. “I accepted Jack’s decision and look forward to working with him on selecting a new head football coach who is the very best choice possible for the University and especially for our student-athletes.

“I am most appreciative to Coach Weis for his service to Notre Dame and our community. He and his family have my prayers and best wishes.”

Weis spent five seasons as Irish head coach from 2005-09, with his teams achieving consecutive records of 9-3 (Fiesta Bowl appearance) in ’05, 10-3 (Sugar Bowl appearance), 3-9, 7-6 (Hawai’i Bowl victory) and 6-6 in ’09 – for an overall 35-27 mark.

Swarbrick announced that Rob Ianello, the Irish assistant head coach/offense, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator, will assume responsibility for football operations until a new coach is hired. Ianello has spent the past five seasons on the Notre Dame staff and previously was part of football staffs at Wisconsin (1990-93, 2003-04), Arizona (1994-2002) and Alabama (1987-89).

Saturday Showdown: USC Comes A-Calling!

We circled October 17th on our calendars immediately following Notre Dame's thrashing of Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl last Christmas. Saturday is the day that Irish fans have been looking forward to all season, a day we will learn just how far Charlie Weis and his crew have progressed.

Everyone is aware that Notre Dame has dropped 7 in a row to Pete Carroll's USC Trojans, only being within striking distance late once in those games. A year ago the Irish dropped a 38-3 contest in the Los Angeles Coliseum, a game Notre Dame didn't pick up a first down until the second half. All signs point to the Irish getting prepared to get run out of their own building, right?

Notre Dame sits as a ten point underdog as I write this, that down a bit from the nearly two touchdown spread the game opened up as earlier in the week. How big of an obsticle stands in the way of an Irish victory on Saturday?

Notre Dame Defense vs. USC Offense:

We all know the struggles the Irish defense has had this season, stopping the run will be the biggest concern on Saturday. The Irish rank in at 100th overall in team defense, allowing 403 yards per game. On top of that they have been giving up 29.75 points per game since shutting out Nevada in week one.

USC brings a very strong running team to South Bend, averaging 208 yards on the ground per game so far (good for 17th best in the nation). Matt Barkley, despite being a freshman has been no slouch, putting up 958 pass yards in his four starts this season. The only game he missed was on the road against Washington, the only game USC has lost so far this year.

Barkley has led USC to a come from behind victory in Ohio State this year, a game that kept USC unbeaten at the time. Barkley has gone 63/107 this year with three touchdown passes and two picks.

Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford lead the USC running game that has been the USC bread and butter this year. McKnight has scored six touchdowns while going for 473 yards, Bradford also has a touchdown and 183 yards on the ground this year. The biggest thing for Notre Dame will be slowing down USC on the ground this week, if they can't do that then this will not be much of a game.

The Trojans are also no slouch throwing the ball, putting up 222 yards per game through the air. Barkley will look to Damian Williams as his go-to guy, Williams has 24 receptions for 359 yards and a score this year. Joe McKnight often catches passes out of the backfield and USC will use Stanley Havili with regularity as well.

I am aware how bad the Irish pass defense will be but Pete Carroll is smart enough to make sure the Trojans use their strong point, not only the Irish weakness. Slow down the run and Notre Dame will be in business, I will take my chances against a freshman quarterback on the road (even if he has already won in Ohio State this year).

Right now Kyle McCarthy leads the Irish with 49 tackles. Part of it is the scheme, sure, but if he leads Notre Dame in tackles on Saturday it will mean USC running backs are constantly getting to the second level and picking up 4 or 5 yards with regularity. If Kyle McCarthy leads Notre Dame in tackles by a wide margain on Saturday, the Irish will be in bad shape.

Notre Dame Offense vs. USC Defense

This is where the flash of the game will be seen. Notre Dame's high powered offensive attack with the punishing defense of USC. Can Charlie Weis crack USC? The Trojans bring a team full of superstars on defense, the Irish will not be able to score with quite the same ease we have seen them do so far this year.

USC has allowed just 238 yards a game this season, over 150 yards less than the Irish have surrendered. The Trojans don't lack talent star-power on defense, even in a year after they lost the likes of Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews, and Rey Maualuga who are now getting great playing time on NFL rosters. Despite that this defense is still superb.

We have all heard of Taylor Mays by now, the star safety has 28 tackles and an interception for USC but what other stars do we have to be on the lookout for this Saturday?

Nick Perry leads USC with 6 sacks, the defensive end is having a standout season for the Men of Troy. On the other end Everson Griffen has added 4 sacks and 17 tackels total. Linebacker Michael Morgan has 9.5 tackles for loss which is good enough for 7th best in the entire nation.

We all know what Notre Dame has done with the football this year, whether its Jimmy Clausen's hopeful Heisman Trophy run or the new-found running game that has escaped the Irish for some time now.

Notre Dame doesn't have the same advantage in one-on-one matchups against USC like they have had against most of their opponents this season. USC has a star-studded field on defense and Charlie Weis has his work cut out to try and figure out a way to put up enough points on a team that has only allowed 3 touchdowns all season.

I expect to see some Wildcat formation this weekend but don't expect it anywhere near as often as we saw against Purdue. The Irish may try and get to the line quickly and shift to this set, just to try and create confusion with USC.

The jist of Notre Dame's offense will be in finding Armando Allen through the air and Golden Tate on shorter routes, giving him a chance to catch the ball on the run. USC has better tacklers than Washington had two weeks ago but this will very likely be the best chance the Irish have to put together scoring drives, find the teams biggest playmaker and find him enough to open up the threat of Kyle Rudolph.

Prediction Time:

This is a huge game for both teams, if USC can run the table they may have a chance to still play for a national title. Notre Dame is looking to get back to the BCS for the first time since 2006, this win would put them in great position to do just that.

It won't be easy, I don't suspect a shootout either. Notre Dame will change their defense to try and force the Trojans to throw more and beat ND through the air. I don't expect Jimmy Clausen to have a great game, simply because almost nobody would at the collegiate level against this USC defense.

Logic tells me that until Notre Dame can stop someone, they won't be able to compete with best teams in the nation. My heart tells me this is the week Jon Tenuta steps up the scheme and figures out a way to slow the Trojan running game and Charlie Weis finds holes up and down the Trojan defense and ND wins going away.

As much as I hate to, I have to go against my heart...

Nick (4-1) Says: USC 31 Notre Dame 14

Mark (4-1)Says: USC 27 Notre Dame 17

Return to Relevance for Notre Dame/Michigan Rivalry

Both Notre Dame and Michigan started their seasons on the right foot this past Saturday with home blowout victories. The Irish defeated Nevada 35-0 while Michigan blew out Western Michigan 31-7 in week one. Both teams started on the right foot in seasons they hope to turn heads and regain national respect on the football field.

Michigan is powered by a two headed monster at quarterback between Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson, both freshman who were brought to Michigan by Rich Rodriguez. Forcier is the throwing quarterback (13/20, 179 yds, 3 TD vs WMU) while Robinson is in as a run-first threat (2/4 for 18 yards passing, 11 rushes for 74 and a touchdown vs WMU). Both quarterbacks are freshman and didn't see pressure from Western Michigan like they will see from Jon Tenuta and the Notre Dame defense this Saturday. Because of this added pressure and inexperience at the D-1 level I fully expect to see multiple turnovers by this combo on Saturday, I also don't expect to see Robinson be quite the threat he was against Western Michigan just because the overall speed of Notre Dame's defense isn't even comparable to WMU's. Nick Sheridan should also see time for Michigan at some point but don't expect much put on him.

The target of choice for Forcier will be Junior Hemingway who took in five receptions for 103 yards and two scores this past weekend. Kevin Koger was responsible for the other touchdown reception for the Wolverines on Saturday.

In the passing game don't expect Michigan to be throwing deep like they did on Western Michigan. The speed of the secondary (or lack there of) allowed Michigan to throw deep with much success this past weekend, however watching the ball that Forcier throws it still takes a while to get to his WR's. Quicker safeties and corners will feast on Forcier all season if this continues to be the game plan of the Wolverines. Expect Michigan to throw into the flats and over the middle of the field Saturday, I can promise Notre Dame won't be getting beat on the deepball against Michigan.

Carlos Brown has emerged as the biggest running threat for Michigan early this year, he had 10 carries for 54 yards last week, also pulled in a catch for 14 yards. Brown has come on strong for Michigan after getting only 35 touches in all of 2008. Kevin Grady and Michael Shaw will also get touches out of the backfield for Michigan.

Michigan's offense will be to try and attack Notre Dame up the middle due to the amount of yards Notre Dame gave up there a week ago (Vai Taun 114 yards on 18 carries). Part of that was due to the amount and style of blitzing ND was doing, the other part is likely that this part of the defense isn't its strong suit.

The Wolverines will also attempt to the quick hitters to receivers because of the blitzing by Notre Dame. Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson will have to think a lot more on the fly than they had to a week ago against WMU a week ago, for that it plays into Notre Dame's favor. As long as the Irish keep contain when Robinson is in the game I am not terribly scared of his legs and would love to see him have to throw the football.

How Notre Dame will Attack on Offense:
Michigan's secondary was responsible for two interceptions a week ago and held the pass heavy Broncos to 263 passing yards a week ago (73 were on one play, late in the game). Charlie Weis and company know that the Irish's strong point is their passing game, especially after seeing what Jimmy Clausen was able to do with Michael Floyd a week ago.

Michael Floyd will attract extra defenders coming off his huge performance in week one, I expect the Irish to use Golden Tate in a bigger role this week. We should see routes where Tate uses his speed and awareness to catch the ball on shorter passes while in full stride. The Irish will try and get these plays towards Tate to go for big yardage, hoping Michigan will then have to lay off of Floyd a bit.

Also by getting Tate to run shorter routes over the middle it will cause a movement in linebackers, expect to see a miscommunication at least once that allows for Kyle Rudolph to get big yardage on a play. The Notre Dame passing game is downright scary and we will see that shown again this week.

The only thing that scares me this week is that Michigan was great against the run a week ago as WMU only put up 38 yards on 24 attempts (1.6 ypc). Notre Dame won't be this bad running the ball but I'm not expecting the running game to be a game breaker, either. James Aldridge is out and Robert Hughes will play in his spot at fullback on Saturday. Expect the Irish to run many screens and Armando Allen and Jonas Gray, this to try and free up space later in the game between the tackles.

To me Notre Dame has too much experience matched with talent to fall against Michigan this weekend. You can tell in watching the Wolverines that they will have moments in the sun in 2009 but they will have growing pains along the way. The overall youth of this team will cost them some games this season but they are headed in the right direction, no question about it.

Domer Sports Report Predictions:
Nick (1-0): Notre Dame 35 Michigan 20
Mark (1-0): Notre Dame 24 Michigan 14
Brian (1-0): Notre Dame 38 Michigan 21
Steven (1-0): Notre Dame 27 Michigan 14

Go Irish, Beat Skunkbears!

Nick Shepkowski works as a producer at 670 The Score in Chicago as well as a co-host of the Big Ten Network Football Podcast (right column on link). Random ND Fandom Fact: Nick has seen three ND/Michigan football games (2004, 2006, 2008) and the Irish are 2-1, he will not be in attendance on Saturday.

Notre Dame Vs. Nevada - Opening Weekend in South Bend

Written By:
Nick Shepkowski

Finally. It's as simple as that for not only Notre Dame but college football fans in general. This Thursday offers an appetizer to opening weekend with Saturday being the full course meal. The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame start their campaign with a 3:30 EDT kickoff against the University of Nevada in South Bend.

It is the first meeting between the two schools, for those unfamiliar Nevada had an electric 2008 where they went to their fourth straight bowl game with an appearance in last season's Humanitarian Bowl against Maryland.

To know the Wolfpack, you must know their quarterback, Colin Kaepernick who alone was responsbile for supplying the Wolfpack with just under 4000 total yards a year ago, 11oo of those yards came on the ground. Kaepernick is the first of several mobile quarterbacks the Irish will face in 2009 but he also could very easily be the best of the mobile ones. Also helping in the running game will be Luke Lippincott who missed all of 2008 with a leg injury, he did however put up 1420 rushing yards in 2007 to lead the Wolfpack.

Kaepernick and Lippincott will line up together in the pistol formation which allows the quarterback to receive the snap quicker than in the regular shotgun set. As a result the defense must react quicker to things and because of the proximity to the line of scrimmage often times play action and counters set themselves up in this formation.

Throwing the ball Kaepernick put up 2849 yards a year ago while tossing 22 touchdowns to only 7 interceptions. Some good news for the Irish comes with the fact that Kaepernick's two favorite targets from a year ago have graduated leaving the Wolfpack with many questions in the passing game, don't expect Nevada to try much of passing until they are absolutely forced to.

I expect to see the Irish come out playing their base 3-4 defense with the defensive backs in straight man-to-man coverage until they are proven incapable of doing so. The talent differential in the passing game both ways tilt to the Irish, expect Corwin Brown and John Tenuta to do everything they can to get Nevada to have to pass the football. Man defense with an extra man sneaking in towards the line of scrimmage is an excellent way to do just that.

Defensively the Wolfpack have their issues, especially in defending against the pass where they had the worst pass defense in college football last season, allowing 311 yards through the air per contest. If you are wondering, Central Michigan had the second worst pass defense statistically as they allowed 287 yards a game, a whopping 24 yards less than the Wolfpack. Nevada wasn't bad against the pass last year, they were downright awful.

You know what that means...Jimmy Clausen, find your targets and get ready to feast, right? The last time Clausen was seen in actual game action he was busy carving a WAC defense and having a career afternoon in the Hawaii Bowl. That should be the case again here but I am not sure how much the Irish will want to have to use the aerial attack in the Nevada game.

Don't get me wrong, Notre Dame has more talent than Nevada and will be able to score at will through the air. I do feel that Charlie Weis and company will be interested in trying to establish a running game early on. Imagine what Clausen and Co. would be able to do if a running game is established and Nevada begins to even hint at slowing it down, the Irish will then attack over top.

I fully expect Notre Dame to come out running and see what they have going on in the running game. Will the Irish be able to run the ball down the throats of Nevada? We shall see in time but keep this in the back of your mind for the time being, Notre Dame's starting offensive line checks in averaging 6'4" and 316 pounds per starter. Nevada's defensive front? 6'3" and 261 pounds is your average. Don't think for a minute that Charlie Weis won't try and exploit this differential.

As I stated before, the more the Irish run the ball well the more Nevada will try and play men up in the box. Well, that's when Jimmy will take over as his targets in Golden Tate, Michael Floyd, Duval Kamara, and Kyle Rudolph should be far too much for the Wolfpack to handle.

Nevada will move the ball early on before the Irish figure out how to properly defend against the Pack. In this game I like the scoreboard to be lit up a lot and the Irish offense to really shine, something we failed to see a year ago in the season opener against San Diego State.

My prediction: Notre Dame 41 Nevada 21 with Armando Allen getting the game ball.

Other DSR Staffers Picks:

Mark: ND 41 Nevada 20 (This wasn't discussed between the two of us, great minds just happen to think very much alike)

Steven: ND 28 Nevada 14

Brian: ND 41 Nevada 20 (See comments after Mark's prediction...)

Reminder, if you are interested in getting in our Domer Sports Report message board pick 'em go ahead and head to our message board and sign up for an account if you haven't already. Simply post a prediction in the proper thread during each week and we will track how close everyone is throughout the course of the season. Who knows, the winner just may get something pretty cool at the end of the year!

GO IRISH, BEAT WOLFPACK

-Hoping to be there on Saturday...

Nick Shepkowski is an avid Notre Dame football fan who lives and works in the heart of Big Ten country as he holds a job at the Big Ten Network in Chicago. He also is a radio producer at 670 The Score in Chicago. Random Notre Dame fanhood fact: First ND game attended was in 2000 against Stanford which was also Irish legend Matt LoVecchio's first start at QB for the Domers.

Charlie Weis’ Fork in the Road: How Will History Repeat Itself?

Clashmore Mike, Domer Sports Report

Notre Dame Football
Commentary

The summer-long conversation regarding the fate of Notre Dame head coach will soon be over. Unfortunately, most of the discussion on this subject, from the television sports channels to internet bloggers, has offered more heat than light. In less than a week, the Irish will tee it up against the University of Nevada in Notre Dame Stadium. Charlie Weis’ legacy may well be decided in this very first game. Notre Dame and Coach Weis are at a fork in the road, and which direction they go will soon be known. Will it be mediocrity? Or the proverbial “Return to Glory?”

The Spanish philosopher George Santayana said "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." This goes for institutions as well as individuals, and throughout the history of Notre Dame’s football program, many of the same mistakes have been made, then corrected, then made again. It’s a lesson for those with short memories, those who believe that the program’s recent decade of mediocrity is a new phenomenon, and that Notre Dame’s best days are behind her.

We all know about Knute Rockne, the legendary coach who not only set the bar so high for the Irish, but also with his celebrity, his marketing savvy, and his winning percentage (still the highest in the history of the game), created Big Time College Football. But with his death in 1931 there began a cycle of feast or famine for Notre Dame Football that continues to this day.

Rockne was followed by Elmer Layden, who coached from 1934 to 1940. Layden was one of the legendary “Four Horsemen,” but as a coach, especially following Rockne, his teams were a disappointment. His best year was 1938, when the Irish went 8-1. Otherwise, six or seven wins out of a nine game season was about average. Not bad, but for Notre Dame, not good enough.

But soon Irish eyes were smiling. Under Frank Leahy (1941-43, 1946-49) Notre Dame won four National Championships. Some Irish Faithful may think it blasphemous, but Frank Leahy was Notre Dame's greatest coach. His winning percentage of .864, was just under that of Knute Rockne’s.

But as Leahy’s success grew, the University began feeling self-conscious about what might seem to be an over-emphasis on football, and the football coach. This wasn’t new…during the heyday of Rockne, the feeling that the colorful coach was beginning to eclipse the educational and spiritual mission of the school was growing. However, Rockne died before it came to a head. Not so with Leahy. The administration began to restrict the coach’s scholarships and power, and eventually forced him out.

What followed was a decade of mediocrity. From1954 to 1963, the Irish underperformed. First was coach Terry Brennan, followed by Joe Kuharich. Neither was a success. Fans grieved and detractors gloated that Notre Dame’s success was history. Done. They were “irrelevant.” (Sound familiar?) Then came Ara Parseghian.

Why I Don't Want Urban

Brian Dascenzo, Domer Sports Report

Notre Dame Football
Editorial

This has nothing to do with Urban Meyer as a coach, that would be stupid. This has to do with where Notre Dame football is right now and what would be best for it. It has to do with the last two years and most of the years between Holtz and Weis. It has to do with not wanting a do-over on rebuilding and not wanting to lose underclassmen who bolt because of a system change again, although this time they might be pushed out by Urban instead of leaving of their own accord.

I want Notre Dame to be successful under every coach, I get sick and tired of losing, I get fed up with not being competitive with USC or Michigan and not being able to beat Michigan State. I want Charlie to succeed, I need Charlie to succeed. The last two years have to mean something to this program other then a waste.

The turning of inexperience to dominant is what I want to see. This is the programs last chance with who is in place, I believe Swarbrick would have made the change last year if Charlie couldn't talk a good game. I need to see it in action rather than just hear about it.

The offense will probably be a pass dominant issue again, whether it's because of Armando Allen and Robert Hughes not being able to carry the load or Michael Floyd, Golden Tate and Kyle Rudolph (among others) just exploding for 150 yard games each consistently and that would seem to fit Weis' gameplan.

Notre Dame has to succeed next year because this is what we have been waiting for. As fans we are willing to look past the last two years (kind of) if this year means great success. As a fan who has seen the teams Notre Dame has lost too in person get worse and worse (from the Dowdell led Spartans to Air Force during the 3-9 debacle to Syracuse last year I personally have hit rock bottom) it has to be for something.

I have a belief in Notre Dame football that is insane, there is little reason to believe in Charlie. Sure, he's had some great recruiting classes and he turned a 6-7 team into back-to-back BCS teams, but there are questions about all of it.

Winning with Ty's players (wish Ty would have brought in players his last one and a half classes like he did the first two) or not being able to develop the players that came in during his first one and a half classes (one of those shared with Ty).

This is the show me year, Custer's last stand as you will or else we are looking at starting over again, and the cupboard won't be bare. Instead, people will be looking for Urban immediately but his contract isn't up until 2013 so the next coach will have Urban watch even worse then Charlie does. Tommy Tubberville could probably withstand that and build a program but could a less experienced coach like Brian Kelly? I don't know and the I don't know future could be worse then the Charlie past/present. Here's to hoping Urban isn't necessary to fix the last 12 and that the answer is right beneath our noses.

Follow me on twitter @dascenzo and see my thoughts on sports that don't involve UND at my blog.

Previewing the Pitt Panthers

By Nick Shepkowski, Domer Sports Report

Notre Dame Football

Game Preview

As Notre Dame welcomes the Pitt Panthers and Dave Wannstedt to South Bend, the Irish will be playing with a chance to become bowl eligible with a victory. Both teams enter the game with 5-2 records, but are coming off polar opposite outcomes. A week ago Notre Dame defeated Washington 33-7 in what turned out to be Tyrone Willingham's final game before being let go by the Huskies (It should be mentioned, however, that Willingham will coach the rest of the season). On the other hand Pitt lost its second game of the season at Heinz Field, a 54-34 contest against what is now a 3-5 Rutgers team.

Something was exposed last week in Pittsburgh - something that should have Panthers fans nervous entering this weekend. Mike Teel of Rutgers completed only 14 passes on the afternoon, but for an electric total of 361 yards and six touchdowns. Average it out and thats over 25 yards per completion. Needless to say, expect to see the likes of Michael Floyd, Golden Tate, and Kyle Rudolph amongst others used fairly often. Jimmy Clausen is coming off of a very mediocre showing as he went 14/26 for 201 yards and a score while throwing one interception as well against Washington a week ago. A weak secondary like Pitt's is just what the doctor ordered for the sophomore quarterback.

A question mark leading into Saturday will be whether or not Pittsburgh's junior quarterback Bill Stull, who received a concussion last Saturday against Rutgers and remained motionless for nearly ten minutes before being carted off of the field and spending the night in the hospital, will play. If Stull is unable to go, it will be up to Pat Bostick for the Panthers who went 5/10 as Stull's replacement, throwing for 69 yards and one pick.

Pittsburgh will enter 37th in the nation, overall, in total yardage on offense, going for 395 yards a game while scoring over 28 points per contest. They are led by LeSean McCoy who has rushed for 835 yards and 14 touchdowns so far in 2008. Notre Dame will have to keep McCoy from getting the wheels going on first and second down and make Stull or Bostick throw the ball. La-Rod Stephens-Holwing will also see touches as he has carried the ball 55 times for 247 yards and four more touchdowns this season.

It is extremely important the Irish contain the running game of Pitt on Saturday, because I have doubt either of the two quarterbacks of the Panthers will be able to beat Notre Dame, especially because of the lack of playmakers Pitt brings to the table. The favorite targets this year for Pitt have been Jonathan Baldwin and Derek Kinder who have pulled in a combined 34 receptions for just under 500 yards and three touchdowns.

On defense the Pitt Panthers will come after Clausen as they have gotten to the quarterback 21 separate times this year and walked away with a sack. Notre Dame will have to have a good game from the offensive line this Saturday in order to rack up the point total that many Irish fans expect them to be able to do. Jabaal Sheard and Scott McKillop lead the Panthers with 8/5 sacks between the two. McKillop leads the Big East in total tackles with 67, so the Irish must be wary of him. Teams attempt roughly 25 passes a game against Pitt who enters with six interceptions defensively. However I truly feel that this set of DB's was exposed last week against Rutgers and that Jimmy Clausen will come out firing on Saturday.

Expect to see Notre Dame use the short pass to set up the deep ball in this contest. What does that mean exactly? A lot of throws to Armando Allen on swing passes out of the backfield, Golden Tate on slant routes, and Kyle Rudolph on quick outs for yardage. Expect to see that early on, how many teams try and use the run to set up the pass. Instead, I feel Notre Dame will use the short pass to set up the deep ball and would be shocked if Clausen throws for less than three touchdowns on Saturday.

What scares me this week is how Notre Dame has been against the run so far this season. Sure, last week, steps were taken in the right direction against Washington, but at the end of the day they are a bad football team. Pitt, although not great, is still plenty competent on the field. They will try to run the ball and make it a much shorter game than Notre Dame wants to. If the Irish can stop the run it will get ugly. If not, the Irish will be sitting at 5-3 that evening. I have all the confidence in the world that Notre Dame will put points on the scoreboard but as for stopping Pitt, I have my concerns.

Prediction Time:

Nick (6-1): Notre Dame 45 Pitt 35

Mark (7-0): Notre Dame 35 Pitt 20

Michael (1-0): Notre Dame 28 Pitt 14

Weis and Willingham: 4 Years Later

Four years ago two programs with very proud traditions chose opposite routes to try and re-discover football gold. Notre Dame fired Tyrone Willingham and hired New England Patriots offensive coordinator and owner of three Super Bowl rings in that time, Charlie Weis. The Washington Huskies in turn hired Willingham to replace Keith Gilbertson and try and return the Huskies to Pac-10 relevance. Four years later, we look back on what has changed for the better, for the worse, and the future of both coaches.

Since Willingham's firing the Fighting Irish have gone a combined 26-17 while the Huskies have gone a mind-boggling 11-30, a record that is unheard of for Washington football and even Tyrone Willingham who previous to taking the Washington job was a combined 65-52 as a head coach, including his 21-16 record in South Bend.

The first two Fighting Irish teams coached by Weis went to BCS games, combining for a record of 19-6 in Charlie's first two seasons. As Irish fans know, 2007 took a turn for the worst in a 3-9 campaign that included a pair of 38-0 losses against Michigan and USC and also featured a home loss against the Naval Academy. Things have gotten better in '08 for the Irish who after sneaking by San Diego State in week one, have totaled a 4-2 record and seemed primed for a bowl appearance which is saying a lot considering where the team was a year ago.

Willingham stumbled out of the gate in '05 for Washington, going just 2-9 while defeating only Arizona in Pac-10 play. In '06 things seemed to be getting better as the Huskies reached five in the win total. Sadly, that's as good as things have gotten under Willingham's watch, the Huskies went 4-9 in '07 and are yet to find the win column in '08, so far totaling an 0-5 record.

The biggest difference between the two coaches likely comes from events that do not necessarily start on the field of play. I'm talking about recruiting, something Willingham does not seem to grasp the concept of. Part of the reason Willingham was fired from Notre Dame was because of the position he was setting the Irish up to be in, in coming years. After a great class which included the likes of Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardzija, and Tom Zbikowski in 2002, Willingham's classes in '04 and '05 ranked 32nd and 40th respectively.

While in Washington Willingham has recruited the 35th, 36th, and 24th ranked classes in his three full classes, 2006-08 respectively. Talent has yet to be shown with these classes now as his first full class was rated 35th in the nation and the Huskies remain winless, despite this class being juniors now. Although early, Willingham's Huskies are only 91st in the nation while ranking verbal commitments so far.

Weis has severely outdone what Willingham has in the same amount of time, twice bringing in the eighth ranked class while also having the number two class in recruiting a year ago. With his first full class now juniors we are catching a glimpse of what Weis' Irish will be able to do in the coming years. as this team has improved on a weekly basis.

It is safe to say that Notre Dame is not having the type of year that most fans are used to and like to see. However, compared to where this program was in where it was in great danger of heading it is clear to me that Notre Dame made the right choice in firing Tyrone Willingham. If Ty would have been permitted to stay longer its tough to imagine that Notre Dame would have only had one 3-9 season, the Irish were likely headed on a path straight towards bowl berths suddenly becoming a "great accomplishment".

Say what you want about Charlie Weis, about the University of Notre Dame, and about the racism the Irish showed. The fact of the matter is that Notre Dame football is under better guidance today than it was exactly four years ago and nobody can argue that.

Many want to argue that Notre Dame was unjust in allowing Weis to continue after a struggling third year as they fired Willingham after a very average third campaign. However, look where the programs are headed now, Ty Willingham's worst case scenario with the Irish played out the way we feared it may, Charlie Weis' was a result of Ty's with the best days of the Weis era still ahead of the Fighting Irish

Four years later, Notre Dame's decision to fire Willingham remains the right move.

Notre Dame (2-1) vs. Purdue (2-1): Previewing Tiller's Last Trip to South Bend

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By Nick Shepkowski of Domer Sports Report

A year ago we remember the match up in which the Irish waited until they trailed, 23-0, before showing any signs of life in West Lafayette. That game was a coming out party of sorts as Golden Tate emerged on the scene with a touchdown on three receptions for over 100 yards receiving. As the story goes, we all remember that it would take until week one of 2008 to hear from Golden in such a way again.

When the Boilermakers enter South Bend this Saturday they will be led under the Golden Dome one last time under the reigns of head coach Joe Tiller. Tiller, who will retire at the end of the season became Purdue's all-time winningest coach last week, passing Jack Mollenkopf. Tiller looks to finish his career against Notre Dame right at the .500 mark as he enters Saturday 5-6 all time against the Fighting Irish, but only 1-4 in South Bend. Often under appreciated, one can not argue that Joe Tiller has put Purdue football back on the map after a rough start to the 1990's.

The Boilermakers come in fresh off of a come from behind win against familiar foe, Central Michigan. Trailing by one with under two minutes to go, Kory Sheets took a handoff 46 yards to give Purdue their second win of the season. What must Notre Dame do in order to keep Purdue from leaving South Bend with a 3-1 mark Saturday? Lets take a look...

The Purdue offense enters dangerous as usual, led by very possibly the most pro-ready quarterback in next years NFL Draft, Curtis Painter. Painter may not have the same kind of weapons around him like he has in years past, but is still a dangerous quarterback who will not let the hectic Notre Dame blitz get in his head. Painter is coming off of an impressive 27-of-36 showing against Central Michigan where he threw for 261 yards and a touchdown. One negative of Painter so far this fall, his interception total matches his touchdown total with three a piece. Don't worry too much about him fleeing the pocket, but when Notre Dame blitzes it will be important they get to him in a hurry because he will make them pay if they fail to.

Kory Sheets carries the bulk of the weight in the Purdue run game as he enters leading the team in touchdowns with six, and two of them coming one week ago. Personally, I would like to see the Irish slow down Sheets and make Painter beat them. I'm not saying Painter is a bad quarterback by any means as I have already stated how pro-ready he is, but his receivers this year aren't quite the receivers of previous Purdue teams.

Kevin Smith, Greg Orton, and Desmond Tardy are Painters go-to guys, all averaging over 50 yards a game this season. On third down and long Irish fans be wary as these will be the weapons of choice, don't expect any of these three to be the reason Purdue may walk out victorious on Saturday, if they do it will because of Kory Sheets.

The inability to run the football killed multiple drives early on in this past Saturday's game against Michigan State. This is a game where there should be no excuse for the Irish to not be able to run the football effectively. If they fail to, there will be nobody to blame besides themselves.

Purdue enters this week having major problems stopping the run. A week ago Central Michigan was able to spout off just under four yards a carry for the entire afternoon against the Boilers. Previous to that, Oregon ran all over the Purdue defense in a game they averaged 7.1 yards per carry, on their way to a 306 yard day on the ground. As I stated, expect Charlie Weis and Notre Dame to try and use the combination of Robert Hughes, Armando Allen, and James Aldridge. If Notre Dame can't run the football against Purdue, then I am scared to see what the rest of the season brings in this department.Although Purdue is better against the pass than they are the run, they have still had troubles this season in stopping teams through the air. The Ducks of Oregon aired out right at 200 yards of passing offense while Central Michigan's Dan Lefevour threw for 291 yards a week ago. The defensive line is the strong point of the Purdue defense, but if the Irish line can give Jimmy Clausen time, much like they did against Michigan, expect Clausen to have a big day if the running game fails.

Remember the game plan against Michigan which was to try and use play-action early on to take advantage of the weak secondary of the Wolverines? Expect the exact opposite this Saturday. I fully expect to see Notre Dame come out and try to pound away at the Purdue defense on the ground, then setting up a play-action deep ball. Then again, if the Irish have success running they may not stop either.

Special teams on both sides of the ball will be an exhibit in what not to do this Saturday. Both Purdue and Notre Dame enter this weekend with subpar field goal units. Sadly the edge probably does go to Notre Dame in this department as they have at least covered kicks slightly better than Purdue to this point in the season. I hope this game does not come down to field goals because it could last until eternity if it did.

I would like to see a few things from the Fighting Irish this Saturday that would let me breathe easier and be able to expect a win.

1 - Stop a Third and Long...Please!
Each opponent has converted a third down and long this season and wound up getting points as a result. It would be nice to see the Irish not allow a Purdue first down this weekend when they give the Boilermakers over seven yards to get.

2 - No Dumb Penalties...Enough said but I'll say more!
A week ago we saw Sam Young get called for a personal foul while the Irish were setting up show in their first possession of the game. It may not have directly amounted in points for Michigan State, but it killed any hopes of Notre Dame picking up a third down and did not help in the field position battle. Its a little thing but it goes a long way at the end of the day.

3 - Turnovers...Must win this battle!
The last two weeks Notre Dame has been given a free lesson in winning the turnover battle. Michigan was obviously for the better and MSU for the worse. Win the turnover battle, convert turnovers into points and 9 out of 10 times you win the game.

4 - Let Golden make a play!
Golden Tate has emerged as legit playmaker on this offense. There aren't a whole lot of go-to guys like this on Notre Dame for the time being. He's a weapon and a proven go-to guy so far this season. When he gets touches good things happen, so make sure he gets the ball in his hands.

Prediction Time:

The Irish run game takes steps in the right direction while mixing in some long passes along the way as well. After seeing amongst the best running games in the nation a week ago Notre Dame slows down Purdue in that aspect...

Nick (3-0): Notre Dame 27 Purdue 21
Mark (3-0): Notre Dame 34 Purdue 21
Joe (2-1): Wait to See...

Pucker, Pucker, Pucker!: Notre Dame set to Invade East Lansing this Saturday

By: Nick Shepkowski

Two years, its really been that long? It seems like just yesterday I was sitting by my computer in my dorm room, listening to all the things in the world that went wrong for the Spartans in East Lansing by none other than Mike Valenti. In a way, that was a turning point for MSU as they struggled the rest of the season and replaced John L. Smith with Mark Dantonio after 2006. Needless to say, its been a change for the better in Spartan-land.

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame hit the road this weekend for the first time in 2008 as they enter East Lansing in hopes of improving to 3-0 on the year. Fresh off of a 35-17 victory over Michigan, the Irish must improve on a few aspects of the game if they hope to pull an upset as they enter as 8.5 point underdogs to a 2-1 Michigan State team.

When Michigan State has the Ball:

Irish fans meet Javon Ringer.

Remember him? Hes the guy who has been tormenting the Irish for the past decade or so it seems when its really only been the past three seasons. He will enter Saturday just shy of 500 rushing yards with a total of 498 as he runs for just under five a carry at 4.8 yards per attempt. Simply put, stop him or even slow him down and the chances of pulling out a win in East Lansing sky rocket.

What is concerning about the fact that Ringer is the go-to man offensively is how the Irish performed last week against Sam McGuffie of Michigan. Only a freshman, McGuffie was able to scrap off 131 yards on twenty-five carries. Ringer is bigger, stronger, faster, and more experienced than McGuffie so the Irish defensive front will have no choice but to improve before this weekend.

Michigan State fans were very high on Brian Hoyer entering this season after he showed potential in his first season as the starting quarterback a year ago. Unfortunately for Spartan fans, Hoyer has struggled through the first three weeks of 2008, completing only 44% of his passes with just one touchdown thrown. The good of Hoyer? He's thrown just one pick so far in 75 attempts. It's obvious what this means Irish fans - make Michigan State put the ball in the air. Be able to do so and the Irish should be in business.

The Irish will also find a very capable deep threat in East Lansing this Saturday with Mark Dell. He has been the go to man for the Spartans in passing situations as he has hauled in over a third of the teams 36 receptions with thirteen of his own for 320 yards. BJ Cunningham is thrown to about half as much, but has still pulled in eight catches, averaging 17.4 yards per reception. Sure the stats with this are a bit intimidating, but remember, Hoyer's percentage of completed passes and know that getting pressure on the quarterback will be key. If the Irish can "make" him make a play instead of "let" him make a play they should be okay in pass defense.

To sum up the defense as a whole this weekend, I feel the Irish should do all in their power to control the running game and take their chances against Michigan State's passing game. Hoyer hasn't seen quite a defense like Notre Dame's so far this season. Do I mean the Irish bring that great of one to East Lansing? No. I mean what Notre Dame's gameplan consists of, which is blitz, blitz, and blitz again for the most part. To a quarterback that has not seen it before or at least - this season, this can reek havoc, expect the Irish to try and use that to their advantage in obvious passing downs.

When Notre Dame has the ball:

We saw Jimmy Clausen come alive in the fourth quarter against San Diego State and keep the momentum going into the first half against Michigan. Obviously, the weather and score of the game changed the Notre Dame gameplan for the second half, but the key stat to me from one week ago was the number 3.3. The Irish entered with a struggling running game and faced one of the best front-seven units in college football with Michigan, a team that was allowing right at one yard a carry against opponents entering last Saturday.

The Spartans bring a defense to the game Saturday which struggled very much against Cal in week one. Allowing 467 yards of total offense that day, as Michigan State struggled to find a way to slow down the Bears. I hope to see good weather this Saturday in East Lansing because this is a game where I feel the Irish are capable of throwing the ball around once again.

Coming off of last week it is easy to say this, but against Michigan State, I feel that it will be crucial for Notre Dame to get an early lead and to not turn the ball over. Golden Tate has been the go-to guy so far when the Irish have needed a play and for the most part he has come through for the Irish in 2008. The defense of Michigan State has allowed big plays this year, there is no reason why the Irish shouldn't be able to break one or two again this week.

Michigan State brings in talent, but a lot of question marks still lie in their defense where experience is not there in most respects. I feel that this game is going to turn into a shootout to some degree based on both teams defenses.

Notre Dame is facing a front-seven which is not nearly as talented as that of Michigan was. What does that mean exactly for the Irish? Success in establishing a running game as well as the ability to give Jimmy Clausen time to throw the ball down field. I would be surprised if the Irish offense can't put at least 24 points on the board this weekend.

Looking at special teams, that of Notre Dame's has come on very strong this season. Last week there were only two real mishaps, one when Armando Allen fielded a ball that was going out of bounds and gave the Irish poor field position, the other when a third quarter punt was partially deflected. Other than that special teams came up huge for Notre Dame, keeping Michigan deep in their own territory, something they need to do to Michigan State again this week.

I'll be honest, before writing this article and researching Michigan State a bit more, I did not like the Irish's chances too much in East Lansing. However, if Notre Dame can catch a couple of breaks and be able to do the things I talked about they should be in it late in the ballgame and we all know anything can happen then.

Unfortunately, I feel this week will be a bit of a hiccup for Notre Dame as Javon Ringer will prove to be just too much to handle.

Nick(2-0): Michigan State 34 Notre Dame 28
Mark (2-0): Michigan State 24, Notre Dame 13
Joe (1-1): Michigan State 34 Notre Dame 31 OT

...and they say Notre Dame fans never think their team has even a chance of losing. Let's hope for the best on Saturday.

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GO IRISH

Michigan at ND: Did You Notice?

By Joe Pierce

• Notre Dame hadn't scored 21 points in the first quarter of any game during Charlie Weis' tenure until Saturday? Let's hope the trend continues.



• Sergio Brown does a fine job running with receivers, but never turns around to look for the ball.



• After Brian Smith's fumble recovery for a TD, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez covered his mouth while he yelled at the people in the booth. I guess he didn't want NBC to read his lips and see who he was ripping.



• Hammond and Haden brought up the arch-nemesis of Notre Dame and Lou Holtz, Mr. Mark May? I agree, I think Lou was happy to get away from him for a day, too.

Irish Win Revenge, Respect Against Wolverines

By Joe Pierce

Who knows what is was - Lou Holtz & the 1988 National Championship team on the field yelling support to the current players after being honored in the first quarter, the thirst for revenge following a 38-0 shellacking in The Big House last year, or this young Notre Dame team coming of age; whatever the cause, Irish eyes were smiling as they watched Notre Dame force two early turnovers, score on four of their first five drives, and outclass Michigan in all three aspects of the game en route to a 35-17 tour de force Saturday in a swampy Notre Dame Stadium.

Sophomore WR Golden Tate proved to be more than a one-week wonder, as he caught four passes for 127 yds and a touchdown, as well as being on the receiving end of a 60 yd beauty by Jimmy Clausen that split double coverage up the seam. Tate's jump from being a deep threat-only last year to being one of the most dangerous receivers in college football (yes, I said in all of college football) is remarkable. Now that the secret's out, we'll see how he responds to double coverage and how Duval Kamara (1-10-1) and Michael Floyd (2-10-0-2 key pass interference penalties drawn) do with having some open real estate to work with.

Jimmy Clausen (10-21-147-2-2) was impressive, even though the stat sheet says otherwise. He threw two picks he shouldn't have, but he made some key throws, including the long pass & touch pass TD to Tate, as well as a nicely-placed jump ball TD to Kamara. Even though he's a sophomore, you can tell that he possesses the intangibles needed to be a top quarterback - poise, control of the team, leadership ability, and a cool as the other side of the pillow demeanor. If he stays through his senior year, there's a good shot he'll be Heisman Trophy winner #8 (#9 in you count Rocket Ismail being robbed).

The Irish running game turned in a fine, but unspectacular performance Saturday. Robert Hughes is establishing himself as the Irish's primary back, rushing 19 times for 79 yds (4.2 ypc) and two scores. James Aldridge made his 2008 debut, moving the offense well in the red zone while rushing 9 times for 28 yds (3.1 ypc). Armando Allen played poorly, gaining 4 yds on 2 carries. While the running back by committee plan has worked thus far, I'd like to see someone step forward to be the featured back before Cierre Wood comes to South Bend and takes over in 2009 or 2010.

If I'm being impartial, Notre Dame's defense scares me a little. Yes, they caused five turnovers (plus another on special teams), and the defensive backs are playing amazing football, lead by David Bruton's 15 tackles and interception, but the defensive line was weak, allowing true freshman RB Sam McGuffie (131 rushing & 47 receiving yds) to look like Philadelphia Eagles RB Brian Westbrook. Also, they didn't register a sack against a very young Michigan front five. Either Jon Tenuta's blitzes are being figured out, or the Irish need to shake up their personnel, like they did by benching Justin Brown in favor of freshman Ethan Johnson. The LBs played fairly well, but part of the run defense blame falls on their shoulders, too. One thing I'm certain of is that they need to tighten up before next Saturday, when they travel to East Lansing to take on a Michigan State team that thoroughly enjoys pounding the football.

Overall, it was a great win for Notre Dame. They proved that the can handily beat a major conference team (I don't care if Michigan is "down" this year - they're still an arch rival and the winningest program in college football history) and jump on a team early and often. Charlie Weis ended up leaving the game on crutches after tearing his ACL & MCL when John Ryan took him out after being pushed out of bounds by a Michigan player. It's unknown when Coach Weis will get surgery, as he may put it off until the offseason. What can I say, the man's Jersey-tough. Michigan State will be their toughest opponent to date, so we'll see how good this team really is next Saturday.

SCORING
Notre Dame: ROBERT HUGHES 2 YD RUN (BRANDON WALKER KICK)
Notre Dame: DUVAL KAMARA 10 YD PASS FROM JIMMY CLAUSEN (BRANDON WALKER KICK)
Notre Dame: GOLDEN TATE 48 YD PASS FROM JIMMY CLAUSEN (BRANDON WALKER KICK)
Michigan: SAM MCGUFFIE 40 YD PASS FROM STEVEN THREET (K.C. LOPATA KICK)
Michigan: K.C. LOPATA 23 YD FG
Notre Dame: ROBERT HUGHES 1 YD RUN (BRANDON WALKER KICK)
Michigan: KEVIN GRADY 7 YD RUN (K.C. LOPATA KICK)
Notre Dame: BRIAN SMITH 35 YD FUMBLE RETURN (BRANDON WALKER KICK)

Notre Dame (1-0) vs. Michigan (1-1) Preview

By Nick Shepkowski
Domer Sports Report

Who: Michigan (1-1) at Notre Dame (1-0)

Where: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Indiana

When: 3:30 p.m. est

Television: NBC

In a series that has offered many great moments such as Rocket Ismail's two return day in the Big House to Desmond Howard's "catch" two years later, Notre Dame and Michigan have turned in multiple classic games. Remember just two years ago, the two teams met in South Bend and, after Michigan dominated ND all afternoon, both teams still went on to qualify for BCS games. Or remember last year, the first time in history both teams were 0-2 in the same season? It seems that these two programs are not headed for any BCS games anytime soon, but both will prosper once again in given time. Saturday will likely not be this day.

So what will 2008 bring in the storied matchup? Notre Dame is coming off of a come from behind win at the expense of San Diego State in the Irish's season opener a week ago, while Michigan enters 1-1, fresh off of a 16-6 win over Miami of Ohio. Based on those scores alone you can tell these aren't your father's traditional Irish and Wolverine teams.

Michigan will enter Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday with a spread offense attack, just lacking real spread offense type players. Despite the lack of overall speed on the Wolverines, Rich Rodriguez decided to go with the same offense he found great success with at West Virginia with the likes of Pat White and Steve Slaton. Fortunately for the Irish, there is nowhere near the talent of those West Virginia teams on this Michigan squad.

The Irish should match up very well with Michigan when the Wolverines have the football. Led by quarterbacks Nick Sheridan (15 of 24 for 138 Yds, 1 TD, 1 INT) and Steven Treet (14 of 32 for 132 Yds, 1 TD, 0 INT), the Wolverines have struggled to move the ball offensively this season. Successfully blitzing either of these two quarterbacks will be a big key in deciding what exactly happens on the field Saturday. With the lack of experience upfront (one starter back from a year ago on the offensive line) do not expect Michigan to take to much blitzing very kindly.

Kevin Grady was supposed to head this backfield for the Wolverines, but an off season DUI has slowed his time this year. He was suspended for the week one contest vs. Utah and rushed for only six yards on three carries against Miami (OH). In his place the Wolverines have inserted freshman Sam McGuffie, who has carried the ball 25 times and averaged only 3.3 yards per in that time. Once again, the weak offensive line of Michigan will not do any favors for the running game and Notre Dame should be able to control this aspect of the game.

Gone from a year ago are the likes of Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington and in their places are Martavious Odoms, Junior Hemingway, and Michael Shaw. Odoms leads the bunch with eight receptions for 64 yards in two games, but Hemingway and Shaw are the only Wolverines to bring down a touchdown reception so far in 2008, having one apiece. None of the three supply the same kind of deep threat that Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington both did and there won't be any Michigan wide outs donning a #1 jersey anytime soon in Ann Arbor.

The bottom line is that this offense is not your typical Michigan offense. The Irish were able to rush the quarterback a week ago and for the most part slowed down the San Diego State running game as well. Especially after already seeing a spread offense that is likely just as good, if not better than Michigan's, I really expect to see Notre Dame control this aspect of the game.

When Notre Dame has the ball I ask for the Irish to be able to do one thing this Saturday: Avoid third and longs. That is a key to almost every game, but against Michigan it comes out to be that much more important. If the Irish can get any sort of ground game going and force the defense of Michigan to keep guessing, Notre Dame could very easily put a lot of points on the board.

Unfortunately, with what I saw against San Diego State, I do not feel that Notre Dame will be able to run the ball as well as Irish fans would like. Although Robert Hughes and Armando Allen both showed good things at times this past Saturday, the offensive line will have their work cut out for themselves against the front seven of Michigan, anchored by Brandon Graham and Terrance Taylor.

Where Notre Dame will likely find success on offense on Saturday will be in the short yardage passing game, much like they did late in the game as Jimmy Clausen found Golden Tate on a pretty regular basis. According to my prediction that the running game will struggle, if that holds up I would expect to see the Irish start to work in short pass routes to try and pick up some yardage. After a few short passes is when the inexperienced safeties of Michigan in Stevie Brown and Artis Chambers will cheat up a bit or try to help out a bit too much. Expect to see the Wolverines burned deep over the middle at least once for a big play in Notre Dame's favor through the air this weekend. The safeties aren't a strong point for Michigan, but the corners (Donovan Warren and Morgan Trent) are. That's why attacking the safeties deep off the bat will be almost too predictable of thing to do.

Overall this match up of Notre Dame offense vs. Michigan Defense turns up being quite the draw. If Notre Dame can establish a running game it will be a rout in Notre Dame's favor. However, don't count on that and expect the Irish to have to pass in order to be able to pick up consistent first downs.

The special teams on Saturday may go a long way in deciding the winner of the ballgame. Notre Dame showed great discipline as they allowed very minimal returns each time against San Diego State in both the punting and kickoff teams. Michigan offers a better kicker and punter in Zoltan Inekso and KC Lopata than the Irish. Slight advantage to the Wolverines in Special Teams.

Finally its prediction time...

Notre Dame will be able to blitz Michigan fairly well most of the afternoon. Early success means an extra back or tight end staying into block. Expect the Irish to maybe not have a pick-6 but at least one touchdown set up by way of turnover which will be the difference in the end.

Notre Dame over Michigan, 17-7 - Nick (1-0)
Notre Dame over Michigan, 24-14 - Mark (1-0)
Michigan over Notre Dame, 21-20 - Joe (1-0)

Notre Dame (0-0) vs. San Diego State (0-1) Preview

By: Nick Shepkowski

After a season that could not finish soon enough and into a season that could not get here quickly enough, its finally time for the Irish to open 2008. They will do so on Saturday (3:30 EST, NBC) with a home game against the 0-1 San Diego State Aztecs. Although there is not a whole lot known about either squad coming in, the Irish find themselves to be 22 point favorites in Vegas.

The Aztecs will bring in a very inexperienced team, a very similar build up to what Notre Dame has but with less talent. Youth, which was much of the reason for the Irish's debacle in 2007, will be looked on for veteran leadership in 2008. Yes, veteran leadership will be expected out of the vast number of contributing freshman and sophomores from a year ago. The Irish are expected to start fifteen starters from a year ago with the bulk of them having still another year or two of eligibility after 2008.

San Diego State brings in a fairly young team as well, having only 14 starters back from a 4-8 ballclub a year ago. The Aztecs dropped their week one contest against Cal Poly, being the only Division 1 team to lose to a CFS team this past weekend. Let's look at both sides of the ball and see what should be expected.

The Aztecs will bring a spread offense that likes to throw the ball around the field to Notre Dame Stadium and Saturday. In a game where the Irish defense should be far superior to the offense of SDSU there are a few things that I look for to happen:

1) Obtain a pass rush.
Corwin Brown, and his 3-4 being helped out now by Jon Tenuta, seems to be a group that will blitz more than we have seen in years past. It is important that we are able to get to the quarterback on a regular basis this Saturday - we sure as hell aren't going to be able to get to the quarterbacks of the Michigan's, Michigan State's, and North Carolina's of the world.

2) Force Turnovers.
This goes hand in hand with getting to the quarterback, but with a pass happy team coming to town, we already know that Chuck Long's gang is not planning on trying to run the ball down Notre Dame's throats. The Irish have a defensive line that nearly weighs the same on average as the SDSU offensive line. The Irish weigh in on average only 23 pounds lighter than that of SDSU (305 lbs to 282).

3) No long drives.
This is a team, that, for lack of a better term, is awful. If the Irish are to win more than five or six games this year the defense will be called upon. There is nothing that makes you feel worse than when your defense is stomped all over on an eighty yard, 15 play scoring drive. I do not want to see anything like that this weekend.

The offense for Notre Dame in this game should be given an asterisk before any snaps are taken. Would you expect to see them show a whole lot for coming opponents in a game where they are just trying to survive and win? No, absolutely not. Notre Dame is far more talented in every aspect of the offensive game than SDSU is on the defensive side. With ND's line weighing nearly 40 pounds more than what's up front for the Aztecs, Notre Dame needs to be able to dominate up front.

There are however three things I would like to see Notre Dame's offense be able to do on Saturday that would make me feel better when looking ahead to the coming weeks.

1) Stay out of third and long.
Last year was a pain as you sat and watched Notre Dame not pick up yards on a regular basis on first and second down. You can have the most talented teams in the nation and if they are given consistent third-and-eights or worse, they won't succeed. 1st and 2nd down production is a must for this Irish team.

2) Dominate the line of scrimmage.
I am not going to say that a 100 yard rusher is a must, because the way carries could be split between (Robert) Hughes, (Armando) Allen, and (James) Aldridge, you can't anticipate that one will get enough carries to do so. However, with Hughes running for 100 yards in the final two games of 2007, it would be nice to see him crack that 100 yard mark. As a whole though, I would like to see the offensive line pushing guys back and making holes and the running game to seem unstoppable.

3) A big pass play for a score.
The longest pass for a touchdown last season was a brisk 26 yards a year ago. This kind of shows how bad the offense was as well. But, against a weaker defense I would really like to see Jimmy (Clausen) connect on a deep pass with one of his multiple receivers and show the Irish have at least a threat of the deep ball this year.

Finally, on special teams, Notre Dame can restore a bit of the success it had with these in the first two Charlie Weis seasons. I'm not asking for a return for a touchdown, but on kickoff returns, I would like to actually see blocking take place and for Notre Dame to show even a hint that they may be able to bring a kick back for a score this year. The kicking game is going to struggle for the Irish this year. For some reason I get the feeling that something will go wrong during an extra point and the Irish will miss one of those.

Prediction Time:

Mark Says: Notre Dame 38, San Diego State 10
Nick Says: Notre Dame 37, San Diego State 6
Joe Says: Notre Dame 27, San Diego State 17