Notre Dame Hosts the Naval Academy

Two years ago Notre Dame's 44 game win streak against Navy was broken in Notre Dame Stadium as the Midshipmen pulled the upset of the Irish in triple overtime by way of the triple option. This Saturday should not have the same end result and I don't anticipate that it will come down to the final moments like we have seen in so many games with this Irish team in recent memory.

The 19th ranked Irish welcome Michael Floyd back to the fold as he will play for the first time since September 19th when he broke his collar bone against Michigan State.

The offense for the Fighting Irish should roll once again, I am curious to see how Jimmy Clausen targets Golden Tate now in comparison to how he did previous to Floyd being injured. Tate has emerged as one of the most dangerous threats in college football, having Floyd will allow Golden and Kyle Rudolph to each lose some of the extra pressure they have had to deal with recently.

Navy is not a slouch coming to South Bend but they are far from a powerhouse, either. They took Ohio State to the max earlier this season before falling late in the Horseshoe but this is the same team that lost to Temple a week ago. The Midshipmen have to win at least one more game before reaching bowl eligibility with a 6-3 overall record due to playing a 13 game schedule this year. They are yet to have a week off this season and had won five straight previous to the Temple loss last week.

Vince Murray leads Navy with 638 yards on the season while quarterback Ricky Dobbs leads the team with 16 rushing touchdowns. Navy is obviously a run first team, they rank 3rd in the nation as they put up just under 280 rushing yards a game.

Don't expect near those numbers this week for Navy, I don't anticipate the bigger line of Notre Dame compared to most of Navy's opponents to have much of a problem slowing the Navy offense. If Navy wants to stick around with the Irish they will have to use playaction passes well again, much like they did against Ohio State this season and against Notre Dame a year ago.

The Irish have weapons to throw to as we all know and with Michael Floyd back, Charlie Weis will want to use his toy he hasn't had in a month and a half. Notre Dame has a chance to make this game a blowout early by running the football due to the size difference in the teams lines. Notre Dame is averaging over forty pounds more per player on the line, Navy will have no choice but to stack the line if they hope to slow down Armando Allen who returns again this week.

Once Navy stacks the line it will be open season on the secondary of the Naval Academy. The Midshipmen have allowed only 178 yards a game through the air, I fully expect that number to increase with the respect Navy will have to give the Notre Dame running game.

This game shouldn't be close, it should be a game where Notre Dame fans can breathe easier late in the game compared to what has happened most of the season.

Expect Manti T'eo to have another strong showing as this is the kind of offense he can feast on with his style of play. Also expect Ethan Johnson and Ian Williams to step up and have one of their stronger outings on the year.

On offense, I would be shocked if the Irish don't try to welcome Michael Floyd back with a touchdown reception.

Prediction Time:
Nick (7-1): Notre Dame 41 Navy 16
Mark (7-1): Notre Dame 34 Navy 20


Enjoy a clip from 2007 that shows the true uniqueness of this college football "rivalry":

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

Irish Set to Battle Boilermakers

Stand by Ar-man, and tell the world you love him...

Notre Dame is an eyelash from being 1-2 on the season after barely getting by Michigan State this past Saturday in South Bend. If you are an optimist you will say they are an eyelash from being 3-0 after being just one more first down away from victory in Ann Arbor. One thing I fully assume for this Saturday is that Irish fans won't have to sit through the duration of the second half chewing on their finger nails due to nerves caused by the game.

Losing Michael Floyd does no favors for the Irish, with his quick start to 2009 the national media has been all-over calling him a future first round pick in the NFL draft, something I have been saying since signing day well over a year ago. The hurt that this injury puts on this offense will not show its head this weekend however as the Irish will get off the bus running the football against Purdue and continue to do so until the Boilermakers adjust their defense.

Plain and simple, the Boilermakers can't stop the run. Notre Dame has some issues themselves but nowhere near as bad as Purdue has an issue with stopping the run in 2009. So far this year we have seen Akron, Oregon, and Northern Illinois average 181 yards per game on the ground against the Boilermakers this season, expect that trend to continue.

Armando Allen had a coming out party of sorts a year ago when Purdue traveled to South Bend, he put 134 yards on the ground while averaging 5.0 ypc. To that date, it was his best performance in a Notre Dame uniform. Expect another big game from the running backs this weekend as well.

Jimmy Clausen has moved his way up the ESPN Heisman rankings, checking in at fourth this week. He loses his favorite target in Michael Floyd but don't expect this to slow the passing game when the Irish deem it necessary to throw. The oh-so-present run threat will keep Purdue cheating up until they are burned on a deep ball, perhaps even afterwards.

Jason Werner leads the Purdue defense, expect the Irish to throw and run away from where he lines up on defense, much like they threw away from and ran away from Greg Jones of Michigan State a week ago. So far on the year Werner has 6 tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception. He happens to be a playmaker but is the exception to the rule for Purdue on defense.

The Boilermakers have given up an average of 32.3 ppg this year, I don't see the Irish having a major hurdle to jump over to reach that. This will easily be the best offense Purdue has seen to date, don't think Notre Dame won't make that a known fact by the end of the evening.

To Purdue's credit they have put up 36.3 ppg this year in three contests. Ralph Bolden leads the Boilermaker charge as he has rushed for 421 yards on the season while reaching the endzone 4 times. He currently holds a 6.8 average yards per carry, a number Notre Dame looks to bring down. The passing game is what Purdue offenses have become famous for but stop the run on Saturday and it turns into a very long evening for the Boilermakers. A big game from both Ethan Johnson and Ian Williams as well as a little help from the linebackers will be needed.

Joey Elliott will be doing the quarterback duties for Purdue on Saturday night, he has a strong arm but has had trouble in decision making this season, already throwing five interceptions three games in. His favorite targets are Keith Smith and Aaron Valentin who have combined for 33 receptions and have each scored a touchdown in 2009.

Purdue will be playing with a sense of urgency after falling to Northern Illinois in West Lafayette a week ago. Expect the Boilermakers to come out swinging, perhaps a trick play or two on their first series even.

At the end of the night it will however be another win for Notre Dame in a game that shows how far off track the two programs currently are with each other.

Predictions:

Nick (2-1): Notre Dame 38 Purdue 20
Mark (2-1): Notre Dame 42 Purdue 24

In the meantime, enjoy what happened when Notre Dame traveled to Purdue four years ago. Just happened to stumble upon this earlier, thought everyone would enjoy looking back on a very enjoyable night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js6RbB1fARw

2009 Battle for Megaphone Speaks Volumes

This was supposed to be a game where both Michigan State and Notre Dame proved they were back. One was supposed to be sitting pretty at 3-0 with the other at 2-1 after this weekend. After each falling in week one we know that won't be the case, now each team looks to stay above the .500 mark in seasons that were supposed to mark major turnarounds for both squads.

What's worse, losing at home to a directional school from your own state or falling at one of your biggest rival's stadiums when you are the only ranked team in the match up...and your rival was 3-9 a season ago? Easy to say Notre Dame lost to the tougher team but both losses sting the Spartans and Irish respectively.

Despite being an eleven point favorite in Vegas, the Irish have dropped six straight meetings in South Bend to Michigan State. Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham, and now Charlie Weis have all gone winless at home versus the Spartans. Here's what the Irish need to look out for in order to stop the streak.

Michigan State has a solid run defense, but another weak secondary. I don't expect anything out of the norm from whats been shown the first two weeks. The trifecta of Floyd, Tate, and Rudolph remains key for the offense. Opening up a passing game and allowing Armando Allen room to run. I am not usually a fan of pass-first offenses, but the heavy threat of passing has been the biggest key to why Allen has had a strong start to the season running the football.

Greg Jones is the major play maker on defense for the Spartans. The reigning Big Ten defensive player of the year has 29 tackles two games into 2009, that's good enough to lead the conference again at this point.

Jones and Michigan State are extremely strong in the run defense, that's why I expect Notre Dame to come out throwing the football. Opponents have averaged only 2.2 ypc vs. MSU this year while they've put up over 6 yards per pass attempt (225 ypg), easy to see why I expect Jimmy Clausen to come out firing again on Saturday.

The Spartans come into South Bend still looking for a full-time replacement to Irish-killer and current Tennessee Titan, Javon Ringer. Caulton Ray has compiled 122 yards on the ground and been the only Spartan to score running the football this year. Larry Caper has also seen 13 carries for less success but its safe to say the running game isn't the same as it has been in recent years for Sparty.

Michigan State enters Saturday still using two quarterbacks, all reports make it sound as if Mark D'Antonio isn't really feeling the need to name an exclusive starter just yet. Kirk Cousins has thrown for 347 yards and 4 TD this year while former Oklahoma recruit Keith Nichol has added 3 TD passes himself. Both are yet to throw an interception but it must be noted that Cousins has nearly a 20% higher completion percentage while attempting nine more passes.

Blair White is the target of choice for both quarterbacks Notre Dame will see on Saturday. White is the only Spartan with double-digit reception numbers so far (12) and has 2 TD receptions to boot. BJ Cunningham has 117 receiving yards on the year for MSU as he has also taken 2 catches for scores. On offense I see the Spartans trying to run the ball the majority of the afternoon as long as the score of the game allows them to.

Neither of the quarterbacks that the Irish will see threaten to do quite what Tate Forcier was able to do last Saturday in Ann Arbor. If d-linemen from Notre Dame kept their feet instead of constantly diving, Forcier doesn't do half the things he did. Credit the kid for making plays but don't let yourself think it was only him, the lack of defensive discipline helped the freshman quarterback out a ton.

Notre Dame will blitz the middle very much on Saturday, trying to make Michigan State throw the football. The Irish play well against the pass as long as they get a pass rush, like any team the secondary breaks down when the quarterback isn't being pressured. That is a key this Saturday for Notre Dame, get pressure up the middle and they will be in business.

The combination of Ethan Johnson and Ian Williams is huge for me on Sunday. Michigan State has talent at quarterback but not a lot to throw to, if Notre Dame can force them to pass it will catch up with the Spartans. If not then the Irish will be headed for 1-2 and a long fall.

This is an absolute must win for the Fighting Irish and Charlie Weis this weekend. I don't agree with an 11 point line that the Vegas oddsmakers have put out but this is a redemption game for Notre Dame. Not that it isn't for Michigan State but playing on their home field and without a conference affiliation, the Irish have more running on Saturday's end result.

I expect struggles early to move the football for the first time this season, perhaps even falling behind again. I do feel the home field comes back and saves the Irish in this one as they squeak by to 2-1. Its a must-win for Charlie and Company and they pick up the win.

Nick (1-1) Says: Notre Dame 31 Michigan State 27
Mark (1-1) Says: Notre Dame 34 Michigan State 24

Post your Saturday prediction on the Domer Sports Report Message Board! Remember, awards will be given out at the end of the year so stay with us all fall long for plenty of Notre Dame football chatter!

Preview Written By: Nick Shepkowski, add me as a friend on facebook or follow me and my random Irish thoughts on Twitter!

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.

Irish Face Road Challenge...Again

VS.

To say the Big East in basketball is like the SEC of Big XII of football does not do the conference enough justice. What Big East basketball teams are going through this season is even a bit extreme for for Big East standards and just days after an overtime loss on the road in Louisville, Notre Dame looks to get things back on track against #8 Syracuse in the Carrier Dome.

When you talk about teams who are statistically twins, Notre Dame and Syracuse come about as close to that as they can. Notre Dame averages 81.6 points per contest while Syracuse enters only scoring 80.9 a game themselves. Defense is the same story where both the Irish and Orange are allowing averages of 68.8 and 68.1 ppg respectivley.

In order for Notre Dame to win Luke Harangody needs to play an entire basketball game. Against Louisville, Luke faultered down the stretch a bit and did nothing in overtime. By no means can you expect the Irish to win going away, having Harangody be a factor for all forty minutes and then possibly beyond is a must because Syracuse offers great guard play that could very well shut down the outside game to a certain degree.

Personally, based on the skill of the opposition I do not feel that McAlarney, Jackson, and Ayers can be counted on to put up their usual numbers. The more I look into this game, the more I feel Luke Harangody needs to have a "Harangody type game".

Syracuse, led by coach Jim Boehiem, has seen great guard play this season from both Jonny Flynn (Soph.) and Eric Devendorf (Junior). Flynn enters whiel putting up 16.3 ppg and dishing out nearly six assists per contests. Devendorf enters scoring right at fourteen points a game. The Orange are led on the boards by forwards Paul Harris and Arinze Onuaku.

I feel that due to better defense being played by Syracuse and them being able to handle the Notre Dame snipers a little bit better than most schools are, expect to see this game not be quite as high scoring as many think it will be. I feel that Notre Dame is too good of a team to not beat a quality Big East team on the road this season and they get a big victory this afternoon in the dome.

Prediction: Notre Dame 72 Syracuse 70

Irish face Cards in Big Monday Showdown

Nick Shepkowski, Domer Sports Report

Notre Dame Men's Basketball
Game Preview

Every time a college basketball fan has turned their head this month, a Big East showdown has been taking place. That trend gets no different tonight as the Fighting Irish head south to take on the Louisville Cardinals. The Irish, led by Luke Harangody (24 pts, 12 boards/game) and Kyle McAlarney (16.5 ppg) face a tough matchup in the Louisville Cardinals.

The Cardinals began the year ranked in the preseason top five in the nation but have struggled so far, going 11-3 so far this season while starting the Big East season 2-0 so far. The Cardinals bring in a much deeper lineup than the Irish but don't have quite the same upperclassmen leadership Notre Dame does. Earl Clark leads the Cardinals in scoring with just over 13 ppg while Samardo Samuels and Terrance Williams average over ten a game.

Louisville will look to slow things down a bit more than the Irish are used to. In order for Notre Dame to walk out of Louisville with a victory they better be ready to run the floor and not let Louisville get too comfortable in slowing things down.

With the Irish coming out a bit flat this weekend against Seton Hall I suspect they were looking ahead a bit to this Big Monday matchup. However, I feel that this being on the road will do the Irish in although they keep it very close.

Prediction:

Louisville 71 Notre Dame 68

Previewing the Rainbow Warriors

Nick Shepkowski, Domer Sports Report
Edited by Mark Allen

Notre Dame Football
Game Preview

Notre Dame enters the Hawaii Bowl desperate for their first bowl win since New Years Day 1994 when I was still seven years old (I am now 22, nearing 23 next month). Since then the Irish have been losers in games of both the close call and blow out variety. What needs to happen to prevent the Irish from finishing with their second straight losing season?

Both offenses bring a very average brand of football to the game. Hawaii and Notre Dame rank 74th and 75th nationally in total offense as they both put up 344.8 yards per contest. Hawaii does however average two or so more points a contest than do the Fighting Irish.

As most remember from Hawaii's Sugar Bowl team a year ago, they like to throw the ball around the field. Although Colt Brennan has moved on to clipboard holding responsibilities with the Washington Redskins, Junior Greg Alexander does the quarterbacking for the Warriors. He has completed 131 passes for 1634 yards and twelve scores during the regular season. He is also a guy who knows how bad turnovers can hurt as he rarely risks throwing a pick, doing so only four times this season.

The favorite targets of Alexander are wideouts Greg Salas (50-755-3 tds) and Michael Washington (56-693-5 tds). Also seeing multiple passes thrown in their directions will be Malcom Lane and Aaron Bain. What scares me about Hawaii is the offense they run as it matches up against the Fighting Irish defense. Notre Dame has a defense that is designed to go after the quarterback; Hawaii has an offense who tries to simply pass their way downfield by dinking and dunking, taking whatever the defense is willing to give them. Not only do the Irish need pressure, but they need to walk away with a multiple sacks against Hawaii. This offense is designed to beat teams who are able to bring pressure, so unless Notre Dame can "Crank it Up", then it could be a long day for the Fighting Irish defense.

I fully expect to see Corwin Brown bring maybe even more pressure if that is even possible against the Warriors. If the Irish can't get pressure, then Hawaii will pick apart the Irish secondary all evening and make it a sad Christmas Eve in South Bend.

If the Irish are able to take away the pass, they will be in great shape as Hawaii ranks 107th of 119 teams in rushing yards. Not suprisingly, former Warrior coach June Jones and the SMU Mustangs rank dead last in that category. For what its worth Daniel Libre leads the Warriors in rushing with a grand total of 431 yards and six touchdowns. Not overly impressive, but then again Notre Dame brings far from a stout rushing game to the contest.

Hawaii brings an average defense into the game from a below average conference. The Warriors allow 27 points a contest and right around 350 yards. Notre Dame will be without all purpose back Armando Allen who is out with a leg injury and Robert Hughes for a half because of the fight he started at USC. What that means is that James Aldridge will get the largest portion of carries for the Irish while freshman Jonas Gray will also likely see carries.

The depth may not be there, but the Irish bring a much larger offensive line to the game than the Warriors defensive front and we all know what that means: pound the ball. Notre Dame won't be trying to light up the scoreboard, not only because they likely would lose such a battle, but also because that does not give them the best chance to win the contest. The Irish will use the run to set up the pass but once again, I am nervous to see what the lack of depth allows ND to do.

Personally, the Fighting Irish bring in much more talent than do the Hawaii Warriors but they still must do three things to avoid yet another bowl loss:

1) Not a Joy Trip - I disagree that 6-6 justifies being rewarded, but in today's game, I understand how it happens. Notre Dame can't take the trip to Hawaii as a reward or just a joy ride. Focus is something I am very scared the Irish will not bring to the matchup.

2) Road Game - Yup, playing in a team's home stadium is never a positive, but when its in a bowl game it makes it that much more difficult. The good news is that Notre Dame travels well and will likely have a strong showing of support in attendance. The fact it is in Hawaii's home stadium can't possibly favor the Irish though.

3) Dumb Mistakes - Whether it was in the SDSU, UNC, Pitt, or Syracuse games we all know that Notre Dame has had an abundance of dumb mistakes this season. If the Irish don't avoid costly turnovers and penalites it will be ugly, trust me.

For whatever reason this football team has turned out to be a major disappointment and just not be very good. Because of that I am afraid that the bowl losing streak will only continue this Christmas...

Nick (The Downing Domer) says: Hawaii 27 Notre Dame 23
Mark (The Faithful Wonder) says: ND 27 Hawaii 21

Where Saturday Will Be Won

Notre Dame is riding a high defensively of late, pretty much handling both Navy and Boston College on that side of the ball over the past two weeks. This week a Syracuse team comes to Notre Dame Stadium for the Irish's senior day festivities. The first class of Charlie Weis' recruits have been through a lot in the blue and gold and would like nothing more than to walk off the field in South Bend one last time as winners and in a dominating fashion.

Syracuse brings amongst the worst run defenses in the nation to Notre Dame tomorrow. So far in 2008 Syracuse has held just one team to less than four yards a carry for an entire game and that was the vaunted Northeastern rushing attack. The game plan for Notre Dame should be very simple this coming weekend in that the Irish will pound the ball, pound it some more, and then some more after that.

With Michael Floyd out do not expect to see the Irish counting on Jimmy Clausen to win them the football game. Obviously there are still the threats of Golden Tate, Duval Kamara, Kyle Rudolph, and David Grimes amongst others but when a team allows this many yards per contest on the ground I expect to see the Irish counting on the running game to chew clock and score points. This will also set up the play action game if Notre Dame so chooses to go to it.

Cameron Dantley heads the Syracuse offense as their quarterback but has been far from outstanding this fall. So far on the year he has completed almost exactly 50% of his passes for 1117 yards and 9 TD's to go along with only four picks. He may not win the Orange the game but he will not cost them it either.

If Dantley is to throw the ball it will likely be to Dante Davis, a talented sophomore who is Dantley's favorite target. On the year they have connected 27 times for over ten yards a catch and one score. Other than Davis, Mike Owen may see a few passes thrown his way but don't get confused, the passing game goes through Davis for the Orange.

The leader statistically on offense for Syracuse is senior RB Chris Brinkley. On the year Brinkley has compiled impressive totals of just over 1000 yards on the ground and six rushing touchdowns.

On defense Syracuse has been a disaster. Only once this year have the Orange allowed fewer than 30 points in a game, even the Akron Zips were able to put 42 on them early in the season. As stated above the Orange have not stopped the run all season, but the Irish haven't run the ball particularly well outside of the Navy and Purdue games.

This is where the running game comes up big for the Irish as they will "run away" from Syracuse, if you will...

Nick: Notre Dame 31 Syracuse 10
Mark: Notre Dame 35 Syracuse 14

Irish look to Avoid Losing Streak of Own vs. Navy

If there has ever been a must-win game for Charlie Weis during his tenure at Notre Dame than this is the week as the Irish get set to travel to Baltimore to take on the Naval Academy, trying to avoid losing two in a row to the Midshipmen. It was a magical day for all of those with any ties to Annapolis but to Notre Dame fans, November 3, 2007 was a day that will never be forgotten. After 43 consecutive victories, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame lost at home to the Middies.

So what has to be done in order to make sure this does not happen two years in a row? Let's start with something that has been a positive for Notre Dame in the past few weeks with the defense. A week ago the Irish allowed only 17 (7 of them on a pick 6) points on the defensive side of the ball, despite the offense having four turnovers. This week it is pretty easy to guess what is going to be shown by Navy: Pitch left, pitch right, up the gut, up the gut, pitch left...you get the point. Navy will enter Baltimore looking to run the ball down Notre Dame's throat's and its up to the Irish to stop it.

Navy enters with the number two ranked rushing team in the nation, following only Nevada. With 308 yards a game on average and 5.44 yards a carry coming in, Notre Dame has their work cut out to stop this running attack. Shun White enters leading the Midshipmen with 834 rush yards, having 348 of those come against Towson in week one. Eric Kettani adds in 673 more rushing yards and two scores while quarterback Jarod Bryant has accumulated 440 yards and five scores on the ground this season. Ricky Dobbs will also see carries for the Midshipmen as he has totaled 342 yards and six scores on the ground. Let's hope we force Navy into several 3rd and longs and make them put the ball in the air.

Navy ranks second to last, only ahead of Army when it comes to passing yards per game. However, when your rush offense ranks second its not as major of problem as one would think. Jarod Bryant has thrown only 32 passes all year, completing 18 of them for 265 yards. If forced to a backup, Navy will go with (get ready for it) Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada who is 13 of 18 on the year.

The Naval Academy ranks thirtieth in rush defense as they have allowed only 1047 yards on the ground this season, giving up 3.5 yards per carry. By comparision, Notre Dame has allowed 1187 yards but 4.0 yards per attempt. The Irish must improve overall, much like we saw a week ago at BC in order escape another upset from Navy.

Where you can expect the Irish to find the most success is, as usual, through the air. Navy has had a very tough time stopping the air game this season (which is weird seeing the technology they have these days). So far teams have averaged 256 yards a contest against them and there is no reason Jimmy Clausen should not be able to match or better that this Satruday. Expect to see the Irish really spread Navy out, many four or five receiver sets. Notre Dame really shouldn't have a problem throwing the ball around this weekend, if they do then a Navy streak against Notre Dame is a serious possibility.

How many points will Notre Dame need to score in order to win this weekend? That is the question many are asking but I feel differently as I am gaining more and more confidence in the defense as each week comes and goes. The Irish should be able to put up at least 35 on Navy (heck, Pitt did them in for 42) and that should be plenty.

What I expect to see is Notre Dame try and get up a couple of scores early and see if they can get Navy to go away from the strictly running game. If so it could be blowout city, if not, it may be a last second nail biter.

Prediction Time:

Nick (6-3): Notre Dame 38 Navy 24
Mark (7-2): Notre Dame 38 Navy 28

Irish Keys to Beating a Hated Foe this Saturday

Domer Sports Report

After a giveaway of a game a week ago Notre Dame goes on the road this week to take on the hated Boston College squad who has won the previous five contests against the Irish, dating back to 2000 when Notre Dame upended the Eagles while being led by the likes of and Matt Lovecchio and Bob Davie. Yeah, its been too long and the Irish are in need of a win in this series. With the obvious stated, what must Notre Dame do in order to walk out of Chestnut Hill victorious this Saturday night?

The fact of the matter is that the Irish, although very unimpressive in six of their last eight quarters of football, are playing a team they are very likely better than. They were the better team a week ago and squandered a two touchdown lead and are a better team this coming weekend against the 5-3 Boston College Eagles.

BC comes into Saturday losing their previous two, a 45-24 shellacking from North Carolina, before a 27-21 loss a week ago against Clemson. In those games BC has allowed nearly eight yards per pass attempt in both as well as right at three yards a carry. Against better offenses this defense has struggled this season, but after the second half a week ago, it is obvious this Irish offense is far from exceptional.

Chris Crane will be under center for Boston College and to say that he has struggled this year would be a major understatement. Crane has completed 56% of his passes for 5.6 yards/attempt while throwing eight touchdowns to twelve interceptions. Crane is a far cry from Matt Ryan, PS3's NCAA Football '09 cover boy and NFL first round draft pick from last April.

Crane's favorite targets include Brandon Robinson (27 Rec, 444 Yds, 2 TD's) and Rich Gunnell (26 Rec, 236 Yds, 1 TD). Like most teams Notre Dame has faced, the defensive secondary should be too strong of a match for these gentleman. What that means is that the game will once again come down to if Notre Dame can stop the running game or not.

In the three Notre Dame losses, the likes of Ringer, Draughn, and McCoy have run wild. It is of utter importance that Montel Harris (411 yds, 5.6 ypc, 4 td) and Josh Haden (273 yds, 4.3 ypc, 1 td) do not get into a groove and pace the Eagles offense on Saturday night.

The Eagles bring one of the better defenses to the game this Saturday, ranking 10th overall in fewest yards allowed per game and 27th in points per game given up with 19 being allowed per contest. The good news for Notre Dame is that the defense has not been as good as of late for BC as they have allowed 27, 45, and 23 points in their last three contests, respectively. Much of the reason for such a high ranking, statistically, is because of matchups against Kent State, Rhode Island, and UCF who combined for seven points in three games against BC. Outside of those three contests BC gives up an average of 29 points per game, much better looking for Notre Dame.

Defensively, the Eagles are led by BJ Raji who enters with four sacks, Mark Herzlich who ranks seventh in the ACC with 68 tackles and three interceptions, and Paul Anderson who has also picked off three passes.

Notre Dame needs to establish the run this week if they hope to win. They must establish it with themselves and stop Boston College from doing so. It is as simple as that for Notre Dame if they want to become bowl eligible this Saturday night.

One thing is very true and it is that BC sees this game as their Super Bowl to some degree. They dislike Notre Dame more than anything in life and like nothing more than ruining, or further frustrating, Irish seasons. Another thing that is true is that Notre Dame brings in a more talented team to this Saturday's game.

Notre Dame is winless against above .500 teams this year and in need of a win against one sooner than later. Boston College presents a great chance to win on the road and I feel that they will walk away with one, albeit by skin on their teeth.

Prediction Time:

Nick (6-2): Notre Dame 27 Boston College 26
Mark (7-1): Notre Dame 31 Boston College 24

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

Irish Look for First Road Win of '08: Washington Preview

Nick Shepkowski, Domer Sports Report

Notre Dame Football
Game Preview


As we enter the second half of the 2008 regular season the Irish seem to be primed to make a bowl appearance, something that seems like somewhat of an accomplishment after last year. Game seven sends Notre Dame to the great northwest to try and conquer ole' Ty once again as the 4-2 Fighting Irish take on the 0-6 Washington Huskies in a primetime game this Saturday night on ESPN2.

When the 2008 schedule was put together years ago, Washington was in the midst of a run which included eight straight bowl appearances and a victory in the 2001 Rose Bowl over Purdue. Sadly for Washington fans, the Huskies have not returned to a bowl game since the Sun Bowl on New Years Eve in 2002, a loss to that same Purdue team.

In 2008 it is safe to say the 0-6 Huskies will be waiting until at least 2009 to make a return trip the postseason. What is it exactly that has caused the problems for Washington this year? All one needs to do is look at the "points allowed" column to see that the Huskies give up 40.6 PPG. Give them credit in scheduling the big dogs like Oklahoma and BYU as well as Notre Dame in the non-conference slate, especially when you compare their schedule to the likes of the Arizona's and Washington State's of the Pac-10.

The biggest worry for Huskies fans going into this Saturday is the fact that Jake Locker will not be under center, due to a broken thumb. Locker not only was the quarterback of this team, but also leads the Huskies in rushing yards as well. Needless to say, losing him has made a bad team even that much more horrendous this season.

Not only has the defense been a dark spot for Washington, but the offense hasn't exactly 'lit up the joint' either. The offense has put together 17.6 ppg on average, not great but not terrible...until you look at the fact that exactly 20% of their points this season have been scored while trailing by thirty or more points.

This Washington team is shaping up to be just what the doctor ordered to stop the Notre Dame traveling blues. With Locker out, Ronnie Fouch will be left with the quarterback duties for Washington. Fouch, a sophomore, has thrown for 782 yards and three scores this season, completing 50% of his passes and throwing four interceptions. Don't blame Fouch or Locker for any of this, but the Huskies just do not have the talent on offense to be putting up many points a game.

David Freeman leads the Huskies in rushing yards (136) outside of the versatile Locker, but has not played since their matchup with Stanford on September 27th. Freshman Terrance Dailey has emerged on the scene as a capable back, running for a 59 yard touchdown against Oregon State last week. The bad news with Dailey - his other 21 carries this season have gone for just 61 total yards. Brandon Johnson has seen the ball the most times for Washington, but his touches have diminished in recent weeks. Johnson has had 32 carries for 63 yards, but only had two carries a week ago against the Beavers. As you can tell by the numbers, this shouldn't be a team who can run all over Notre Dame. Then again, the Irish run defense has been far from great. But, expect to see improvement in that aspect this week.

D'Andre Goodwin is the weapon of choice of the wideouts for Washington, pulling in 32 receptions for 451 yards (14.1 per). Jermaine Kearse and Devin Aguilar have each compiled over 200 yards receiving, but Kearse has the only two touchdowns of the three names mentioned. As implied throughout, this is a weak offense all around and the receivers are just another example of that. Defensively, expect Notre Dame to have many successes against this Washington team.

The Huskies enter Saturday with the 115th best run defense in the nation, giving up 232.8 yards a contest alone on the ground. At 98th best, the pass defense looks that much better as they allow 250 more yards a game. Daniel Te'o-Nesheim leads the Huskies as he has come up with their only three sacks in 2008 from his defensive tackle position. Mason Foster leads the defense with 50 tackles, good for second most in the Pac-10. Nate Williams has added 43, good for 7th in the conference as well. The defense has only forced two turnovers all season long, both being interceptions.

Notre Dame is headed west this Saturday and look to make it 5-2 on the season. Washington has been a program that has hit the ruts under Ty Willingham's watch and many Irish fans would like to see nothing more than Notre Dame clobber their old coach and keep him 0-'08 another week. With the two products that will be out on the field Saturday, Notre Dame's will offer a much better brand of football. Vegas says Notre Dame by 11, we here at Domer Sports Report say:

Nick (5-1): Notre Dame 44 Washington 17
Mark (6-0): Notre Dame 42 Washington 20

Makes you just long for the days, doesn't it?