Irish Nearly Perfect in 35-0 Opening Win

Early, often, and all afternoon. That's the way the Notre Dame offense approached its season opener against Nevada on Saturday in South Bend and they walked away with an impressive 35-0 victory in the process.

Jimmy Clausen and Michael Floyd connected for three Irish scores on the afternoon while Kyle Rudolph and Armando Allen each also found the end zone. Nevada put together a decent drive to on their first possession but were held in check by the Notre Dame defense the majority of the afternoon.

Jimmy Clausen got things going early on as he found Kyle Rudolph on a post route midway through the first possession. The touchdown pass capped a 12 play, 67 yard drive that put Notre Dame in front six and a half minutes in.

Nevada started the following possession and began cruising downfield before a sack on Colin Kapernick did the Wolfpack in. Richard Drake in turned missed a 38 yard field goal for Nevada, the Irish responded quickly with a nice drive put together with multiple solid runs by Armando Allen. Michael Floyd made it 14-0 on the first play of the second quarter on a 24 yard touchdown reception from Jimmy Clausen. Floyd split the safeties beautifully and put the Irish up two scores.

Nevada needed to respond their following drive but were instead held to a three and out. Two plays later it was again Clausen finding Floyd, this time for seventy yards and another Irish score.

Goodnight, Wolfpack.

The teams traded possessions a couple of times before the Irish took control with 5:51 remaining in the first half. Leading by 21 Charlie Weis gave a steady dose of both Armando Allen and Jonas Gray before the drive was capped off with only 1:59 remaining in the first half on a one yard touchdown run by Allen.

28-0 at halftime, things couldn't have gone much better for the Irish.

Charlie Weis called a pretty vanilla second half as the Irish put it on cruise control. The one major highlight of the half was another connection between Clausen and Floyd, this time for 88 yards. Clausen and Floyd each picked up their two longest completions/receptions of the day on the two long touchdown passes.

Nevada threatened the shutout midway through the third quarter but running back Vai Taua fumbled on a pitch that would have scored a touchdown. Instead it was Kapron Lewis-Moore jumping on the loose ball and Notre Dame held the shutout intact.

All in all a successful afternoon for Notre Dame, your tell-all stats:

Jimmy Clausen: 15/18 for 315 yards and 4 TD.

Turnovers: Nevada 3 Notre Dame 0

Rushing Yards: 178 yards on 41 attempts (4.3 ypc) against what was supposed to be a solid rush defense.

So its 1-0 for now and time to get ready for the Michigan Wolverines, a 31-7 winner vs. Western Michigan in the Big House on Saturday.

Recruiting Trail: This Weekends Visitors

Four Star Recruit Sean Parker at a workout. Parker is will be on campus this weekend as Notre Dame tries to get him to choose the Irish over other major powerhouse programs like Florida and USC.


Three prospects will be in attendance this weekend as Notre Dame opens up the 2009 campaign against the Wolfpack of Nevada. Of the three, one is verbally committed to the University of Notre Dame already while the other two have Notre Dame on their short lists.

Justin Utupo committed to the University of Notre Dame on July 6th of this year. At the time Utupo was the tenth commitment in the growing class and remains one of three commits at the defensive end position for Charlie Weis this year. At the time of his commitment there was hope in Irish Country that he could get one or two of his high school teammates in Jesse Scroggins (5 Star, QB) and Dion Bailey (4 Star, Safety) to commit to the Irish as well, unfortunately those two have since committed to USC.

Cameron Roberson, a three star running back has an offer on the table from Notre Dame and his trip to campus this weekend is his only planned trip of the fall thus far. Notre Dame is listed in the running for the Newbury Park, California product along with the likes of Arizona, Northwestern, UCLA, and Washington.

The third player making a visit this weekend is Sean Parker, a four star safety from Nathaniel Nerbonne High School in Harbor City, California. Parker as listed as the fifth best safety in the national class and will be a prized commitment for whichever school ends up with him. As you would likely guess, the top programs like Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Stanford, UCLA, and USC are all considered very much in the running for Parker's duties.

Maybe an extremely impressive showing by the Irish on Saturday could get a verbal commit from one of the two who are yet to make a decision but I really wouldn't count on that this early in the season. As of now there are ten more visits scheduled for this fall but that number is sure to change and likely in a short amount of time. Thoughts on the visit day or on the recruiting class in general? Be sure to post a comment here or check out the Domer Sports Report Message Board where Notre Dame discussion is always going on.


Nick Shepkowski is an avid Notre Dame fan who has followed the blue and gold longer than any other of his favorite sports teams. He currently works at 670 AM in Chicago as well as at the Big Ten Network, also located in the Windy City. Random Notre Dame fandom fact of the post: Notre Dame Football is 11-3 in games attended by Nick but the men's basketball team is winless in three attempts.

Top Five: Games This Season

This should be a recurring theme from me. Every week or two I'll do a new top five list with contributions from the staff. This weeks is about which games this season you're most excited for.

Honorable mention: Nevada, if it wasn't Nevada the first game of the season would be on the actual list. I'm having a tough time forgetting the San Diego State game from last year but I'm still trying to quell expectations of a blow out, as you can see in the prediction thread on the message board.

#5: Boston College Oct. 24th. The Mark Herzlich cancer story makes it harder to hate BC, but they somehow beat an evenly matched Irish team last year 17-0. This is a game that could serve as a barometer as to how good the Irish are following what should be a battle with SC (more on that later).

#4: Michigan Sept, 12th. I don't expect much from Wolvey this year, I have a sneaking suspicion that Western is going to beat them. I have a hatred for the team from Ann Arbor that is unmatched for any team in college football and I look forward to this game every year. Without a coach in Ann Arbor I think the Irish romp and the calls for RichRod of Death's head picks up even more. Plus, I'll be on a pseudo camping trip with a bunch of friends with most of them rooting for U of M.

#3: Stanford Nov. 28th. This could be the game that stands between the Irish and a BCS game. Jim Harbaugh the former Wolvey QB who I believe has been disowned by his college for calling out the fact that some athletes have bad degrees (never mind that any degree from U of M is a pretty good degree). I expect an improved Stanford team and an improved Irish team to battle it out much like in Charlie's first year.

#2: Michigan State Sept. 19th. Another home state team, but this is one I root for on occasion. Most of my friends went to State and the first Notre Dame game I went to was at Spartan Stadium. It's about time Notre Dame wins at home against Sparty and Charlie backs up the talk of never losing to MSU again. Without Hoyer and Ringer Sparty has to much to replace this early in the year.

#1: USC Oct. 17th. The game that tells us how good the Irish actually are. A team that has thrashed the Irish for three years in a row and Pete has only lost to the Irish once. This is the year to jump on a freshman QB (if he's still starting at that point) and a mostly new defense. This is the game that Charlie needs to be able to point to from a competitiveness stand point to keep his job. See Lloyd Carr versus Ohio State.

Mark Allen's

5.Stanford - For me this is political. I despise Stanford. I will not forget the anti-Catholic stuff the band did nor how liberal the school is. I also am sick of the ND administration saying they are an "aspirational peer"!

4.Pittsburgh - We had them beat, 17-0, last season and let it slip away. The Panthers are a quality team on paper. A win on the road would be a big win.

3.Michigan State - They have beaten us in 6 straight at Notre Dame Stadium. A win would be a huge step for this season.

2.Michigan - True, Michigan might still be rebuilding. But, this is a rivalry game. to win on the road at the "Big House" would be a big win.

1.USC - We have been smoked three games in a row by 31 points each. This game, should we win, would announce that the Fighting Irish are back.

Clashmore Mike's

1. Nevada (the season begins!)

2. Michigan (the only team I hate more than USC)

3. Mich. State (haven't quite gotten over planting the flag...)

4. USC (no explanation needed)

5. Boston College (it's time to put Little Brother in his place)

I should be live tweeting during most Irish games so feel free to follow me.

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.

Resurrection Reviewed

Brian Dascenzo, Domer Sports Report

Notre Dame Football

Book Review

Resurrection is the latest book by Jim Dent, author of Junction Boys and Twelve Mighty Orphans. The book revolves around the 1964 Notre Dame football season and Ara Parseghian's first year as head coach. It is more than a book about a football season. It is the story of a college football Goliath recovering from the slingshot attack.

Jim Dent did hours and hours of interviews with the main characters of the book and it shows in the depth of the stories. Dent's storytelling goes into Tom Coughlin playing a part in Tony Carey getting kicked out of school, why Nick Rassas spent the summer before '64 at a Wyoming farm and how a Heisman Trophy winner didn't have a letter jacket to wear to the dinner in New York. Dent brings up the fact that most of the Notre Dame stories have to do with big-time winning and how this isn't his style. He had been searching for a Notre Dame story to write when he was asked to speak at Notre Dame during the summer of 2008 and he says that "the story found him."

He uses the '64 season as a way to explore the history of Notre Dame football. Discussion of Leahy's Notre Dame career and how that led to Father Hesburgh becoming sick of his school being referred to as a Football Factory. The rantings and ravings of the players about Joe Kuharich not knowing to do with all the talent on his roster. It also shows how Ara was doing more with less at Northwestern then should be asked of anyone.

This book tells the story of one of the few times that Notre Dame was a true underdog story. I recommend this book to anyone interested in college football not just specific to Notre Dame fans. Enjoy.

To purchase this book at a discount, click on the image title below.

Irish Land Their 14th!

The Irish recruiting class of 2010 gained another body on Tuesday as Prince Shembo of Charlotte, NC gave the University of Notre Dame his word. The 6'2''/232 pound defensive end chose Notre Dame over his other finalists of Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, and North Carolina State.

Shembo becomes the third defensive end to commit to this recuriting class and the eighth defensive commitment so far. He joins Blake Leuders and five-star prospect Chris Martin at the defensive end position in this class.

In eleven games last season Shembo racked up 86 tackles with 9 sacks. He added a pair of interceptions and fumble recoveries as well.

Rivals.com ranks Shembo as their 14th best defensive end in the class of 2010 while giving him a 4-star rating. He possesses excellent strength with his bench press max being listed at 325 pounds while he was able to put up 545 pounds on the squat rack. At this point it seems that his leg strength is far ahead that of Lueders who only maxed out 470 pounds on his squat.

The class grows to 14 with the addition of Shembo with a lot of work remaining needed to be done. With Shembo giving his word, Rivals.com now ranks Notre Dame 9th overall in the nation, just ahead of both Michigan, Stanford, and USC.

Welcome to Notre Dame, Prince Shembo!

Men's Basketball Gets Second 2010 Verbal

Mark Allen, Domer Sports Report

Notre Dame Men's Basketball
Recruiting

Alex Dragicevich remembers watching his favorite team on television as a boy. He also knew that, as soon as he received an offer from that team, his recruiting was over. On Tuesday, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey received a verbal commitment from Dragicevich.

Dragicevich becomes the second verbal for the incoming class of 2010. He joins 6-0 point guard Eric Atkins.

Dragicevich is a 6-6, 180 pound shooting guard out of Northbrook, Illinois. Last season, he averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds per game. He shot 35 percent from 3-point range.

He saw his stock rise at the recent AAU performance in Las Vegas. Initially, he was being looked at by mid-majors. But, the offers came rolling in from the bigger names. Notre Dame won out over schools such as Oklahoma State, Xavier, Rhode Island, Utah, Loyola-Chicago and Miami of Ohio.

Mike Brey compares Dragicevich to a former Irish player. That player is Colin Falls. Fans might remember that Falls, a sharpshooter, set records in the Big East Conference as well as owning the record at Notre Dame for all-time 3-pointers made. His size might make one remember another Irish great, Matt Carroll.

Dragicevich will make his official visit on a very popular day. It seems like every player the Irish are recruiting in football, let alone, basketball, will be in town that day. That day is October 17 - the day of the rivalry game between Notre Dame and USC.