Notre Dame Needs to Make a Huge Statement Against Air Force

 Despite not currently being ranked in the BCS Top 25, Notre Dame still has BCS hopes. It can happen if the Fighting Irish win out and go 10-2. To do that they have to go one game at a time. You can't go 10-2 if you don't go 6-2. But even with a 10-2 mark, they could still get left out if they don't impress the pollsters. It won't help if Notre Dame has opponent whom they should blow out on paper and end up barley beating them. That already happened once this year against Purdue and being honest, the Irish weren't really all that impressive against lowly Temple too.

Now here we are this week against an Air Force team that is 1-6 from a second tier conference in the Mountain West. From what I understand, they have already started 4 different quarterbacks. So going into this game, Air Force doesn't scare me at all. Notre Dame does. The Fighting Irish often do not get up for games like this and allow an inferior opponent to be closer than it should be. On paper, Notre Dame should blow the Falcons out. But they need to blow them out on the field. Notre Dame has looked good the last couple games and some of the pollsters have noticed. But an uninspired win will not help rally new ones.

But not only for purposes of moving into the polls, games like this are how you are supposed to build programs. These games should feature extended playing time for backups and give them game experience. But the coach can't do that if they keep it closer than it should be. What happened with Andrew Hendrix last week is a perfect example. Had he got game experience against Purdue and Temple, he might have been better prepared and done a little better. The fact is that he is the back up and may be called upon again in a key situation. That is why getting him and other back ups in this week is vitally important.

So Go Irish and blow this team out. We have no interest in an exciting game.

Notre Dame Gets Snubbed In the BCS Poll, But Has Much Bigger Concerns With Rees Being Day To Day

A day after defeating USC at home for the first time since 2001, it was really disappointing to see Notre Dame not ranked in the first BCS poll. I certainly don't think Fresno State, Northern Illinois, or Central Florida play a level of competition that makes them better than Notre Dame. I even want to scratch my head on Louisville. But regardless, I can understand that in the Fighting Irish's first 5 games they were not impressive even in the games they won. But since then they had a great game against Arizona State and the defense dominated USC. The offense was solid in the first half but after Tommy Rees got hurt, the offense did nothing. But if the team keeps playing like they are capable, I have no doubt that Notre Dame will be in position to clinch a BCS bowl with a win when they travel to Stanford at the end of the year. It would not hurt if one of the Michigan teams made it to the Big Ten title game, Oklahoma wins the Big 12, and Arizona State wins the PAC 12 South.

All that talk is mute though if the Irish lose even one more game. With the Rees injury, that is definitely now a concern considering just how bad the offense was without him. Let's just put this in perspective how bad it was. He had two touchdowns in the first half and was well on his way to having close to 400 yards passing. The offense had 269 yards with him and just 26 without him. Keep in mind that this is a defense that has given up well over 600 yards in the last two games. They are notorious for wearing down in the second half and gave up 63 second half points the previous two games, and yet our offense could generate nothing without Rees. That is quite disturbing honestly.

I don't want to beat up on Andrew Hendrix, but you would expect a guy who has been in the program have a better knowledge and honestly have more hunger than he showed. This was his one shot at glory after being behind Rees and Everitt Golson for so long. And look what he did with it. He was 0 for 4 passing and they honestly weren't even close, nor were they difficult passes. Then another ball fell out of his hands when he tried to pass. I understand he is a good kid and is probably trying his best, but this is Notre Dame, not Pop Warner.

Rees's injury does not appear to be serious as he is day to day and expected to practice Tuesday. He has a sprain in his neck. This week, the Fighting Irish have to prepare for an Air Force team that is 1-6 against competition that does not compare to Notre Dame's schedule. I mean no disrespect to the Mountain West conference by that statement because a few good programs got their start in that league. But facts are facts, Air Force is struggling against lesser competition and from what I understand are down to their fourth string quarterback. Given those conditions, I would normally say just sit Rees for this because we should be able to win with a back up. But with as bad as Hendrix was against USC, I have no confidence that Notre Dame can beat anybody with him. We certainly don't want to remove the red shirt from Malik Zaire, not for Air Force. I almost want to say give Charlie Fiessinger a chance. I am sure he can throw a bubble screen to TJ Jones or DaVaris Daniels which is really all he would be expected to do. But then again, there is a reason why he is behind Hendrix.

Good thing we are playing Air Force this week, but we still need to be able to do something offensively. Coach Kelly will definitely have to earn his pay check this week in how he prepares them.

Defense Dominates While Andrew Hendrix Shows Why He is Not The Starter As Notre Dame Ends Home Drought Against USC

For the first time since 2002 Notre Dame defeated USC at home. The Irish have now won 3 of the last 4 against USC and have retaken control of this rivalry after losing 8 straight to the Trojans. But the win did not come easily or without cost.

The game started with Notre Dame taking the ball all the way to the one before USC put up a goal line stand. The Trojans then took it all the way down for a Silas Redd touchdown. Redd had a big first half with 91 yards. But the Irish defense did get it together and only gave up a field goal the rest of the first half.

The Irish offense was great in the first half. Tommy Rees threw for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns. One was to Troy Niklas and the other was to TJ Jones. These plays were set up by great running from Cam McDaniel who had 85 yards in the first half.

At the half, the Irish were up 14-10 and appeared to be on their way to an easy victory as USC was clearly wearing out and star receiver Marqise Lee reinjured his knee. Then on the first drive in the second half, Emerging linebacker Jaylon Smith intercepted USC quarterback Cody Kessler on the first drive. That set up the Irish in great field position and with a chance to take control of the game. But USC linebacker Lamar Dawson busted through untouched and knocked Rees out of the game.

Then came in seldom used junior quarterback Andrew Hendrix. To be blunt, he was awful. He did not complete a pass in 4 attempts and USC totally committed everybody to stopping the run since the pass was no threat.

But fortunately, the defense was awesome in the second half. Kessler was under pressure all night. Leading the way was Louis Nix, Stephon Tuitt, Sheldon Day, Prince Shembo, and Ishaq Williams. These guys put so much pressure on Kessler and forced the USC linemen to hold on many occasions.

There was no scoring for either team in the second half so the Irish held on for the win.Going forward though, we have to be concerned if Rees cannot come back. We might beat Air Force and Navy, but I am not sure we can beat anybody else if we have to go forward with Hendrix.

As for Lee, I want to reiterate a point on whether or not it is in his best interests to keep playing for this average USC team. He has such a great future ahead of him in the NFL. He really should consider shutting it down this year to preserve that.

Is It About Time to Bust Out the Green Jerseys Against USC?

They are not worn very often. The green jerseys are kept for special occasion. The last time I recall Notre Dame wearing them was against Army at Yankee Stadium 3 years ago. We live in a day and age where kids get pumped up by special uniforms. The Fight Irish always plays great at the Shamrock Series that features special uniforms.

These green uniforms are kept for certain occasions. I think trying to beat your arch rival in prime time at home for the first time since 2002 qualifies as a special occasion.

I say lets bust them out against the Trojans.

How Notre Dame Should Game Plan For USC

On paper, Notre Dame should win against USC. They both played Arizona State in consecutive weeks. The Trojans got embarrassed by giving up 62 points and a week later the Fighting Irish had their best game of the year. However, there are a couple factors that still make me nervous on this one. First, this is THE  rival and Notre Dame has not beat USC in South Bend since 2002. Getting a monkey like that off your back is never easy regardless of the circumstances. Second, USC looked like a totally different team against Arizona in their first game with Ed Orgeron as Interim Head Coach.

So thinking of all that, it is always important to have a great game plan. Starting with the defense, they need to pick up where they left off against Arizona State. That pressure was awesome and needs to keep up against USC. They have a young quarterback in Cody Kessler who has yet to play a team that has the potential to rush him the way the Irish can. That pressure is key because if he is given time, I don't think either Bennett Jackson or KeVare Russell can cover Marqise Lee. But that is a moot point if Kessler can't get him the ball.

Notre Dame has been solid all year against the run and they will certainly have a challenge this week against Silas Redd and Tre Madden. But I see the Irish defensive line overpowering the Trojan offensive line.

Now looking at the offense, the key is patience in the running game and time of possession in the first half. I know that it is always an urge to go for a big play early, but that is not the correct thing to do this week. The reason why is USC wears down in the second half. The fact is that they have lost a lot of scholarships because of the sanctions and don't have the same depth as most programs.

Just take a look at their last two opponents. In that embarrassing loss to Arizona State, it is easy to forget that it was a tight game at the half. It was mentioned that they gave up 62 points, well 42 of them were in the second half. Even against Arizona, USC wore down. They gave up a touchdown late in the first half and gave up three more in the second half. As good as they looked in that game, the Wildcats nearly rallied to beat them.

What that tells me is that in the first half, George Atkinson, Cam McDaniel, and Amir Carlisle really need to run that ball a lot. Tommy Rees and TJ Jones need to have patience. They will have their opportunities in the second half, The points will be there but the key early is running the ball and time of possession. That will wear this defense that has limited depth. Then in the second half, open that playbook up. This team has given up 63 second half points in their last two games. If Notre Dame is tied or even slightly behind at the half, they are in great shape for a big second half.

Amir Carlisle Can Make Or Break His Season Against Former Team

It is certainly not unusual for a player to transfer schools while he is in college. However, a player going from USC to Notre Dame is almost unheard of. The Irish are not a rival, they are the rival. But that is exactly what Amir Carlisle did. And it got off to a roaring start. His first carry was for 45 yards. After two games he was the teams leading rusher with 132 and appeared to be the guy who would be the featured runner. But in the last four games, he has just 46 yards. That gives him just 178 for the year and no touchdowns.

He is currently listed as the third runner behind Cam McDaniel and George Atkinson. Those two are really built more to be specialists than featured runners. Cam is the muscle while GA III is the speed. The fact that those two have more yards than Carlisle alone highlights how disappointing Carlisle has been since his hot start.

He has shown flashes at times, but has never established himself. Playing against his former team should provide extra incentive for him.There is no doubt he circled this date when the schedule came out. Maybe a big game against his former team can get him jump started for the stretch run. But if he has another game in which he can't even break 20 yards, it might be hard for the coaching staff to keep him in the regular rotation.

Scheduling a Bye Before USC Makes Sense On Paper, But.............

Notre Dame and USC is arguably the best rivalry in college football. It is not about conference titles or state bragging rights. It is just about natural hatred. The unique thing about this game is that it alternates when it is played. It is the last game of the year when it is at USC but in the middle of the year when played at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have made it a habit of scheduling a bye before USC on years they play in South Bend. That does make sense on paper. They are the rival and Notre Dame wants to take two weeks to prepare. There is only one problem with this strategy. It hasn't worked.

The Trojans have won five straight in South Bend. The last time Notre Dame beat USC at home was 2001. So while the bye does make sense, the results haven't been good. They game close in the famous Bush Push game in 2005 and Jimmy Clausen fell just short of the endzone in 2009.

That does have to make anyone question if it is a good strategy. While two weeks of preparation is good, it can create rust. That makes me think about how USC has scheduled it in recent years. They actually take a bye one opponent before Notre Dame and then play a softer conference game on a Thursday night. That is good because it does give them extra time to prepare without causing too much rust. I do like that strategy better I think.

Having said all that, the main factor probably is that USC has just had better teams in those years. They were an annual contender when Pete Carroll was there before the program was hit with all the sanctions. But now the pendulum does seem to be tilting back to Notre Dame as they have won two of the last three. However, they still have not won a home game against the Trojans in over a decade. That is long enough. It is time to reclaim our home field against these guys. On paper the Fighting Irish are the better team. They have had one common opponent in Arizona State and we all know the results for both games. USC also doesn't have the depth on defense because of all the scholarship reductions. We just have to hope they are prepared better this time for the game rust.