Well, as everyone watched yesterday, the Irish seem to have some major issues that need to be addressed immediately. Most people predicted ND would go through growing pains, but the pains Georgia Tech put this team, and its fans, through yesterday would send most to the emergency room. I was optimistic about this season but not overly, or so I thought. I believed ND had a good shot at going 8-4, and maybe 9-3 if things broke the team's way in a game or two. Now, after seeing yesterday's game, even 8-4 may have been a little unrealistic. The Irish played like an inexperienced team yesterday. Add a very good opponent who has a Defensive Coordinator that knew exactly how to exploit ND's weaknesses and it is a recipe for disaster.
Here are the thoughts I took away from yesterday's game...
1. The Offensive Line looked flat out awful.
There are multiple reasons for this. First, Notre Dame was trying to play like West Virginia. How can you expect an Offensive Line to run an offense like West Virginia when it was designed to be a power running team? WVU relies on smaller, quicker offensive linemen to execute this system. The Irish have behemoths that I thought were going to play smash mouth football. I give Charlie credit for taking a chance on this game plan. This shows Charlie will try to win the way he thinks his team has the best chance to win. But, you know the Irish had to use alot of time in practice to get ready to run this system. It seems like alot of wasted time now. This game plan was for Tech. I doubt we see the same plan set-up for Penn State. We might see Jones in the game running, but not exclusively like yesterday. Second, Tech has an excellent defense. This is not an excuse but it is reality. Georgia Tech was very well prepared and they are nasty. I give credit to John Tenuta for continuing to blitz when there was blood in the water.
2. Does the 3-4 Defense stop the run?
Wow, this is one I did not see coming. I knew stopping the run was a major concern for the Irish. Not this major though. I knew Tech would try to run at the new 3-4. I knew Choice is an excellent running back However, I did not think ND would be rolled over for 265 yards rushing. Outside containment killed the Domers. Every time I saw Choice go behind center, I knew if he was able to get to the outside it would be bad. Sure enough on numerous occasions Choice went right around ND's blocked ends (including the 22 yard TD run). This really worries me for the immediate future. Penn State will surely run at ND with their 3 running backs.
3. The Irish quarterbacks took a beating physically and mentally.
To begin, Irish fans should not come down on the QB's. Tenuta's defense is going to swallow alot of QB's this season. Notre Dame QB's seemed to be the appetizers to Tech's quarterback feast this season. The O-Line had major problems with GT's blitzes resulting in 9 sacks and absolutely no running game. The QB's had NO time to throw. I do feel badly for Jones. What a way to be introduced into College Football. But, that being said, those two fumbles were inexcusable. Notre Dame CAN NOT turn the ball over this year if they are going to win games. Sharpley did not look too bad, but it is hard to judge when a player is on the turf 7 times trying to pass. Sharpley did over throw a wide open Grimes that would have been a TD. Clausen went 4-6 for 34 yards with an overthrow to DJ Hord on a deep ball. In my eyes these stats do not mean much because Clausen was playing 2nd and probably 3rd string players at this time. A positive is Clausen looked the most confident out of all the QB's. Who gets the nod for Penn State? I'm saying Sharpley. If Sharpley struggles, I believe he will make a change to Clausen in the game. I do not like the idea of starting a true Frosh in the crazy, blood thirsty environment of Beaver Stadium next week. But, if the Irish are struggling, just like Charlie said , Notre Dame will not be "stagnant". DJ will play next Saturday as a change of pace, but I do not think he will start, especially after those two cardinal sins he committed yesterday afternoon.
4. Did the Irish graduate all of their receivers and tight ends?
I know the answer is no. But one pass in the first 20 Offensive plays? If you are running for 5 yards a pop this seems to be a great plan. Run it down their throats. That was not the case. Yes, I know the Irish QB's did not have time to throw. Well, how about 3 step slants? How about screens? How about quick hitters to our All-American tight end? A positive, Robbie Parris looked pretty good. George West caught a couple of passes but did drop the one pass that looked pretty well thrown by Sharpley. ND has got to be ND and throw the ball. I think Charlie will be doing this next week. If the QB's throw picks, what the hell! They are young and will make mistakes. Open it up a little bit and hold on. By the way, please throw the ball to Carlson.
5. What happened to this running game I have heard about all fall practice?
The Irish pretty much had to abandon the running game in the second half being so far behind. The first half, Charlie mainly had DJ running the ball trying to be like Pat White. Result: 12 runs - 28 yards. That is an average of 2.3 ypc. Not good. Travis Thomas did not get going at all. 7 rushes for - 7 yards. Obscenities flew out of my mouth especially when it was third and 1 from Tech's 2 yard line. I was sitting there playing armchair QB and thought "The Irish have two chances to pick up one yard. Two QB sneaks right up the gut. " Instead, Thomas gets the hand off and tries to bounce outside! Result 5-6 yard loss. No chance to go for it on 4th down. Armando Allen is exciting. I know you may have missed it because he only had 3 carries. I believe Armando Allen needs to get at least 12-15 touches a game. Allen was pretty much non-existent in the 2nd half though because the Irish needed backs who were bigger and could protect the QB.
6. The secondary looked better than last year.
There were numerous times where ND's corners were one on one with Tech's wide outs. Personally, I think the corners held their own. I was especially impressed with Lambert (who had the hardest assignment with Tech's Johnson) and Burton. Overall Tech's QB Bennett was 11-23 for 121 yards. Not bad. Keep in mind though, Tech really did not have to pass all that much with Choice slicing up the Irish defense.
7. What happened to the senior leadership?
I did not see a leader in yesterday's game. What really disturbed me is the ejection of Justin Brown in the 2nd quarter. Justin Brown is a senior and yet it was Freshman John Ryan who was trying to calm him down before he was ejected! What happened to the senior leadership? This was a bad sign. I want the defense to be nasty, but not to the point that there are ejections. This was not a smart play by Brown, and it resulted in Choice's 22 yard TD run that basically put the game out of reach.
Irish fans, should you be concerned? HELL YES! Should you lose hope and expect a losing season? HELL NO! This team is going to get better. This team is going to go through some hard knocks while it gets better though. PSU is licking their chops after yesterday. The Lions looked very good. Yes, I know they played Fla. Int., a team that went 0-12 last season, but you can't deny the Lions' defense was nasty and stingy pitching a shut-out and allowing only 114 yards, the running game looked good, and Morelli threw for just under 300 yards and no picks.
I am very interested to see how the Irish respond next week. This is a true test for Weis. I have complete faith in this coaching staff, and I believe they will be better prepared to play PSU. However, if the team goes into Penn State next week and loses by 30 again, the confidence of this young team is going to be shattered. Keep in mind, the Irish are on a 3 game losing streak dating back to last season. We shall see what happens.
