End of an Era in Notre Dame Stadium Saturday?

When Charlie Weis came to Notre Dame I bought what he was selling. I bought that Notre Dame was going to out work others on the practice field and in the weight room. I bought that within years the Irish would be that perenial national championship contender we all wished they would be. Unfortunately that has not been the case under the Golden Dome.

What we have gotten is a football team loaded with some of the most sought after high school talent. That football team that for the second year in a row has fallen hard on their faces after a somewhat promising start.

The loss in week to in Ann Arbor looks worse by the week, as does the loss to USC, and the upset at home to Navy. This was supposed to be the year Notre Dame made it back to the BCS, instead its a year where the GMAC bowl is now more likely.

Saturday may be the last time we see Charlie Weis coach a game in Notre Dame Stadium. His attitude made many call for his head early in 2007 when the Irish were in the midst of a 3-9 campaign. I stood by Charlie Weis then.

Last year when the Irish blew two possession leads to North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse I stood by Charlie Weis and thought it was just the growing pains of a freshman and sophomore dominated team.

This year is another story. The Irish redzone offense has become a laugher, struggling mightily to find the end zone the past two months. The defense hasn't stopped a thing. Heck, outside of a Golden Tate punt return a week ago the special teams have even turned into a joke.

Does it all fall on Weis? No, in fact I still see a way where he could one day be a legitament head coach in college football. His offenses work, execution has been a whole other issue.

At this point it would take a minor miracle for Charlie Weis to keep his job as the head football coach at Notre Dame. After five years, even I who gave Weis far more time than most feel the same.

Notre Dame welcomes UConn in a game that could be the last for many at Notre Dame Stadium. Senior day was a poor showing a year ago with a blown lead to Syracuse, this year UConn comes a calling.

This could possibly be the final time we see not only Charlie Weis but Jimmy Clausen, Golden Tate, and Armando Allen at Notre Dame Stadium. When all of them came into the University of Notre Dame we thought we were headed for glory, instead we went straight towards mediocrity and stayed there.

UConn is no slouch, much like Notre Dame they have played a schedule full of nailbitters. Yes they come in 4-5 overall but the 5 losses are by a total of 15 points. Play poorly and this one will likely be another loss for the Fighting Irish.

UConn likes to throw the ball with quarterback Zach Frazer, the same guy who was once seen as the possible "future" at Notre Dame. Frazer has thrown 6 touchdowns to 13 picks on the year and eclipsed 1300 yards passing. Not the most feared passing game around but the yardage numbers as a whole for UConn rank them in the top 40 in the nation.

Jordan Todman heads the running game for the Huskies, he has 826 yards on the ground and 12 touchdowns this year, Andre Dixon has carried for 730 yards and 7 scores.

UConn on defense allows roughly 23 points a game. Not a ton by any means but enough to make you worry as a Notre Dame fan due to the redzone inabilites of the Irish of late and their mistake-prone defense.

The Huskies pass defense ranks in the 70's for yards allowed a game, expect perhaps Jimmy Clausen's final game at Notre Dame Stadium (all speculation) to be amongst his finest.

I fully expect the Notre Dame offense to put up lots of points on Saturday. Next week won't be easy but many of these players want to go out with a bang. Because of the inability to stop the run the defense will keep UConn in this game.

I supported Charlie Weis for a long time but this will be his final win as the head coach of the Fighting Irish.

Nick (8-2): ND 27 UConn 24
Mark (8-2): ND 31 UConn 24

Saturdame Pitt 09

Really, that was a fumble. Really?

Golden Tate is amazing, if he comes back next year he will have a chance at Rocket like stardom.

Notre Dames score at halftime of the last 4 games, besides Washington State are 7, 13, 0, 3. Nice schematic advantage.

Another stupid offensive line penalty.

What was the game plan exactly? It seemed like Weis was a nine year old kid on his X-Box just randomly picking plays hoping they would work.

The interception on the pass to Floyd was an awful pass that should have been thrown.

What's the deal with wasting time outs early in halves?

Why didn't Charlie send the punt team out immediately after Jimmy's incompletion? With over two minutes on the clock and two timeouts punting is the right call. Instead he uses a time out lets the booth look over the play and then steal the ball.

Michael Floyd has to make that catch on third down, the drop was indefensible.

Can the offense please wake up in the first half at some point this season?

Brian Kelly or Gary Patterson or Bob Stoops. Now. Brian Kelly is my choice though.

I saw Kyle McCarthy miss a tackle, I've now seen everything.

The punt return by Golden was scary good, I say he's not allowed to fair catch any more punts.

Did Notre Dame really give out scholarships to a freshman kicker and punter and then not use them at all? Awesome.

Notre Dame Faces Must Win in Pittsburgh

A week ago there was chatter of Notre Dame going 10-2 in the regular season and reaching a BCS game. Those chatters have been silenced with the 23-21 defeat at the hands of Navy in Notre Dame Stadium, now the calls for the head of Charlie Weis gain even more steam.

The Irish travel to Pittsburgh this weekend, ironic enough probably the site of Charlie Weis' biggest win to date which was his very first at Notre Dame. A loss to the Panthers (8-1, 5-0 in Big East) and Notre Dame's hopes for the Gator Bowl may even appear to be dead with the likes of Connecticut and Stanford still on the schedule. It truly hurts to mention those two as major scares at this point in the season but sadly facts are facts.

What needs to happen for the Irish to take a win from the Panthers in Pittsburgh this weekend? Two things especially come to mind, both have cost the Irish big time in all three of their losses this season.

1) Stop the Run

Run the ball and the clock runs, we saw a week ago how valuable each possession is when a team controls possession like Navy was able to do. Pitt offers perhaps the best offensive freshman in the nation in Dion Lewis as the true freshman has put 1139 yards and 12 TD's this season. He has averaged 5.61 yards a carry and been a major problem for opposing defenses. If the Irish don't get a better showing from Ian Williams and Ethan Johnson then we have seen the majority of this season then it will be another long day at the office for ND. I really hope to see the Irish use primarily a 4-3 defense and perhaps a 5-2 at times and take my chances with less blitzing.

2) Convert Red Zone Chances

Early in the season it was obvious to all that Notre Dame would walk away with points anytime they got inside their opponents 40, let alone the red zone. The Irish wasted red zone by leaving loads of points on the field against Michigan, USC, and Navy this year. A week ago against Navy the Irish put up a 0-spot in the first half after 3 trips inside the Navy 25 yard line. That would be suicidal against Pittsburgh on Saturday. If the Irish don't get in the end zone when they drive the ball deep they will not win the game.

The Pitt Panthers as a team are a 38-31 loss to North Carolina State away from being in the national title hunt. Obviously this isn't a slouch of a team, what else do they have to offer besides the ability of all-world freshman Dion Lewis?

The offense is run first but too much commitment to the run is going to burn the Irish without a pass rush. Bill Stull has thrown for 1879 yards on the season with 17 TD's to only 4 INT. His favorite targets include 6'5'' sophomore Jonathan Baldwin (35 rec, 698 yds, 4 TD) and Dorin Dickerson, a senior tight end with 39 grabs for 450 yards. Dickerson is Stull's favorite red zone target as the senior has pulled in 10 touchdown receptions.

On defense Notre Dame is going to have to find a way to get Jimmy Clausen time to throw the football. I don't want to see the Irish going strictly downfield like they often do but intermediate routes will play a huge factor in the outcome. Pitt gets great pressure on the quarterback, leading the nation with 39 sacks on the season. Greg Romaus leads them with 7.5 sacks while Myles Caragram and Adam Gunn each add 5.

The Panthers pass defense ranks 38th in the nation as they allow 204 yards a game. Notre Dame must get Clausen time or find success in screening the ball to its backs because throwing downfield won't be a great possibility.

This is a game that Charlie Weis and the Fighting Irish must have. A loss very possibly ends the Irish's hopes of the Gator Bowl and sends them to even a lesser bowl game. A win keeps the hope for Jacksonville alive and the dream of a 10-win season (with a bowl victory) existent.

We will see an emotional Irish team on Saturday night the defense doesn't do enough.

Prediction time:

Nick (7-2): Pittsburgh 27 Notre Dame 21
Mark (7-2): Pittsburgh 31 Notre Dame 27

SaturDame Navy 09

The end of Charlie Weis should have been last year. Maybe the Irish don't get Manti T'eo, maybe they aren't 6-3 right now (8-1), maybe this team doesn't die inside the red zone. I don't know, it seems to me that we enjoyed that Hawai'i bowl a little too much, and thought that a win was a win no matter what this year. Is this a bad Navy team? No, in fact this might be the best Navy team Weis has faced. However, that isn't an excuse, this Navy team doesn't have anywhere near the amount of talent ND has, that's why they run the triple option. It's an offense that is hard to adjust too for defenses, that's the point of it. That being said the Irish held them to three touchdowns, I think everyone expected this Navy team to score at least 21 points. No one expected the Irish to struggle offensively. Whether it's Nick Tausch finally looking like a freshman, or Mike Floyd blocking on a pass that is thrown directly to him, the offense is at fault for this loss. Perhaps I should have saved my red zone inefficiency joke for this team instead of using it for Michigan last week.

Chris Peterson, Brian Kelly or Gary Patterson? Someone else? There will be a new coach in South Bend next year, if only because of the home schedule... Have you seen it? The new coach should be able to cake walk to 9-3.

How does Navy get those last two sacks only rushing 4?

Mike Floyd looked rusty, all the more reason to get Golden Tate the ball IN THE FIRST HALF.

I don't understand why Jimmy loves the fade pattern isn't a slant or an out route a better play in the end zone?

Did you see Golden catch the pass that didn't happen in the end zone with one hand, Willie Mays style?

Running the ball with Robert Hughes should have dominated the play calls. A huge dude running behind a huge offensive line against a small defensive line. Am I missing something?

The defense actually stepped up and got the offense the ball back at the end of the game, that might have been the most shocking development of the whole game (besides the offense imploding).

Can someone explain why the kicking only sucks in games when we need it to be good...

A TOUCHBACK ON A KICK OFF!!!! Is that allowed?

Harrison Smith gets the Eric Olsen award for stupid penalty of the day.

How did Notre Dame lose to Michigan?

I don't feel good about the Pitt game or the Stanford game, it's probably for the best.

"Nine and three isn't good enough" Charlie Weis.

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":

SaturDame Wazoo/Halloween 09

I didn't give this game my full attention because of the sporgy going on around it, did anyone see Tennessee in black jerseys? They ruined Halloween.

I hate writing the same things about Golden Tate every week, actually that's a lie, I love writing the same things because that means he is performing fantastic feats.

Golden Tate may steal Jimmy Clausen's Heisman Trophy.

Duval Kamara is trying to convince Jimmy he is worth a couple of targets when Mike Floyd comes back and is doing a pretty good job.

No Armando Allen and no Robby Parris, no big deal. Robert Huuuuuuuuughes was pretty dominant.

Seriously, did you see that touch down run by Golden Tate? I think he may have adamantium on his skeleton...(Tim Tebow dressed up as Golden Tate Saturday night)

Golden Tate is also the first five foot ten guy to be expected to come down with every jump ball.

Dayne Crist finally showed off his arm with that laser to John Goodman, who then pulled away from the DB as well. Hopefully Dayne will be okay at least Evan Sharpley came back.

How about the hustle from Mike Ragone after the blocked extra point, ridiculous. I was kind of hoping to give up another two point play after the safety last week though.

How does Nick Tausch make every field goal and miss three extra points? I'm aware that they are blocked but how does that not happen on the field goals?

Robert Blanton made a spectacular catch on the interception.

Eric Olsen needs to control himself, it's getting old. Also cut your hair (that's for my mom).

Theo Riddick and Jonas Gray showed some game.

How about that WildCat running game. I also think Golden wanted to throw the ball to Jimmy in the endzone...

Finally stopped a freshman QB from putting up huge numbers... Also the Cougars started a freshman at LT that weighs 240 pounds, those two things may be connected.

Ben Turk rebounded from his near backwards punt and had a sweet coffin corner kick.

USC and Michigan got blown out. Also after that Indiana Iowa game I think all instant replay officials went to Purdue.

Follow me on twitter. You can also follow these Irish tweeters.

Notre Dame vs. Washington State...in San Antonio!

It has already started off to be a good weekend in San Antonio for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame as they picked up a commitment from defensive back Toney Hurd, Jr. on Friday. Saturday night brings on one of the least anticipated Fighting Irish contests in recent history as they play in the Alamodome against Washington State.

Neat for those in Texas, sure. For those who like to take in a weekend in South Bend, this is one that can't be spent there yet count as a home game in every other regard. What to expect in the coming hours from the Alamodome?

Washington State is a very talent-deprived college football team. They rank in the bottom twenty of nearly every defensive category, Notre Dame should have no problems moving the football.

Expect the Irish to come out throwing the ball more than usual early on. Notre Dame will be without Armando Allen this evening and Robbie Parris sounds like he won't be able to go, either. Robert Hughes will get the bulk of carries for ND while we should see plenty of Jonas Gray as well.

This is a game that Notre Dame should blow out the competition. Its not that I'm looking past Washington State, its the fact that in all regards the Irish have much more talent.

4 of 7 times this season the Cougars have allowed more than 30 points in a game. In two more they have allowed 38 and 39, Notre Dame will put up points, look for Charlie Weis to try and help Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate out in the area of postseason awards. He will try to let those two both make plays tonight not only to win, but to pad some stats along the way.

Weak preview, I'm well aware. Needed to get something up and had a very very busy week, please don't hate me.

Prediction Time:
Nick (6-1): ND 48 Washington State 7
Mark (6-1): ND 38 Washington State 13

Happy Halloween!

SaturDame BC 2009

Beating Boston College is a huge relief. It feels like something that should happen every time.

Kyle Rudolph misses Michael Floyd more then Jimmy Clausen does.

Robbie Toma is a surprise right?

Kyle McCarthy as good as he ever was. Let's hope Dan is at least half as good as his brother.

Did anyone see the end of the Iowa Michigan State game? Iowa used all four downs to go for and get the win...

Armando Allen is a consistent if not spectacular back.

I could have sworn I heard Chris Tucker from Friday after Robert Hughes got hit on the fourth and goal play.

Golden Tate is making a case for his own invitation to New York.

Perhaps Notre Dame should make all their baseball players try out for the football team.

Manti T'eo just makes things happen, he's so much fun to watch.

The run defense actually seemed like it was good this week instead of just benefiting from the awfulness of the pass defense, although that helped.

How good was the last touchdown pass from Jimmy? I didn't think that pass was making it past the line backer.

These close fourth quarters are barely fazing me now, I think I'm getting used to them.

So this is what it's like to have a reliable kicker. I like it. Slick Nick Tausch.

Duval Kamara played his best game since his freshman year, more of that please.

The lack of turnovers on offense is nearly as big a deal as causing the turnovers on defense.

That was an atrocious first half, worst of the season at least offensively.

Robby Parris is everything a football player should be.