Notre Dame
Fighting Irish
Preview 2009
By
Pete Fiutak
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2009 CFN Notre Dame Preview |
2009 Notre Dame Offense
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2009 Notre Dame Defense
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2009 Notre Dame Depth Chart
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2008 ND Preview
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2007 ND Preview
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2006 ND Preview
Interested in blogging about Notre Dame
football?
Let
us know
But you knew
this had to happen.
The biggest mistake
of Notre Dame football, as a program and a national entity, over the
last two substandard seasons was that no one seemed willing to admit
that the success from the two BCS appearances under Charlie Weis was
a mirage. By getting to the two big games, and by coming within a
few inches of beating an all-timer of a USC team, it was easy to
think that Notre Dame was a national superpower again just because
of Weis, when in fact the players weren't in place to keep the
success rolling. But no one wanted to believe that, least of all
Weis.
The program had to be redone, it had to undergo a total
overhaul of talent, and it had to take its lumps for a few years, taking the proverbial step back to leap two steps forward. But Notre
Dame football wasn't sold that way under Weis. His biggest mistake
from the start was not being able to recognize that the program was
going to need to change at some point, and that it was going to be a
several-year task to make the storied franchise good enough to be in
the national-title hunt year in and year out. He didn't prepare the
fan base for it, he set the expectations unreasonably high, and even
when his teams got obliterated in the BCS games, he still claimed it
was national-title-or-bust in South Bend.
Head coach: Charlie Weis
5th year: 29-21
Returning Lettermen:
Off 21, Def 20, ST 3
Lettermen Lost: 20 |
Ten Best Irish Players
1. WR Golden Tate,
Jr.
2. DT Ian Williams, Jr.
3. SS Kyle McCarthy, Sr.
4. QB Jimmy Clausen, Jr.
5. WR Michael Floyd, So.
6. TE
Kyle Rudolph, So.
7. DE Ethan Johnson, So.
8. FS Harrison
Smith, Jr.
9. OT Sam Young, Sr.
10. LB Brian Smith, Jr. |
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2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: COMING
2009 Record: 0-0
9/5 Nevada
9/12 at Michigan
9/19 Michigan State
9/26 at
Purdue
10/3 Washington
10/10 OPEN DATE
10/17 USC
10/24 Boston College
10/31 Wash St (San Ant.)
11/7 Navy
11/14 at Pitt
11/21 Connecticut
11.28 at Stanford |
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2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2008 Record:7-6
9/6
San Diego St W
21-13
9/13 Michigan
W 35-17
9/20 at Michigan St L 23-7
9/27
Purdue W 38-21
10/4 Stanford W
28-21
10/11 at N Carolina
L 29-24
10/18 OPEN DATE
10/25 at Wash. W 33-7
11/1 Pitt L 36-33 4 OT
11/8 at Boston Coll L 17-0
11/15 Navy (Balt)
W 27-21
11/22 Syracuse
L 24-23
11/29 at USC L 38-3
Hawaii Bowl
12/24 Hawaii W 49-21 |
Instead of being cocky and arrogant early on
with his claim of having a "schematic advantage," Weis needed to
convince Irish Nation, and himself, that coaching ability sometimes
only goes as far as the players on the roster. It's okay to accept that players, even
talented ones, need time to develop. Tom Brady wasn't Tom Brady
when he first became a New England Patriot.
If Weis had been able to sell everyone on the
idea of patience, that the Irish needed to get faster and more talented,
especially on defense, and that the problems couldn't be solved
overnight, then the 2007 disaster would've not only been forgiven, at
least somewhat, it would've been accepted as necessary, while last year
would've been seen as the stepping-stone to this season.
Of
course the offense was going to have problems two years ago with so many
underclassmen playing so many key roles, especially with true freshman
Jimmy Clausen at quarterback, and of course things weren't going to be
night-and-day better the year after when the young talent was still
trying to figure out what it was doing. But now, after using many of Ty
Willingham's matured players and recruits, this is Weis's hill and these
are his beans. There are no excuses this year.
Without question, this is the best team in the five years under Weis
with experience across the board and plenty of good options to create
strong battles for most of the jobs. Unlike the past 15 years, there's a
whole bunch of athleticism and the insurgence of potential NFL talent
needed to compete at the highest level. Will that mean a BCS bid? Not
necessarily, but this season could show that the foundation has been set
to put Notre Dame among the best programs in America again.
For
example, the receiving corps, including emerging star tight end Kyle
Rudolph, might be the most talented and productive in the history of the
program. The addition of linebackers Manti Te'o and Zeke Motta from this
year's recruiting class has instantly raised the defensive talent level
up a few notches, while the expected emergence of sophomores Ethan
Johnson and Kapron Lewis-Moore on the defensive line, to go along with
tackle Ian Williams, could make the Irish front four a brick wall for
the first time in years. Throw in a veteran quarterback who really is
that good, a kicking game that gets everyone back, and add a few key
players missing from last year's mix to fill in some gaps, and every area of the team should be better than last year.
Lost in the mediocrity of 2008 was how Notre Dame was a couple of
missed kicks against Pitt and Syracuse from finishing the regular season
at 8-4; that would've set the expectations sky high coming into this
year and Weis's job status wouldn't be up in the air. No, this might not
be a BCS team quite yet, but it's awfully close. If the Irish do end up
playing in one of the big five January games, it's not going to be like
it was a few years back. This time, they'll be the real deal that Irish
fans have been waiting so long for.
What to watch for on offense: The attempt to get a power running
game going. Notre Dame has been pushed around too often, and it appears
to be tired of it. The running game has been non-existent over the past
two seasons, but now there are four decent veteran backs ready to roll
behind an experienced line. Compared to the other units, the line might
be the team's weak link, but four starters are back, not including Paul
Duncan, who missed last year but started 11 times in 2007. The call has
gone out for everyone to be more physical and to start pounding away
with the running game. At the very least, the veterans are in place to
give it a shot.
What to watch for on defense: A far faster defense that doesn't
quite resemble anything yet seen in the Weis era. Defensive coordinator
Jon Tenuta loves to be aggressive and he wants to blitz from several
different angles, but last year he didn't necessarily have the athletes
in place and he didn't have the experienced players to do exactly what
he wanted to. This year, with the defense going to a 4-3 from last
year's 3-4, there's an abundance of really good, really talented
linebackers for Tenuta to send after quarterbacks, and he has the
secondary in place to handle the pressure of being left out to dry.
The team will be far better if … Jimmy Clausen stops throwing
interceptions. He threw 17 last season giving away two or more in seven
games. He threw eight picks and one touchdown pass in the three disaster
games (Michigan State, Boston College, and USC), and the Irish struggled
against an awful San Diego State and an overmatched Navy when he threw
two interceptions in each game. There will be two extra wins this year
if Clausen can cut his interceptions down to ten or fewer.
The Schedule:
All the excitement and all the high
expectations could go out the window in the season-opener against Colin
Kaepernick and a strong Nevada team, and then comes the Big Ten portion
of the slate at Michigan, at home against Michigan State, and at Purdue,
before dealing with Washington. If Notre Dame is the real deal it's 5-0
or at worst 4-1. And then comes USC, which could make or break the Weis
era. The back half of the schedule is more than manageable with the
biggest concerns a road trip to Pitt and a home game against a Boston
College team that won't be as good as last year. Basically, the schedule
can't be used as an excuse if the Irish don't have a big season.
Best Offensive Player:
Junior WR Golden Tate. Jimmy Clausen is
the star of the show, at least he needs to be, but Tate is the
gamebreaker. The leader of a great receiving corps, and a talented kick
returner, Tate averaged 18.6 yards per catch and came up with ten
touchdown grabs. While he's not all that big, he's fast, athletic, and
acrobatic. Best of all, he appears to be just scratching the surface of
his immense talent.
Best Defensive Player:
Senior SS Kyle McCarthy.
No, it's not Manti Te'o. At least not yet. The NFL types are going to
love DT Ian Williams, and they're going to quickly become enamored with
end/tackle Ethan Johnson and end Kapron Lewis-Moore, but McCarthy is the
steady key to the defense. He's a tackling machine in the secondary who
cleans everything up. He set a program-record for defensive backs with
110 stops last year, but this season the plan is to have him do more
against the pass.
Key player to a
successful season:
Senior OT Paul Duncan.
The offensive line will be better than it's been so far under Weis, but
the one potential problem could be at left tackle unless Duncan is over
the hip problem that kept him out last year. If he's not great and the
pass protection breaks down, then Clausen will have to be that much
sharper and that much quicker with his decision-making. If Clausen gets
time, he'll be terrific.
The season will
be a success if … the Irish goes to a BCS game. The USC game is
the one acceptable loss, and Michigan State might turn out to be the
best team in the Big Ten. Notre Dame needs to win the other ten games.
This year's team is too experienced and too good to not be 10-2 and
playing in a big money spotlight bowl, even if 9-3 or 8-4 is more
realistic.
Key game: Oct. 17 vs. USC. Notre Dame has lost seven
straight to USC, with most of the games ugly blowouts including last
year's rock-bottom performance when the offense couldn't get a first
down until the outcome was decided. Everyone sees the nationally
televised game, and Irish fans get up in arms when their team gets
pantsed by the Trojans. But USC is great against everyone, not just
Notre Dame. However, this year, the Irish really do have a shot against
the rebuilding Trojans.
2008 Fun Stats:
- First quarter
score: Notre Dame 69 - Opponents 36
- Penalties: Opponents 95 for 834
yards - Notre Dame 70 for 649 yards
- Tackles for loss: Opponents 81
for 343 yards - Notre Dame 60 for 295 yards
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2009 CFN Notre Dame Preview |
2009 Notre Dame Offense
-
2009 Notre Dame Defense
|
2009 Notre Dame Depth Chart
-
2008 ND Preview
|
2007 ND Preview
|
2006 ND Preview
|