T-Minus Two Weeks! That 14 Days to you UofM Grads...

Notre Dame Football is almost upon us. I will say it again; Notre Dame Football is almost upon us. I have been an emotional wreck since the end of last season. Sometimes I lay awake at night and wonder just what happened. Other times I catch myself thinking about the up and coming season, hoping for a return to greatness.

I know that I should not expect the greatest ofthings or jump to conclusions, and that I should realize that it is going to take time….BUT WOW, things were really bad last year. Here is some of the numbers that are just flat out unacceptable.

1. 75.2 rushing yards per game. Are you kidding me? Really? That comes out to about 2 yards per carry. That is not going to get it down. Hughes, Aldridge, and Allen are better than that. Not that is it just their fault. The O-line defiantly gets some of the blame. I feel that we have to have a productive ground game to have a productive passing game. We need to be able to pound te ball at the goal line, and not get tackle in the back field. 3.5 yards a carry = a decent ground game. How on Earth do I come up with that, well, 3 rushes times 3.5 yards a carry = a first down.

2. 9.2 yards per reception. Huh, so what you are saying is that we only average 3 more yards a reception than Beanie Wells (OSU) averages a rush (6.1 yards per carry)…..huh. Yes, Clausen was hurt. Yes, Clausen got sacked, hit, slammed, nailed, crucified, lynched, etc etc A LOT, but this is no excuse. There were times when Martinez and I were screaming at the TV asking, begging Jimmy to throw the ball. The receivers have to be held accountable to some degree also. Three of them averaged over ten yards a reception. Kamara with 11.2, Parris with 12.4, and Tate had 21.8 yards per catch. Where are West and Grimes at? Tate had a nice average, but come on, he only caught 6 balls. USC had five guys that had 20 or more catches and 6 guys that average 10 or more yards per catch.

3. Speaking of passing and receiving…..58 sacks. I believe that this has been discussed enough. Or has it? Who is our left tackle? Turk? Duncan? Yeatman (yes there have be rumors)?

4. 102 to 52! We were outscored by 50 points during the second quarter. 31 to 80! We were outscored by 50 points in the first quarter. All in all we were outscored in every quarter. We need to put some points on the board. We only averaged 16.4 points a game. I believe this has a lot to do with every part of our offense. This year should be different.

5. The lack of a game changer. Every team needs one, and we have yet to find ours. Whether it is Tate or Floyd at receiver, or Allen at running, we need a spark to the light the fire. This can also be done on special teams. I would love to have a return game. That along could turn the offense around. The field is a lot short when you start at the fifty.

The good news is that I think we have the answer to a lot of these problems. The O-line is looking very good; particularly the right side with G Stewart and T Young. The running backs are competing, and the competition looks fierce. That can only be a good thing. We actually know who are starting quarterback is this year, always good.

The offensive line is where it all begins this year. If they can give Jimmy sometime, and open up some holes for our platoon of running backs things should be good. I like what I am hearing about Trever Robinson at guard. He sounds and looks like a beast. The fact that Stewart has lost weight and is moving better is a good thing too. The combination of Young and Stewart should be our bull dozer in the fourth quarter. The left side still has questions, but it has the players to fill spots. Robinson could very well see time there. Left tackle is so important, especially with a younger Quarterback. The fact that Turkovich and Duncan are competing hard for the job is good, but I really like to have a name penciled in there.

I think I can say confidently that Robert Hughes is going to be our featured back. Aldridge is going to get his chances, you can believe that, but Hughes is the man. Allen has yet to show me what he can do. I think Allen is our hardest runner, but I there is more to him still and I cannot wait to see it. When Allen’s game comes to full circle things should be exciting. The X factor is all of this is Jonas Gray. At first I wanted him to take a red shirt, but from what I have seen I do not think we can keep this kid off the field. He is a man-child at tailback, and should be fun to watch.

Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy. Martinez and I have had our arguments about Clausen this year. Well, let me tell you how it is going to be. Expect this to be a breakout season. He will have over 20 touchdowns, and a couple 300 yard games. We have the line to protect and the backs to run, if Clausen gets the passing game going we will be dangerous. He does have targets this year too. He may not have the preseason All-Americans, but he has a pool of talent to throw to. I am looking forward to seeing Floyd and Walker, but I think Robby Parris could have a big year too. And I hate to admit it, but I really want to see Golden Tate catch a slant route in the first game and take it the distance.

I have not brought up the defense. I am really happy with what I have read and seen about it. I think we are going to run that hybrid 4-3. I think Bruton will be a player, along with Crum. I am not concerned with either of those players; I am not even surprised or really excited about them. What I am excited about are all those NEW players. Robert Blanton is going to be our next Bobby Taylor. Brian Smith is something special and should be watched. Brandon Newman is HUGE. Ethan Johnson should love the 4-3 how we run it. The list just goes on and one with these younger guys. Tenuta knows what he is doing, and the Defense should be really fun to watch this year.



Notre Dame should do great things this year. Do not be surprised if they pull out 8 or 10 wins. I will go out and say that I am expecting 9 wins, but you cannot rule out the possibility of a one loss season. Keep your fingers crossed and your mugs filled.