Sep 7 | Michigan

[aubeirish]

Who's an ESPN insider around here? I see Phil Steele picked ND and I'd love to see his analysis. He is one guy that truly knows his stuff and does his homework.

ESPNU College Football - ESPN

Around the 19 minute mark.

 

[NDdomer2]

re: dline

i noticed in the redzone against temple we had tuitt kona day ishaq then we called time went tuitt nix day ishaq.

i like us with fronts similar against Michigan interior and see no way that um oline could handle that four man rush all game with timely blitzing without constant te or rb help.

nix is guaranteed double. you slide Sheldon in and bring Tuitt and shembo/ishaq off other edge that leaves all one on ones.

anybody not think we can win those battles all game long?

 

[Whiskeyjack]

It's up now: Defending Mobile Quarterbacks | Irish Turning Point

It's pretty long... but I actually cut about 2 full pages worth of stats and nitty gritty. Had a lot of help on it from people who know their sh*t, and shoutout to NDWorld247 on this board for his input.

Excellent work, Lax.

Getting back to my earlier point, Kelly's 5-8 record against DT quarterbacks is certainly alarming, but who were those losses to? 3 to Andrew Luck, 2 to Denard Robinson, 1 to EJ Manuel, 1 to BJ Daniels, and 1 to Ricky Dobbs. So 6/8 came against two 1st round draft picks and arguably the most explosive CFB player of recent memory. The loss to Dobbs (Navy's best QB since Staubach) was Diaco's first time coaching against the triple option (and the loss clearly wasn't due to an incurable schematic weakness given all the service academies we've whipped since), and USF game was apparently played in the Twilight Zone.

Point being, we don't face a single QB this year who's even remotely as dangerous as Luck, Robinson or Manuel. Gardner has shown nothing yet that indicates he belongs in their company. Maybe he breaks out and launches himself into the Heisman conversation against us on Saturday night. But without a dynamic performance from Gardner, I don't see how UM beats us.

 

[ulukinatme]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>The King in Braveheart had one thing right:
<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MichiganSucks&src=hash">#MichiganSucks</a> <a href="http://t.co/AI6OgzDuYd">pic.twitter.com/AI6OgzDuYd</a></p>— Knute Rockne (@Rocknes_Ghost) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rocknes_Ghost/statuses/375838792218730496">September 6, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[ulukinatme]

Excellent work, Lax.
So 6/8 came against two 1st round draft picks and arguably the most explosive CFB player of recent memory. The loss to Dobbs (Navy's best QB since Staubach) was Diaco's first time coaching against the triple option (and the loss clearly wasn't due to an incurable schematic weakness given all the service academies we've whipped since), and USF game was apparently played in the Twilight Zone.

No, I think we were teleported back in time to Spartan Stadium circa 2006, and we were playing in Hurricane Katrina. That weather was awful, we had to ditch our QB at the half, and there were two complete game interruptions where the stadium had to be cleared to boot. Never been to a game like that, it was...the perfect storm.

Was Andrew Luck really considered a dual threat QB? I always thought of him more as a pure pocket passer. Going back to look at the stats, I guess he was a bit of a threat with his legs his Soph and Junior years, not so much his Senior year. He's not Denard Robinson, but then again...Luck could pass

 

[ab2cmiller]

Who's an ESPN insider around here? I see Phil Steele picked ND and I'd love to see his analysis. He is one guy that truly knows his stuff and does his homework.

aubeirish already posted a podcast on some Phil Steele comments about the game. Phil will also be on Bill King's radio program this morning at 8:00 Eastern. I'm sure he will be asked about the game. I would assume most of his comments will be very similar to the podcast aubeirish posted.

 

[rocket66]

I'm surprised at how much stock the "experts" are putting into games against Temple and CMU. Steele nailed it in that podcast, thanks for posting. Also, I'll be keeping my eye on Temple and CMU during the early games Saturday just for sanity's sake

 

[BGIF]

Frankly not a whole lot of analysis. Predicts it'll boil down to line play. Picks us by a point.

...

Pick: Notre Dame 24, Michigan 23[/INDENT]

So we're going to make a FG this week!

 

[ab2cmiller]

DiNardo was on with Phil Steele for part of Bill King's show this morning. Phil said many of the same things that he said in earlier podcasts. DiNardo sounded like the biggest homer, but the sad part was he sounded like a Michigan homer. You would've never been able to guess that he went to ND. I guess that's what happens when you work for the Big Ten Network. Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

 

[T Town Tommy]

Is there too much emphasis on here about Gardner really being a DT QB? Last season he rushed for a little over two YPC. Not very much of a threat it would appear. Now, I think he can make some plays here or there with his feet but the question is will he in this game? And why do people think he will magically turn into that type of QB when his past has shown he is more comfortable throwing the ball? Yes, he had 7 YPC against CMU but their defense is probably the weakest UM will play so I would simply discount that average.

 

[Cackalacky]

Is there too much emphasis on here about Gardner really being a DT QB? Last season he rushed for a little over two YPC. Not very much of a threat it would appear. Now, I think he can make some plays here or there with his feet but the question is will he in this game? And why do people think he will magically turn into that type of QB when his past has shown he is more comfortable throwing the ball? Yes, he had 7 YPC against CMU but their defense is probably the weakest UM will play so I would simply discount that average.

Tommy, I think this is why (for me anyway). He can still extend plays (though not like Denard). Plus scUM fans like to think he is Vince Youngish. I don't see that, but I do see someone who can get the yards if needed.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BjlCsyYhD-E?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

I know a lot of people think Damefan drinks too much Kool-Aid but he does have some inside knowledge of the program. He posted this today:

But a little "inside info" for ya.. Be ready for a scheme,
on Saturday night that you've never seen!!!

Be ready to see ears pinned back and things flying in from
all different angles!

Expect to see Bryant early in the game from what I'm being told,
with a good helping of Amir in several different positions!

Damefan: Sometimes you win technically...Sometimes you have to knock someone out!

 

[Cackalacky]

I know a lot of people think Damefan drinks too much Kool-Aid but he does have some inside knowledge of the program. He posted this today:





Damefan: Sometimes you win technically...Sometimes you have to knock someone out!

That's some good kool-aid. Refreshing.
Anyone who starts of their blog like this is ok with me:

GREETINGS BITCHES!..

 

[T Town Tommy]

Tommy, I think this is why (for me anyway). He can still extend plays (though not like Denard). Plus scUM fans like to think he is Vince Youngish. I don't see that, but I do see someone who can get the yards if needed.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BjlCsyYhD-E?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I agree Gardner has he ability to extend some plays as well. But I don't think you can go into a game preparing for a DT QB when he is obviously not that most of the time. Just enough to keep you honest. It will be interesting to see what BD does with the Irish D. I am more concerned with the middle of the field being open than I am with Gardner running.

 

[IrishLax]

No, I think we were teleported back in time to Spartan Stadium circa 2006, and we were playing in Hurricane Katrina. That weather was awful, we had to ditch our QB at the half, and there were two complete game interruptions where the stadium had to be cleared to boot. Never been to a game like that, it was...the perfect storm.

Was Andrew Luck really considered a dual threat QB? I always thought of him more as a pure pocket passer. Going back to look at the stats, I guess he was a bit of a threat with his legs his Soph and Junior years, not so much his Senior year. He's not Denard Robinson, but then again...Luck could pass

He ran as fast of a 40 as our own Theo Riddick and Cam Newton and in his best season (2010) he averaged 8.2 YPC including sacks. What made him so dangerous is that like Aaron Rodgers he scrambles to throw instead of run. He gets you to commit and then hits the open guy rather than put his head down and pick up 3-8 yards. His elusiveness is quite underrated by most.

 

[Cackalacky]

I agree Gardner has he ability to extend some plays as well. But I don't think you can go into a game preparing for a DT QB when he is obviously not that most of the time. Just enough to keep you honest. It will be interesting to see what BD does with the Irish D. I am more concerned with the middle of the field being open than I am with Gardner running.

That is what I am worried about is our ILB play. I think we will be fine in the end though, as WhiskeyJack and others have pointed out. Diaco will mix up coverages and put contain/pressure on Gardner and make him throw it. I watched a lot of his highlights from last year (last night) and when he misses, he misses bad. He makes some terrible reads too. Invariably though they will pick up chunk yardage like they do in the video I posted and we will see if they can get into the endzone.

Oh and Jaylon Smith better be ready to hold the edge this game. I have a feeling they go after him hard early.

 

[T Town Tommy]

That is what I am worried about is our ILB play. I think we will be fine in the end though, as WhiskeyJack and others have pointed out. Diaco will mix up coverages and put contain/pressure on Gardner and make him throw it. I watched a lot of his highlights from last year (last night) and when he misses, he misses bad. He makes some terrible reads too. Invariably though they will pick up chunk yardage like they do in the video I posted and we will see if they can get into the endzone.

Agree. I say contained rush for sure and timely blitzes to make Gardner decide quicker than he wants to. I think ND can force him into mistakes that way. Good luck and take them down in their own house.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

I know a lot of people think Damefan drinks too much Kool-Aid but he does have some inside knowledge of the program. He posted this today:





Damefan: Sometimes you win technically...Sometimes you have to knock someone out!

I hope that is true...That get's me pumped!

 

[BGIF]

Is there too much emphasis on here about Gardner really being a DT QB? Last season he rushed for a little over two YPC. Not very much of a threat it would appear. Now, I think he can make some plays here or there with his feet but the question is will he in this game? And why do people think he will magically turn into that type of QB when his past has shown he is more comfortable throwing the ball? Yes, he had 7 YPC against CMU but their defense is probably the weakest UM will play so I would simply discount that average.

5 stats to know: Notre Dame at Michigan - Stats & Info Blog - ESPN

1. Since taking over as the starter for Michigan on Nov. 3, 2012, Devin Gardner has posted the second-highest Total QBR on third down (98.3) and the third-highest in the red zone (98.1) of any player with at least 30 action plays.

Devin Gardner in Red Zone
Since Nov. 1 FBS Rank
Total QBR 98.1 3rd
TD 15 2nd
Rush TD 8 1st
TO 0 T-1st
>Min. 30 action plays

Last week against Central Michigan, the Wolverines scored five touchdowns in six red-zone trips, including all four times when Gardner was on the field.

Since taking over as starter, Michigan has scored 19 touchdowns in 22 trips to the red zone. In that time, Gardner has scored a touchdown on more than half of his 15 rushes inside the red zone.

 

[BGIF]

5 stats to know: Notre Dame at Michigan - Stats & Info Blog - ESPN

2. Tommy Rees has completed 57 percent of his passes thrown 20 yards or longer in the last two seasons, 19 percentage points higher than Everett Golson. Rees had two touchdowns on such passes in Week 1 vs. Temple, both going to DaVaris Daniels.

Rees had a career-high seven completions that gained 20 yards or more against the Owls. That’s the most by a Notre Dame quarterback since Jimmy Clausen had seven in 2009 against Washington.

Michigan has allowed six touchdowns and has no interceptions on passes thrown 20 yards or longer since the start of last season. The Wolverines and Utah are the only two AQ defenses that do not have an interception on such passes.

 

[T Town Tommy]

5 stats to know: Notre Dame at Michigan - Stats & Info Blog - ESPN

Good info. Thanks for sharing.

 

[NDdomer2]

I agree Gardner has he ability to extend some plays as well. But I don't think you can go into a game preparing for a DT QB when he is obviously not that most of the time. Just enough to keep you honest. It will be interesting to see what BD does with the Irish D. I am more concerned with the middle of the field being open than I am with Gardner running.

Funchess on the seam. I've had a nightmare already.

 

[Meacon Irish]

So we're going to make a FG this week!

On the contrary! Coach Kelly trusts Tausch and Brindza so little now, he'll go for two-points after all three touchdowns, and convert!

 

[PANDFAN]

Funchess on the seam. I've had a nightmare already.

him getting behind the linebackers on our zone looking like troy did vs temple...this is my fear

 

[NDdomer2]

him getting behind the linebackers on our zone looking like troy did vs temple...this is my fear

were gonna be like this:

 

[PANDFAN]

more film breakdown preview for UM

more film breakdown preview for UM

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Michigan Wolverines 2013 preview - Football Study Hall

 

[PANDFAN]

pregame Six Pack: War with the Wolverines
Keith Arnold Sep 6, 2013, 10:31 AM EDT
Leave a comment
michigan-notredame
An all important snapshot will be taken of Brian Kelly’s football program on Saturday night. Tasked with their first big challenge of the season, we’ll see how quickly the Irish have turned the page from their historic ’12 season, building on the sizable momentum the program has quietly established over the past two-plus years.

Nobody has beaten Brady Hoke in the Big House. Brian Kelly and his team had that chance, only to squander a 24-7 fourth-quarter lead that’ll surely be mentioned a few dozen times this weekend.

But the Irish program is on solid footing, perhaps more so than most recognize. In the Irish’s last 25 games, Notre Dame has won 21 of them, good for a .840 winning percentage, bettered only by Oregon and Alabama among BCS schools. With a five-year extension for Kelly and a long range plan for the program coming into focus, it appears the Irish have finally found their place among college football’s elite programs, after struggling through four head coaches trying to find it.

Yet that assumption will need to be affirmed on Saturday night, with Kelly’s Irish team needing an impressive performance against the Wolverines to erase some of the skepticism that’s carried over from the BCS National Championship game.

This Irish team believes they’ve turned the page, leaving last season behind and forging a new trail. But a victory will go a long way towards helping everybody else understand that, likely pushing the Notre Dame into the top ten of the major polls, and getting by one of the major hurdles in a difficult schedule that stands between the Irish and another BCS appearance.

With Notre Dame and Michigan set to play in primetime on Saturday night, let’s dig into the pregame six pack. As usual, here are six tidbits, leftovers, fun facts, and miscellaneous musings before the Irish and Wolverines go to battle.

***

Not Rocket Science: When the Irish play turnover free, they’re unbeaten under Brian Kelly.

After watching a promising ’11 season derailed after turnovers decimated the team’s offensive productivity, Brian Kelly and new offensive coordinator Chuck Martin set out to correct the fatal flaws that sunk a talented and explosive offense.

We saw the fruits of those labors last season, when the Irish chopped their turnovers impressively, even while breaking in a new quarterback and restructuring an offense that had relied on wide receiver Michael Floyd to power the engine.

For all the complaints and supposed limitations in Tommy Rees’ game, the Irish offense hasn’t lacked punch with Rees in charge. But the key to escaping Ann Arbor with a win is playing a clean game in the turnovers column.

No stat crystalizes the Irish’s fortunes more than this one. Notre Dame is undefeated under Brian Kelly when they don’t turn the football over. So while we can talk about special teams worries or containing Devin Gardner, the Irish have won their last eleven games when they put a goose egg up in the turnover column.

The last game Notre Dame lost without a turnover was a 34-27 loss to Southern Cal in 2009.

***

After being damned by September failures, Notre Dame has turned it around under Brian Kelly’s watch.

For much of the past decade, Notre Dame’s BCS aspirations were dead before the season’s first month finished. Dating back to 2002, the Irish had not gotten out of September clean since Ty Willingham’s first season in South Bend. Even at Charlie Weis’ best, the Irish loss a September game in both ’05 and ’06.

That trend continued with Brian Kelly. Kelly’s teams stumbled early out of the gates, losing five of their first six games in September. But since that fateful evening in the Big House in ’11, Notre Dame has won every September game on their calendar, winning seven straight, including last week’s 28-6 victory over Temple.

In the past five September games, the Irish have dominated the turnover battle, winning the margin 13-3. (The Irish pulled off victories against Michigan State and Pitt in ’11 even while losing the turnover battle in both games).

A season after making it to the final game of the college football season, the goals have not changed for Brian Kelly’s squad. But to have a realistic shot at forging another BCS run, they’ll need to get out of September alive, no easy task considering dates with Purdue, Michigan State and Oklahoma still await the Irish after Michigan.

***

With an offensive trying to get back to its roots, can Michigan actually run the ball against Notre Dame’s defensive front?

Denard Robinson is gone. It’s worth a sigh of relief for Irish fans, but also an encouraging sign for the Michigan faithful that has been waiting patiently for the Wolverines to get back to their blue-collar roots of running the ball and playing power football.

That will certainly be an emphasis for the Wolverines on Saturday night, but the big question is will the rebuilt offensive line be able to win the battle up front against a stout Irish front. Bookend tackles Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield return, with Lewan turning down a first-round NFL grade to come back for a fifth year in Ann Arbor. But the interior of the Michigan line is still a big question mark, with coordinator Al Borges admitting the depth chart is still very much in pencil.

In Michigan’s first game explosion, the Wolverines ran for 242 yards on the ground en route to putting up 59 points against Central Michigan, averaging a healthy 5.1 yards-per-carry. But parsing those numbers a bit, the productivity is a bit misleading. Take away a 38-yard gain by Dennis Norfleet on a reverse, and Devin Gardner’s highlight reel scramble for a touchdown, and Michigan averaged an ordinary 3.9 yards a carry against a rush defense that finished 91st in the country last season.

Fifth-year senior Fitzgerald Toussaint is still the starting running back, but freshman Derrick Green has ascended to No. 2 thanks to some attrition at the position. Green came into camp with about 20 pounds on him that the coaching staff wasn’t happy about, but at 240-plus pounds, he’ll be a physical load to take on.

After being bottled up and held to just 161 yards on 41 carries last year, Lewan acknowledged how important the play up front with be for Michigan.

“We didn’t play well,” Lewan said earlier this week, when thinking back to last year’s 13-6 loss. “None of us did. So that’s unfortunate.”

***

In the pre-snap chess match, can Greg Mattison beat Tommy Rees and the Notre Dame offense?

Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison is known for his impressive scheme, with the ability to confuse a quarterback with multiple looks and apply pressure by any means necessary. Never will that be more important than on Saturday night, when the Wolverines will need to pressure and confuse quarterback Tommy Rees to limit the Irish offense and force some much needed mistakes. The senior quarterback feels prepared for the unexpected, and knows much of his job will take place presnap.

“They do that all the time, where they’re showing one thing and play something else,” Rees said Thursday. “For us, we’ve just got to be prepared and focus in on what they’re trying to do to us.”

How the Wolverines plan on getting after Rees remains the big question. While Michigan picked up four sacks last Saturday against CMU, they only had 22 sacks all of last season (77th in the country), and lost their best playmaker behind the line of scrimmage when Jake Ryan went down with a knee injury last spring.

Overall, Michigan’s two-deep front seven accounted for just 9.5 sacks last season, with Jibreel Black (3) and Frank Clark (2) the only players to register multiple sacks. Mattison rotated an incredible 14 linemen through the Wolverine front against CMU, getting just about everybody on the roster some reps before the Irish head to town. While it’s easy to keep everybody fresh up front when you’re winning by a quarter-century, how Michigan distributes reps up front — and manages to get to Rees — will be a key in this game.

Whoever’s on the field for Michigan, Brian Kelly feels confident that Rees is ready to to respond accordingly.

“You’re going to see somebody who is so much more proactive in the game,” Kelly said of Rees. “He’s going to see it before it happens. He did a very good job in that game. He’ll do a better job taking care of the football.

“I think you’ll see that on Saturday. I hope you see it. I expect to see it.”

***

After last season’s disappointing performance up front, Notre Dame needs to control the line of scrimmage with improved offensive line play.

While most look at Notre Dame’s success limiting Denard Robinson and Michigan’s offense, there was a whole lot of ugly coming out of the Irish offense last year as well. Michigan’s defense shut down the Irish running game during the Irish’s 13-6 win, holding Notre Dame to under 100 yards of rushing on 3.1 yards-per-carry.

The interior of Michigan’s defensive line is stout, with Jibreel Black and Quinton Washington anchoring the front four. But the Irish need to impose their will against a front seven that’s replacing a lot of experience.

The challenge will be playing their best in one of college football’s least friendly environments, with the Big House expected to be rocking for another game under the lights. Harry Hiestand’s crew is ready for the challenge, as Zack Martin talked a bit about the prep that goes into a big night game.

“We rep all week of practice with loud music. We’re lucky that we’ve played together for all of camp, all of spring,” Martin said Thursday. “Me and Chris have played for the past few years together, so we just get used to how we play.”

One element that also needs to be ironed out is finding a running back that’s going to carry the load for the Irish. It’s easy to get all five backs reps when you’re playing Temple. But Kelly and the Notre Dame offense will need to find someone on Saturday night to turn to that can move the chains, make big plays, and convert yards to points.

***

While the last visit to Ann Arbor still spooks Irish fans, there’s nothing haunting Brian Kelly and the Irish.

Just about every Notre Dame fan that I’ve spoken with isn’t heading to Ann Arbor. It just hasn’t been a friendly place to Notre Dame, with each loss seemingly more cruel than the next. That’s especially true if you made it to Ann Arbor in ’11, experiencing first hand one of the more shocking and gut-wrenching finishes in the history of the ND-UM rivalry. But if you expect that game to resonate in this team’s minds, you’re discounting the mental toughness Kelly’s squad has developed over the past two seasons.

The game isn’t something that the team is likely to forget, but it’s also something that won’t hang over the heads of the guys playing Saturday night.

“Anybody who was there will certainly remember it, but it doesn’t do anything to affect the outcome of the game,” Kelly said. “I mean, the game will be affected by how you prepare this week and how you play on Saturday, so if that’s motivation for them to prepare better, that’s great. If that’s going to help them play better, that’s great.”

Even more interestingly, Kelly’s walking into this weekend’s game with an underdog mentality. And it appears Las Vegas agrees with him, giving the Wolverines a four-point advantage Saturday night in a game where 20 of the past 24 underdogs have covered the spread.

“I mean, the pressure’s on Michigan. They’re at home. They’ve got to win at home,” Kelly said. “For us, we’re going to go up there swinging. Go on the road, we’re going to have to play well. It’s a very good football team. We can’t go up there and turn the ball over like we did a couple years ago. We understand that.

“Nobody’s been able to do that now under Brady Hoke, at Michigan, you better go up there with an attitude to be aggressive and go play the game. You can’t sit back and wait and hope, because if you do, you’re not going to win the game.”

 

[Patulski]

Here's Gardner vs Ohio State, who I think is a fair comparison regarding quality of defenses and Gardner.

I see a young QB who is looking to pass instead of run, but can extend plays and pick up short yardage 3rd downs with his feet. He had trouble getting rid of the ball before blitzes at times, and he made some errors reading coverages. He has a big arm and is a threat with the vertical passing game, and can throw strongly in all the seams.

While everybody is talking about his running ability (Vince Young he is not) I think the key to the game is whether we can confuse him with coverages and get to him with blitzes.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/HAPA3oK-roE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[PANDFAN]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>This happened. MT <a href="https://twitter.com/BillBeckTruth">@BillBeckTruth</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Michigan&src=hash">#Michigan</a> HC Brady Hoke just told <a href="https://twitter.com/dpshow">@dpshow</a> that he believes Johnny Manziel would play behind Devin Gardner.</p>— Rachel Terlep (@eTruth_Irish) <a href="https://twitter.com/eTruth_Irish/statuses/375996245891747840">September 6, 2013</a></blockquote>
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[aubeirish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>This happened. MT <a href="https://twitter.com/BillBeckTruth">@BillBeckTruth</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Michigan&src=hash">#Michigan</a> HC Brady Hoke just told <a href="https://twitter.com/dpshow">@dpshow</a> that he believes Johnny Manziel would play behind Devin Gardner.</p>— Rachel Terlep (@eTruth_Irish) <a href="https://twitter.com/eTruth_Irish/statuses/375996245891747840">September 6, 2013</a></blockquote>
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He's pushing it. Trying to give confidence to his QB.