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Notre Dame football: Irish poised to make a run
COMMENTARY
By AL LESAR
Tribune Staff Writer
SOUTH BEND — Time to fatten up.
Political correctness, and the threat of being hammered within the fraternity of football coaches, won't allow Notre Dame's Brian Kelly to state the obvious.
His 2-3 team is a smidge above average, getting better each week, and is catching a break with the upcoming schedule.
By Halloween, the Irish will be bowl eligible. At least that's what the two guys from the Champs Sports Bowl watching Notre Dame beat Boston College are counting on.
Go ahead, book the flight to Orlando (but don't make it non-refundable, just in case Dayne Crist gets hurt along the way; of course, there's always Disney World for the holidays). It's a 6:30 p.m. start on Tuesday, Dec. 28. Early projections show the Irish being paired with Clemson, which would be a pretty stout challenge.
In the big picture, Notre Dame proved a significant point Saturday night: It won't be beaten by a one-dimensional team.
All BC had offensively was running back Montel Harris. He left with 28 net yards and a new appreciation for the words “gang tackle.”
Pitt's a BC clone without the defense and the cool Eagle that swooped around Alumni Stadium during the national anthem. The Panthers will have either Ray Graham or Dion Lewis running the ball, whoever happens to be healthy at the moment. Beyond that, talent is limited.
Ditto for the rest of October.
Every time a blowout of Western Michigan is suggested, local folks with degrees from Kalamazoo feel slighted and take their angst to the e-mails. Sooooooo, despite being 1-3, coming off a 20-point loss to Idaho at home, the Broncos appear ripe to lose by a point or two in a nailbiter in their visit to South Bend.
Is that better? Heck, if all Bronco fans were that passionate, there wouldn't have been tickets for the game already returned and sold to Notre Dame fans.
Navy's run of seven straight Commander-in-Chief Trophy conquests will likely end this year. The Midshipmen mustered just six points in a loss to Air Force. If Notre Dame could somehow quickly schedule the Falcons this season, the Irish would be in the running for the service academy hardware.
If Navy can score just six points against Air Force, it doesn't look good for going against an ND defense that played well enough Saturday night for even Kirk Herbsteit to appreciate.
Then there's Tulsa and a bye week. Too soon to worry about Utah or Southern Cal. Lots can happen by then.
Kelly, meanwhile, is adamant about his staff's internal focus, rather than a glimpse to the upcoming landscape.
There are still kinks to be un-kinked. One offensive play Saturday night testified to the need. Passing situation. Crist gets the snap. BC sends a blitz. Crist sails a hot read in receiver Michael Floyd's direction. Instead of adjusting to the circumstances, Floyd keeps sprinting down field and the ball sails yards behind him.
“Generally, it's a sight adjustment after the snap,” Kelly said of the way the play should have worked. “That takes an unconscious confidence that we're not at yet.”
Floyd didn't recognize the situation. That's another step to take.
“It's an evolutionary process,” Kelly said. “Sight recognition's gotta be part of the spread offense. It's something we'll work toward in the future.”
Though he ranks 18th in the country with 81.6 receiving yards a game (28 catches, 408 yards), Floyd still has some room to grow in these final seven games.
“They blitzed us,” Floyd recalled of the play. “(Crist) was trying to get the ball out quick. If we had guides to pick it up or if we didn't make a mistake, I'm not sure what happened. He would have made a better read with that.
“The quarterback knows where the wide receivers are. (My biggest adjustment) is making sure I'm at the right place at the right time. It's not too much of a difference (than the past); just make sure I communicate with the quarterback.”
Communication makes the offense tick. Recognizing the need for it is the first step. Next comes getting it done.
The show should get better the next few weeks.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMENTARY
By AL LESAR
Tribune Staff Writer
SOUTH BEND — Time to fatten up.
Political correctness, and the threat of being hammered within the fraternity of football coaches, won't allow Notre Dame's Brian Kelly to state the obvious.
His 2-3 team is a smidge above average, getting better each week, and is catching a break with the upcoming schedule.
By Halloween, the Irish will be bowl eligible. At least that's what the two guys from the Champs Sports Bowl watching Notre Dame beat Boston College are counting on.
Go ahead, book the flight to Orlando (but don't make it non-refundable, just in case Dayne Crist gets hurt along the way; of course, there's always Disney World for the holidays). It's a 6:30 p.m. start on Tuesday, Dec. 28. Early projections show the Irish being paired with Clemson, which would be a pretty stout challenge.
In the big picture, Notre Dame proved a significant point Saturday night: It won't be beaten by a one-dimensional team.
All BC had offensively was running back Montel Harris. He left with 28 net yards and a new appreciation for the words “gang tackle.”
Pitt's a BC clone without the defense and the cool Eagle that swooped around Alumni Stadium during the national anthem. The Panthers will have either Ray Graham or Dion Lewis running the ball, whoever happens to be healthy at the moment. Beyond that, talent is limited.
Ditto for the rest of October.
Every time a blowout of Western Michigan is suggested, local folks with degrees from Kalamazoo feel slighted and take their angst to the e-mails. Sooooooo, despite being 1-3, coming off a 20-point loss to Idaho at home, the Broncos appear ripe to lose by a point or two in a nailbiter in their visit to South Bend.
Is that better? Heck, if all Bronco fans were that passionate, there wouldn't have been tickets for the game already returned and sold to Notre Dame fans.
Navy's run of seven straight Commander-in-Chief Trophy conquests will likely end this year. The Midshipmen mustered just six points in a loss to Air Force. If Notre Dame could somehow quickly schedule the Falcons this season, the Irish would be in the running for the service academy hardware.
If Navy can score just six points against Air Force, it doesn't look good for going against an ND defense that played well enough Saturday night for even Kirk Herbsteit to appreciate.
Then there's Tulsa and a bye week. Too soon to worry about Utah or Southern Cal. Lots can happen by then.
Kelly, meanwhile, is adamant about his staff's internal focus, rather than a glimpse to the upcoming landscape.
There are still kinks to be un-kinked. One offensive play Saturday night testified to the need. Passing situation. Crist gets the snap. BC sends a blitz. Crist sails a hot read in receiver Michael Floyd's direction. Instead of adjusting to the circumstances, Floyd keeps sprinting down field and the ball sails yards behind him.
“Generally, it's a sight adjustment after the snap,” Kelly said of the way the play should have worked. “That takes an unconscious confidence that we're not at yet.”
Floyd didn't recognize the situation. That's another step to take.
“It's an evolutionary process,” Kelly said. “Sight recognition's gotta be part of the spread offense. It's something we'll work toward in the future.”
Though he ranks 18th in the country with 81.6 receiving yards a game (28 catches, 408 yards), Floyd still has some room to grow in these final seven games.
“They blitzed us,” Floyd recalled of the play. “(Crist) was trying to get the ball out quick. If we had guides to pick it up or if we didn't make a mistake, I'm not sure what happened. He would have made a better read with that.
“The quarterback knows where the wide receivers are. (My biggest adjustment) is making sure I'm at the right place at the right time. It's not too much of a difference (than the past); just make sure I communicate with the quarterback.”
Communication makes the offense tick. Recognizing the need for it is the first step. Next comes getting it done.
The show should get better the next few weeks.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
