Michigan's final drive

[sgtjcg]

Hey fellow ND fans!
I'm new to the site and looking forward to a great year with Coach K at the helm!

My local televison affiliate here in Texas decided that we didn't need to see the end of the Notre Dame/Michigan game and switched to a local Division II football game instead. I am desperately seeking insight on the last Michigan drive. Since we were able to contain Michigan's offense the entire second half, what happened on that last drive?

 

[ACamp1900]

the biggest issue was we played ten yards off of their receivers and just let them throw bubbles and quick outs style plays with ease and that's what did it in...

of all the things I saw in that game that is the one I am still upset over... we knew they had to throw at some point during that drive...

 

[fitz_bu47]

5 yard out's combined w/ missed tackles turn into 8-15 yard gains down the sideline....pretty much down the field, than blitzed and didn't quite get there leading to a completion down to the 2-3 yard line, Robinson ran it in from there. Bad pass D on final drive, too soft in the zone, and than poor positioning of coverage on blitz.

 

[BestBIrish47]

Our defense had been on the field too long. They went zero back on multiple occasions and we couldn't go Nickel because of injuries at safety. We had to run Man to Man in a base 3-4 and Robinson hit his reads. Michigan did a great job of taking advantage of match ups.

 

[sgtjcg]

So ND went into the dreaded "prevent" defense?

 

[Irish Houstonian]

Hey fellow ND fans!
I'm new to the site and looking forward to a great year with Coach K at the helm!

My local televison affiliate here in Texas decided that we didn't need to see the end of the Notre Dame/Michigan game and switched to a local Division II football game instead.

Really? What game replaced it? I've been watching Notre Dame on NBC here in Houston and other places in TX and have never heard of that ever happening. In fact, I think NBC affiliates have a rule about it.

 

[BestBIrish47]

We played soft all day due to the fact the CBs didn't have safety help over the top because of the option threat. I would't call it prevent, more like the opposite, we had to play run first even when they went No back. Kelly said in an interview that Motta and Smith had to play every snap due to injuries and thus we couldn't run nickel.

 

[sgtjcg]

I was watching the game in Amarillo. Our local college is West Texas A&M University. I was surprised when they switched games as well.

 

[BestBIrish47]

Safety In Numbers
Everyone knows the Irish didn’t sign a quarterback in 2009. Because Jimmy Clausen departed a year early to the pros, that left a void at the position this season. Junior starter Dayne Crist is backed up by three true freshmen and a former walk-on (Nate Montana) who is just now learning to become a major college quarterback.

What’s overshadowed is that in 2009 the Irish also failed to land a safety. The Irish went after Byron Moore and Jawanza Starling to the end, but both signed with USC. Then Notre Dame signed only one last year, Chris Badger, who is now on a Mormon mission in Ecuador.

While inexperience at backup quarterback was conspicuous against Michigan, it was manifested just as much at safety, where Zeke Motta and Harrison Smith were in for all 81 plays on defense.

“That’s way too many,” Kelly said.

But there was not much choice. Junior starter Jamoris Slaughter injured an ankle against Purdue that kept him shelved for the most part in preparation for Michigan, and classmate Dan McCarthy also was not deemed fully healthy. Next in line is senior walk-on Chris Salvi (5-10, 185). There are only four scholarship safeties.

Consequently, the Irish were unable to use any nickel or dime alignments versus Michigan. In the opener against Purdue, Motta was the nickel and cornerback Robert Blanton the dime because Slaughter was able to play. Against Michigan, the Irish had their base package on defense, although Blanton was the third man in at corner to give Gary Gray or Darrin Walls a breather.

With Slaughter back in the rotation this week, the Irish should be better off against Michigan State … but there could still be an issue of safety at numbers all season.

 

[IrishinSyria]

why couldn't we run a nickel with blanton?

 

[BestBIrish47]

Blanton was rotating with the CBs. I guess the staff didn't want to gas out all three corners. That is a good question IMO

 

[IrishinSyria]

Regardless of the d-back situation, there's only one way to describe the final drive:

A slow, painful, soul-crushing experience.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

When you're facing a scrambling/running quarterback with running and throwing options, it certainly doesn't help when the refs *entirely forget* that ineligible receivers (linemen) aren't allowed to cross the line of scrimmage on a forward pass.

 

[flirishfan]

re michigan's final drive

re michigan's final drive

I want to say hello to everyone. I am new here and look forward to having great discussions about Notre Dame....I just dont understand a defensive coach or head coach playing a soft defense. As I sat in front of my television watching michigan march down the field on a bunch of short plays in their final drive. I was looking for charlie weis on the sideline. I thought "theres no way that our defense is giving up all this yardage. This style of defense will almost always result in a score. Especially when you have a QB with the talent that Denard Robinson has. I watched the same thing happen to marshall on thurs day when the played west virginia and gave up 20 plus points in the fourth quarter and lost in overtime. I look at this style of defense as being to conservative. If we plan to get back to a BCS bowl game we have to win these games.

 

[BestBIrish47]

Regardless of the d-back situation, there's only one way to describe the final drive:

A slow, painful, soul-crushing experience.

Great Point, 100% accurate! Now, I am done with Michigan week, on to Sparty. I think we saw some players grow up vs the Wolverines, I am excited for the rest of the season.

 

[IrishinSyria]

Say what you will about the skunkbears, their fans do a good job documenting their games. The last drive starts at about 8:10 of the Michigan offense video.

http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/mgovision-all-offensive-and-defensive-plays-m-v-notre-dame-2010

 

[sgtjcg]

WOW! Thanks for the insightful, intelligent replies! This site is so much better than those sites where all you get is "the Coach sucks!" or "Michigan stinks!"
That being said, I agree with BestBIrish...On to Sparty!
Go Irish!

 

[Old Man Mike]

Coach Kelly addressed the last drive and the selected defense in his press conference. He indicated that it was his and Diaco's judgement to put in a coverage which would stop the exact thing that it didn't stop--relatively short passes to the edges. The idea was to force Robinson to throw [which Michigan was thinking of doing anyway because of the short time] and not believing that he could do much damage long. The strategy was to create a linebacker/db combination in both the left and right-of-formation fields, and give narrow alleys and bat down balls. In the press conference, Kelly was not down on the strategy, which he said should have worked given that Michigan did exactly what they thought they'd do, but on horrible execution especially on the LB drops. He was a bit grim about saying that they were going to have to work on that [you know that false smile that he gets when he's really not happy with something but is faking pleasantry]. This wasn't what I'd call simply a "prevent". There was a lot more thought that went into it than that. The players [apparently mainly the linebackers] did not execute. Maybe if we had Slaughter and McCarthy, some other mixes could have been fit in.