The last 10 min of the Stanford-ND game made me held my breath. Again, ND has no running game to show and the field goal kicking is terrible. If these two issues are not addressed promptly, I do not thnk ND will win any game as visiting team except, maybe, against the Huskies in Seattle. The kicking team? Well, unless they resort to find someone from a soccer team, I do not see how that can be resolved this season.

I agree about winning on the road, have they won a road game yet, they have had only 1 road game right Mich St or did they beat Michigan in Ann arbor

Lost @ Michigan State and beat Michigan at home, in South Bend. The run is sporadic to say the least. If you look at Armando Allen against Purdue, you are tempted to say that we have no problem. Against Stanford, not so much. You are right comefierros, no running game and no kicking game make you too predictable and it has to be fixed.

Clausen is improving dramatically each week and was so efficient in the first half yesterday, the Irish did not need to run the ball. The defense is also solid. Unless an opponent shuts down the Irish passing game which features 5 legitimate threats (Floyd, Tate, Grimes, Rudolf, and Allen), their running game is adequate enough to support wins. UNC will be a tough challenge but overall this is looking like at least an 8-win season and a berth in the Gator Bowl.

Irish4402, which games do you see the Irish losing between now and end of season?

USC can be chalked up for a loss. UNC looked VERY beatable after watching their game last night.(The score didn't reflect how the offense played) Pittsburgh should be a tough game as well Boston College. Best case scenario 2 loss season, worst case, 4 loss.

I didn't watch UNC against Connecticut but the score did scare the living daylights out of me. Pittsburgh taking down USF also shocked me a bit. I am a sentimental and sometimes, irrational fan. I still hope to keep the momentum that everyone is talking about to take down USC.

You are not seeing the same team any 2 weeks in a row. Clausen and the receiver corp keep improving. The defense continues to improve although they are statistically lacking - they do well in the red zone. This week is the hurdle to whether this season is 6-6 or perhaps a lot better. UNC is good but ND can play on the same field - doesn't matter where. That poor kicker needs to either double the dosage or go cold turkey because his wheel house isn't clear and Chuckie blowing a load on him on TV doesn't help.

They still haven't played anyone yet. Well they did and lost. It will be interesting to see them in a tight game and see if they can respond for the full 4 quarters or it, as I suspect, they will fold.

In reality, I do not think ND is a top 25 team yet. There are too many areas to improve but, at least, the defense bends but not breaks and they have been able to hold teams in the red zone to minimal or no scoring. The offensive line is much improved and they have allowed only 5 sacks so far. The passing game is starting to develope multiple weapons while Clausen is improving his readings. Unfortunately, they going to the road this weekend against a very hostile crowd in North Carolina. If ND fails to take advantage of the opportunities to score, as they did against MSU, they might enter their bye week 4-2. Let's see

The kicking game is the big problem. The run game opens up after JC passes all over the place.
I'll add Duval Kamara & Robert Hughes are not the same players from last year. I thought this year would be a BIG year for them.

ND can & should win this week, if they don't I hope it's cuz UNC plays better, & not because ND missed a field goal, or couldn't get a few fisrt downs on 3rd & short.

I'll say ND 24 - UNC 17 GO IRISH!

They really need to go out and find a new kicker. There is no confidence on either side, players and coaches, when it comes to their kicking game and you cannot win in this league without it. How many games are decided on a weekly basis by a last minute field goal? You look at some of the better programs in the country and the kicking game is an afterthought, simply because its solid.

I will say that ND has improved dramatically on special teams this year and I truly believe it has made the difference in their ability to score points. Better field position, better coverage on punt/kick returns. Last year I'm uncertain what their opponents field position was when starting drives, but it seemed like the entire game was always being played on our side of the field.

First of all the Cardinal were not favored by 6.5 points, the Irish were favored by 6.5. secondly, they play UNC next week not N.C. State. Good post.

Nice blog Mike. As far as the kicking game goes. They have a verbal from Nick Tausch from Dallas, he was also recruited by LSU and Oklahoma but jumped when ND offered, so help is on the way. The defense still has some holes in coverage and the tackling can be iffy at times, but the speed is improved from previous years. As far as Clausen, two of the TD's were audibles and you could see Charlie tapping Jimmy on the helmet when he came off the field. He is a vastly different QB from last year, I can only imagine what he will be like in the next two years as the teams confidence in him grows. Lat note, if Sam Young gets called for one more illegal procedure penalty i'm going to run out on the field and go ape on him, especially during the first drives of the game!

Thanks MrMiyagiJr. I agree with your view on Clausen and am looking forward to what might be for the next 2 years. I just don't know how they fix the kicking game NOW. This Walker kid seems to have the distance, but I don't know if he will ever get any type of confidence back outside of 30 yards.

You don't fix it this year. You either punt or go for it on 4th down. Which may not be a bad thing with a young team, it put's pressure on the defense and let's the offense know that they have 4 downs to work with until they hit the kickers range. I would switch to a no huddle scheme when they are in this "gray area" to maximize the pressure on the defense, Clausen can obviously handle this tactic. The Irish are starting to attack their opponent, something that has been missing in the past and they should continue to do so, it forces the defense to react to them, instead of the other way around like it has been.