MikeCC's Blog on Notre Dame Football

Getting ready for a new season at Notre Dame...

michelchiasson on Fannation — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:12:58 GMT

Hi all,

Just a quick note to let the Domers that I am as excited as you are about the new season and what it means. First, while we can't forget last year and the "some progress" that we made, I am ecstatic about the one about to start.

As much as I DO understand that we have an easier schedule this year, I think it is exactly what the doctor prescribed.

My first worry however, came on August 10 during coach Weis press conference. Asked about what the season looked like, Coach Weis answered that the focus would be about winning games and for now, trying to figure out how to "run the ball against Nevada". While I am happy about the focus, I would hope that this has been figured out already. This is not USC - how to run against Nevada - let Armando take the ball and pound it. The offensive line- as far as Armando Allen is concerned - looks great and he is very happy with the work that has been done off season.

How to run the ball against Nevada? Prep the boys and let them go hard from the first whistle. I think that since the first Weis season, even with Brady Quinn and Darius Walker and Co, the problem was always preparation. We didn't start hungry and very often relied on the 2nd half to "turn it on".

Start early, hit hard and often, let the "new to us" offensive line do its work and let Allen & Co run that ball. Jimmy will take care of the rest.

Looking forward to a great season and GO IRISH!!!!

What is happening at Notre Dame???

michelchiasson on Fannation — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 01:52:15 GMT

If you have been reading my posts this year and on this site, you would know that I am a biased representation of an objective opinion of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. I have not called a game in favor of the opponent yet, I prefer to say it is "too close to call". I have made big mistakes giving games to ND where I thought they would honestly deliver. Such was the case last week against the Eagles.

If you did read my past posts, you would also notice that albeit the game is played on the field, my tipping paragraph is always based on the "psyche" of the moment, who has what going in their favor, which team will be better prepared and who would/should want it most.

I do my research and throw statistics in for the ones that like numbers. I do listen to Charlie and the boys' press conference and try to exctract the "nugget" that others have overlooked. Tonight, this week, I didn't feel like it at all. So here is a different approach to the game that the bookmakers give to the Irish by a slim 4 point margin.

IT HAS STARTED. The sportswriters are now writing about it. They questioned it before, in passing, buried in a 5th paragraph of an article. But now it is wide open. IS Charlie Weis' job in jeopardy? Would he last the season if the Irish(I removed the FIGHTING in front of Irish from here on for obvious reasons) should lose for a 2nd year in a row in front of the Midshipmen, after winning...ehmm....43 in a row?

When you watch cartoon and the caracter is pushing a big ball uphill, often, he gets tired, sits down....and the ball starts rollling backward...then you can see the caracter running down really fast escaping the ball barely until he gets crushed by it.

The media represent the big ball....and right now, after Charlie sat for the last 2 games(Pitt and BC), the ball is coming down hilll towards him. As in most cartoons, I don't think that he will survive this.

I have built sales team that have been successful and the constants that worked in my favor were always the same.....chemistry, purpose and time. A team has to come together, trust each other, understand that each has to play a role, sometimes not all as grandiose as the quarterback but all roles are key if your team will be a winning team. Working together over a period of time to build that chemistry is critical. Charlie has now had 4 years, and is still not sure whether or not to call plays, hiring new staff....therefore, changing the chemistry constantly, while using his time....And finally, a purpose. These are smart players, good players and as far as Rivals.com is concerned, the best of the crop for the last 3 years. The sense of purpose seems to be missing...it seems that there really are 3 teams on that team. Not all 3 can "click" at the same time....and the way to do this, is to rally the defense, the offense and special units around one plan, one purpose, one set of outcomes by which all live and die...including Mr. Weis.

I will still be watching and yes, I will again predict a win. I just wonder which of the 4 teams will show up tomorrow...the Defense, The offense, The special unit or The IRISH? thoughts??????

Notre Dame to win against the Eagles on Saturday

michelchiasson on Fannation — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 03:05:17 GMT

On November 8th, the Eagles face the Irish and will try to win for a 6th straight time against Notre Dame. Don't expect anything like last year however. Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill should be witness to a good matchup of two programs that have a reputation of producing good quarterbacks. Known as the Holy War(BC and ND are the only catholic universities playing NCAA Division I ball), there will not be 27 points scored by BC this year against the Irish.

With a new quarterback, BC with Chris Crane filling in the shoes of Matt Ryan, will be facing the blitzing defence of the Fighting Irish. You can rest assured that the Irish defence will play a full 60 minutes this week after the hiccup last week againt Pitt.

During his press conference on November 4th, Charlie Weis did admit that on Monday, it was not a good start for some of his players but that everything had settled in by Tuesday afternoon. The comment was related to speculation that Weis might shake up his starting lineup given the poor level of energy displayed in the 2nd half of the Pittsburgh Panthers loss at home, after having a 14 point lead at the half. Weis does anticipate a hostile crowd and said that he prepared for it. The players will have to go with an "us against the world mentality", Weis added.

The Eagles defence is not one to be walked all over either. Last week, they produced 3 interceptions and 2 sacks against Clemson last week but still ended up with a loss. Clausen will be under pressure and while Jimmy shows progress from week to week, he might face his quickest adversary to date in the Eagles. The Eagles also like to keep the ball in front of them. This year, they went 18 times on 4th down and converted over 70% of the time. This gets a defence on the field longer, and tired quicker. If the Irish doesn't show up for 60 minutes, the 4th quarter might be painful to watch.

The plan for the Irish remains the same. Don't turn the ball over. Don't give any sacks. Be 2 dimensional. The run and the pass have to work. One thing that makes us all feel better on the Irish side is that now, we hope that the Brandon Walker that will show up is the same one that played against Pitt. He did what he had to do. And he was not mentioned as the reason for the loss. This is when you know that you are doing your job.

For the record, Sagarin's rating give the game to BC by 2 points. I give it to the Irish by 7, because I am biased, and because of the letdown of last week that won't be allowed Saturday.

Notre Dame manage to find a way to lose to Pittsburgh in OT

michelchiasson on Fannation — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 02:24:29 GMT

The Fighting Irish are consistent this year - with their inconsistency! After building a suprising 17-3 lead at halftime, the team came back from the locker room and decided they had done enough. As if they were still resting from the mid-way break, the offense did not get one first down all third quarter and the defense decided that the game would be best if it got closer, and so it did.

Not that Pittsburgh needed much help. Their running back LeSean McCoy ran for 169 yards on 32 carries. The Irish just decided to make it easier in the 2nd half for McCoy. After holding the Panthers to no first downs in the first quarter and only 4 yards, the Pitt offense sputtered to finish the half with a field goal. They scored 14 unanswered in the 2nd half to tie at 17 and they exchanged a touchdown before going to overtime.

The highlight for Notre Dame was Brandon Walker, who managed to hit 3 field goals in a row(you read right) but couldn’t deliver on the fourth series in overtime, missing from 32 yards on the left side of the upright. The fact that Walker had to hit 3 field goals in OT, including a personal best of 48 yards, does however show that the Irish offense had all but surrendered and couldn’t deliver a touchdown at the critical time. Dave Wannstedt just prepared his team that much better at the break. In order to come from behind the way they did, they obviously succeeded where Charlie Weis’ coaching staff failed. Motivation, which I talk so much about was the difference. The talent was clearly on the field and the game could have gone to either side. The Irish just came out flat for the 3rd quarter and never recovered.

The lack of emotion and consistency killed the Irish today. Jimmy Clausen great first half, Michael Floyd’s record breaking receptions by a rookie at Notre Dame, all that was swiftly erased by Connor Lee, who was perfect today, kicking 5 field goals in 5 attempts.

Next week, the Irish travel to Boston College, who also lost a heartbreaker to Clemson today, after coming back from an 0-17 deficit to finally lose 27-21. Let’s work on that relentless 60 minutes effort this week and we should win at BC.

As predicted this week, Notre Dame win against the Huskies

michelchiasson on Fannation — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 03:21:55 GMT

In the 3rd quarter on Saturday, sophomore Brian Smith had a clean path to sack Washington quarterback Ronnie Fouch. He came from the outside, Fouch was looking the other way. He levelled the Washington quarterback and the velocity of the hit reflected what had just happened. After 7 minutes in the first quarter, the Fighting Irish were leading 14-0 and went in cruise control mode.

At the half, they had gained 238 yards while holding the Huskies to 38 yards - TOTAL. And it could have been much worse. Jimmy Clausen was not as sharp as he had previously been in the last 3 career record setting games. Clausen ended passing for 201 yards after 3.5 quarters, letting Evan Sharpley taking the remaining snaps in the game. Coming off a bye week, he did appear to be “pushing” some balls in very tight coverage. Two touchdown balls were dropped by Floyd in the end zones, but the balls were under thrown.

The defense really made the difference today holding the Huskies to less than 125 yards and only 9 first downs. The Huskies had lost their regular quarterback and best team rusher when Jake Locker broke his thumb against Stanford. Today, Fouch was under 50% completion for 98 yards.

ON the Notre Dame side, even though Jimmy Clausen had hickups on offense, their was some positive news. Michael Floyd and Golden Tate(again) teamed up for touchdowns early in the 1st. James Aldridge ran for 2 TD’s and believe it or not, Brandon Walker went 2 for 2 on field goals and 3 for 3 on PAT’s.

A true test next week, Pitt is coming to South Bend.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat Huskies by 14 on Saturday

michelchiasson on Fannation — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 04:01:50 GMT

There you have it. Don't need to watch the game that starts at 8 eastern with kickoff at 8:06pm. I will tell you what will happen right here. A win by 14 points no less. And if you read the email comments I get directly from the readers of my post on fannation, you know that I am setting myself up for a busy night of reading hate mail.

In a game in which the Huskies will show the most emotion all season, the end result will eventually come down to execution and leadership in the locker room. Notre Dame will execute to their plan flawlessly and the Huskies, with Ty Willingham trying not to be part of the story, will be lifeless comes the 2nd half and surrender to a stronger, much stronger opponent.

There were a number of press conferences this week at Notre Dame after the bye week and here are a few "nuggets" that will constitue some basis to my emotional analysis. By now, you know how I work. I put the numbers down, the key stats and try to see who has the swagger and how it should unfold.

So before putting up the numbers, here is some of what was said yesterday and today in South Bend.

Golden Tate: "........the Huskies have pretty fast corners....we have to win on the road, the coming stretch is on the road so we have to win on the road." Notre Dame plays four of the remaining 6 games on the road, thus the need to start winning away from home.

Armando Allen: "....anybody can be beaten on any given day and we need to prepare, they're a pretty good team". Maybe they are, maybe they were, but you don't want to be the one win that Ty Willingham gets this year.

Offensive Coordinator Mike Haywood on how he fared in his first 6 games of the season: "NOT AS GOOD AS I SHOULD"

Charlie Weis, on the potential easy win against an 0-6 team: "...We can't worry about UW, we have enough problems worrying about us...."

OK, so what do we see here? The team is taking this game very seriously and will be coming out of the gate rapidly to establish the tempo. Nothing is taken for granted. The fact that the bye week came after the loss to North Carolina is also good because they had time to recalibrate their offense.

When Washington's quarterback Jake Locker broke his thumb on September 27th, not only did the Huskies lost their quarterback but they also lost their best runner on their offence. To say that they have been struggling since would be an understatement. Of the 119 teams in the Division 1 teams, Washington ranks 95th in total offense and 118th on defense. For the Huskies offense, it has become pretty much a one dimension affair on offense going through the air for 276 yards against Oregon State last week, while running for only 100 yards.

The only thing that Ty Willingham can hang is hat on is the respect his players have for him. If they decide to play for him, so that he can walk pride at the end of the game, the Huskies have a chance. The Irish are too well prepared, too eager to prove themselves on the road and have the perfect victim to do so in Washington. You can count on Clausen being close to near perfect, on Michael Floyd having another big game, and seeing a very mechanical 4th quarter as the Fighting Irish put this one away after 3.

The Irish get ready to face the Huskies on the 25th

michelchiasson on Fannation — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:56:36 GMT

Willingham is 0-5 this season with the Huskies

After 6 games last year, the Irish was 1-5, winning only against UCLA without their quarterback. This year, the Irish sits at 4-2 after having surrendered a road game to North Carolina in Chapel Hill after turning the ball over 5 times. Most Irish fans would want to be 5-1 after 6 games, but reality is, at 4-2 and the way UND is playing, progress is definitely an understatement. This is a good week to have a bye week and work on polishing ball protection. Last week, I refused to call the game against North Carolina.

In a game that should be an emotional one next Saturday for the Huskies coach, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will travel to Seattle to face the winningless Huskies and Tyrone Willingham. Willingham, fired from Notre Dame and replaced by Charlie Weis, is on the hot seat and when the news of a coach firing had happened this week, while people thought of Bowden at Clemson, most in Seattle thought that their wish had been granted.

The Irish will win at Seattle and it will happen with the same team that showed up in Chapel Hill, minus the turnovers. The run game was working, the pass from the first series on was working; the Irish just didn't protect the ball and the lesson served this past Saturday on the road, is a priceless one.

Charlie Weis himself, this week, saw a lot of disappointment in the locker room after the game. " The team exepcted to win and you could see on their face they were disappointed...and that's good". And he's right.

The Irish will work this week on their game and enjoy a bye week before a 4 game stretch that all appear to be "winnable". In a month or so, we could be talking about the Irish at 8-2 getting ready to face Syracuse for a 9th win before closing with USC. In a few days, I will highlight what the Irish need to do to dispose of the Huskies.

Notre Dame to face biggest test this season in Chapel Hill

michelchiasson on Fannation — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:15:20 GMT

The Tar Heels are waiting for the Irish and the team that travels from South Bend to North Carolina Saturday better be the one that beat Stanford last week. That Irish team also better play 4 quarters this time. Ranked 22nd in the AP Poll, North Carolina will be the biggest test the Irish face this year. Not because they are a better team than the Spartans, but because they show up at a point where the Irish can spark an already good season, based on the '07 standard. If they win in NC, the Irish will go 5-1, will win their first game on the road but more, so much more importantly, they will really believe that the improvement is compounding week to week. A loss at NC would not be the end of the world for the Irish. The Tar Heels is a ranked team, that could be 5-0 at this time in the season. They have 12 interceptions already this season no doubt will put a lot of pressure on Jimmy Clausen and his offensive line. On special teams, they have Brandon Tate, not a national treasure but close. This wide receiver also leads the ncaa career leader in punt returns and I look forward to his and Mike Anello's meeting. Now, against Connecticut, the Tar Heels blocked 3 punts and intercepted 3 times, one for a touchdown. Protecting the ball, not a secret, was probably not on the game plan for the Huskies last week. If you look at the Irish lately, they are doing well in that category and North Carolina might have to look to their offense to put points on the board. Running the ball and the field goal kicking will be determining if the Irish win or not. If they run the ball and somehow, Brandon Walker forgets that those kicks matters and put them through the upright, the Irish will win handily. Clausen won't be the problem, everyone knows he will show up, that Michael Floyd and Golden Tate will make the catches. Running the ball, and scoring with field goals when needed, will seal that game for the Irish. Failing to do so, it will be hotly contested and I will not call that game. All I can say is with a win, the Irish will break into the top 25, be staring at a 9 win season and have to deal with a whole new set of expectations.

Notre Dame wins - Weis sees a miracle!

michelchiasson on Fannation — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 23:47:40 GMT

In a game that the Vegas bookmakers favored the Cardinal by 6.5 points, the Irish delivered a solid performance Saturday against the Stanford Cardinal. Leading by 14 at the half, the Irish even went up by 3 scores before seeing the Cardinal come back in the 4th. With the confidence of the scorned loved one, every Irish fan held its breath as the Irish clearly decided that they had played enough after 3 quarters. The intensity that was so strong even before the game, as admitted by Weis in his post-game press conference, quickly made way to a "who do we play next week" attitude on the field and the sidelines.

After Brandon Walker missed his 2nd field goal of the game, the team really looked like it had all the air sucked out of its near euphoric attitude previously seen on the field. Passing for 347 yards and 72% completion, Clausen was seen smiling often on camera and on the field enjoying a career day that was topped by 3 td's and no interceptions. The defense, clearly made a difference as well with 3 interceptions and 5 sacks. During his press conference, talking about Clausen's poise in the pocket when he waits for the right receiver to open, Weis called it a miracle. "It is a big step in a player development".

While everything seems rosy in South Bend, what I call the "elephant on the table" is still not being addressed. If the Irish is to win at North Carolina or against Pittsburgh - here is the recipe. Change nothing, keep the intensity, FIND A KICKER! With a stat as bad as 1 for 7 in field goals made, the Irish not only left 18 points on the table this season, but also pushed the envelope a few times by going for it on 4th down to avoid giving field position to the opponent, anticipating a miss by Walker. This part of the game is the only one to date that has not been addressed and if the Irish find a fix, a 9-3 or 10-2 season is possible. Next stop, UNC.

Notre Dame beats Purdue 38-21

michelchiasson on Fannation — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 23:08:24 GMT

The glory isn’t back yet, but the swagger is. Following a touchdown pass to David Grimes, you could actually see Jimmy Clausen dance back to his receiver. Clausen went 20 for 35 resulting in 278 yards and 3 touchdowns. Clausen’s game management skills have again jumped ahead and while he was definitely pressured at times, Clausen ended the game without an interception and only being sacked once. When I predicted a win for the Irish earlier this week, I said that 3 factors would have to come in to play for it to happen. Stop the run, run the ball and get one score from the special teams. All three happened and the team that emerged from the locker room after the first half appeared to have found a way to finally run the ball. As it usually happens, when you start running the ball, the defense tightens up and gives you some room to throw the ball, which the Irish did.

Armando Allen, Golden Tate, Floyd and Rudolph were the lighting rods that worked well with the offensive line to score the 38 points.

The real surprise was the defensive stand by the Irish against Kory Sheets of Purdue who only ran for 86 yards. That definitely helped the Irish set the tone for the game. Next week, Stanford.