Foul Balls College Football Preview - Notre Dame Fighting Irish
With the college football season just round the corner, Foul Balls has decided it's about time we busted out our college football previews. Now that we've finished up the Big Ten Conference, we'll be turning our attention to the other schools in the Chicago area. After that we'll finish the week with a look at the national picture. Today though, we'll look at my favorite, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
2006 Record - 10-3
2007 Projection - 7-5
Most Important Player - Travis Thomas has been the everyman for the Irish the last few years, and it looks like he'll have to do more than ever before. Last season he spent his time playing running back, linebacker, and special teams. This season he's the starting tailback, but Charlie Weis has hinted he may still play on special teams and defense at times. I'm not sure that would be the smartest move for the Irish to make. Just look at who the Irish lost from last season's offense. Both starting receivers, Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight. Their starting running back, Darius Walker. Oh, and that Brady Quinn kid. Considering they'll be trying to work in a new quarterback, receivers and 60% of their offensive line, Thomas is going to have to carry a big load. By playing him in three different spots again, the Irish run the risk of killing their offense by wearing it out.
Who to watch for on offense - All eyes are on the battle for the starting quarterback position. The Irish haven't made an announcement yet but it's between three candidates: Evan Sharpley, Demetrious Jones, and Jimmy Clausen. The favorite right now is Sharpley, but only because he has the most experience. He threw seven whole passes last season as Brady's backup. Jones could be interesting based on his scrambling ability, which could come in handy with an offensive line that will be figuring each other out for a while. Then there's the super freshman, Jimmy Clausen. I don't think Clausen will win the job going into this season, but whoever does win it will know he's only keeping the seat warm for Clausen. And whoever is the QB will have a nice tight end to rely on in John Carlson. At receiver it will be up to David Grimes to step up and emerge as ND's deep threat without McKnight and Samardzija.
Who to watch for on defense - It's pretty easy to watch Notre Dame's defense. Just find the guy running with the ball, look about 10 yards behind him, and you'll find an Irish defender. The last two seasons Irish fans have had to watch their defense be torn to shreds by any team with a viable offense. This season there's a new coordinator, and a new scheme. The Irish will be making the switch to the 3-4, and in any 3-4 the nose tackle is very important. That nose tackle will be Chris Stewart, who was an offensive lineman last season. He has the right size, but how quickly he adjusta to the defensive side of the ball remains to be seen. However he performs, he's going to need help from Trevor Laws on the outside. Maurice Crum is a tackling machine, and he'll team with Joe Brockington at middle linebacker, while a couple of youngsters fight for the outside positions. The secondary was the unit that was torched the most last season with only 11 interceptions versus the 24 touchdown passes they surrendered last season. Tom Zbikowski (pictured) is back for his final year at safety, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind some help from his corners. Tom spent too much time last season having to chase after receivers his teammates just couldn't cover. That means Ambrose Wooden and Terrail Lambert are going to have to step it up in coverage if this defense is going to be any better than last season.
Impact Freshmen - I don't think Jimmy Clausen is going to win the starting job before the season, but with a very tough early schedule, don't be surprised if the Irish struggle and Clausen finds his way to the field. He's easily the most anticipated quarterback in South Bend since Ron Powlus, who now happens to be his quarterback coach. Clausen threw for 3,428 yards and 49 touchdowns in his senior year of high school, and finished his high school career 42-0. Which is all well and good, but I don't think Jimmy was playing against any teams the caliber of Michigan while he was in high school.
Possible Upset - 10/20 vs. USC. It almost happened two seasons ago in Weis' first year, but Reggie Bush (ILLEGALY) pushed Matt Leinart into the end zone to help USC hold off the Irish. Honestly, I don't see this happening, but it could right? Right? Please?
Coaching - The only thing bigger than the expectations in South Bend since Charlie Weis showed up is Charlie's waist. Weis' cocky attitude rubs people the wrong way, but so far he's done what he set out to do. He hasn't won any bowl games or titles, but he's made Notre Dame a national program again. Whether or not they deserve to be considered one, that's still up for debate. This season will be interesting though because it will be the first time under Weis that the Irish are going to truly struggle. Will the Domers still love Weis if they start the season 1-3?
Bowl Expectations - As long as the Irish can manage to win six games, they'll always make a bowl game. Looking at the schedule this season, six wins is manageable, but they won't come early. For all the crap the Irish take with their scheduling, I don't think there are many teams with a tougher first eight games than the Irish. Thankfully there's that four game feast to finish the season that will push Notre Dame into a bowl game. It won't be a BCS game, but it might be one the Irish can actually win. That in itself will be a huge accomplishment in South Bend.
Previous Previews
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment