Predictions: ND v. BC

University of Notre Dame

v.

Backup College

This one shouldn't be close.
Then again... last week shouldn't have been close.

What Fightin' Irish fans saw late in the game against Pitt should give them hope, though, as Diaco's defense returned to its dominant form when called upon, and Kelly's offense finally found its way.

What I'd like to see against BC:  

Everett "5uperman" Golson taking complete control of Kelly's spread offense by utilizing the versatile weapons at his disposal (namely Riddick, and hopefully a heavier dose of Atkinson III), relying on his athleticism to make big plays at big times, and embracing his "baller" mentality to become that leader his teammates can count on.

What I'm expecting to see against BC:  

A lot of sacks and interceptions, with BC's Rettig throwing 3 picks last week and getting sacked 7 times over their past 2 games, and ND coming off a season-high 5 sack performance against Pitt.  BC's run game is abysmal, meaning they won't be able to move the ball on the ground against Diaco's dominant front 7.  Kap, Tuitt, and Shembo should thus be able to tee off on Rettig, who will be forced to rush his throws and run for his life to avoid getting his head taken off by our D Boys.  

Bold Prediction: 
Sacks for Kap, Nix, Tuitt, Shembo, and Te'o, with Manti adding another INT and vaulting himself back into the Heisman conversation.

 PROJECTED SCORE:

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: 37

BACKUP COLLEGE: 10

The 2011 Campaign: 1st Day in Full Pads

The weather gods smiled down upon our campus as God's Mom watched her favorite football team practice in full pads for the first time this year.

Highlights provided by UND.com

Notable moments of the day included the impressive play of a leaner, meaner Louis Nix (recently self-nicknamed Irish Chocolate), an intense pancake block by freshman TE Ben Koyack that fired up the whole squad (at 1:55), and the ferocity of freshman DE Aaron Lynch as he initiated contact with opposing offensive lineman to reach the ball carrier on multiple occasions (at 2:18 and 2:55).

Overall, today demonstrated how the focused energy and the all-in attitude shared by the squad's established leaders make this team stand out in comparison to those of the recent past.  

On Day 1 of Year 2 under the Kelly Regime, the Fighting Irish looked driven, locked in, and fueled by a fresh sense of confidence.  As an added bonus, the flashes of brilliance shown by Kelly's first class of recruits (though they are admittedly still very raw) stand as signs of good things to come for the future of Notre Dame Football.  I am known by many to be a slightly delusional optimist, but I do believe that our return to glory is looming just over the horizon.

Coordinating the Irish

During Friday’s media session, ND offensive and defensive coordinators dug into personnel specifics and were generally more critical than Kelly’s even-keeled opener that didn’t give away many secrets, promises, or even sound bites for that matter.

Sure, our Kelly green-clad leader highlighted a couple freshman WRs, but about the boldest declaration he made was that ND is “going to be dynamic” returning kicks. It probably made for the second-best sound bite, right next to his sarcastic nod to the media asking if they knew the goal is always to win ‘em all. Kelly, who seemed pumped up, didn’t make any promises he can’t keep or hype any player up too much, and that’s a good thing. He even admitted that “the jury’s still out” on if he was the right hire. Kelly played his cards right today.

Defensive coordinator Bob Diaco largely kept to this script but went deeper with his trademark emphasis on a player’s size profile. After laughing when reporters asked what 6-3, 350 freshman Louis Nix has been eating, Diaco lost the smile on his face when he said a college nose tackle should be in the 290-300 range with possibly more weight as the exception. “Nix is getting his body in position to compete,” according to Diaco, adding that “it’s going to be awhile.”

Offensive coordinator Charley Molnar was jovial and charismatic throughout the portion of the interview that UND.com aired live. Reading his body language, Molnar seemed ecstatic to have so many offensive weapons at his disposal. He actually reminded me a lot of Kelly’s spring mantra: super excited to be at ND and to work with our great players, but still staring down a ton of work.

Molnar offered more sound bites about our skill position guys: He confidently asked, “If you double team Kyle Rudolph, what kind of coverage are you playing on Michael Floyd?” Negatively, he said Floyd “was not there at the end of spring ball” in terms of work rate and that “he can get better in so many ways,” including adding moves and “a shake.” Molnar said Floyd’s biggest weakness is blocking consistency, similar to Duval Kamara, whom Molnar said “needs to be a great blocker every single play.”

BK said ten linemen are in the serious mix, but Molnar singled out center as “a position of great competition.” Similarly, Molnar talked about the tackle battles but wasn’t afraid to show his concern that none of the four options for two spots have any career starts.

Kelly admitted strengths, “vulnerabilities,” (I guess he truly doesn’t like weakness) and question marks but didn’t put any too high or too low. The more detailed and critical assessments by Molnar and Diaco complimented Kelly’s part as the calculated, confident leader. Overall, the three segments showed that the staff has a solid grip on what to do this August and how to manage the players physically and mentally.

Aaron Lynch's Irish Quartet

At a Saturday morning press conference, star defensive end Aaron Lynch picked Notre Dame and extended a remarkable recruiting sequence with four public commitments in under 24 hours. The previous three are great pickups, but Lynch is the gem of not just the weekend but the year to date.

His junior tape from Preps Report is the best film—not to mention the most entertaining—of any of his fellow ND verbals. The seven minutes are repetitive for all the right reasons: 6-6, 266 Lynch is too big, fast, and strong for any takers in the Ft. Myers area. To compliment his physical gifts, Lynch shows skill in breaking up passes. For Lynch, the tendency to go for deflections is a double-edged sword at times when QBs use a pump fake, although at the 1:07 mark he recovered for the sack anyway.

Impressive against the run, Lynch has sufficient lateral speed to contain a back in the flat and force him to the sideline. He doesn’t take himself out of plays and he’s a consistent terror on every down. Lynch sometimes rushes as stand-up blitzer, so he’ll need to get comfortable playing each snap in a down position. He’s agile enough to develop DE moves and he can chase down skill guys from the line of scrimmage. He can refine these traits and gain muscle mass, but unlike most freshmen on the line, it won't happen during a redshirt year. Lynch looks physically ready to get a little PT for the Irish in 2010 let alone 2011.

While nose guard Louis Nix is comparable in terms of prototypical fit for the scheme, no ND defensive lineman matches Lynch’s upside. His sack numbers as a freshman in 2011 will be similar to Ethan Johnson’s ’08 pace. While Lynch isn’t the first defender in ND’s 2011 group who garnered offers from the SEC’s best teams, he’s probably the first of the caliber who would actually beast at those schools. Lynch is a perfect 3-4 DE and the cornerstone of Kelly’s recruiting class. Soon enough, he’ll also be the centerpiece of Diaco’s defense and maybe, just maybe, Notre Dame’s next national championship.

The New Leprechaun Craze

On Thursday, Argentinian soccer legend and head coach Diego Maradona was the latest person to seemingly strike the pose of the beloved ND Leprechaun:

Much respect, Maradona. Everybody's doing it:



If you have a good picture of yourself or someone else striking the "Fighting Irish" Leprechaun pose feel free to post it on our facebook page.  We just might display our favorite one on our blog.