Holtz is a Cagey Guy

By now, you've heard it:

I personally believe, if you ask me, "Who's going to play in the national championship game?" I'd say it's going to be Florida and the University of Notre Dame. They return 11 starters on offense. They return all three running backs, the two best wide receivers, they have a great defense coming back.

-- Lou Holtz, on ESPN.



A lot of people are making fun of Holtz's comment. But he might be right.

Don't laugh; look at the schedule.

As a rule, Notre Dame's schedule is usually fairly static:

1. We play three Big 10 teams -- usually Michigan, Michigan State, and Purdue.
2. We play Navy. (See this previous entry for further information.)
3. We play Southern Cal.
4. We usually play some combination of Stanford, Pitt, Boston College.
5. We usually play a Big East or ACC team like UNC, Ga. Tech, or Rutgers.

After those 8 or 9 teams, we usually play an SEC or a Pac-10 team, maybe a fourth Big 10 team, maybe another ACC or Big East team. Usually, we have only one non-BCS conference team. (ND has never played a I-AA team -- one of five schools who hasn't done so.)

This year, here's our schedule:

Sept. 5 NEVADA
Sept. 12 at Michigan
Sept. 19 MICHIGAN STATE
Sept. 26 at Purdue
Oct. 3 WASHINGTON
Oct. 10 Open Date
Oct. 17 USC
Oct. 24 BOSTON COLLEGE
Oct. 31 vs. Washington State (at San Antonio, Texas)
Nov. 7 NAVY
Nov. 14 at Pittsburgh
Nov. 21 CONNECTICUT
Nov. 28 at Stanford

A few years ago, that was a pretty tough schedule. In 2009? Not so much.

The toughest games on that schedule are probably, in order, Southern Cal, MSU, Nevada, and UConn. That's right -- UConn is probably the fourth hardest game on the schedule. Read that out loud and try to stifle a giggle.

Michigan is going to be terrible (Rodriguez says he's playing 3 QBs in the first game!); so will Purdue. Washington will be suffering from Willingham poisoning for the next 3-5 years, Jake Locker be damned. WSU won only one game last year, and that was against UW. Boston College doesn't have a QB who has thrown a ball in collegiate competition and lost a bajillion starters. Pitt lost McCoy, its only offensive weapon worth mentioning. And this is going to be the worst Southern Cal team in 6-7 years.

On the other side of the line, ND's talent hasn't been higher since 2005; its weakest points (offensive and defensive line) are looking stronger with the replacement of the coaches.

If we play like we did on Christmas Eve against Hawaii ... well, Notre Dame could damn near sleepwalk through its schedule and go 9-3. We might go 11-1 purely by happenstance. And there is a distinct possibility that we'll go undefeated. (Not a probability, but at least a possibility.)

As a result, with that schedule, Notre Dame could back its way into the BCS title game. Lou is right -- all they have to do is be the best team in the stadium.

David Bruton, You Are The Man.

I respect you. You, and I think your teammates, give a shit. It's too bad that the coaches and administration are clueless as to how to right this ship and powerless to do so even if they knew.

ND-MSU coverage map

Apparently, if you're not getting it on ABC, you'll get it on ESPN2.

Lou Holtz's Talk at UM Pep Rally

Hey Michigan, How Does My A-- Taste?

Shamelessly pilfered from ... well, I don't remember where:

This win was a long time coming.

I admit that I have been absent from this blog for some time. To be honest, there has been little to celebrate other than recruiting victories. Yes, we beat SDSU last week, and although it was ugly, it was a W. But how do you get too excited about that?

Beating Michigan -- no matter how ugly their season is going -- is always a great thing. 35-17, the largest margin of victory at the House that Rockne Built? Even sweeter. Congratulations to the Irish today.

My play of the game goes to Terrail Lambert, who punched the ball out from a UM defender's attempted recovery after Bruton caused a fumble. Lambert's heads-up play allowed fellow defender Sergio Brown to come up with the ball.

Finally, Coach Weis apparently injured both his ACL and MCL when John Ryan was blocked into the sideline today. I'm sure his team was excited to see him on the sidelines in a brace and crutches; I know I was. Charlie Weis, you're a tough SOB, and I'm glad you're on our side.

Requiescat In Pace, Easter Heathman

Easter Heathman, longtime resident of Bazaar, Kansas and caretaker of the Rockne memorial in the Flint Hills, passed away this evening. There are not enough men in the world like Easter Heathman, and tonight there is one less.

Easter was just a boy on March 31, 1931, when the plane carrying Knute Rockne crashed in a field not far away, and he was one of the first people on the scene. He has taken care of the memorial for years and has been a gracious host to visitors from all over the world.

I had the opportunity to meet Easter twice -- once in the summer of 1997 and once with my son in the spring of 2007. He was a great man, and he and his family were very welcoming to us.

Some people say that when someone has passed away, he has been lost. But Easter is not lost. Notre Dame fans all over the world know right where he is.

Thanks, Easter.

In honor of BC week...

I offer you one of my favorite ND-BC moments.

Of course, we all know my least favorite.

I'm pretty sure this says it all: 20-6.

It wasn't a pretty win, but it was a win. Our defense was suffocating.

The best part? The team came up to the endzones to celebrate with the fans.

Nice work, fellas. Nice work.

This game is a must-win.

I hate to jinx us, but can it get any worse?

After a tough week of practice, I think ND comes out tough and strong. I think our OL blocks better than it has all season (ain't saying much); I think the students come out fired up to support the team; and I think we win. It may not be pretty, but look for a hardscrabble defensive effort to prop up an offense that finds the endzone for the first time this year.

ND 24, MSU 20

I'm pretty sure this says it all.

No further discussion necessary, is there? I mean, without an offensive line, you won't move the ball -- whether on the ground or through the air. And right now, we have no offensive line.

Penn State Preview

It's time to set aside last week's Ga. Tech debacle and look to Saturday's game against the Zombie King and his minions.

Here's what we know.

1. Clausen is starting.
2. The offense can't get any worse.

Seriously, I think we're going to look good on Saturday. You just know that Weis and his assistants (most notably Brown) ran that team hard this week to get them ready for Happy Valley. And the team has to be embarrassed and champing at the bit to redeem itself in a hostile environment against an improved PSU squad.

The first key to the game will be to take the crowd out of it early. It's a night game in an environment full of drunk hicks who are known for mistreating opponents: a couple of years ago, PSU fans even attacked the Ohio State band. (Not that they didn't deserve it, I'm sure.) Take the crowd out early with a couple of quick scores -- perhaps a defensive or special teams TD -- and it will be easier sledding.

I can't imagine that PSU won't blitz early and often against ND. Although their defensive coordinator is not known as a blitzer, no coach worth his salt could possibly watch the Ga. Tech game and not think, Blitz, blitz, blitz. To counter this, look for screen passes and quick slants (the latter emphasizing Clausen's accuracy) in an effort to avoid the defensive pressure.

I think we should also expect power running by ND inside the tackles: PSU's defensive weak spot, to the extent it really has one, is the D-line. But for a power running game to work, Schwapp and the O-line are going to have to hit their blocks better. There is no room for error on Saturday night at State College on this front.

On defense, we can stop the run inside -- the team showed that against GT for most of the game. Expect adjustments to contain the outside run. In passing situations, can we pressure Morelli and get him scrambling? That's where he made his mistakes last year, and if we can get him flustered, he's average.

Many people are very pessimistic about this game. Me, not so much. This game is winnable, but there isn't much room for mental error. Assuming a clean and smart game by the Irish, I say ND 31, PSU 24.

Video of today's offensive line practice

I can't post it here, but there is a video of today's offensive line practice here.

Yes, it was a tough one.

Coach Weis confirms: Clausen named starter

Coach Weis confirmed what we reported yesterday evening on this site: Jimmy Clausen will start at QB for the Irish on Saturday against Penn State.

The South Bend Tribune reported on the statement from Weis' press conference here.

Clausen will start on Saturday.

According to my sources, Clausen will start on Saturday against Penn State. Confirmation is expected on Tuesday.

Holy cow, did that suck.

1. Our offensive line looked like a sieve. They had better pick it up, and quickly.

2. I don't think I can judge our defense yet, because they held the game tight for a while. But there's no way a defense can be expected to stay on the field for that long and not buckle at some point. The secondary played pretty tight, although there were a couple of inexplicable deep balls that I still can't believe we didn't defend better. The inside run defense was tough. But when they could get outside... man, were we in trouble.

3. Demetrius Jones looked like a deer in headlights when it was time to pass. He may fancy himself a passing QB, but the game at this level requires decisive action. When he did not get rid of the ball -- when he required a wide open receiver instead of a receiver who was coming open -- he held onto the ball, and he got sacked/fumbled/killed.

4. Sharpley looked better, but still not great. He had good instincts at times -- witness his heads-up play to pick the ball up off of a fumble and find the receiver. He took a lot of pressure from the defense and took it with mixed results. He made good throws with people in his face (repeatedly), but at other times took too long to pull the trigger and throw. His motion is slow: a serious drawback when faced with a Ga. Tech defense like that.

5. Clausen is a fantastic passer with poise -- when he felt pressure, he rolled out or stepped back up. I don't feel like I can judge his play under real game conditions, though, because we only saw him when the game was already out of hand. But he sure looked tough to me.

Who will the starter be next week? I think Sharpley, maybe Clausen. Clausen's time, as I said, was at the end of the game when it was clearly lost. Maybe Weis is getting him ready slowly. As for Jones, I'm not sure what Charlie was thinking. Maybe DD looked better in practice -- he must have -- because what I saw yesterday was appalling.

Here Come The Irish -- Live, perfomed by one of the Corrs

Pretty sweet!

Just a moment of perspective, and a reminder as to why this blog is called "Pass Right"

ND-Ga. Tech preview, Part One

Let me start with a confession. I am nervous about Saturday's game against Georgia Tech. In fact, I feel eerily similar to the way I felt before Coach Weis' first game as the head coach at the University of Notre Dame. It was 2005; we were playing at Pittsburgh, and I had no idea what to expect. Of course, we ended up creaming Pitt in that game, and ND fans and college football observers alike sat up and took notice.


Thus, although I am certainly nervous, I also trust Charlie Weis at this point. He has proven that he is worthy, and I believe that he will have the 2007 squad -- inexperienced, but far deeper in talent than either of the previous teams -- ready for Georgia Tech.

Regarding the starting QB: for all of the talk, speculation, and criticism (get bent, Jeff Carroll and Stewart Mandel) about Coach Weis' decision not to publicize his starting QB, it seems to be forcing Tech to spend extra time worrying. Check out the article here.

For those naysayers in the college football world who sing Tech's praises and are convinced that ND will lose: I was at ND-GT last year. I saw them score exactly 10 points against ND's maligned defense at home, and that was with Calvin Johnson. Can they do much more against us without Johnson?

My prediction: ND 27, GT 13. More to follow.

Sixteen days 'til kickoff.

How about a little Lou Holtz to get you warmed up?