Duds and Studs: Back to Training Camp

With Notre Dame getting absolutely thumped out of bowl contention and my Cleveland Indians completing an epic collapse to get denied from a World Series berth, this weekend has basically ripped the sports heart out of my chest and backed over it with a two ton truck, and it is on that note that the Nasties crew breaks down the Duds and Studs for weak (thats not a typo) 8.

Duds:

Receivers: After holding USC to a 3 and out on the first possession, dropped passes continually were able to kill any momentum that the Irish gained in the first quarter. The inability to get open down field or break tackles serve as a reminder for the void left with the exit of Stovall, Shelton, McKnight, and Samardzija over the last two years.

John Sullivan: This one may or may not be warranted as I'm not quite sure who calls out the blocking at the line of scrimmage, but if it is Sullivan's job, than he gets a solid F for this game. The issue against the Trojans wasn't talent: their talented defense linemen didn't overpower or outrun our big uglies any more than was expected, but the amount of missed assignments was out of this world. Up to this point in the year, the line has looked foolish whenever the opposition either overloads one side or sends a delayed blitz. As a senior, Sullivan should be able to better communicate the blocking scheme along the line.

Pass Defense: While our front seven (up until the fourth quarter when they must have been exhausted) looked pretty decent against the run, ND was unable to challenge Sanchez with any sort of pass rush. The depth of Southern Cal's team was on display as their backup quarterback was able to hit receivers in stride perfectly in the middle of our zone coverage.

Studs:

Rush Defense: On the other side, our run defense was about as stout as can be expected against a team with the arsenal of running backs and experienced line that USC has. Trevor Laws and John Ryan were able to fill holes and hold the Trojans to little gains. As is the case with many of the games this season, the numbers don't really give an accurate presentation of our defense; the offense was unable to produce first downs (Price punted 6 time in the first half) which prevented the defense from getting much rest, and multiple times they were left guarding against a short field because of a Travis Thomas or special teams blunder.

Michael Floyd: By the grace of God, this five star receiver somehow committed to ND after witnessing this terrible loss. A true success story, this kid will be able to make an immediate impact next year, and it is a true testament to his character that he is so excited to be a Domer given the debacle that is this season. Breifly touched upon in this Rothstien article, Floyd mentions that one of the reasons he committed so early is that he has made good friends with fellow commit John Goodman (no not that John Goodman). It is situations like this that affirm my faith in the 2012 commits; no one's jumping ship just yet.

Paratroopers: Props to the paratroopers that touched down before the game on Saturday. I've posted some videos (new technology for the Nasties crew) in case you missed them.

You don't have to read Charlie's Nasties to figure out that our team stunk it up on Saturday, but always looking at the sunny side of the street, things do look good for Navy. I think that our run defense will be able to keep the Navy option attack off of the field and hopefully our offense will be able to string together some decent drives. My arms are getting weak this year from the lack of push ups in the student section.

O well, with the Indians out of the World Series hunt, at least I can finally shave my playoff beard.

Have a good Fall Break. Go Irish.