Duds:ND Secondary: There is absolutely no reason that our secondary should have allowed all-name quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada to complete 6 of 8 passes. I guess that I stirred up some bad karma in my game preview with the accidental Minter reference because our secondary looked just about as lost (out schemed, too slow, whatever you want to say) as it ever has over the last three years. Navy isn't exactly bringing in Calvin Johnson freaks of nature at the receiver positions and I doubt Kaipo will be nominated for the Golden Arm Award any time soon. Even worse than the 75% completion rate is that several passes gave Navy key first downs (and one touchdown in overtime). Getting sucked into an option playfake is no excuse for allowing this type of passing efficiency to a running team like Navy.
Playcalling: Because this blog will lose some of its relevance if ND cuts ties with Weis, I don't want to be too harsh, but there is no excuse for not kicking the field goal at the end of the game. Say what you want about running Thomas in the goal line packages or the decision to go for it 8 times on fourth down, I haven't found one person that agrees with Weis' decision to scrap the field goal late in the game. Charlie rationed that the team needed to get the ball to the 20 in order to attempt the field goal, but lets be honest: when the offense needs to put points on the board, kicking a 41 yard field goal has a much higher percentage than converting a 4th and 8 (and even if we do convert, we still don't have guaranteed points on the board). In an interhall game earlier this year, I saw a team that had never even practiced kicking extra points (they figured it was easier to go for 2 all the time) organize a field goal team for the first time during a game and kick a game winning 40 yarder as time expired. If a bunch of hung over college kids can do it, there's no excuse why varsity athletes can't.
The offensive line: Coming into the season, Navy had only 4 sacks (and that was against all of the Ball States and Dukes of the world), and our offensive line continued to disappoint by allowing 4 sacks in Saturday's game! It's no secret that Navy's linemen on both sides are limited by Naval Academy size restrictions, but somehow they gave us numerous problems. In addition to having poor pass protection, ND only averaged 3.7 yards a rush, and this leads me to point the finger at the coaching staff. There is no way that we don't have the talent to overwhelm Navy at the line of scrimmage. John Latina might as well pack his bags after this game; it might be ok to have a bad running attack in a rebuilding year while facing top 25 teams, but a 3.7 yard average against Navy is unacceptable.
Studs:
Pat Kuntz: Without our workhorse nose tackle, Navy was able to get 3 yards up the middle at will, which forced the Irish to assign extra men to help out with the middle rush. In struggling with stopping the run up the middle, the Irish opened themselves up to be attacked on the perimeter. Hopefully Kuntz won't be out long.
Armando Allen: James Aldridge played well, but Allen has to get the 'best running back' award. With 91 yards on a 5.9 average on the ground, 3 catches for 20 yards, and 115 yards on 4 kick returns, this freshman knows how to fill the stat sheet. Against Navy, I could see what Weis meant when he said Allen was seeing things slow down on the field; his burst of speed seems more natural, and I'm excited to see him continue to develop as a player.
Armando Allen: James Aldridge played well, but Allen has to get the 'best running back' award. With 91 yards on a 5.9 average on the ground, 3 catches for 20 yards, and 115 yards on 4 kick returns, this freshman knows how to fill the stat sheet. Against Navy, I could see what Weis meant when he said Allen was seeing things slow down on the field; his burst of speed seems more natural, and I'm excited to see him continue to develop as a player.
Duval Kamara: Another bright youngster, Kamara showed flashes of potential against Navy. Most notably, his long touchdown reception on 3rd down to help keep the Irish in the game. Look for Kamara to start with Robby Parris against Air Force as Grimes continues to look average and Tate has yet to do anything exciting since Purdue.
Here are some of the better write-ups about the Navy game from other blogs:
Enjoy. Go Irish. Beat Falcons.
7 comments:
Weis said in his post interview that only two sacks were attibutable to the line. What's your reaction to that stat clarifyer?
Two sacks is two sacks too many. Really it wasn't the sacks, but the YPC average that scares me. Sometimes the defense throws a quick stunt at you or beats you off of the line, and out of 27 pass attempts (30+ if you count scrambles from broken protection), it is possible that you could give up four sacks; it's still a bad performance, but the running is worse. ND ran it 63 times against Navy, and if your man is getting passed you regularly enough to yield a 3.7 YPC average, it isn't a mistake, it's a habit.
pops,
everybody looks faster against navy cause there slower than the previous opponents, kind of like how fast the HS recruits look on film.
David Grimes seemed to try to have cement for hands. He needs more time collecting splinters on the bench.
I couldn't agree more - hopefully the trio of Parris, Karmara, and Floyd (with occasional fly routes from Tate) can develope into a strength next season.
How about developing over the next three games?
I hope that the young kids on the team can gain some good experience and develope over the next few games, but I think the most important thing for them to do is get their act together and finish this season with a few wins so they have something to build on over the off season.
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