A few weeks ago, Subway Domer suggested that a few Notre Dame bloggers combine heads every week to ponder over a few Irish-football-related questions. Each week, a different blogger comes up with 5 questions, and the other members of this segment (called the Irish Blogger Gathering) do their best to come up with answers. Frank at UHND.com came up with some good questions for the bye week. Enjoy...
There’s some great Big 12 action that I might be tuning into (16 Kansas at 4 Oklahoma or 11 Missouri at 1 Texas), but seeing as I’ll be back in Ohio for fall break, the game of focus will definitely be No 12 OSU at No 20 Michigan State (3:30 pm abc). Ohio State has been pretty inconsistent on offense (see: scoring 16 points against Purdue), so if the Spartans can muster up 20+ points of offense, they have a great chance of upsetting the Buckeyes in East Lansing. However, this week in the football season usually marks the implosion MSU, causing a semi-talented top 25 team to slip to the level of a 7-5 or 6-6 team, so something’s got to give.
1. With our beloved Irish on the bye this weekend, how much college football will you be watching Saturday and what games are you most looking forward to watching?
There’s some great Big 12 action that I might be tuning into (16 Kansas at 4 Oklahoma or 11 Missouri at 1 Texas), but seeing as I’ll be back in Ohio for fall break, the game of focus will definitely be No 12 OSU at No 20 Michigan State (3:30 pm abc). Ohio State has been pretty inconsistent on offense (see: scoring 16 points against Purdue), so if the Spartans can muster up 20+ points of offense, they have a great chance of upsetting the Buckeyes in East Lansing. However, this week in the football season usually marks the implosion MSU, causing a semi-talented top 25 team to slip to the level of a 7-5 or 6-6 team, so something’s got to give.
2. Not to look too far ahead… but in looking at the 2009 schedule, do you think the Irish will be set up for a title run if they continue to improve each week as they are doing now?
Last season, I did a breakdown comparing how Quinn and Clausen performed during their freshman seasons, and my army of child labor data compilers has been hard at work crunching numbers for a sophomore midseason analysis that I should be able to put up over fall break. Let me give you a hint: the comparisons are pretty dog gone similar. What’s more, the 2009 offense will return starters at nearly every position, so the tools are there for our offense to develop into one of the more dangerous units in the country.
The schedule also looks pretty favorable: MSU, USC, and BC at home, and Michigan / Pitt on the road look to be the toughest games. So the big question is if our defense can make the leap and start competing at the next level… Plan on reading several hundred articles during the offseason as to whether or not the defense will be able to do so, but for now, I say why not? Notre Dame will go to the 2009 National Title game if they can beat USC.
The schedule also looks pretty favorable: MSU, USC, and BC at home, and Michigan / Pitt on the road look to be the toughest games. So the big question is if our defense can make the leap and start competing at the next level… Plan on reading several hundred articles during the offseason as to whether or not the defense will be able to do so, but for now, I say why not? Notre Dame will go to the 2009 National Title game if they can beat USC.
3. If you could take 1 recruit we missed on from each of the last 4 years (1 from each year), who would they be and how differently would this team look like right now if we had gotten that 1 player each year? (Note, the players should be players the Irish either led for at one time or were at least a finalist for).
Anyone interested in recruiting that doesn’t have a rivals subscription can check UHND’s recruiting board to see how ND stands with the top prospects in the country. I have to applaud Frank and co. at UHND blog for this question as I think it’s a pretty interesting one. Here’s my stab at it:
2005: In this coaching transition year, the Irish did not have any commits from the Rivals Top 100 (even Stanford did). So really landing any prominent commit would have helped, but I’m going to go with Alex Boone, a top tackle that now dominates in the Big Ten for OSU. While he may not have helped us in his first two years, Boone could have teamed up with Sullivan and Young during last season to help the Irish field a better offensive line, and perhaps we could have mustered a few more wins in 2007.
2006: Here I have to go with Gerald McCoy, the top DT prospect that earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year Honors last season (redshirted 2006, though I doubt that would have been the case if he went to ND) for the Sooners. A go to DT to compliment Laws/Kuntz/Williams would have helped last season, and having a disruptive force in the middle this season would greatly aid Tentuta’s blitz schemes this year.
2007: The Irish hauled in a great class in 2007, with 7 players in the Rivals 100, but out of those 7, only CB Gary Gray was on the defensive side of the ball. Again, I think Notre Dame would have gotten the most benefit from hauling in a big D-Line recruit. #1 DE prospect Carlos Dunlap finished with the Irish 3rd on his list, choosing instead to go to Florida.
2008: Another year, and 7 more Domers in the top 100, but only 2 on defense. After watching so many highlight reels of Omar Hunter before he de-committed, I can’t possibly choose anyone else. Why pick 3 D-Linemen in three years, you ask? Remember when Abirimiri, Laws, and Landri were all starting for Notre Dame? That’s why.
2005: In this coaching transition year, the Irish did not have any commits from the Rivals Top 100 (even Stanford did). So really landing any prominent commit would have helped, but I’m going to go with Alex Boone, a top tackle that now dominates in the Big Ten for OSU. While he may not have helped us in his first two years, Boone could have teamed up with Sullivan and Young during last season to help the Irish field a better offensive line, and perhaps we could have mustered a few more wins in 2007.
2006: Here I have to go with Gerald McCoy, the top DT prospect that earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year Honors last season (redshirted 2006, though I doubt that would have been the case if he went to ND) for the Sooners. A go to DT to compliment Laws/Kuntz/Williams would have helped last season, and having a disruptive force in the middle this season would greatly aid Tentuta’s blitz schemes this year.
2007: The Irish hauled in a great class in 2007, with 7 players in the Rivals 100, but out of those 7, only CB Gary Gray was on the defensive side of the ball. Again, I think Notre Dame would have gotten the most benefit from hauling in a big D-Line recruit. #1 DE prospect Carlos Dunlap finished with the Irish 3rd on his list, choosing instead to go to Florida.
2008: Another year, and 7 more Domers in the top 100, but only 2 on defense. After watching so many highlight reels of Omar Hunter before he de-committed, I can’t possibly choose anyone else. Why pick 3 D-Linemen in three years, you ask? Remember when Abirimiri, Laws, and Landri were all starting for Notre Dame? That’s why.
4. If Notre Dame could only land 1 more recruit on each side the ball in this recruiting class, who would you like it to be? (Again, it should be someone we have a reasonable chance with).
Def: Why Jelani Jenkins? Because he’s the #1 LB? Because he’s the #4 overall recruit in the country? Maybe… but I really want this guy just because he goes to Our Lady of Good Counsel in Maryland, the alma mater of one of my good friends, and because she’s currently saving the world in Uganda, I feel obligated to throw props to her high school in absentia. Furthermore, this guy is BIG, FAST, and loves contact. I think he would be a great addition to the Irish LB team.
Off: Shaq Evans is the obvious choice, not only because of this kids play making ability at WR, but also because it would be great to see a top California recruit to spurn USC in favor of Irish. Top tackle prospect Xavier Nixon is an attractive pick, but this class already has 3 OL commits, so I feel that it would be a little more beneficial to land a receiver, a position where ND currently lacks any true position prospects.
Off: Shaq Evans is the obvious choice, not only because of this kids play making ability at WR, but also because it would be great to see a top California recruit to spurn USC in favor of Irish. Top tackle prospect Xavier Nixon is an attractive pick, but this class already has 3 OL commits, so I feel that it would be a little more beneficial to land a receiver, a position where ND currently lacks any true position prospects.
5. If you could take one of Notre Dame’s bowl losses since the 1994 Cotton Bowl win over Texas A&M and turn it into a win, which one would it be? Why? And What if any impact do you think that win would have had on the Irish.
For me, it would definitely be the 2006 loss to OSU in the Fiesta Bowl. I have already described why that game was my first Irish 'heartbreaker' in the last IBG post, but it would also be a good bowl to reverse for a few reasons. First, it would give Notre Dame a win over the pride of the Big Ten, putting members of that conference in their place, but more importantly, it would have established Weis' teams as ones that come out and compete in big games. After nearly beating what some people thought was an unbeatable USC team, it would have been great for the program to give a good showing in their first BCS bowl with Weis. The streak would be snapped, and the Irish would (hopefully) reestablish themselves as a program that is supposed to win the big games.
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