Panther Matchups | by Michael
Time to break down a few match-ups in Saturday's game. There really shouldn't be too many surprises, since both Dave Wannstedt and Charlie Weis have a fairly significant head-to-head history, as we reviewed in our Know Thine Enemy series in July. More important than the talent match-ups loom the coaching adjustments. We've heard for the past nine months about Weis's prowess with Xs and Os, so what might we see Saturday night?
Irish OL vs. Panthers' DTs
Converted defensive end Thomas Smith has been penciled in at one interior slot since spring practice and, earlier this week, sophomore Corey Davis was named the other starter. Here's some background on Davis, who redshirted last year. Also, as many already know, Smith recently suffered a knee injury which has prevented him from practicing; that said, he is expected to be ready for Saturday's game.
The experienced and talented Irish offensive line should be able to push these two around, and if the middle of Pitt's defensive line can be dominated, it should enable Weis to get more creative with his formations so as to prevent Pitt from dropping the safety into the box. What I mean by that is, if our OL can get a great push and consistently open up some holes in the middle, Weis can spread Pitt's defense with 3 or 4 receivers, which will force Pitt to either put their nickel package in the game (again, softer defense since a LB is replaced by a DB) or play riskier coverages with potentially little-to-no deep help (should Pitt choose to keep a safety committed to stopping the run).
Charlie Weis vs. H.B. Blades
Blades is a great run-stuffing middle linebacker but his weakness is defending the pass. He's smaller (probably closer to 5'11 than 6'0) with great instincts, and he was moved from the strongside to the middle in order to get more athletic linebackers on the field. Remember the 2002 game where Pitt's Gerald Hayes dominated and the Irish struggled to run the ball? Blades is as talented a playmaker.
Weis may want to put Blades in uncomfortable situations by going with 3 or 4 receivers. I'm not sure if Blades is in Pitt's nickel package, but if he's not, it's certainly a softer defense. If he is, it's likely that he's the weak link in the back seven (against the pass). New England did the same thing to Philadelphia's Jeremiah Trotter in the Super Bowl, although the Eagles were a more blitz-heavy team than Pitt will probably be under Wannstedt. Still, the Irish have the advantage of having not only a deep WR corps but also versatile personnel at TE, with whom they can both spread out or pound away on the Panthers. It should be interesting to see how Weis attempts to lessen Blades' impact on this game. What we do with our TEs early in the game could be an indication of our gameplan; if we spread them out, or ask them to line up in the slot or out wide, watch out for quick draws or screen passes to Darius Walker.
Maurice Crum vs. Erik Gill
Tyler Palko's security blanket killed us last year and is one of the better balanced TEs in the country. Enter Rick Minter and the Apache backer. The whole idea behind the Apache is to get more speed on the field by sacrificing size. Crum's performance in his first start, in prime-time no less, is one of the bigger questions in the game. There should be little question that he'll be a target of Matt Cavanaugh's offense from the first snap. Todd Heap was a vital cog in the Ravens' offense, which often employed two TEs, and I think Pitt will try to do similar things in 2005. Forget the pass for a moment; Pitt's power rushing attack is likely going to run right at Crum, and whether or not he can shed blocks and make tackles may ultimately be more important than how well he defends Gill in coverage. Keep an eye on this battle early on in the game.
Irish Front Seven vs. Pitt Rushing Attack
If the front seven can hold the Pitt's running game in check, then a safety can be used to double Greg Lee. However, if the front seven needs one of the safeties to help out in the box, Matt Cavanaugh's options will expand and I would expect to see Palko take some shots deep, which brings us to...
Ambrose Wooden vs. Greg Lee
Purely an educated guess that Wooden will defend Lee to start the game, although I also wouldn't be surprised to see ND rotate its defenders on him, even if that includes Mike Richardson, who was torched down the stretch of last season. Although Wooden has earned some acclaim for his play in fall camp, and he looked good in limited action in last year's Oregon State loss, this is a difficult assignment for any corner, let alone one with very little tangible experience. Expect Minter and Bill Lewis to do all they can to make Wooden's job easier, but if the front seven can't stop the run, that could leave Wooden on an island at times.
If you're the Irish coaching staff, you clearly want to make 5'7 former walk-on Joe DelSardo beat you rather than Lee. DelSardo had 49 catches in 2005, but half of those came against Furman (7), Rutgers (8) and in garbage time of the blow-out loss to Utah (9). As I see it, the key is shutting down Lee, even if it means doubling him on every play. Make DelSardo beat you.
If Notre Dame can control the majority of those match-ups, I would expect a victory. What I love about this game is that not only do so many match-ups favor ND, but so do the adjustments. If Dave Wannstedt and Matt Cavanaugh favored a more aggressive offense, and if they had the talent at WR to spread the field with 3 or 4 receivers, I'd be more concerned. But right now, Pitt's talent fits the power running game they've chosen as their base offense, and that plays to the strength of the ND defense.
Pitt's secondary is an interesting case. They have size, talent, experience, and return starters. But the unit finished last season as one of the lowest ranked pass defenses in the country. With three returning starters, it's obvious that this year they will look for 
Michigan's secondary took a hit with the loss of Ernest Shazor and Marlin Jackson and most likely will showcase a few faces at safety until solid starters emerge. At corner, Hall (left) has consistently improved after beating out former starter Markus Curry and should be a quality corner for the Wolverines this fall. Stanford transfer Mason dabbled at wide receiver but now is back at corner and will have to fill in for Marlin Jackson. He played in nickel and dime defenses before so he does have some experience. Englemon had an excellent spring and fall camp according to coaches and is credited for being a very heady player. Barringer, who started 6 games in 2003, is listed as the starter on the 
The Spartans defensive backfield has been a big question mark entering fall camp as players switched positions, were suspended, and declared inelgible while Coach Smith tried to find four starters. The big name in this unit is Smith (right), who starred for Michigan State at the Bandit position last year. He will bring leadership and experience to a shaky unit as the leading returning tackler on the roster. Next to Smith at free safety will be Greg Cooper, who isn't a terribly big player at 5'11" 187lbs, but is exceptionally quick and should help out the new cornerbacks. Watson is one of those new starters at corner after playing in the nickel and on special teams last year as well as special teams. He may be a new full-time starter, but 
The only two spots on the Husky defense that don't return a starter are corner. And the competition for those spots 
All four starters for Purdue return, but it is a bit of a mixed blessing. The obvious benefits of continutity and returning experience are slightly negated by the fact that these four allowed 240 yards per game through the air last season (for comparison, ND gave up 280 yards per game) and only totaled 3 interceptions. Those 
The Trojan defensive backfield will rely heavily on it's excellent pair of safeties to lead a unit that had a few rough spots last year. However, a fair number of those inconsistent performances can be attributed to nagging injuries and now that everyone appears healthy, the Southern Cal secondary should be a force for the Trojan defense. The marquee name is Bing (left), who is not only one of the fastest players on the team, but also one of the best safeties in the nation. He's 
The Cougars have fought through an injury-filled fall camp that saw 11 different defensive backs 
The Volunteers finished dead last in the SEC last year in pass defense but after a trial by fire 2004, three starters return and 
The secondary was supposed to be a big strength of the Navy defense, but a last minute defection will hurt a unit that still figures to be one of the better ones on the team. McGown (right) was a productive safety last season that finished 4th on the team in tackles but now will move over to help out at cornerback. While the position switch isn't always easy, he's expected to be a quality starter. Thrasher is the fastest guy on the team, but does not have much experience. How quickly he picks things up will determine how effective this unit can be. Price has to replace the team's leading tackler from last season and has the size at 5'11" 217lb to be a sure tackling free safety. One of the better prospects in the backfield, Little will start at the rover position after being the primary nickel back last season. 
Syracuse is another team looking to improve on an awful 2004. The Orange secondary finished 90th in the nation and now much replace two starters. Jackson (left) has solidified himself as the #1 corner but still needs to work on not letting up the big play. Gregory was one of Syracuse's best corners in 2002 and 2003, but was shifted to wide receiver in 2004. Now back at corner he worked his way up the depth chart during the fall and regained his starting slot. Smith is a big hitter at free safety and one of the better safeties in the Big East. He will be a leader of the Orange defense. Sophomore Dowayne Davis seems to have finally taken over the starting spot at strong safety, but his position is far from safe. 
Early on, Stanford's pass defense is looking like a weak spot for this year's defense. Two starters return to a position that finished 96th in the nation last year. Rushing (right) is an exciting athlete and a weapon on special teams, but has never translated that to becoming a top shelf corner. He has experience with 8 starts to his credit over a 3-year period, but now will have to produce each and every game against the other team's best. Sanchez is the least experienced of the group with only 2 tackles on his career total so he will need to be ready as other teams will throw his way early and often. The second safety named Brandon Harrison that the Irish will face is the only returning starter for the Cardinal secondary and will to be a leader for the rest of the group. Hooper actually started 11 games in 2003 at strong safety but did not play much last season and now has been moved to free safety where he will start. 
