Riddle me this | by Pat

Once again, we give you the annual BGS Trivia contest. This year we solicited questions from our readers and got a slew of great submissions. Thanks to all who submitted a question, and congratulations to those whose question we selected.

So get ready to flex your ND Football knowledge. We made it difficult on purpose, so don't feel bad if you don't know many of the answers. And if you break down and use google (you weak, weak person, you) don't put the answers in the comments section. Give other people a chance to post their best guess.

Ready? Quiz begins...now.

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1. Since the inception of Sports Illustrated in 1954, there have been 11 Notre Dame quarterbacks pictured on the cover. Name them.

2. The very first college football game televised live in Hawaii was a Notre Dame regular season game. What was the year, and who was the opponent?

3. Frank Leahy was known as an excellent recruiter and judge of talent. Which of the following players was not recruited and offered a Notre Dame football scholarship by Leahy?

a. Jack Kerouac
b. Creighton Miller
c. Harry Agganis
d. Paul Hornung

4. Which Notre Dame football player was named the 2005 Offensive Lineman of the Year at the annual football banquet?

5. George Gipp's final play in a Notre Dame football uniform resulted in a touchdown. True or False?

6. Notre Dame has played a football game in 8 different baseball stadiums. Name them. (question thanks to William P. Tunell, Jr.)

7. Of all the great Notre Dame quarterbacks, one QB in particular led the Irish to an undefeated season in his junior year. But in his senior year he was moved to another position Who was it? Why was he moved? (question thanks to Bob McConn)

8. What Big Ten Conference team has Notre Dame never defeated? (question thanks to John Lukacs)

9. Notre Dame has played a game out of the country twice. When and where were these games? (question thanks to Ryan Moran)

10. Who wrote the following?

"I will stand for the fierce and continued spirit of Notre Dame teams. Spirit is the most vital of all football factors. They got this from the Fathers at Notre Dame and from Knute Rockne. It can't and should not be destroyed." During more than one period in Notre Dame's illustrious football history was this spirit in danger of destruction. But always, something or somebody would come along to revive it."

11. What year was Notre Dame's first homecoming game?

a. 1920
b. 1929
c. 1948
d. 1957

12. The running backs on the 1990 team were about as talented a collection as Notre Dame has ever had. The depth chart included Jerome Bettis, Ricky Watters, Rodney Culver, Tony Brooks, Reggie Brooks, and Dorsey Levens. Which one led the team in rushing? (question thanks to K. Mullaney)

13. How many Notre Dame national championships resulted from Lou Holtz bowl victories?

14. Who or what is "The Phantom" and what role did it play in ND football history?

15. Who holds the NCAA record for most career touchdowns on interceptions, punt returns, and kickoff returns, with a total of 9? The player must have had at least one TD in each category. (question thanks to Joe Donovan)

16. How many Heisman winners faced Notre Dame during their Heisman winning year?

a. 13
b. 19
c. 24
d. 31

17. The world premiere screening of Knute Rockne: All-American was held in South Bend on a Friday in the fall of 1940. The following day, the Irish played a game against a team whose head coach made a credited appearance in the movie. Who was the coach and what was his team?

18. Why did the late Dave Huffman wear red elbow pads while manning the center position for the Irish in the 1970's? (question thanks to Tom Hedrick)

19. How many Heisman Trophy winners played in the 1946 scoreless tie between Notre Dame and Army? Who were they? (question thanks to Dick Meece)

20. Among Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardzija, Victor Abiamiri, and others, ND has a number of hopefuls for the NFL draft. Since 1967, the current record for most number of Fighting Irish football players drafted in a single NFL Draft is 11. In what year did this take place?

a. 1969
b. 1975
c. 1989
d. 1994

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We'll put up the answers later in the week. In the meantime, feel free to take your best guesses. Good luck!

2006 Opponent Preview - Running Backs | by Pat

The 2006 opponent position preview marches on. With the quarterbacks done, now let's hit the running backs.

GEORGIA TECH - Tashard Choice. 2005 stats: 117 attempts, 513 yards, 6 TDs. New starter.

The transfer from Oklahoma, Tashard Choice was Tech's 2nd leading rusher last year and now gets the starting job to himself. He's a big back who is just as likely to try and run over a defender as around him. He also started against Miami last year, who at the time was the #1 defense in the country, and pounded out 84 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. He'll be a solid first test for the new Irish linebackers. Depth: Complementing Choice's size is the speed of junior Rashuan Grant, who also can be dangerous receiving out of the backfield. A solid change of pace back with the more physical Choice. Loyall Gause and highly touted freshman Jamaal Evans round out the running back depth chart. Starting fullback Mike Cox didn't run the ball last year, but was a very solid blocker and a decent receiving target with 13 receptions for 72 yards.

PENN STATE - Tony Hunt. 2005 stats: 174 attempts, 1080 yards, 6 TDs. Returning starter.

Another tough, move-the-pile running back, Tony Hunt is the type of player who defines "workhorse". Big and strong at 230 pounds, Hunt will wear down a defense and his 6.0 yards per carry average from last year is very impressive. He also pulled in 20 receptions and was the team's leading receiver in 2004, so he has the hands to be a receiving threat. Depth: Austin Scott hasn't quite lived up to his billing, but is still a dependable running back and a solid backup for Hunt. Like Hunt, Scott is a tough runner who rushed for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns in last year's Orange Bowl when Hunt was injured. Rodney Kinlaw adds another experienced running back to the mix and is a bit quicker than both Hunt and Scott. Starting fullback Brandon Snow is one of the better fullbacks that the Irish will face and while he doesn't get to run the ball much, he's a fantastic blocker.

MICHIGAN - Michael Hart. 2005 stats: 150 carries, 682 yards, 4 TDs. Returning starter.

Michael Hart battled injuries all last year but if he's healthy when the Wolverines travel to South Bend, he's my pick as the top running back that the Irish will face. A starter since his freshman year, Hart has plenty of experience and has an innate ability to always get positive yards and turn something out of nothing. He also has one of the best traits you can hope for in a running back: he holds on to the ball. In 432 career carries, he has only lost one fumble. All that stands between him and a great junior year is his health. Depth: Kevin Grady did a solid job subbing for Hart last year, but didn't quite live up to the high expectations placed on the high school star. Now he's lost weight to get faster and should make an excellent 1-2 punch with Hart. Freshman speedster Carlos Brown enrolled early and did nothing but impress. The fullback position will be manned by one of three converted players. Obi Oluigbo switched from linebacker in 2003 and while he hasn't played much, might be the starting fullback in 2006. Converted defensive lineman Will Paul or converted linebacker Brian Thompson, both of whom started games at fullback last year, will fight Oluigbo for the spot.

MICHIGAN STATE - Javon Ringer. 2005 stats: 122 attempts, 873 yards, 5 TDs. Returning starter.

Javon Ringer took off as a freshman last year and led the Spartans in rushing, even though he wasn't even technically the starter. Lightning-quick, Ringer's 6.7 yards per rush average is testament to his ability to get by the first defender, and no opponent on the 2006 Irish schedule is a better threat to break off a long run. At 5'9" he's not the biggest back, and he'll have to prove he can handle the poundings that come with being the featured carrier, but an off-season in the weight room should help in that regard. Depth: The thunder to Ringer's lightning is junior Jehuu Caulcrick who at 245 pounds is one of the biggest backs the Irish will face. He's plenty experienced with over 200 career carries and his 5.4 career yards per carry average is impressive. AJ Jimmerson redshirted last year and will provide a quality third back.

PURDUE - Kory Sheets. 2005 stats: 104 attempts, 601 yards, 10 TDs. New starter.

Kory Sheets is a dangerous running back who excels at running outside the tackles. He had the advantage of having Jerod Void on the team last year to get the tough yards up the middle, so he'll have to prove he can take over that role. But when the play is to the sidelines, Sheets has more than enough speed to turn the corner and beat defenders to the endzone. An honorable mention Freshman All-American last year, Sheets is also a threat out of the backfield and should build on his 13 receptions last year. Depth: The only other running back on the roster who carried the ball last year, Anthony Heygood is more of a fullback and may see some of those between the tackle runs if the coaches don't want to put Sheets in that situation. Purdue brought in JUCO player Jaycen Taylor for the spring and he put up 84 yards on 13 carries in the Boilermaker spring game. He will probably be the backup running back to Sheets.

STANFORD - Anthony Kimble. 2005 stats: 66 carries, 244 yards, 2 TDs. Returning starter.

Anthony Kimble was moved from wide receiver to running back prior to the 2005 season and started the first 6 games of the season for the Cardinal. But then he was injured and lost his starting spot to J.R. Lemon. Kimble's 3.7 yards per carry average isn't very good, but it was good enough to be the best average out of all of Stanford's running backs. Kimble also added 14 receptions and 2 touchdowns catching the ball out of the backfield, which isn't a surprise given his former position at wide receiver. Depth: Jason Evans was Stanford's leading rusher last year, even though he only managed the same number of yards as Travis Thomas (248). The Cardinal were awful at running the ball and rotated carries between a number of running backs, which kept everyone's numbers low. Despite being the leading rusher, Evans never started a game and didn't get a carry in the Notre Dame game. Depth: Running back depth isn't really there, although freshman Toby Gerhart owns the California high school career rushing record. Starting fullback Nick Frank is back for another year and provides a decent short yardage runner when he is used. He also is able to flare out and catches passes, as he had 17 receptions last year. Behind him is all-everything high school recruit Emeka Nnoli.

UCLA - Chris Markey. 2005 stats: 110 attempts, 561 yards, 3 TDs. New starter.

Chris Markey didn't have much to do playing behind Maurice Drew last year, but he had a great bowl game where he ran for 161 yards (although Northwestern did have the one of the worst run defenses in the country). Of more importance might be the 1,223 all-purpose yards that Markey totaled last year (561 rushing, 231 receiving, 383 kick return, 48 punt return). That kind of versatility will help Markey make an impact all over the field. Depth: Helping Markey out will be Kahlil Bell, who put up 316 rushing yards on 52 carries last year as UCLA's 3rd string running back. Now the 1-B to Markey's 1-A, Bell should see the ball a lot more and join Markey to form a talented Bruin running back duo. Michael Pitre is the returning starting fullback and mainly is a blocker but he should see the ball in the occasional short yardage situation.


NAVY - Adam Ballard. 2005 stats: 109 attempts, 668 yards, 6 TDs. Returning starter.

Navy doesn't really have a feature back, as they had 6 running backs with 40 or more carries in Paul Johnson's spread option attack, but Adam Ballard is the big name player in the Midshipmen backfield. The fullback bulldozed his way for 6.0 yards per carry once he got the opportunity late in the season, and he put up 488 yards in his three starts. Depth: Joining Ballard are two fast returning slotbacks. Reggie Campbell averaged 9.0 yards per carry over the season and scored 5 rushing touchdowns in Navy's bowl win over Colorado State. At only 5'6", he isn't big enough to fight off tackles, but he is hard to catch. Trey Hines is the team's fastest player, but injuries have kept him from running the ball too much. Speedy Karlos Whittaker was dismissed from team, so Shun White and Georgia Tech transfer Zerb Singlton will be the backup slotbacks. Last but not least, Matt Hall was actually starting at fullback over Ballard before tearing his ACL against Notre Dame. If healthy, he'll add more depth to a stable full of talented backs.


NORTH CAROLINA - Ronnie McGill. 2005 stats: 130 attempts, 530 yards, 5 TDs. Returning starter.

Ronnie McGill missed the first five games for the Tarheels last year due to injury, but still ended up leading the team in rushing and touchdowns. He also led the Tarheels in rushing as a freshman. Still, with 337 career carries and 1,654 yards he is definitely a veteran running back. Now he just needs to show he can be the feature back and stay healthy. Depth: Barrington Edwards started the season when McGill was out and notched 455 yards and 2 touchdowns on 114 carries. The LSU transfer will give the Tarheels an experienced backup to McGill. Justin Warren, redshirt freshman Richie Rich, and four true freshman, including Anthony Elzy, give the Tarheels a very deep stable of running backs.

AIR FORCE - Jacobe Kendrick. 2005 stats: 166 attempts, 532 yards, 6 TDs. Returning starter.

The Air Force wishbone attack produces plenty of yards on the ground, yet no player, save QB Shaun Carney, produced more yards than fullback Jacobe Kendrick. At 6'0" 230 pounds, Kendrick has good size and quick feet, although injuries did keep him on the sidelines for a few games last year. If he can stay on the field, he's a very dependable fullback with the speed of a halfback. Depth: Also returning to join Kendrick in the Air Force backfield are Chad Hall and Justin Handely. Both are speedy, but both also check in around 5-8 180 pounds. Still, they both have plenty of experience and Hall is Air Force's leading returning receiver. Ryan Williams is the backup fullback to Kendrick and actually was third in the team in rushing attempts last year.

ARMY - TBD.

Army was hit hard by graduation and the "running back by committee" approach just might be the name of the game. (You know things are rough when you can't find a good action picture of any of the candidates on the internet). Ricky Lay, who has switched from quarterback to wide receiver to running back, has size at 6'4", but only got one carry in the Army spring game, which is never a good sign for a future starter. Depth: If Lay or converted linebacker Michael Herndon doesn't get the call first, it will probably fall to one of four sophomores. Jamal Robinson just might be the starter by the time the Black Knights play the Irish but there is a lot for the small (5'7" 178 lbs) sophomore to work on. He is quick and shifty, but Coach Ross suggested he really needs to work on his hands. Sophomores Wesley McMahand, Jerry Jones, and Tony Dace round out the completely green depth chart. Starting fullback Mike Viti returns and his 4 rushing attempts last year are the most of any running back on the roster.


USC - Chauncey Washington. 2005 stats: ineligible. New starter.

No team loses more at running back than the Trojans, who must make do without Reggie Bush and Lendale White. Replacing them is likely going to fall to Chauncey Washington, who has finally been cleared to play after being academically ineligible his first two years at Southern Cal. Washington is certainly a talent and was one of the most impressive players during the 2005 spring game, but will need to show to the staff that he's able to shake off the rust of sitting out the past year. Depth: Ryan Powdrell switched over from linebacker and had a solid spring. At 250 pounds he is more of a fullback than running back. Starting at actual fullback is Brandon Hancock. Built like a professional bodybuilder, Hancock is more than simply strong; he's got good hands and is a decent threat running the ball. Desmond Reed, who injured his knee against Notre Dame's long grass, is on the path back to being a threat that averaged 7.2 yards per carry last year. Michael Coleman is the only other running back besides Reed who got some carries last year, but hip surgery kept him out for the spring. Rounding out an extremely deep, though inexperienced, depth chart are the five highly-recruited running backs that signed with the Trojans. Stafon Johnson, Emmanuel Moody, C.J. Gable, Stanley Havili, and Kenny Ashley might not all still be at running back by the November showdown with the Irish, but odds are one of them will be making a significant impact at running back.

2006 Opponent Running Back Analysis and Ranking.

Before writing this up, I figured that the Irish were facing a decent crop of running backs but I didn't really realize how much talent and experience will be running at us this year. There are no superstar types, outside of Michael Hart who should get a decent amount of pre-season hype. Yet there are plenty of experienced running backs, a majority of which fall into the so-called "big back" camp, and eight of the starting eleven running backs on the 2006 schedule totaled over 500 yards rushing last year. With a slew of new linebackers on defense (including a smaller-than-normal middle linebacker in Mo Crum) these big backs may pose a challenge pounding on the D for 25+ carries per game.

Another benefit for the returning backs is experience in the finer points of the position, especially in pass-blocking. Some of these guys, like Tashard Choice, Ronnie McGill, Tony Hunt, and Jehuu Caulcrick aren't potential All-Americans, but they will be better at picking up the blitzing linebacker than a rookie. With all of the concerns about the ND defense generating a better pass rush, having experienced and strong running backs staying in to block is going to present a nice obstacle.

So, how do they all compare? Once again keeping in mind that I'm weighing production, experience, and overall team depth (as opposed to fuzzier things like coaching systems or potential), here's my take on the 2006 running back units. As we did with the QBs, Phil Steele's running back rankings are in parentheses (he ranked 63 running backs) .

1. Michigan - Experience, talent, and depth. A great group of running backs led by Hart (#6).
2. Penn State - Two solid runners in Hunt (#19) and Scott and an all-conference fullback.
3. Michigan State - Caulcrick (#58) has the size and Ringer (#37) the speed to keep defenses on their toes.
4. Navy - Have a better running back corp than USC for at least the first week of the season.
5. USC - Like at QB, tons of potential, but very little in the way of production....so far.
6. UNC - McGill (#46) is a bruiser and the bench has experience (Edwards) and potential (freshmen).
7. UCLA - Two quality well-rounded replacements for Maurice Drew.
8. Purdue - Sheets (#54) is one of the fastest backs the Irish will face. Not much proven depth.
9. Georgia Tech - Choice is a tough runner and Grant adds some speed.
10. Air Force - Plenty of experience back. No real stars, but dependable veterans.
11. Stanford - No real threats. An average collection of college running backs.
12. Army - Looks like running back by committee to start the season.

I Am Cumbie, Dammit! | by Dylan

There’s something in the air down South Carolina way. A whiff of panic, perhaps.

Fresh on the heels of Eff'n Gary Gray de-committing from the other USC (a change of direction so sudden, Steve Spurrier was seen writhing on the floor of his office crying “Aw, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. God. Oh, I'm hurt. Oh, my neck, my back, my neck and my back”), a local poo-flinging hack by the name of Larry Williams wrote a piece on Wednesday about how Irish carpetbaggers were pillaging the state, engaging in negative recruiting tactics, and otherwise harassing Clemson freshman Jamie Cumbie. The ironclad evidence of Charlie Weis’ underhanded scumbaggery was laid bare on the pages of the Post and Courier. Or not:

"They were sending me postcards like a month after I committed," said the 6-7, 255-pound Cumbie, who was a first-team Parade All-American. "The only school that tried to keep recruiting me was Notre Dame. It really didn't bother me."

Cumbie said the Fighting Irish coaching staff, led by second-year head coach Charlie Weis, also engaged in some negative recruiting on his visit to South Bend, Ind.

"They had a piece of paper, and it broke down advantages and disadvantages. It said Notre Dame was televised every weekend, every Saturday. Then they said Clemson has a horrible education."

A professional editor thought this was a story. The receipt of post cards and a pre-commitment breakdown of the “advantages and disadvantages.” Damnable Yankee scalawags. This story was destined to become just another entry in the Encyclopedia Brittanica of paranoiac anti-ND hit pieces (no doubt pushed by an aggrieved competing program, as they often are), but a funny thing happened on the way to the septic tank. Charlie Weis got pissed:

"I find it quite amusing a student-athlete already enrolled at another university has decided to be the team spokesman on Notre Dame recruiting practices," he said. "We do not use negative recruiting tactics. If supporting Notre Dame academics can be misconstrued as speaking down on another school's academics, call us guilty.

This is an obvious case of negative reporting against Notre Dame by other institutions. Maybe they should look in the mirror."

A couple of things struck me about this. First, the fact that Weis even bothered to respond to the story is unusual, only compounded by the fact that he absolutely smothered it in its crib. Second, the statement, issued through the SID’s office, reads as if transcribed directly from a Dictaphone. No Monkian Newspeak here. No polite demurring and gentle reminders of Notre Dame’s mission in all pursuits, football being just one of many. The message was unequivocal: “We didn’t do it, kid. Get lost.”

The victim of this gross injustice had a change of heart, as reported in the Chicago Tribune:

"I did not characterize our conversations properly," Cumbie said. "No one from Notre Dame, either in writing or in general conversation, said Clemson had a horrible education. Notre Dame made a comparison in different areas between the two schools, and the facts made Notre Dame look better. One of the areas was education. I am sure everyone makes comparisons during the recruiting process. It didn't bother me at all."

Without getting into what those facts were and how Cumbie (now assuming the role of Emily Litella) dismissed his own astute assessment and chose an inferior Clemson, and glossing over the fact that it seems Cumbie's first instinct when something "doesn't bother him at all" (apparently a daily occurrence) is to talk to a newspaper reporter, what’s going on here? I will now get into hearsay and conjecture (which are kinds of evidence).

Clemson’s Assistant AD/Sports Information Director is Tim Bourret. Bourret is a Double-Domer, earning his Bachelors degree in Business Administration in 1977, and his Masters in Communication Arts the following year, which happened to be the same year our current head football coach was graduated. Did Charlie know Bourret when they were in school together? Is it possible that Bourret’s phone rang on Wednesday night, and not to go over plans for the upcoming 30th reunion? Fanciful or not, it seems plausible that it was Bourret put the screws to Cumbie and that’s what led to the retraction. Bourret has been reminded that you never go against the family. As I read between the lines of Weis’ statement, he made this point to Bourret when he said:

I find it quite amusing a student-athlete already enrolled at another university has decided to be the team spokesman on Notre Dame recruiting practices.

Oh, snap! In other words, get your sh*t together Tim. The inmates are running the asylum.

My God, it’s great to see non-stories like this not knock the football staff and the administration on their collective heels.

Shark Tales | by Jay

Just a great article and a long-form interview with our "cult hero" over on SI.com. The Q&A is pretty fun; Jeff talks about his fastball, hoping to get drafted by the Bears, his host family in Boise, fights with Zibby and a bunch of other stuff.

44 days to kickoff. | by Jay

Numbers Game | by Pat

The breakdown of the Fiesta breakdowns got me thinking more and more about how the '05 Irish performed in certain situations. Armed with the incredibly useful college football stats website I started digging around.

Here are some interesting, obvious, and not-so-obvious situational statistics from the 2005 season.

On offense:

• As noted on Sunday Morning Quarterback, the Irish aerial attack resulted in 43 passing plays of 25 yards or longer. That is more than every other top offense I checked, including Texas, (30), Ohio State (30) and Southern Cal (33). Even without the pure speed threat of a Ginn or Bush, ND's long ball attack was very successful.

• On the other hand, the rushing attack only managed a paltry 5 rushes of 20 yards or more. We know Darius doesn't have breakaway speed, and Weis clearly favored a ball-control offense, but 5 really isn't an impressive total. Texas had 37, Southern Cal had 36, and Ohio State had 11. I figure this number will improve this year, and I predict a few will come thanks to Munir Prince.

• The quarter-by-quarter splits show that the Irish offense was very consistent throughout each quarter of the game. The yards per rush averages by-quarter, by-down, and by-yardage were fairly similar to the overall averages, as were the passing numbers.

On defense:

• The big-play-given-up numbers on defense aren't great, as one might guess. The Irish defense gave up 16 running plays of 20 yards or longer and 29 passing plays of 25 yards or longer. To put this in perspective, no team on our 2005 schedule gave up more big plays than the Irish did. I'll go out on a limb and say that's why Weis talked a lot this spring about preventing the "big play" as a special focus of the defense.

• Another not exactly heartening stat. When the opposing team had the ball between the 40 yard lines, they averaged 6.02 yards per rush. Yes, that is best part of the field to be on the attack, but that number is still awfully high. By comparison, ND averaged 4.01 yards per rush in the same area. Is the middle part of the field where ND went into more of a bend, don't break defense? Either way, allowing 6 yards per rush is way too high if they Irish want to make a title run this year.

• The overall run defense, which finished the season as the 34th best in the country, had some really curious aberrations in certain situations. The defense allowed 3.94 yards per carry overall, but in the first quarter they allowed 5.26 yards per carry (on 100 carries). That number drops remarkably in the second quarter, where teams notched only 2.61 yards per carry (on 113 carries). The 1st quarter number is a bit high, but clearly whatever adjustments the defense made against the run worked well.

• When the Irish defense was putting the clamps down on the opposing running game, they were doing the same on the passing game. From the first quarter to the second, the Irish defense forced teams to go from a 63% completion rate and 6/1 TD/INT to 51% and 3/5. The pass per plays number break down into 9.1 yards per pass in the 1st quarter and 7.3 yards per pass in the 2nd.

• Keeping in mind the 2nd quarter defensive improvement against the run and pass, it's interesting to revisit the scoring done by quarters last year.

Scoring by Quarters	1Q	2Q
Notre Dame	87	145
Opponents	75	47
Difference	+12	+98

As was noted many times by analysts and various TV talking heads, the 2nd quarter was explosive for the Irish offense all year, and most attributed this to Charlie's early-game adjustments. But what didn't really get much attention was the fact that the defense also showed remarkable improvement in the second quarter.

Before looking it up, I would have assumed that the better defensive scoring numbers were due to sustained ball control by the Irish offense. Obviously, if we have the ball, the other team can't score. But a look into the time of possession stats shows that the TOP for the Irish in the 2nd quarter was actually lesser than it was in the 1st.

In the second quarter, opposing teams ran the ball for fewer yards per carry, they completed a lesser percentage of their passes, and when they did complete them, they went for fewer average yards. And just to back all this up, I looked up the opponent 3rd down conversion rates from the 1st quarter and the 2nd. In the 1st quarter of ND games, teams successfully converted 43.2% (16 of 37) of their 3rd downs against the Irish. In the 2nd quarter, that success rate dropped to 28.9% (13 of 45). So it seems that the Irish defense really did make successful adjustments in the 2nd quarter.

In the 3rd and 4th quarters the defensive numbers do regress back a bit, though not to the levels of the 1st quarter. Of course, the Irish also had the lead in many of these games, so I imagine the defense went to a more conservative bend-don't-break style in order to make sure any opponent drive consumed as much time as possible. And don't forgot those late touchdown drives by Purdue, Washington, Navy, and Syracuse against our second- and third-stringers which surely degraded the Irish defensive totals.

With some of our recent posts highlighting the shortcomings and mistakes in the Minter-led defense, it's somewhat reassuring to find some numbers that paint the defense and coaching in a more positive light. Much more work needs to be done, but it is nice to see some instances where the defense was able to adapt and excel.

2006 Opponent Preview - Quarterbacks | by Pat

As we did last year, here's our position by position preview of the 2006 Irish opponents. First up, the quarterbacks.

GEORGIA TECH - Reggie Ball. 2005 stats: 182-379, 2165 yards, 11 TDs, 12 INTs. Returning starter.

Reggie Ball is one of those rare four-year starters who has gotten statistically worse every year. Each year, he never threw for more touchdowns than interceptions, and his completion percentage has dropped from 52% as a freshman to 49.7% as a sophomore to 48% as a junior last year. That last number was accomplished even with the presence of All-American wide reciever Calvin Johnson as a target. Still, Ball can be dangerous, as he's a mobile QB who's more and more adept at avoiding the pass rush. After being sacked 26 times in both his freshman and sophomore year, he was only sacked 8 times as a junior. His rushing totals aren't all that impressive for a so-called mobile QB -- career high is 384 net rushing yards as a freshman -- but until the Irish defense proves otherwise, we're still susceptible to quarterbacks who present the pass/run option. Depth: Backup Taylor Bennett started in Ball's place for the UConn game last year and appears to be the top challenger for the 2nd team job. Throwing for five touchdowns in the spring game certainly didn't hurt his cause. Redshirt freshman Jonathan Garner was a Top 20 QB coming out of high school but pushing Ball out of the starting job by the first game of the season will be very tough.


PENN STATE - Anthony Morelli. 2005 stats: 13-20, 155 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs. New starter.

Anthony Morelli is a one-time ND recruit who has bided his time at Penn State and now has the starting quarterback job all to himself. The junior's calling card is his strong arm, perhaps the strongest of any quarterback ND faces this year; when he was a freshman, he was once inserted into a game when the Lions needed to throw a long Hail Mary pass. The big question on Morelli is how he'll adapt to the mental aspect of the game in terms of reading defenses and recognizing blitzes. His two years studying the position certainly help, but the Notre Dame game will mark his first road game as the starter. Still, his strong performance at the PSU spring game has Nittany Lion fans optimistic. Depth: Morelli barely got in games himself last season and his new backup hasn't seen any action at all. Sophomore Paul Cianciolo hasn't thrown a pass in a game and frankly had a pretty awful spring game to boot. Pushing him for the backup spot will be redshirt freshman Kevin Suhey and hopeful quarterback of the future, freshman Pat Devlin.


MICHIGAN - Chad Henne. 2005 stats: 223-382, 2526 yards, 23 TDs, 8 INTs. Returning starter.

After a very solid freshman year, Chad Henne hit a bit of a sophomore slump. But I expect him to rebound and be one of the best quarterbacks that Notre Dame faces next season. His arm strength is top notch and as he enters his third year starting experience certainly isn't an issue. What remains to be seen is if he can improve his accuracy and touch on the shorter passes and become a trusted leader on offense. He can struggle on the road -- six of last year's seven interceptions came away from Michigan Stadium -- so that will be another obstacle for him to overcome. Still, he has the talent to make things very difficult for the Notre Dame defense in September. Depth: Redshirt freshman Jason Forcier is now the backup after 5th-year senior Matt Gutierrez transferred to Idaho State. Forcier is an extremely mobile quarterback but his passing at this point isn't probably where the coaching staff wants it to be. Forcier also hasn't appeared in a game yet, so lack of experience is also a concern. Senior career backup Jeff Kastl is another option but unlikely to push Forcier out of the backup spot.


MICHIGAN STATE - Drew Stanton. 2005 stats: 236-354, 3,077 yards, 22 TDs, 12 INTs. Returning starter.

Finally healthy to start the season last year, Drew Stanton proved himself to be one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. His stats suffered a bit during the annual Spartan collapse down the stretch, but he still finished the year as the 9th-most efficient QB in the nation. His combination of mobility, experience, arm strength, and leadership abilities mark him as my pick for the best QB that the Irish will face next year. He led the Spartan comeback against ND in 2004 and gave the Irish defense fits in 2005. He is a bit injury-prone, but when he's on the field, he's very dangerous. Depth: Brian Hoyer is the returning backup for Stanton and he's really the only one now with the transfer of backup Domenic Natale to Rutgers. Hoyer played in five games last year and even threw for two touchdowns so he's not completely inexperienced, but he's not exactly someone Spartan fans hope to see under center.


PURDUE - Curtis Painter. 2005 stats: 89-170, 932 yards, 3 TDs, 5 INTs. Returning Starter.

Curtis Painter didn't begin the 2005 season as a starter, but he replaced struggling Brandon Kirsch and ended up starting the final five Purdue games. A redshirt freshman playing his first year of college football, Painter understandly struggled and should show improvement in 2006. Still, he has a ways to go in terms of becoming a more efficient passer (96th in the nation last year). He's got some mobility, which should give Purdue a more legitimate option threat and help Painter get out of trouble if he can't find the open receiver. Purdue will need Painter to be effective if they hope to be rebound; after Kyle Orton threw for four touchdowns against the Irish in 2004, the 2005 Boilermakers only threw for 10 touchdowns all season. Depth: Joey Elliot is another redshirt freshman who hasn't taken a college snap yet. More of a pocket passer than Painter, Elliot was prolific in high school, but outside of a decent game in the spring game, he's an unknown as far as what he can do for the Boilermakers.


STANFORD - Trent Edwards. 2005 stats: 168-268, 1934 yards, 17 TDs, 7 INTs. Returning Starter.

Trent Edwards is the most experienced quarterback that the Irish will face in 2006, and also one of the best. He was having a very solid game against ND before being knocked out with an injury, which unfortunately was a trend for Edwards: injuries forced him out of the UC-Davis, Oregon State, and Cal games as well. When healthy, Edwards is a smart quarterback who can make long and short throws with ease. He should be a very strong leader for the Stanford offense in his final season in Palo Alto. Depth: Backing up Edwards is senior T.C. Ostrander, who ND fans might remember for his role in the scare at Stanford last year (11-15, 197 yards, 1 TD in relief of Edwards). With nearly 200 career pass attempts to his name, Ostrander is an excellent backup with experience and the skills that made him a 5-star recruit out of high school.


UCLA - Ben Olsen. 2005 stats: 2-4, 11 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs. New starter.

Formerly the #1 high school QB recruit in 2002, Ben Olsen signed with BYU and then went on a two-year Mormon mission. Upon returning he transferred to UCLA where he backed up Drew Olsen (no relation) last year. After pushing Drew for the starting spot in the fall, Ben hurt his hand and effectively sat out the year, only attempting four passes while Drew led UCLA on multiple 4th-quarter comeback wins. Now the starter, Ben has the size and arm strength to be a terrific college quarterback. However, after taking the two year mission away from football and then sitting on the UCLA bench for a year, Olsen might be rusty out of the gate. If he can get into a groove early, he should have a very solid year. Depth: Behind Olsen, there isn't much in the way of experience. Pat Cowan is the backup, but hasn't thrown a pass for the Bruins yet. He's big at 6'5" and even faster than Olsen, but likely won't be called into games unless Olsen can't go.


NAVY - Brian Hampton. 2005 stats: 6-19, 99 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs. New starter.

It seems lately that Coach Paul Johnson can just plug any quarterback into his option-attack offense and watch him have a productive year. This year the honor falls to senior Brian Hampton, who served as backup to Lamar Owens last year. Hampton played in all 12 games so he won't be completely inexperienced when he steps under center. Navy quarterbacks are rarely called upon to throw the ball so it's hard to tell just how Hampton will do in that department, but his arm is supposedly pretty good for a running QB; his lone touchdown pass last year did come against Notre Dame. As long as Hampton holds on to the ball while running the option and makes smart decisions with his handoffs, he should be fine. Depth: Freshman Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada is an extremely fast freshman who offers a better running threat than Hampton, but is pretty raw when it comes to throwing the ball. He is an exciting prospect and if he can avoid fumbling the ball, he might beat out junior Troy Gloss for the backup spot behind Hampton.


North Carolina - TBD. New starter.

The two challengers for the Tarheels' job are Nebraska transfer Joe Dailey (right) and redshirt freshman Cam Sexton. Dailey has the benefit of starting 11 games at Nebraska, but after throwing 19 interceptions versus only 17 touchdowns with a paltry 49.4% completion percentage he's hardly a proven college quarterback. Seeing as how Dailey was recruited to Nebraska as an option QB, he's very mobile and good when he's on the move, but at some point a quarterback needs to become confident in the pocket to succeed. Sexton is also a mobile quarterback who has a good chance to beat out Dailey, but has yet to throw a pass in college. He was a highly-regarded prep QB and was considered the backup QB as a freshman before a broken ankle sidelined him. Depth: The loser of the Dailey/Sexton battle will become the backup for the team. Joey Bozich, who was the backup QB last year and is the only returning Tarheel who threw a pass last year, was moved to fullback in the spring.


AIR FORCE - Shaun Carney. 2005 stats: 95-148, 1393 yards, 7 TDs, 7 INTs. Returning Starter.

Shaun Carney will enter his third year starting for the Falcons and the junior has the talent to be one of the top quarterbacks in the Mountain West Conference. While most Air Force quarterbacks of late have been better runners than passers, Carney is in the mold of a passing quarterback; while he did gain 720 yards on the ground and score 11 touchdowns, his strength is still throwing the ball. Despite a limited number of passing attempts, Carney completed an impressive 64.1% of his throws. However, his 7/7 TD/INT ratio isn't exactly the greatest and highlights that perhaps his decision-making needs some work. Depth: Jim Ollis switched from halfback and is the likely choice to backup Carney. Being a former running back, Otis is solid running the ball, but will need to improve his passing skills if he wants to be effective at the quarterback spot.


ARMY - David Pevoto. 2005 stats: 6-12, 68 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INTs. New starter.

As the backup for Army last year, David Pevoto only played in the fourth quarter of the loss to Connecticut. At 6'5, 229 pounds, Pevoto has plenty of arm strength, but accuracy and a lack of experience should hold him back some at the beginning of the season. For as big as he is he's decently mobile, so he should be able to move around in the pocket and maybe even run the occasional option play. Depth: Pat McDonald and walk-on Kevin Dunn are on the roster as backups, but many Army fans are excited about incoming freshman Carson Williams. The 6'5 QB turned down offers from NC State, Vandy, and Arkansas to attend West Point. If Pevoto struggles initially, maybe Williams will be the starting QB when the Black Knights visit South Bend in October.


USC - John David Booty. 2005 stats: 27-42, 327 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs. New starter.

Technically the starting job is still up for grabs; either junior John David Booty (left) or redshirt freshman Mark Sanchez could be the Trojan signalcaller come September. Booty has the edge on experience and for now seems like the favorite to take the job. Of course, the Trojans don't play Notre Dame until November, so it could very well be Sanchez under center by then. Booty was Matt Leinart's backup last year and the favored first-stringer in the spring before a back injury sidelined him for the nearly the entire practice session. A former #1 high school QB recruit, Booty certainly has the talent to be one of the best quarterbacks the Irish face, but his balky back and inexperience make him a wildcard. Will his tranistion to starter be as successfull as Leinart's, or will there be a drop-off production? Depth: Sanchez, another #1 high school QB, has earned nothing but rave reviews from practice sessions. Even if Booty stays healthy, Sanchez could beat him out. With more mobility and a bit more size than Booty, Sanchez certainly is an attractive option and a tremendous talent. Still, there will always be question marks until potential is turned into production. Junior Michael McDonald and incoming freshman Garret Green round out the talented, but inexperienced QB depth chart.

2006 Opponent Quarterback Analysis and Ranking

With all of the concerns over our pass defense heading into the season, the opposing quarterbacks the Irish will face this year is of major interest to ND fans. Last year's quarterback lineup was quite talented and experienced, with only one team breaking in somebody brand new. This year, we've got five greenthumbs (Penn State, Southern Cal, UCLA, Navy, Army). However, while the experience isn't there, the potential for this year's opponents is still sky-high. Consider that while UCLA and USC don't have a returning starter under center, collectively they do have the #1 high school quarterback recruits of 2002, 2003, and 2005. And even though that trio have only combined for 58 pass attempts to this point, all of them have the luxury of getting a few games under their belt before facing the Irish. How Olsen and Booty/Sanchez evolve could mean the difference between a lighter challenge, or facing a steady stream of NFL-caliber QBs.

As for the much-dreaded "mobile quarterback", Stanton returns and he'll have Irish fans holding their breath on every third down play. Ball has the ability to tuck and run when he needs to, but he lacks Stanton's accuracy when throwing. Painter is fairly mobile and capable of running the option from time to time. Both of UNC's quarterbacks have the ability to sneak out of the pocket for the first down if they need to. And of course, Navy and Air Force run the ball much more than they throw.

Now for the rankings of the 2006 QB units that the Irish will face. Remember that for these rankings I'm only going from the quarterbacks themselves, not who is coaching them or what kind of offense they are running. I'm looking at the skills and experience of the starter and the quality of the team's overall quarterback depth. With that in mind, here's my take on the 2006 quarterback units. I've also added Phil Steele's Quarterback Rank in parentheses where there is one (Steele ranks 64 quarterbacks).

1. MSU - Stanton (#3 in Steele's) is my pick for best opponent QB and Hoyer has a decent amount of experience.
2. Stanford - A talented duo at quarterback with plenty of experience. Edwards (#17) is a leader and Ostrander is starter-quality.
3. Michigan - Henne (#7) is now a veteran poised for a big year. Forcier is still a question mark.
4. USC - All the potential in the world, but scant production yet from Booty (#24) or Sanchez (#26).
5. Georgia Tech - Will Ball (#59) keep regressing? Bennett is a decent backup.
6. Purdue - Painter (NR) will need to improve his accuracy but should be another solid Purdue QB.
7. UCLA - Olsen (#53) has plenty of size and talent. Now he just needs to shake off the rust.
8. Penn State - Morelli (#57) has a big arm and now needs to show he can lead the team. Not much depth.
9. Air Force - Carney (#37) is accurate and a leader, but isn't a star as either a runner or passer.
10. UNC - Dailey (NR) lost his starting job at Nebraska and Sexton (NR) hasn't started a game yet.
11. Navy - Hampton (NR) should be another solid Navy QB, but isn't much of a threat against ND.
12. Army - Pevoto (NR) is pretty raw and there isn't any depth behind him.

Next up: Running Backs.

Directed Reading | by Jay

A fascinating story from the New York Times on the shenanigans at Auburn involving football players, phantom coursework, and the Tigers' version of kinesiology.

In the fall of 2004, [Auburn defensive end Doug] Langenfeld found himself in an academic bind. More than two months into the fall semester, he realized that he had been attending the wrong class because of a scheduling error. Mr. Langenfeld approached Professor Gundlach about adding a class, but Professor Gundlach said he could not help him because it was too late in the semester.

Mr. Langenfeld then went to his academic counselor in the athletic department, Brett Wohlers, with a plea: “I got dropped from a class and need a class to stay eligible for the bowl game,” Mr. Langenfeld recalled in a recent telephone interview. “I need a class, and I’ll take any class right now. I don’t not want to play in my last bowl game.”

He said Mr. Wohlers told him about a “one-assignment class” that other players had taken and enjoyed. So in the “9th or 10th week,” Mr. Langenfeld said, he picked up a directed-reading course with Professor Petee. Semesters typically run 15 weeks.

Mr. Langenfeld said he had to read one book, but he could not recall the title. He said he was required to hand in a 10-page paper on the book. Between picking up the class and handing in the paper, he said, he met several times with Professor Petee in his office.

“I got a B in the class,” said Mr. Langenfeld, who started in the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech. “That was a good choice for me.”

The ruse worked too well:

Professor Petee’s so-called directed-reading classes, which nonathletes took as well, helped athletes in several sports improve their grade-point averages and preserve their athletic eligibility. A number of athletes took multiple classes with Professor Petee over their careers: one athlete took seven such courses, three athletes took six, five took five and eight took four, according to records compiled by Professor Gundlach. He also found that more than a quarter of the students in Professor Petee’s directed-reading courses were athletes. (Professor Gundlach could not provide specific names because of student privacy laws.)

The Auburn football team’s performance in the N.C.A.A.’s new rankings of student athletes’ academic progress surprised many educators on and off campus. The team had the highest ranking of any Division I-A public university among college football’s six major conferences. Over all among Division I-A football programs, Auburn trailed only Stanford, Navy and Boston College and finished just ahead of Duke.

Among those caught off guard by Auburn’s performance was Gordon Gee, the chancellor of Vanderbilt, a fellow university in the Southeastern Conference and the only private institution. Vanderbilt held an 88 percent graduation rate in 2004, compared to Auburn’s 48 percent, yet finished well behind Auburn in the new N.C.A.A. rankings.

“It was a little surprising because our graduation rates are so much higher,” Mr. Gee said. “I’m not quite certain I understood that.”

Cover Story | by Pat

So sad to say | by Pat

The results from the ticket lottery are out a few days early. Use the link here to check your results. If you forgot your login ID number, it's on the address label of your Notre Dame magazine and also available via Irish Online. Just a word of warning though. If your results mirror mine, get used to seeing the word "LOST".

Quantity	Game	Type	Won/Lost	Section	Row	Seat
2	@ Ga Tech	Alumni	Lost	n/a	n/a	n/a
6	@ USC	Alumni	Lost	n/a	n/a	n/a
2	Michigan	Alumni	Lost	n/a	n/a	n/a
2	Penn State	Alumni	Lost	n/a	n/a	n/a
2	Purdue	Alumni	Lost	n/a	n/a	n/a
2	UCLA	Alumni	Lost	n/a	n/a	n/a

Four Plays, Part I: the Bomb | by Jay

Let's talk defense. Specifically: the Fiesta Bowl. That game featured four long touchdown plays by the Buckeyes that had our defense bumbling around like the Keystone Kops. We've got most of the same crew coming back on defense, so if ND is going to make a run at the title this year we're going to have to figure out how to stop plays like these.

For starters, there was Teddy Ginn's 56-yard TD catch early in the first quarter. After the Irish scored on their opening drive, we were feeling pretty confident -- and then lightning struck. I remember sitting in the ND section of the stadium, and when when Ginn got behind the secondary, so completely wide open and alone, there was an audible gasp from the crowd around me, a collective uh oh, it's gonna be a looong day. Let's take a closer look at the play and see if we can't figure out what went wrong. If you can bear it, we'll also look at the other "long burns" in the Fiesta Bowl over a few more posts. Think of it as cathartic therapy...or masochism. Whichever works for you. So fire up your telestrator and let's break this down.

Situation: ND is up 7 to 0, 10:02 left in the first quarter. The Buckeyes are still on their first drive of the ballgame. Here's what's happened on this drive up until now:

1-10 O18   OHIO STATE drive start at 12:59 (1st).
1-10 O18   Pittman rush for 1 yard to the OSU19 (HOYTE;CRUM JR.).
2-9  O19   Smith pass incomplete to Ginn.
3-9  O19   Smith rush for 15 yards to the OSU34, 1ST DOWN OSU.
1-10 O34   Smith rush for 6 yards to the OSU40 (MAYS;ZBIKOWSKI).
2-4  O40   Pittman rush for loss of 2 yards to the OSU38 (MAYS).
3-6  O38   Smith pass complete to Holmes for 6 yards to the OSU44, 
1ST DOWN OSU (WOODEN).

Troy Smith has burned us for a couple of runs and the Buckeyes have converted two crucial third downs already, one on the previous play. It's first down Buckeyes on their own 44.

	Ohio State breaks the huddle and lines up with three wide and a single back. Holmes is in the slot, and Ginn is split wide left. We have our nickel package in, as evidenced by the presence of Ferrine at the top covering Gonzalez. Pittman is the lone setback.
	Here's a wider shot of the field, pre-snap. Holmes is going to run an out from the slot, while Ginn runs a fly straight down the field. Hard to tell, but it looks like a combo coverage for us, with Ferrine and Richardson in man and Wooden and the safeties playing zone. It could be full zone, though.
	The ball is snapped and Ginn takes off.
	Here you can see Holmes about to make his cut. Ndukwe is clearly focused on Holmes, ignoring Ginn. Wooden is still looking back. Pittman has stayed in to block, so this was meant to be a deep pass all the way. Our two linebackers don't blitz.
	Wooden is eyeing the quarterback and/or Holmes, more evidence that he's in zone coverage, covering the flat. Ginn sprints past him.
	Smith is pretty much locked onto Ginn the entire way. Here we see Richardson coming across trailing Holmes, but Smith is clearly looking at Ginn downfield. We're only rushing our four DL, and against seven blockers we aren't getting any pressure.
	Holmes makes his out cut, and the defense breaks down. Ndukwe is still keyed on Holmes. Ginn is already past Wooden with Wooden still looking back at the QB. Wooden hesitates briefly when Holmes makes his cut. The big question: why did Ndukwe not come over to help? There's no WR in the middle of the field for him to be worried about.
	The ball is in the air. Ndukwe finally turns, and Wooden starts sprinting to catch up, but it's too late.
	Touchdown Buckeyes.

And here's the video.

Keith from BuckeyeCommentary tells us that Ohio State scored a TD earlier in the year against Illinois on that same exact play. This was the perfect play to call against the defense and situation we were in. We rarely blitzed on first down all year. Furthermore, Ohio State kept their RB in to block for maximum protection.

Holmes' route is designed to make Wooden hesitate since Ohio State knows that he has flat responsibility. I'm not sure what Ndukwe is supposed to do...at what point would Richardson pass Holmes off to him, and at what point would he pick up Ginn? This could be one of those "communication" issues that Weis mentioned in spring practice ("I think we're going to spend a large amount of time with a veteran secondary working on communication. I think there are too many times where we had communication problems and it's going to be an area we're going to emphasize this spring.")

Again, this was a prescient call by Tressel, a perfect play against no blitz, zone coverage on the left. The key to stopping this play -- which is designed to attack a 2-deep zone -- is to get pressure on the QB so he can't make the throw. We couldn't do that. It's not really a lack of speed in the secondary on this one, despite the tremendous acceleration of Ginn and the poor coverage by our secondary. It's really a pass rush issue. Whether or not Ginn was open, Smith, with max protect from his line and runningback, had plenty of time to set up and throw the bomb. You have to play better coverage, and letting Ginn get so wide open is embarrassing, but even so a little bit of pressure might have disrupted the touchdown here.

Trivial Matters | by Pat

Trivia time! We're prepping another quiz like the one we did last year and decided to open up the floor to submissions from all our readers, so send in your best ones (via email, please). ND football-related, of course, and the more google-proof, the better. All questions that we use will be posted with full credit, so start flipping through those ND books lining your shelves for good questions...and be creative!

Whoever submits the question we like the best gets a lifetime pass to the BGS Lounge.

Bring Back the Tie | by Jay

The World Cup reminded me of something I've been meaning to post for a while. No, it's not that football is better than soccer; this is something much more controversial. We need to bring the Tie back to college football.

Hear me out. I know it's tough to get over that mental hurdle that says that in any contest there must be a winner and a loser. It's not really part of the American mindset to accept the brutal reality of a stalemate. There's got to be a winner eventually, right? But ties are good, in that they are truthful. They say something about the balanced quality of the opponents; sometimes teams are so evenly matched that neither deserves to win, and neither deserves to lose.

Some of the best games in college football history were Ties, and a goofy overtime with bastardized ground rules would have spoiled the pristine, elemental reality of those classic deadlocks. 10-10. 0-0. Important, almost mythical game scores in the history of ND football. The terrible beauty of the ND-Michigan State Game of the Century is the image of two teams, the best in the country, slugging it out until time expires, a battered and bloody and ultimately honorable standoff. As Ara implored in the locker room after the game, "We did not win, but by God, we did not lose." A cheap contest of "who can score from the 25" would have rendered the significance of that game moot.

Along with negating the possibility of a monumental tie, overtime also warps the endgame of a football match, in that last-second decisions to "go for it" have all but disappeared. Take the '84 Orange Bowl. Undefeated #1 Nebraska scored a TD with :24 seconds left to bring them within a point of Miami, 31-30. A one-point PAT would have iced a tie, and Nebraska may have gone on to win the championship in a vote. But to his credit, Huskers coach Tom Osborne elected to go for two. Turner Gill's pass was tipped and fell short, and Miami won the title. Despite losing the ring, Osborne's legacy was actually enhanced by his decision to go for it -- a decision that he wouldn't have made with the possibility of an "overtime" period.

In any case, before 1996, ties weren't all that frequent:

Prior to the OT rules in 1996, about 2% of the games ended in a tie. In 1996, that immediately doubled to nearly 4% of games going to overtime. It's easy to see why this happened. Per this USA Today article, one-point PAT kicks are successful 92% of the time, while two-point conversions are only 46% successful. With the game on the line, why not hit the extra point and take your chances in overtime? Before, kicking that PAT and accepting a tie was a momentous decision fraught with consequence, but now it's the safe choice, and really, the only choice. But are we really better off with double the number of overtime games (some of them simply absurd) just because our fragile sports psyches presumably can't handle a tie? I think not.

Those gut-clenching moments -- does Jimmah have the balls to go for it, or will he take the tie? -- are now forever impossible. Bring back the Tie.

Graduatin Irish | by Mike

While most remember the on-field juggernaut Lou Holtz built at Notre Dame, many seem to have forgotten that only a handful of programs matched the academic performance of Holtz's Irish squads. Given that performance, the following quote from the promotional materials for Holtz's upcoming book is unexceptionable:

A standout is Holtz’s long-term position at Notre Dame, of special importance not just because of his devout Catholicism but also his refreshing devotion to strict academic standards for the players. In fact, what stands out is his modesty and adamant belief that football is ultimately less important than education.

Thus I was surprised to see the following reaction from the normally astute guys at EDSBS:

Stop laughing. Really, stop laughing. Your boss is getting suspicious.

I can't speak to the academic performance of Holtz's players at other universities, but the empirical data regarding his charges at Notre Dame speaks for itself. Since 1981, the CFA and AFCA have presented their Academic Achievement Award to the I-A institution with the highest graduation rate among members of its football team. In Holtz's eleven years at Notre Dame, the Irish won the award twice (1988 and 1991) and received honorable mention recognition every other year. Since the award is given out in the spring, the award years corresponding to Holtz's tenure at Notre Dame are 1987-1997. During this period, the only other schools to receive recognition each year are Duke, Vanderbilt, and Virginia. Yet the snark regarding the above excerpt has not emanated from Charlottesville, Nashville, or Durham. In case you were wondering, neither Florida nor Michigan has ever won the award. Florida has garnered honorable mention recognition three times (1992, 1998, 2002), and Michigan has been recognized twice (2001, 2003).

Catching up with Chinedum | by Pat

A great article today in the South Bend Tribune on safety Chinedum Ndukwe, his family, and his path to Notre Dame. I'm going to excerpt a few passages for discussion and posterity's sake, but I highly encourage you to follow the link and read the entire article. It's excellent. As an aside, the writer of the article, Eric Hansen, has been putting out consistently great articles as the beat reporter covering the football program. In my opinion, ND fans and the Tribinue are lucky to have him. Kudos to Eric.

The main item of interest for the coming months is that Coach Weis has put Ndukwe on the Maurice Stovall diet.

"Coach Weis told me, 'Listen, if you're not down to 210 by summer camp, I'm not even going to let you on the field,'" said Chinedum, who played at 230 pounds in 2005. "I was 210 before I headed back to (summer) school, and I'll make sure I'm 205 when we kick off against Georgia Tech (on Sept. 2)."

At 230 pounds, Ndukwe was playing last year at a heavier weight than linebacker Maurice Crum, Jr. That couldn't have helped him when it came to keeping up with opposing receivers. Along with more experience and hopefully improved communication with the rest of the secondary, a lighter and quicker Ndukwe just might really help out the Irish pass defense. He might not make the quantum leap in productivity that Stovall made, but every little bit helps.

The next item isn't a surprise, but really exposes the lackadaisical approach to recruiting under the Ty regime.

"Coach Willingham and his staff were new," Chinedum said. "And I think there was a different mentality when it came to recruiting. It was almost like Notre Dame recruited itself, that you don't need to go out and get those players like coach (Charlie) Weis does.

"Now for guys who really know where they want to go in life, coach Willingham was going about it the right way. We just felt we weren't getting sought after. The other schools, they'd call you. There were letters. They'd show up at your school. No one from Notre Dame would ever show up at our school. So my dad was like, 'If they're not opening their eyes, go open their eyes up for them.' So I went to camp and tore it apart."

The list of recruits that probably would have ended up at ND with just a little more effort from the coaching staff is both lengthy and depressing. I really don't think anymore needs to be said on that matter.

One more excerpt that is too good to pass up. Here Nduwke's father, Stephen, recounts the exploits of 8th-graders Chinedum and Brady during one of their first visits to ND.

"I'll never forget an incident one time," Stephen said, "when Chinedum and Brady and the other boys came back to the dorm room after the game and they thought I was asleep. It was nice to listen to them marking out their strategy. They were going to go to a party and they were going to tell the girls at the party they were (high school) seniors being recruited. They were going to puff up their shoulders and act big. They had it all planned out."

Personally I would have gone with the more obscure "I'm a fencing recruit" line, but hey, whatever works.

Another Quick Decision | by Pat

The first offensive lineman of the 2007 recruiting class entered the fold last Wednesday when Andrew Nuss of Virginia committed to ND after an unofficial visit to campus. Overall, Nuss is the eighth commit of this current recruiting cycle. And like previous commits Kerry Neal, Aaron Nagel, and Steve Paskorz, the interval from official offer to commitment was very short. In Nuss' case, he showed up to the early June football camp where the coaches got a chance to watch him work out in person. Shortly after that they sent along the official written scholarship offer and a week later, Nuss committed.

"I grew up since I was 7 years old saying I wanted to go to Notre Dame and play football," Nuss said. "I didn't know what I was talking about, but I said it anyway. When I got my first mail from them I thought, 'Wow, it's Notre Dame.' It's a dream come true for me.

Although he's projected as a future offensive guard or tackle right now, the 6'5" 285-lb Nuss also plays defensive tackle for his high school and according to his coach, Mickey Thompson, will play even more on the defensive side of the ball his senior year.

"Andrew played both for us last year," Thompson said. "He has a lot of potential on the defensive line. The way our team was made up, when he took a break, it was on defense. This year we'd like to have him take his breaks on offense."

It's way too early to say now if Nuss will ever play defense for ND, but that kind of versatility is never a bad thing. In selecting Notre Dame, Nuss chose the Irish over a host of schools that have put out quality offensive lines lately. Georgia, Virginia, Boston College, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Purdue, North Carolina State, and Maryland are among some of the schools that offered the high school junior. It's looking like Notre Dame might try to grab another five offensive lineman this year to complement last year's big class and bring depth back to the depleted OL ranks. As a guard/tackle prospect with experience on defense, Nuss sounds like a solid first step.

Independence Day | by Mike

On the day we celebrate our nation's independence, it seemed like a good idea to celebrate our football program's independence. Remaining independent has freed Notre Dame football from the tedium of playing the same damn teams every year, given Notre Dame fans new travel destinations, and allowed the university to maintain its national profile. To that end, consider the geographic distribution of Notre Dame's regular-season opponents in recent years.

Regular Season Opponents, 1996-2006

It's also interesting to note the conference breakdown of the 34 different teams represented. Ranking the conferences by the number of member teams Notre Dame has played or will play during this period produces this ordering:

6 teams:	Pac 10 (Arizona State, Southern Cal, Stanford, UCLA, Washington, Washington State) Big XII (Baylor, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M)
5 teams:	Big East (Boston College, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, West Virginia) Big Ten (Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue)
4 teams:	ACC (Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina)
3 teams:	SEC (LSU, Tennessee, Vanderbilt)
2 teams:	Mountain West (Air Force, BYU) Independent (Army, Navy)
1 team:	WAC (Hawaii)

(Yes, I realize Boston College is in the ACC now. I grouped them with the Big East because they were in the Big East when we played them and Notre Dame's commitment to play Big East teams in football as part of its relationship with the Big East in other sports was a substantial factor in BC's presence on the schedule.)

Of course, Notre Dame played some of these teams almost every year during this time period, and others only once or twice. Thus the above ranking does not reflect total number of games played against each conference. Nonetheless, a few themes emerge from this data. First, it becomes clear that it is more accurate to say that Notre Dame has a continuing association with a few specific schools in the Big Ten, rather than with the Big Ten at large. During this time period, Notre Dame has played less than half of the Big Ten programs. One can see the profound effect clearing a permanent space for Illinois, Indiana, and Northwestern would have on Notre Dame's schedule.

Second, one can see the high degree of turnover in the schedule that has provided Irish fans with fresh destinations to travel to for road games and intriguing new matchups to look forward to in most years. In looking at the names of the programs that Notre Dame has only played once or twice during this period, I found it surprising how clearly I remembered the games against the less-frequent opponents. In particular, the road games afforded by the independent schedule have been particularly memorable. Who could forget the LSU fans' chants of "Tiger Bait! Tiger Bait!" and boasts that Notre Dame fans had never seen an atmosphere like an SEC stadium prior to the 1997 game at Death Valley, only to see everyone except the Irish faithful leave at halftime? There was the 1998 game at Arizona State, where the heat led to a blown transformer, cutting out power to the stadium - and thus the TV feed - for much of the second half, leaving Irish fans at home baffled as to how fullback Joey Goodspeed had run for over 100 yards on just four carries. In 1996, Irish fans saw Jim Sanson kick the winning field goal as time expired in Austin, only to see Sanson miss an extra point in the Coliseum later that year, allowing USC to get its first win against Notre Dame in 14 tries. Irish fans that traveled to Columbus for the Ohio State game were treated to a recreation of the Fall of Saigon, as fires burned on High Street throughout the night and lingering wafts of tear gas hung in the air long after the game. One had the opportunity to dodge hurled whiskey bottles in Morgantown and experience the deafening roar of Neyland Stadium, which proved to be several orders of magnitude louder than Michigan Stadium, despite their comparable seating capacities. Of course given the inferior coaching at Notre Dame during much of this period, not every trip was as enjoyable as it could have been. Bob Davie's quest to become the first Notre Dame coach in history to start 0-3 undoubtedly robbed trips to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln and Kyle Field in College Station of much of their luster, but I'd love to make those trips with Charlie Weis at the helm. Finally, there was the best road trip of my time at Notre Dame, the 2002 conquest of Florida State in Tallahassee. Prior to the game, the surprisingly hospitable FSU fans were quick to let us know how sick we would get of the Tomahawk chop, but such was not to be. After the Irish held FSU to a 3-and-out on the game's opening drive, Carlyle Holiday hit Arnaz Battle for a 65-yard touchdown on Notre Dame's first play from scrimmage and Doak Campbell stadium was eerily quiet for the remainder of the game.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with the distribution of Notre Dame's opponents during this period. There's very little to complain about, although it would have been nice to see more SEC teams on our schedule. Then again, it appears that some SEC teams have no interest in playing Notre Dame, and others are only willing to play Notre Dame early in the season. Consider the report that Notre Dame dropped Alabama from a future schedule over this matter. While it's unfortunate that the game had to be scrapped, this is a move that I agree with in part. Kevin White needs to focus on finding big-time programs that will play Notre Dame in October and November. Look at the 2006 and 2007 schedules. In both years, Notre Dame plays Georgia Tech, Penn State, Michigan, and Michigan State in the first four weeks. Since we should be catching MSU in the "coming up" phase of the annual crack high that is a Sparty season, that's four exciting games right off the bat. Outside of the USC games, the latter halves of these years do not provide comparable excitement. Therefore, I agree with White's decision not to play an SEC team in August or early September. However, that action should be followed by further efforts to secure a game later in the season. In 2007, it would be nice to replace Duke with a top SEC team and get a marquee game in November. If it turns out that Tennessee and LSU are the only SEC teams willing to play us at that point in the season, then those are the teams White should pursue. In addition to balancing our schedule, playing SEC teams later in the year should spare us from exposure to the curious early-season SEC sweat patterns.

It's disappointing to see that the Big XII largely disappears from future schedules. Despite playing six Big XII teams during this period, Oklahoma appears to be the only Big XII team scheduled to make an appearance in the coming years. We've also previously registered our distaste for the upcoming Nevada and San Diego State dates Ty Willingham left us, and I'm less than thrilled about our commitment to play every team in the Big East at some point.

Despite these complaints, it's clear how much remaining independent has added to the experience of following Notre Dame football.