During the winter there was a lot of moaning and groaning about the hiring of Brian Kelly at Notre Dame because the team was switching control from one pass happy coach to another who is just as determined to air the ball out.

However, do not take Kelly’s penchant for throwing the ball as a sign that Notre Dame will continue to have a weak running attack.

In fact, the Irish may have a very powerful ground game in 2010, one which could see the Golden Domers gain the most yards in nearly a decade.

That means Notre Dame may approach a milestone believed unthinkable during the Charlie Weis era:

2,000 yards rushing.

Thanks to Weis’ strong recruiting efforts, Brian Kelly is now walking into a situation in South Bend where there is a lot of talent and experience at the running back position.

So much so that I believe Kelly will ultimately lean heavily on the ground game this coming fall.

It may seem unbelievable given Notre Dame’s past struggles in this area, yet the running game could end up being the strong point for the offense in 2010.

Now, let’s address the four main questions heading into the season.

Will Armando Allen Stay Healthy?

This is obviously the biggest question heading into the season since Allen is the anointed starter and a senior with a ton of experience.

Without a healthy Allen, it is likely Notre Dame will struggle on the ground in the same manner the program has over the past eight seasons. Not since 2001 has Notre Dame rushed for 2,000 yards as a team, a depressing fact if there ever was one.

But, with a strong, rested and healthy Allen the Irish ground game has a lot of potential to do damage on Saturday afternoons.

If Allen is able to run more north-south and hit the holes with speed in Kelly’s new offense, then a 1,000 yard season is well within reach.

How Much Production from Cierre Wood?

Cierre Wood is an x-factor simply because he is projected to be Allen’s backup and his yardage could swing the potency of the Irish ground game in either direction.

A nice and productive red shirt sophomore season from Wood likely means Notre Dame will be, at minimum, a good running football team, while a season of struggle from the Oxnard, California native means the Irish will probably stay a below-average rushing team.

I’m betting on the former and I believe Wood should immediately share carries with Allen at the start of the season.

I don’t think Wood should be the backup and only handle the rock whenever Allen is tired, but that the sophomore is ready to be treated as if he is a legitimate number one runner.

Knowing Kelly’s penchant for using multiple backs, it is likely that Wood will get his fair share of carries and make an impact from the opener against Purdue and onward.

I know Wood is still very young and hasn’t proved anything yet at the college level, but this kid could be something special.

He was one of the top running back recruits in the country a year ago who had a sensational high school career (4,234 yards with a 13 YPC average to go along with 54 touchdowns as a junior and senior), and he looked amazing in the spring game (even if it was against a vanilla defense).

Perhaps more importantly, Kelly switched Theo Riddick to receiver specifically to get Wood carries in the backfield this year, quite a statement for a player who has yet to step on the field for any game action in an Irish uniform.

Most Irish fans would agree that it was freshman Theo Riddick who looked like a future superstar with his admittedly small sample size as a kick returner and running back in 2009, but now Kelly is basically saying Wood is going to be the future at the position.

Is it possible that Wood will be even better than Riddick?

Will Wood be part of a revival of the Notre Dame running game in the future?

That may very well be, and it looks like Wood will be an integral part of the offense from the beginning and is thought of very highly by the new Fighting Irish coach.

What Will Dayne Crist Add?

A lot of pressure will be riding on Crist to take over this new offense and move the ball through the air, but his ability to make plays with his feet could add another dynamic weapon on the ground.

Due to his injured knee, we may not see Crist run the ball a lot early in the season, but at some point he will increase his carries and begin racking up yardage on the ground.

Given the lack of a rushing attack from the Irish quarterback position in recent years, anything Crist offers can be seen as a bonus and just another reason why Notre Dame could have a stronger ground game than in past years.

Last season, with mobile sophomore quarterback Zach Collaros under center, Brian Kelly had his signal caller rush for 344 yards on 57 carries with four touchdowns.

That is 72 fewer yards on 31 fewer carries with one less touchdown than Robert Hughes, Notre Dame’s second-string back in 2009. And that is also with Collaros stepping in for the injured Tony Pike and not even playing a full season.

So, it may not be realistic to expect a whole lot from Crist in the running game in 2010, but his talent combined with the coaching and offensive system indicates that there is the possibility that Crist makes plays with his feet this fall.

Crist may not be a true burner, but given full health he should be able to scamper for six or seven yards on quarterback keepers and reads from time to time.

How Many Carries and How Many Runners?

How often will Brian Kelly run the ball, how many different runners will he use and how many carries will each player receive?

In terms of offensive plays from scrimmage, there was not much of a difference between Kelly’s Cincinnati teams and Weis’ Notre Dame teams as Her Loyal Sons has documented over the past week.

From 2007 to 2009 Kelly’s teams averaged 69 plays per game while Weis’ teams averaged 68.5 plays per game for the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

Since the amount of plays per game should be roughly the same, how many rushing plays can we expect under the new regime?

Again, the amount of rushing plays for both coaches mirrors the overall amount of plays from scrimmage.

Kelly averaged 33 rushes per game, while Weis averaged just over 32.

Certainly neither coach ran the ball a ton, but these are pretty decent numbers from coaches who are known to throw the ball and it shows that both were at least somewhat committed to the ground attack.

And anyway, the problem with Weis’ Notre Dame teams wasn’t that they didn’t run, but rather, his teams weren’t very good at it when they did so.

Poor red zone play, missed opportunities on third and short and a general inability to keep opponents honest with the ground game have all been well documented problems from the Weis era.

Kelly on the other hand, is much more efficient.

Last season Notre Dame averaged only 3.8 yards per carry, while Cincinnati averaged 5.0 per rush.

That extra 1.2 yards per carry is a huge difference and one that can translate into winning two or three more games a season.

In Kelly’s first year at Cincinnati he actually ran the ball 13 more times than he threw it, and I expect the run-pass ratio in 2010 to be about even and it wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up calling more running plays throughout the entire season.

This means, we may see Notre Dame run the ball close to 500 times in 2010.

At any rate, let’s assume Notre Dame averages 70 plays per game and that the run-pass ratio is even. At 35 running plays per game, here is how the season could play out:

Allen-182 carries, 1,019 yards (5.6 YPC)

Wood-130 carries, 663 yards (5.1 YPC)

Gray-52 carries, 223 yards (4.3 YPC)

Crist-52 carries, 234 yards (4.5 YPC)

Hughes-26 carries, 114 yards (4.4 YPC)

Others-13 carries, 97 yards (7.5 YPC)

If you add up those numbers, the team will have rushed for a whopping 2,350 yards putting them somewhere close to 30^th in the nation.

As mentioned before, it is highly likely that Kelly will use a running back by committee philosophy as he is not known to rely on one player to carry the team’s load on the ground.

Keeping his runners fresh and utilizing the depth chart could be a big advantage for Brian Kelly in his first season in South Bend and a key to maintaining a potent offense from September through late November.

Last season, Kelly had one runner with over 100 carries while the back up carried the ball 74 times. The remaining 166 carries were given to a handful of players, including quarterback Zach Collaros.

In 2008, Kelly had two players with 130 carries or more and five players shared the 477 carries during his first season at Cincinnati in 2007.

This fall, Allen should get the most carries and I have him projected to run the ball 14 times a game with a decent increase in his yards-per-carry average from 2009. As long as he stays healthy I think these are very reasonable numbers.

What’s more, Cincinnati’s starting running back Isaiah Pead averaged 6.7 yards per carry in 2009, so is it too optimistic to think that Allen could do the same?

I have Wood running the ball 10 times a game with a very respectable yards-per-carry average, but he is still an x-factor who could be a boom or bust player. He may struggle and not come close to this kind of production, but I think he has the necessary skill set to do so.

Jonas Gray is another interesting player who may very well end up getting a lot more carries than this, but it is still too early to tell what role he will have.

As a back with a great mixture of size and speed, Gray may be used quite heavily in short yardage situations and will certainly be called upon if there are any injuries ahead of him on the depth chart.

As I mentioned before, it is tough to tell what Crist will do on the ground, but three rushes and one sack per game is probably a good estimate, if not slightly conservative.

Nevertheless, I think Notre Dame fans will be happy with at least 200 yards and a quarterback that is able to convert third down plays with his feet. Instead of throwing fades and passing the ball at the three yard line, Crist will be much more likely to stuff it home on his own.

I don’t see Robert Hughes getting a lot of carries, but there should be sufficient short yardage situations where he’ll be touching the ball a couple times each game. This fall, his impact may be felt more as a pass receiving fullback or blocker rather than a runner.

The last category involves the three playmakers that will get their hands on the ball in any number of ways. Personally, I think this category could triple in carries and yardage but we’ll have to see what kind of plays Kelly draws up for Riddick, Floyd and Rudolph.

We can probably expect a handful of reverses to Floyd and some running plays to Rudolph through the tight end option play that was used in the spring game. Maybe these plays only pick up a small amount of yards over the course of the season, but there is also potential for something bigger.

Just thinking about Rudolph taking a quick flip from Crist as a hole opens up in the middle of the line should get any Irish fan excited about the upcoming season.

A lot of people are probably wondering how Riddick will be used now that he has switched to receiver.

He probably won’t be a prime-time threat in the passing game early in the season because he still has much to learn at his new position, but Riddick could make a sizeable impact on gadget plays, reverses, and plays in which he motions into the backfield.

Even if Riddick only touches the ball twice a game in this regard and still averages a healthy yards-per-carry average, the team will have rushed for an additional 200 yards or more.

In fact, don’t be surprised if Riddick surpasses Golden Tate’s rushing statistics from 2009 because Kelly’s system is more conducive to getting the ball to the team’s playmakers and he will probably want to get Riddick a certain amount of touches outside of catching the ball from Crist in the slot.

There may be no wildcat formations, but you can bet that Riddick will get his fair share of looks through the running game even though he’s moved to wide receiver.

Summary: Realistic or Rosy Expectations?

Maybe it was the promise shown during the Blue-Gold game (soft defense duly noted) or the fact that Kelly has coached surprisingly good running teams in the past, but I like Notre Dame’s chances on the ground next year.

Perhaps we’ll see a couple injuries and too steep of a learning curve with the new offense and the ground game will struggle to gain 100 yards each game.

But I think those days are long gone with the arrival of Brian Kelly and his coaching and offensive playbook.

I think it’s more likely the Irish approach 2,000 yards and turn into a spread offense similar to Oklahoma’s that can beat teams through the air as well as on the ground.

So expect Notre Dame to continue throwing the ball with fervor this fall, but don’t be shocked if the Irish also have a very respectable running game.

There are only about 100 more days until we find out.

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On Friday March 26^th, a football program makeover was unveiled as Notre Dame held its first spring practice under new head coach Brian Kelly.

After three months of leading the Fighting Irish, Brian Kelly has already brought significant change to South Bend and that transformation was on display as Notre Dame took to the LaBar practice field complete with their gold helmets and cleats.

Even before Friday’s practice, the program had been subject to numerous changes from the departure of Charlie Weis and the previous coaching regime. Yet, nothing was more eye-popping and dissimilar than this first practice under Kelly.

Moving at a frantic pace for the entirety of the practice, Notre Dame demonstrated the up-tempo style it will be perfecting over the next five months.

Unable to take their helmets off during any point during the workout, the Irish showed incredible emotion and energy in what has been described as the fastest practice in Notre Dame history.

In a press conference before the practice, Brian Kelly told the media what his practices would be all about and how he will handle the program for the spring.

He stated that there will be no posted depth charts and players will work in “pods” or groups that can and will be moved around as time goes on. Kelly also described his system of holding guys back who have injuries while reaffirming the importance of taken part in practice.

Luckily, only Theo Riddick and Dayne Crist were “protected” players, still nursing off-season injuries yet still fully participating in practice. There are a few “restricted” players, such as Kyle Rudolph who is coming off shoulder surgery, but the entire roster took the field on Friday.

Although there is a lot of learning to do, Kelly said he was happy with the team’s effort and also added that the offense is already into their five-wide sets.

For anyone who watched the practice, it is clear that Brian Kelly wants to address a number of issues with his ball club, none more important right now than fitness and thinking on your feet.

Moreover, even though Kelly has only been head coach for a short time, and Friday’s practice was a bit of a surprise to watch, the fact is he has been instituting some major changes in South Bend since day one.

It’s almost like Notre Dame has finally joined the 21^st century and is ready to compete at the highest level possible.

To address the fitness problem, Kelly brought in his long-time strength and conditioning coach Paul Longo who has whipped the team into shape over the past couple months with high intensity weight lifting and football drills.

The players were also subjected to the brutal mental and physical trials of “Camp Kelly” a Rocky-like training regiment designed to test the collegians to their max.

What’s more, a much needed training table has been introduced and is helping to keep the players at optimal playing weights with the addition of a proper meal after workouts are complete.

The results so far are that almost the entire team is in phenomenally better shape.

Offensive linemen have slimmed down, dropped fat and added muscle to fit into Kelly’s fast-paced offense. Defensive linemen and linebackers have added bulk and muscle. Players like star wide receiver Michael Floyd have dropped ten to fifteen pounds in an effort to become more lean, muscular and able to handle the load of a quick-strike offense.

The mental aspect has already been in place with the addition of a computerized playbook that trains and teaches players Brian Kelly’s new offensive and defensive philosophies. That training meant the team was ready to open the playbook, audibles and player motion included, on the first day of practice.

Also, Kelly has been using a similar computerized system to track recruits like no coach at Notre Dame before him has ever been able to do.

The Irish head coach says it’s all about maximizing your time and effort and these changes could play a key role in his success later down the road.

Maybe the best news of all from the first weekend of practice was the relative health of quarterback Dayne Crist who was able to participate in all of the drills and show off his mobility. Although he may not be 100 percent at this time, it is clear he will be more than ready when the season starts.

Overall, it was an exciting and intriguing weekend for the Fighting Irish as they embark on yet another spring practice and the first under Brian Kelly.

The players are in excellent shape, the roster is nearly injury free and it is clear the team is ready to learn Kelly’s system and has done extremely well so far in this area.

Although it is still much too early to be talking about “awaking the echoes”, I think the program and its fans are quietly surprised and ecstatic about the changes taking place at Notre Dame.

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The biggest question mark and hole to fill on the depth chart for Notre Dame this off-season, will be the position of safety.

Going into spring camp next month, the Irish will have only one veteran with any significant playing time at safety and it is believed both positions are completely up for grabs.

With Tom Zbikowski, David Bruton and the recently graduated Kyle McCarthy, Notre Dame has had a few very good safety’s in the recent past.

In order to field a strong defense in 2010, Brian Kelly will want to fill this position with the best available options. More to the point, he will be well served to lock up an elite prospect at this position in his next recruiting class.

Here are the top 16 candidates to play safety for the Fighting Irish in 2010:

The Rookies

Austin Collinsworth (Freshman) WR/S

The son of former NFL stand-out Chris Collinsworth, the young Austin was a great all-around athlete in high school who played safety, wide receiver and quarterback. It may be a year or two before Kelly begins finding him a position, so the chances of him starting at safety are fairly low as of now.

Lo Wood (Freshman) CB

With the body type of a smaller cornerback, Wood will probably stay at his natural position. However, with such a depleted depth chart at the safety position, it is not inconceivable that he could impress the coaching staff enough to get on the field at some point next year.

Spencer Boyd (Freshman) CB

Like Wood, Spencer Boyd has the body type of a smaller cornerback and will need to bulk up in order to see some playing time in the immediate future. However, he has impressed with his speed and play making ability, so we can’t rule him out just yet.

Chris Badger (Freshman) S

Badger joins Wood and Boyd as early enrollees this spring which will undoubtedly help their chances of seeing the field sooner rather than later. Badger is bigger than the other freshman defensive backs and safety is his more natural position. It still may be a long shot for him to start in 2010, but it could happen.

The Playmakers

John Goodman (Junior) WR

The athletic Indiana product had some moments of brilliance last year in his limited action as receiver and wildcat quarterback and may very well stay on the offensive side of the ball. Still, Goodman possesses great size and speed and could be an ideal candidate for safety with his soft hands.

Shaq Evans (Sophomore) WR

Besides Michael Floyd, Evans is probably the most highly regarded recruit at the receiver position to come to Notre Dame in some time. As a freshman he played very little, had some ups and downs, and struggled with being away from his native California. Coach Kelly will probably want to keep the budding star on offense, but a move to safety would give the team in instant athletic freak roaming the defensive backfield.

Deion Walker (Junior) WR

Walker has been a bit of a mystery over his first two seasons in South Bend after coming to Notre Dame with a decent amount of fan fare. Since he hasn’t logged many minutes at wide receiver, he could be a prime candidate to move to safety with three years of eligibility left. With his mix of size and speed Walker could start right away for the Irish in 2010.

Jonas Gray (Junior) RB

After a freshman season that saw Gray become a very capable backup, the 2009 sophomore campaign ended in a step back for the powerful runner. He doesn’t have ideal size or speed to play safety, but Gray has quickly found himself squeezed out of carries at running back and could fall as low as third or fourth string in 2010. He may be a bit of a project, but Kelly might consider making the move.

Cierre Wood (Sophomore) RB

Here’s a player who was one of Notre Dame’s biggest running back recruits over the past decade, but did not see the field as a freshman in 2009. We’re left wondering what this guy has, but all indications are that he is supremely talented. He doesn’t have ideal size to play safety, but with four years of eligibility left and at least two runners ahead of him on the half back depth chart, Wood may make the switch.

The Corners

E.J. Banks (Sophomore) CB

Banks did not play as a freshman last season, but could be ready to contribute significant minutes in the defensive backfield in 2010. Even though he is undersized, Banks is a tremendous athlete with a variety of skills. With a few veteran corners ahead of him on the depth chart, Kelly could move him to safety.

Gary Gray (Junior) CB

Although he didn’t start for most of the season and played fewer minutes than three others at his position, Gray might have been Notre Dame’s most consistent corner in 2009. He has all the tools to be a great corner, but those same tools would also make him a great safety as well. With a good amount of eligibility left, Gray might be moved to safety if Coach Kelly solidifies the depth at corner.

Robert Blanton (Junior) CB

After a pretty successful freshman campaign, Blanton took a step back last season seemingly losing that special swagger and playmaking ability from 2008. Although he will probably lock down a starting spot at corner, Blanton has the length that could turn him into a great safety for the Irish. Some improved tackling and added weight could make him an ideal candidate for the switch.

The Leaders in the Clubhouse

Dan McCarthy (Junior) S

The younger brother of graduating and fellow safety Kyle McCarthy, Dan has been slowly making a name for himself in South Bend while pushing for playing time. McCarthy actually came to Notre Dame with more fan fare than his older brother, so it isn’t crazy to think that he will someday start at safety for the Irish.

Jamarious Slaughter (Junior) S/CB

Slaughter found himself inserted into the lineup last season and played his first significant minutes of his career in 2009. He replaced Harrison Smith at safety for the latter part of the season and although he didn’t make much of a difference, he didn’t play terrible. With another off-season under his belt, Slaughter could find himself starting at safety from day one.

Zeke Motta (Sophomore) LB/S

One of the top recruits from last season, Motta played a decent amount on special teams and mop up duty on defense as a freshman. Known to be one of the strongest and best conditioned athletes on the entire team, he will be one of the favorites to start at safety in Brian Kelly’s first season at Notre Dame. His size has been trending towards linebacker, but if his speed can be improved Motta will probably start for the next three years at safety.

Harrison Smith (Senior) S/LB

A week ago, Brian Kelly let it be known that Smith was having a tremendous off-season and would be moving back to safety next season. Given his experience, it is hard to believe he won’t be the top safety all year long. Still, Smith struggled mightily in 2009 after making the transition from linebacker to safety, making many wonder if he has the tools to succeed at safety. Perhaps with a less complicated defensive system and the encouragement and support of a new coaching staff, Harrison Smith will flourish.

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As I was finishing the 2005 best-selling book Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking  by Malcom Gladwell, I was struck by how some of his research and stories made sense of what happened to Notre Dame football over the past five years.

In a nut shell, the book looks into various ways our unconscious mind plays a role in our decision making in everything from spotting fake ancient sculptures, taste-testing soft drinks, creating facial expressions, choosing dating partners and catching criminals.

For a nice concise summary of the book, click here.

Gladwell asserts that we form (in the matter of seconds or sometimes milliseconds) intuitive responses unconsciously, or what he terms “the blink” or “thin-slicing”, and that often times this form of thought is powerfully correct.

What does this have to do with Notre Dame football? Well, the book itself dives into many different areas of our unconscious mind, both positive and negative, but there were three key arguments that kept setting off alarm bells for a major reason why Charlie Weis failed in South Bend.

Quite simply, Weis and the teams he led onto the field thought too much. They overcomplicated everything from day one, be it through sophisticated game plans, the continuing hiring and firing of coaching and the switching of personnel.

His players never used “the blink” very often, by making use of the powerful ability to make snap decisions in the heat of the moment, because Weis had his players bogged down with too much information. Instead of picking a simple formula for success, Weis led government-like scouting reports that laid too much chance for success on complicated offensive schemes and blitz packages.

A great example in the book came from a story about a man who came up with a simplified medical chart to help the over-crowded Cook Hospital in Chicago treat its chest pain visitors.

The problem beforehand, was that doctors were using too much information, taking too many tests (which often contradicted each other) and many times ended up giving poor diagnoses.

But with the simplified chart, the doctors were ordered to follow its three-step procedure and base the rest of their decision on their gut-feeling as medical professionals.

The result? The hospital diagnosed patients properly over 90 percent of the time with the simplified process, compared to roughly 50 percent before.

If diagnosing heart attacks were like trying to win football games, Charlie Weis would be the doctor too caught up in a mountain of data and test results to bring about victory.

The second example is the story of Paul Van Riper, a heavily decorated retired Marine officer who was brought in by the Pentagon to be part of a 21st Century war game.

Van Riper’s assignment was to be the leader of a rogue nation in the Middle East that would be battling U.S. forces in a multi-million dollar simulated war inside the halls of a cavernous northern Virginia government complex.

The disparity between the two forces before the war could not have been any greater. The Americans (Team Blue) had an overwhelming amount of power in troops, ships, artillery and planes to go with nearly unlimited technology and surveillance. It was expected that Team Blue would win the conflict swiftly and with ease.

However, Van Riper’s Team Red ended up defeating the Blue side almost as quickly as the Blue’s thought they would win the war.

The main reason was that Van Riper was decisive and gave his commanders a lot of power to react to situations in the moment to gain advantages wherever possible. On the other side, Team Blue held long meetings and briefings, poured over enormous amounts of data, acted slowly and found themselves dead in the water in a matter of days of simulated time.

The final example from the book details the outcome of the Battle of Chancellorsville during the American Civil War.

On the Union side there was General Joseph Hooker and over 130,000 troops against the Confederacy’s Robert E. Lee and roughly 60,000 men. Before the battle, the Union held nearly every conceivable advantage including an impressive maneuver to encircle Lee’s army and pin them against the Rappahannock River.

However, the battle was not won by the Union and Lee dealt a serious blow to the Union’s chances of winning the war in one of the greatest victories and upsets in military history.

Why? It was because even with more troops, artillery, spies and information, Hooker became indecisive and was unable to coordinate his army during the heat of the moment. In contrast, Robert E. Lee was boldly decisive and took the initiative with less information and less power to use.

I can’t help but think that Charlie Weis was to Notre Dame what Joseph Hooker was to the Union Army.

In both the war game and Chancellorsville, Team Blue and General Hooker were overly satisfied with their advantages and superiority. Just like Weis, they believed a major “schematic advantage” would win the day.

Often times Weis would lead the Irish on to the field against a weaker opponent only to find himself licking his wounds after a Notre Dame loss. Against teams like Syracuse, UConn and Navy, Weis’ teams had a monopoly of talent, yet they did not win. A schematic advantage was not enough.

The Irish teams from 2005-09 suffered from major “analysis paralysis” that hindered the team’s ability to perform at the highest level. Instead of picking one offense, Weis made his teams learn a multitude of differing packages, often switching game plans in the middle of a contest.

Meanwhile, while opponents were busy making adjustments in real time, Weis continually sought out too much information, consulting his atlas sized play sheet for a different formation to send to the huddle. In effect, Weis was merely guessing his way through games as coach of Notre Dame.

It’s not so much that Weis used such a thick playbook and tried to use his “schematic advantage” to beat teams, but that his entire system of operation was bogged down in paralysis because this “schematic advantage” permeated through every player.

Just think about Harrison Smith looking lost at the line of scrimmage and leaving a receiver wide open for a big play. Does that look like someone who was thinking without thinking? Or did it look like someone too confused by the plethora of coverages to know what he was doing?

If Weis had run a power running game similar to Alabama, concentrated on performing that system to perfection, and then used some of his offensive genius to make big plays, perhaps things would have worked out.

Instead, Notre Dame ran the ball 50 times one game, switched to a pro-style offense the next game, switched to shotgun Texas Tech ball the next, switched to West Coast style the next and everything in between. And the biggest problem was that these moves were made during games and sometimes from series to series.

And most of all, this attention to schematic advantage lessened the influence of crucial qualities which college football players need such as motivation, development and conditioning.

In short, Weis was not a very good leader. In the above examples of the Chicago heart chart, Pentagon war game and the battle of Chancellorsville, each problem was solved by someone with incredible intelligence. While it certainly takes a lot of studying and experience to be able to find solutions to the most difficult of problems, knowledge alone is not enough.

No one can deny that Charlie Weis was a smart man, but he never figured out that you can’t treat players like professionals and that scouting and clever formations alone wouldn’t win football games.

Almost immediately, Notre Dame fans have been struck with how different of an approach Brian Kelly is taking in South Bend.

Because of Kelly’s intelligence and experience, he knows what it takes to succeed. We’ve already heard him speak about how important it is to get players to develop and push themselves, to buy into the system, to learn it through and through and to be able to perform at the highest of levels without even thinking about it. It’s something Kelly calls, “unconscious competence.”

As Kelly said, “You can move them to a level that they can’t get to by themselves. That’s player development. That’s at the core of what I mean, to get people to do things that they normally wouldn’t do on their own. ”

In other words, Kelly wants Notre Dame football players to have “the blink” when it comes time to step on the field. He wants them to have confidence in their abilities as players and build a team that can think without thinking. That’s how you take a bunch of two and three star recruits to an undefeated season in the Big East.

Player development, strength and conditioning and fundamentals are three major areas that Kelly has stressed throughout his entire career and it is obvious that his players have been able think without thinking because of their preparation under this system.

When the entire coaching philosophy trickles down the program from a schematic advantage viewpoint, players cannot be developed very well. Without player development there is no harnessing of the potential of the unconscious mind and the ability to think without thinking is slowly stifled.

And the ironic part of is, the team that stresses schematic advantage usually ends up being out-schemed on the field because its players are not adequately prepared for a team that has confidence to think without thinking.

Do not think I believe that the solution to all of Notre Dame’s problems comes from “the blink” factor. There are too many aspects to coaching and winning football games to break it down to something that simple.

However, it is an interesting topic that showcases how successful people, organizations, company’s and teams can harness the ability to act decisively with the proper training in order to gain an edge on the competition.

In a lot of ways, Charlie Weis’ coaching staff was a lot like the U.S. Government during the Pentagon war games. Weis hired some of the best coordinators and recruiters in the country, just like the government brings together the best talent from different federal agencies.

The problem is, without an effective leader laying down a plan for everyone to follow, the odds of success are severely diminished.

Weis hired two defensive coordinators, each of whom had different coaching philosophies. Corwin Brown thought his way would work best, but John Tenuta believed his would work even better.

This is no different than the CIA or FBI trying to work together when both agencies are working in opposite directions.

The result is major dysfunction and a total lack of comprehension during the most critical times of battle during war and on the football field.

As Gladwell points out in the end of the book, “The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It is understanding.”

Both Weis and Kelly have the knowledge. But so far, Weis has proven he did not understand college football.

So far, Brian Kelly has shown through his coaching hires, speeches and football past, that he is the type of coach who knows how to lead and set a foundation for success.

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Coming off a tough victory over Michigan State, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are traveling to West Lafeyete to battle Purdue tonight under the lights. The Irish have a couple offensive weapons banged up and missing (Michael Floyd) and they are looking for their defense to step up  its game as well. Some think Notre Dame will roll tonight, while others think it will be another close in-state rivalry. Let’s go inside the huddle and pick up the action.

7:57PM-There’s two things I am looking for in this game besides the obvious win for the Irish. First, I’d like to see the defense play much better, blitz less, and disguise any susbsequent blitzes much better. Also, I’ll be looking to see who fills the void for the injured Michael Floyd who is out for the remainder of the regular season with a broken collar bone.

8:02-The lovely Erin Andrews tells us that Armando Allen will be playing tonight but will not be starting. Who is going to start at running back for the Irish? Odds are that it will be Jonas Gray, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Robert Hughes as well. I really don’t want to see Hughes as the starting tailback. He’s a perpetual 3 yard runner.

8:06-I’m excited to see what Dayne Crist has to offer. It looks like there’s a good chance he’ll be getting a fair amount of playing time tonight. If the Irish can move the ball with him under center everything will be gravy.

8:08-If Vegas had odds on if the opening kickoff by Tausch goes into the end zone, what do you think the line is? He almost had it this time, kicking it to the one yard line!

8:10-Notre Dame would have liked a three and out by Purdue but the Boilermakers pick up the first down.

8:12-Bolden just ripped off a bug run that looked like there were no Notre Dame players on the field. Luckily, Fleming makes a big tackle in the back field to follow that up.

8:13-A quick slant route leads to a touchdown for Purde. That pretty much played out exactly how the Irish didn’t want the defense to play to start the game. What is wrong with the Irish coverage? It just can’t be this bad.

8:17-Riddick takes the ensuing kickoff and looks like he’s going to run for a touchdown but is tackled by the kicker. Clausen hands off to Gray, who gets the start at running back, and there’s an offsides call on Purdue.

8:19-A nice screen pass to Gray nets a big gain. Expect to see plenty of screen tonight.

8:21-On third and very long, lineman Sam Young false starts. Has there been a more disappointing lineman in Irish history with this much hype coming out of high school?

8:22-Clausen throws a dart to Kamara that comes up a yard short of the first down. Is there any doubt that Weis won’t be going for it? Clausen stays in shotgun, it’s pretty clear he won’t be taking many snaps under center if at all, and hands off to Gray who gets stuffed for a loss. That was way too predictable.

8:28-Purdue converts another third and long with an easy as can be pass across the middle. If I was playing against Notre Dame I wouldn’t even run the ball.

8:29-Another third and long for Purdue, can the Irish stop them? Interesting call by the Boilermakers as they run a QB draw that goes nowhere. Notre Dame is due for a punt return touchdown.

8:31-Clausen is getting good protection and fires a throw to Gray again out of the backfield. The Irish need for receivers to start getting involved. Yet another false start on Notre Dame.

8:34-On third down Clausen goes deep to Tate and picks up a pass interference call. I know Notre Dame is really good at the deep ball but I would really like to see more passes in the middle stretching the field that way.

8:36-Another third down and Clausen is forced to scramble and can’t pick up the first down. There was a flag thrown after the tackle, a taunting infraction, that gives the Irish a first down. Is that a make up call for the past two games of horrible officiating?

8:38-A touchdown pass is brought back after an illegal formation penalty. I swear Notre Dame is trying to set records for most penalties through four games. What is the record in Irish history anyway?

8:41-Facing a third and ten, Notre Dame calls a timeout. Has any other team called more first quarter timeouts over the last half decade than Notre Dame? It seems like on every second or third drive of the game the Irish call a timeout.

8:44-Clausen can’t hit tight end Kyle Rudolph on third down and Notre Dame settles for a field goal by Tausch. I am so glad that Tausch looks like a much more dependable kicker than Walker. He could pay huge dividens in the future. Is the kickoff going into the end zone? Nope, it bounced to the goal line and was scooped up.

8:48-After a couple nice gains by Purdue, Darius Fleming makes another big tackle in the back field setting up a third and long. It’s nice to see a Notre Dame defender show up for the game! The first quarter comes to an end before the ball could be snapped.

8:53-A pass breakup by Kyle McCarthy leads to a punt by Purdue. McCarthy just continues to play outstanding. That’s two players who have showed up on the defensive side of the ball. Quarterback Dayne Crist is now in for Clausen and takes a QB keeper for a long run.

8:55-Crist fires a ball to Kamara that is dropped. If you’re counting on Kamara picking up the slack in Floyd’s absence, don’t hold your breath. On third down, Notre Dame puts Tate in the backfield and he runs for the first down.

8:57-Robert Hughes is now in at running back and breaks off two great runs. He’s trying to prove me wrong out there as I wasn’t crazy abouut having him run the ball too much. He’s getting great blocking and Notre Dame is about to score. And they do, as Hughes rumbles into the end zone. The Irish now have their first lead of the game.

9:01-What kind of talent is Dayne Crist going to turn out to be? He’s bigger than Clausen, seems to have a stronger arm, and as he’s shown in this game, he can move his feet and is very mobile. That bodes well for the future of Notre Dame football.

9:04-Purdue completes a pass on first down for about five yards. I’d say about half of all completions against Notre Dame this year have come with no Irish defender within five yards of the receiver. How does this happen?

9:07-Notre Dame is using better schemes tonight, rushing just four guys and sitting back in coverage more often. Purdue can’t move the ball and is set to punt as we go to commerical.

9:11-Notre Dame has run two straight wildcat plays on this new drive, before Crist comes back on the field and hands off to Hughes on first down. I’m pretty sure the Irish could just run the ball all night long and win this game.

9:14-Golden Tate lines up as the running back again and scampers for a first down. Man does he show some speed once the ball is in his hands. After Hughes runs for three, Tate takes a snap out of the wildcat and run for a touchdown. Golden Tate cannot be stopped when the ball is in his hands.

9:19-Purdue can’t get anything on third down and Fleming makes another strong tackle as the quarterback tries to scramble but gets nowhere. Tate takes the punt for about fifteen yards and is wrapped up near the sideline.

9:25-Clausen is back in trying to run the two minute offense before the half comes to a close. A third down is coming up after a couple of short completions, both to Kamara. As we go to commerical I’m wondering what the patch on the Notre Dame coaches sleeves means?

9:27-Clausen gets his pass tipped on third down and Notre Dame’s drive ends prematurely. After a heinous punt by Eric Maust, the Purdue return man took the ball on a bounce and brings it near midfield. Seriously, Maust has proved time and again to be a very inept punter and something has to be done about that.

9:31-Purdue completes a short pass and picks up a short run, but cannot complete a pass on third down. The broadcasters think Purdue should kick the field goal but Purdue goes for it and the pass is dropped…turnover on downs.

9:33-Clausen hits Rudolph on a screen pass that picks up some nice yardage as there’s now less than a minute left in the half. Notre Dame is now in Purdue territory. After a timeout Clausen hits Shaq Evans on a nice out route. Evans lost his shoe on the play but still made the catch. Well done.

9:36-Coming out of a timeout Clausen goes to deep into the end zone for Evans but the ball is intercepted. Jimmy Clausen’s streak of passes without an interception has come to an end. I would have liked to see some more conservative play calling in this situation an shot for a field goal instead of the home run ball.

9:40-Purdue’s short possession comes to naught and the half comes to an end with Notre Dame leading 17-7. All in all not a bad half for the Fighting Irish. After giving up a touchdown on Purdue’s first drive, Notre Dame kept the Boilermakers under wraps the rest of the way. The offense looks decent, although Clausen has not found a groove with limited playing time.

In the second half I think Notre Dame will continue to run the ball a ton and utilize the wildcat formation because it has been too successful this far tonight. I have a feeling Clausen will play to start the half but if the Irish get up by more than two scores the ball will be given to Crist the rest of the way.

10:02-Crist comes out to take over for Clausen as the second half starts. I don’t have a big problem with this as long as Notre Dame continues to run the ball successfully. However, there most likely won’t be any chemistry developed with the receivers which was a goal I thought the Irish needed to achieve tonight.

10:07-Notre Dame continues to run the ball, but is stopped on third down as Tate can’t shake a defender after a handoff. Maust kicks another lack luster punt and the Purdue return man adeptly takes the ball and runs for fifteen yards.

10:12-A nice pass on a scramble by Purdue is followed up by a sack by Fleming and a near interception by cornerback Robert Blanton. The Boilermakers throw another incompletion and are forced to punt once more. It’s time for Notre Dame to march down the field and put this game away.

10:18-Still more running of the ball by Notre Dame, although Crist did finally attempt a pass and complete it to Hughes out of the back field. After an illegal formation, Hughes runs the ball and Crist hits Rudolph on a play action for the first down. I’m very impressed with Crist’s footwork and general presence in the pocket.

10:24-Notre Dame is eating massive amounts of clock right now as third and ten approaches. A half back draw to Hughes gets about two feet and the Irish are left with a fourth and ten.  After a timeout, Crist is unable to escape pressure and is sacked turning the ball over to Purdue. The Irish need to put Purdue away but continue to not be able to do so.

10:32-Purdue executes a big screen play and moves the ball into Notre Dame territory. They now have a big third down coming up and they pick it up with a short pass. The Boilermakers run the ball for no gain and the third quarter comes to an end. The score remains 17-7 Notre Dame.

10:38-On third down, Purdue completes one heck of a pass near the sideline and the receiver nearly scored a touchdown taking the ball down to the one yard line. The play is now under review, as it looked as if the receiver might have stepped out of bounds closer to the five yard line. It seems to me it was definitely a catch and that he did keep his foot in bounds before heading toward the goal line.

10:43-After two unsuccessful plays, Purdue completes a slant pattern for a touchdown. Crazy as it may be, Notre Dame’s lead is now down to three. Sergio Brown was beaten on the coverage for the touchdown. Am I the only one who thinks Brown should not be playing as much as he is?

10:50-On first down, Crist had Tate open on a deep ball but sailed it about five yards too long for the incompletion. Tate then takes a WR run for a loss and a screen pass is incomplete. Notre Dame punts and gives Purdue great field position after a penalty on Harrison Smith for kick catcher interference.

10:54-Third and ten for Purdue and they convert with a tough WR screen that nets about eleven yards. The Boilermakers are now into Notre Dame territory and looking to take the lead. Jimmy Clausen is now warming up on the sidelines as it looks like he’ll be coming back into the game on the next Irish drive.

11:00-Purdue has some momentum now, but shoots themselves in the foot with an illegal formation and delay of game. A pass over the middle gets close to the first down line, but a run on third down is stopped for a loss. Big fourth down coming up and Purdue is going for it. Lucky for the Irish the pass down the sideline is intercepted by Darrin Walls.

11:02-Clausen is back in the game and hands off to Hughes on first down. Will Notre Dame play less conservative with Clausen back in? Will Purdue respect the pass more as well? Clausen is pressured on second down and gets tackled and third down is no better with a screen pass that goes for a minimal gain. It didn’t matter as there was another holding call on Sam Young which Purdue declined.

11:06-There is under five minutes left to play and now Purdue has moved the ball to midfield on a nice run. That is followed up by another WR screen that goes for huge yards but is called back by a block in the back penalty. I don’t have a good feeling for the third straight week as the game is on the line with the Notre Dame defense on the field.

11:10-As it happens, Purdue scores easily on a pass to the running back who was left uncovered and trots into the end zone for the score. The Boilermakers now lead 21-17.

11:13-Clausen has the Irish moving with slightly over two minutes to play. He nails Tate for first down and then Rudolph for another big gain. Can Clausen engineer a fourth quarter comeback again? On second down Clausen gets sacked leaving a third and long . Notre Dame takes its last timeout of the game.

11:17-Clausen nails Parris on third down for the huge first down to keep hope alive. He then misses on a fade pass to Tate, but hits Golden once more for another first down. It’s now first and goal from the four. It’s surprising that Clausen passes the ball on first down and it is incomplete to Parris. Second down Hughes runs for about a yard. Purdue calls a timeout.

11:21-Clausen can’t find anyone open and throws the ball away on third down. It’s coming down to this last play now. Fourth and goal with 29 seconds left. This time Clausen is able to hit Rudolph for the touchdown. Tausch hits the point after and Notre Dame leads 24-21. Wow.

11:25-Tausch actually kicked the ball into the end zone and Purdue didn’t get much on the return. On first down, Irish linebacker Manti Te’o picks up a sack and Purdue is forced to take a timeout. On the next play, the Boilermakers run an end around and pitch the ball twice but the second ends up a fumble and Notre Dame recovers. Game over.

It certainly wasn’t pretty but give Notre Dame credit for holding on for the victory with key injuries at key positions. Another close game came down to the wire and the Fighting Irish pick up a victory for the second straight week.

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It was another memorable Saturday in Notre Dame Stadium as the Michigan State Spartans came ready to play, only this time the Fighting Irish held on for the victory.

After the bewildering defeat by Michigan a week earlier, it was nice to see the Irish bounce back and beat an opponent that always savors beating Notre Dame. Here are my grades for this weekend’s game:

Quarterback: A

Clausen picks up another terrific grade with a very gutsy and heroic performance. We may look back on this game and see it as a turning point in his career. Shaking off an ankle injury Clausen was nearly mistake free and continues to move the ball down the field. Right now, dare I say he’s quietly making a case for the Heisman?

Running Backs: B+

Armando Allen continues to impress and has officially become the number one back in the Irish staple. He is showing more explosive speed and even more important, strength and toughness to fight for extra yards. Heck, he even threw for a touchdown pass! We didn’t see much of the other backs in this game, but Jonas Gray did rip off a nice long run during his limited time on the field.
Wide Receivers: B+

I’ll have more on the injury to Floyd later, but suffice to say he will be missed. Golden Tate really stepped up against the Spartans and caught the game-winning touchdown as well picking up two key first downs in crunch time. Tight end Kyle Rudolph seems to be improving each game and he had another stellar peformance. The time has come for the depth of the wideouts to be tested and somebody needs to step up.

Offensive Line: B+

With the way the line is playing there isn’t too much to complain about. They did give up their first sack of the year (although it was a missed block by a RB) but they have been generally excellent in pass and run blocking. Of course, the penalties have been piling up over the past two games and that is something that needs to change.

Defensive Line: C

The defensive line probably had their best game of the year against Michigan State, but they are still decidely average. They made some key stops against the Spartan ground game, but State was able to run the ball pretty effectively a large portion of the game and especially early on. As far as attacking the quarterback on blitzes, the defensive line is getting shut down.

Linebackers: D

This was a tough game for the Irish linebackers. Brian Smith, Toryan Smith, and Manti Te’o were all but invisible for long stretches at a time and were unable to get much pressure on Michigan State’s quarterbacks. Even worse, there weren’t any tackles or defensive plays worth remembering.

Defensive Backs: C+

If not for Kyle McCarthy’s play, the defensive backs would be in big trouble. I’ve made it no secret I don’t favor the heavy blitzing by Tenuta and it is absolutely killing the Irish defensive backs. As it is, I don’t expect many things to change so the corners are going to have to start making plays, meaning more pass break ups, interceptions, and turnovers.

Special Teams: B

The best thing was that Tausch hit both of his field goal attempts, although he did miss an extra point. However, would Notre Dame have lost this game last year with Walker’s leg? There was nothing spectacular or horrible about the special teams in this game, besides the fact that Maust had a couple decent punts.

Coaching: B

If not for the play of the defense, the coaching would have a much higher grade. Charlie Weis did a better job of managing this game and he has the offense working on all cylinders and Saturday was no exception. The one thing I wanted to see was a score on the third drive of the game and more time burnt off the clock on Notre Dame’s last drive. Concerning John Tenuta and Corwin Brown, well they have a lot of work to do this week to fix the defensive problems.

Summary:

There are only two problems I have with the offense throughout the game against Michigan State. The first is that Weis made some bad play calling on Notre Dame’s third possession of the game, a drive which I thought was crucial to the game.

Facing a third and four coming out for the second quarter, Weis dialed up a wildcat to Allen that came up just short of the first down. Now, I don’t have a big problem with the wildcat (mostly because it’s been fairly successful so far this season), but I would have liked the ball in Clausen’s hands in that situation.

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Junior RB Armando Allen-59 carries, 339 yards (5.5 average) 3 touchdowns in 2009

After suffering a near heart attack watching the Notre Dame Fighting Irish hang on to defeat Michigan State yesterday, I realized two of my strong predictions for the season are manifesting themselves as true.

A) Armando Allen is becoming a top-flight running back.

B) Defensive coordinator John Tenuta’s blitzing schemes are not working and are hurting the Irish defense.

First, Allen has blossomed into the runner many experts thought he had the potential to be. Let’s give credit to the offensive line as well because they are playing much better and opening holes for all Notre Dame ball carriers too.

Still, even when there aren’t large holes, Allen is making plays, gaining extra yards, and showing extra toughness which Irish fans have always wanted to see from him. He’s averaging well over five yards a carry which is production that Notre Dame desperately needs to have a well balanced offense.

With Michael Floyd’s injury, the play of Allen is all the more important as the Irish will inevitably be forced to run the ball a little more in the coming weeks. Thankfully, the ground game is finally at a place where there’s confidence to hand the ball off and make first downs.

Now about the defense and the endless blitzing dialed up by John Tenuta. It’s just not working and is putting the Irish defense at a needless disadvantage. I was hoping that I would be proved wrong on this point, but all signs are pointing to the contrary.

There are a few reasons why the blitzes are not working. First, as most people notice, the defensive line cannot get a good enough push and have been unable to get any pressure on Nevada, Michigan, or Michigan State quarterbacks.

I don’t care if Mike Singletary and Ray Lewis line up at linebacker for Notre Dame because it’s not that hard to defend a blitz with a non-threatening defensive line.

Secondly, the linebackers have not been quick enough to get near the quarterback in time to make the blitzes worthwhile. As a result, Notre Dame continually sends five or six men at the quarterback while leaving the secondary out to dry.

The result is that the Irish have made opposing offenses look much better than they are and there’s a loss already on the schedule that I believe wouldn’t be there with a less aggressive defensive game plan.

It’s maddening to watch Notre Dame blitz on play after play and continue to do so when it is so clearly not working. There is also no schematic advantage for doing this when everyone and their mother knows it’s coming on every down.

Another thing that has bothered me is that too many blitzing defenders are being sucked into blockers and not trying to get to the quarterback. Numerous times I have watched as a linebacker would come off the edge to meet an offensive lineman, and instead of trying to get around him and get after the quarterback, they simply engage the lineman and doing nothing more.

Notre Dame might as well play with one linebacker on the field because that is what they’ve been forced to do for three games this year. After all those blitzes through three games (probably 80 percent of all snaps and over 90 percent of snaps yesterday) Notre Dame has a grand total of four sacks, including zero against Michigan State.

In my opinion, it would be like Notre Dame trying to run the ball up the middle and getting stuffed each and every time, but continuing to do the same thing over and over. In effect, the defense is playing into all of their weaknesses. Isn’t insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?

I’ll give the Irish credit on State’s last play because they did get some pressure (although it was still late) but Cousins simply lost his cool and made a dumb play, something he was not doing all game long.

If you’re blitzing on 90 plays a game and only getting real pressure on half a dozen plays, then the game plan needs to change.

The question now becomes, will anything be done to fix the problem? What does Tenuta have to offer besides his blitz packages? Is it realistic to think Tenuta will tone down the blitzing in the coming weeks?

How much longer are we going to give opposing wide receivers ten yard cushions and wonder why it’s easier than back yard flag football to complete passes?

How much longer are we going to continue to see the one linebacker Notre Dame didn’t send on a blitz get lost in coverage and blown by a faster wide receiver?

So far, Notre Dame has given up 307 yards to Nevada, 430 yards to Michigan, and 459 yards to Michigan State. The Fighting Irish will have a hard time winning games giving up that kind of yardage.

At this point, given their preseason hype, the cornerbacks for Notre Dame have been the most overrated and disappointing. But because they are working at such a disadvantage with wild blitz packages in front of them, the corners are doing more than they should have to.

In conclusion, the defensive game plan needs to change and the incessant blitzing needs to stop. It could mean the difference between giving up 350 yards and 25 points to Purdue or giving up 225 yards and burying the Boilermakers before the fourth quarter begins.

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By Eric Murtaugh | Fighting Irish Gameday Correspondent

One of the better rivalries in college football takes place today as Michigan State invades South Bend to face Notre Dame. Both teams are coming off crushing losses last week and will be looking to take possession of the Megaphone.

Let’s go inside the huddle for today’s kickoff.

The game starts off with another short kickoff by Irish kicker Nick Tausch and the ball is taken close to midfield by the Spartans.

A nice five yard run on first down by State is followed up by a dropped pass and an incomplete pass so the Spartans are forced to punt.

The Irish have come out in a five wide set and Clausen wastes no time moving Notre Dame down the field with three completions including a 52 yarder to tight end Kyle Rudolph. On the fourth play of the drive, running back Armando Allen takes the ball out of the wildcat formation and runs unmolested into the end zone.

State’s second drive is moving much better as they are mixing up run and passing plays and have converted a big third down in Irish territory. But the drive stalls after State moves near the red zone but settle for a field goal.

Theo Riddick takes the kickoff close to midfield and the Irish are back in business on their second drive. Notre Dame remains in empty back field sets and Clausen has yet to throw an incompletion. Seconds later, Clausen nails Michael Floyd on a corner route in the end zone. The extra point is missed by Tausch.

A long run and a 12 yard pass and State is moving once again into Notre Dame territory. A couple nice defensive plays by Kyle McCarthy and State is in third and long. Spartan quarterback Kirk Cousins is unable to hit his receiver and the ensuing field goal hits the upright and is no good.

Once again the Irish are in empty back field sets and Allen has not seen the field besides his wildcat touchdown run. The first quarter ends with the Irish left with their first third down attempt of the afternoon.

This is the kind of moment where I think Weis needs to convert the third down. The Irish can really put the pressure on Michigan State and Weis tends to call very odd plays in these situations. And he does once again, with a wildcat to Allen that comes up a yard short. Luckily, a pitch to Allen comes within inches of picking up the first down.

After a false start and holding call on Notre Dame, the Irish are left with a second down and 25. Oddly enough now, Weis decides to line up in a run formation. Clausen is sacked immediately after receiving the snap and is being looked at by the trainers.

Backup quarterback Dayne Crist comes in for the third and forever and a screen pass to Hughes goes nowhere. That was a drive Notre Dame needed to put points on the board in my opinion. They need to put State away in moments like this.

So it happens, Michigan State has grabbed some momentum and after a horrible call against Robert Blanton for a late hit and another penalty against Harrison Smith for a late hit, the Spartans have moved into Irish territory. You have to love college referees.

On the next play, a half back pass finds the end zone and the Spartans are back in the game. To add more salt to the wound, Michigan State recovers an onside kick at only nine yards from the kickoff, but it was ruled the ball had gone ten yards. Would it be called any other way?

The Irish defense steps up and on a screen pass Kapron Lewis-Moore causes a fumble that is recovered by Toryan Smith. That was a much needed turnover.

Now Clausen throws his first incompletion (a drop by Parris) and Allen is now getting carries and showing a nice blend of power and speed. Weis is looking to run the ball more now and Jonas Gray rips off a long run to the left side for 15 yards.

A fade route to Floyd looked to be a touchdown but was ruled it was not so, even after a review by Notre Dame. A wildcat run by Allen brings the ball to the goal line but Clausen fumbles the snap on third down and Notre Dame settles for a field goal.

The Irish defense looks sloppy here as the first half is coming to an end and the Spartans are threatening to score. Notre Dame’s blitzing continues to be ineffective and State is inside the red zone after a couple nice completions.

After yet another penalty by Notre Dame, this time a facemask call, Michigan State punches the ball into the end zone from the goal line and takes their first lead of the game.

Notre Dame doesn’t have much time left and after a couple plays Crist throws a deep ball that is intercepted by State as the clock hits zero. Clausen left for the locker room just moments before to get treatment for his injury.

It looks as if Notre Dame has not learned from its mistakes last week and continues to blitz all nearly every play. Just like last week there is not enough pressure on the quarterbacks and State is content with quick passing and running up the middle.

Coming out of half time Notre Dame picks up a first down followed by a long completion to Golden Tate. On another wildcat formation, Allen takes the snap and throws a touchdown pass to Parris giving Notre Dame the lead on an efficient and quick first possession.

On State’s ensuing drive they get nowhere and are forced to punt. This time on third down the Irish blitz got pressure and forced an incompletion. Tate takes the punt into Michigan State territory as we got to commercial for the 85^th time today.

It’s just been announced that Floyd has broken his collar bone…this is a huge blow to the Notre Dame offense. The Irish are committing themselves to running the ball now as a third and five approaches.

Tate makes a strong second effort to gain the first down but now the Irish are in second and long after yet another holding penalty. That’s followed by a huge drop by Tate near the five yard line and an incomplete pass leaving a long field goal attempt. Tausch nails it so it’s now 26-17 Notre Dame.

State comes back with a big third down conversion and a long pass to the tight end to move into Irish territory once again. The Spartans convert another third down followed up by a long pass bringing the ball inside the five yard line.

Moments later State runs to the left side and gets another touchdown. However, the PAT is blocked keeping a three point lead for the Irish.

Another holding call on the kickoff leaves the Irish a long way from the end zone. Notre Dame picks up a first down on a pass to Kamara but the third quarter comes to an end with the Irish left with a third and two. After the commercial Allen picks up the first down.

The drive stalls near mid field and the Irish are forced to punt. The Spartans take over inside their own 20 with 12 minutes to play in the game.

Notre Dame forces State into a third down but a dump off on a slant pattern picks up huge yardage and the Spartans are inside the red zone. Two plays later Cousins hits his receiver in the end zone to take the lead.

Notre Dame takes the ball and is slowly moving the chains down the field and into Michigan State territory. There’s now less than seven minutes left and the Irish are at the 39 yard of State. If the Irish score will they leave too much time on the clock?

Indeed they may as two plays later Clausen connects with Tate for a big touchdown pass. Once again, the play is under review. It looked like he had a foot in with possession and the replay confirms it.

The onus is now on the Irish defense which has not played well all day long. Notre Dame leads by three and needs to come up with a stop on this Spartan possession.

On the first play Walls nearly picks up an interception and the second down pass is thrown high and incomplete. It’s a big third down here. Another blitz package is dialed up and the Spartan receiver just can’t hang on to the pass from Cousins. State is punting.

On first down Allen rushes up the middle for a nice gain but a personal foul penalty against Irish lineman Sam Young brings the ball back to the twelve yard line. That was the tenth penalty of the day on Notre Dame.

A huge play by Golden Tate as he catches the ball and shakes two defenders to pick up the first down. A wildcat formation goes nowhere and Allen picks up some nice yards but Notre Dame is stuck with a third down and six.

Clausen tries to find a receiver but Goodman cannot come up with it and the Irish are forced to punt. On the punt there is an illegal block against State.

State is continuing to utilize short passes and has moved the ball into Irish territory with under two minutes to play. A third down pass is almost intercepted by Ray Herring but is miraculously caught by the State receiver.

After another huge blitz by Notre Dame, Cousins had a target wide open by a mile in the end zone but just misses the completion. He’ll remember that pass because he throws an interception to Kyle McCarthy and it looks as though Notre Dame will hold on to the victory 33-30, their first in six attempts against Michigan State in South Bend.

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By Eric Murtaugh | Fighting Irish Gameday Correspondent

Before I get into the ramifications of this past weekend’s loss to Michigan, let’s hand out some grades to specific Notre Dame positions.

Quarterback: A

You can’t really put much blame on Jimmy Clausen in this game, as he continues to be Notre Dame’s best player and is putting together a scorching start for an Irish quarterback. He didn’t turn the ball over, he threw for 336 yards plus three touchdowns, and he engineered what could have been a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.

You would have liked Clausen to be a little more accurate, but I put most of that on poor passing calls from Charlie Weis.

Running Backs: B+

Well, we finally saw Armando Allen have a breakout game, running for 139 yards on 21 carries to go along with a touchdown. Had they correctly called his screen pass as inbounds, Allen would have finished with almost 100 yards receiving as well.

The bad news is that Jonas Gray had a costly fumble and Allen was dinged up on the last drive, forcing Weis to throw the ball with Robert Hughes in the backfield.

Wide Receivers: B+

Looking at the stats, you would think the wideouts deserve an A grade, but they could have played better. Obviously Golden Tate would like to catch those two passes that were right in his breadbasket.

Am I alone in thinking Duval Kamara really isn’t that good? The Irish need a legitimate third receiver, and although Kamara has size, he’s neither fast nor very physical. Why don’t John Goodman, Robby Parris, and Shaquelle Evans get more PT?

Kyle Rudolph had a fairly quiet game, but Michigan kept a good eye on him.

Offensive Line: A

It doesn’t seem to make sense that this was the line’s best game in years and Notre Dame still lost. They didn’t give up a sack, and they cleared numerous running holes for Allen. The penalties were costly, but I think a lot of the calls were pretty ridiculous if I do say so myself. I’m not going to knock Sam Young for pancake-blocking a guy and getting a penalty for it.

Defensive Line: D

The weakest link on the Irish roster was taken advantage of this weekend, that’s for sure. Quite simply, Notre Dame’s defensive line did not match up well against Nevada or Michigan, and it showed in both games. The heavy blitzing attack is not effective without the D-line getting pressure, and they have not done that. Plus, there’s not much size inside to stop the run. It’s definitely a cause for concern.

Linebackers: C+

I thought the linebackers played decently, but nothing spectacular. Brian Smith continues to be the best linebacker, and Toryan Smith is playing very well too. Manti Te’o was fairly quiet, but it appeared he didn’t play that much. It would have been nice if one of the linebackers had come up with a big play on Michigan’s last drive.

Defensive Backs: C-

Kyle McCarthy and Harrison Smith continue to lead the team in tackles and are playing very well, but they are playing too close to the line of scrimmage and not helping out enough in coverage. After two games, Robert Blanton, Darrin Walls, Raeshon McNeil, and Gary Gray have to show me more because they have looked pretty average thus far.

Special Teams: D

The kickoff return for a touchdown was pretty much the difference in the game, and it is all the more painful seeing as how the Irish have been so good in coverage for quite some time. Nick Tausch’s missed field goal was big, but he settled down and hit two more. At this point a 66 percent success rate in the kicking game is what I’ll take.

However, Notre Dame definitely has to get someone to kick the ball deeper on kickoffs and find a punter who can actually drive the ball downfield. Michigan had great field position all day long.

Coaching: C-

I think Weis will get more derision from this loss than I think he deserves in terms of his play calling, but the fact remains that his team lost yet again to an inferior opponent. On the defensive side of the ball, the heavy blitzing did not work, and I’ve been rallying against it for quite a long time now.

Still, the players play the game, and if Gray doesn’t fumble or someone tackles the Michigan return man before his touchdown, we might be singing the coaches’ praises.

Review

This was definitely one tough loss to swallow for Irish fans everywhere. It hurts because we know Notre Dame is better and it was such a close down to the wire-type loss. Still, there are some positive to take away and lessons to learn from this game.

First off, the Irish offense is very, very good. Clausen has been playing tremendously, and Allen is playing up to his potential. The offensive line has looked markedly improved, and there is so much to be happy about with their play thus far.

Suffice to say, the offense probably won’t be much of a problem this season. Only USC may slow them down and keep them under 30 points, but I’d expect at least another big day against Michigan State next weekend.

On defense there are a lot of problems and questions. As I’ve stated, I don’t like the amount of blitzing Jon Tenuta is dialing up on nearly every play. The D-line can’t get enough pressure, and the roster doesn’t have any spectacular pass rushers as it is.

I would like to think the Irish would have been better off sitting back, stopping the run, and forcing Tate Forcier to beat Notre Dame with his arm or legs against more solid coverage.

A good analogy would be the way certain hockey teams employ the trap to slow down quick offensive teams. It’s usually a bad idea to send in two or three forwards on the forecheck against highly skilled teams because they will move the puck quickly and create mismatches down the ice.

That’s basically what the Irish have done for two weeks, and Michigan made them pay while Nevada did not. We’re constantly sending linebackers and nickelbacks in a weak attempt to chase down the quarterback, when what they’re really doing is making it easier for those quarterbacks who can simply sidestep one defender and have favorable matchups downfield.

With that being said, the Irish blitzing will probably be more effective against less mobile quarterbacks in the coming weeks, but the blueprint is there, so to speak, on how to defeat this defense. Hopefully there will be some adjustments and the defense will step up and play better going ahead.

As far as coaching goes, I’m definitely concerned, although I’m not about to ditch Charlie Weis just yet. This team at the very least is showing signs of improvement and is playing much better than last year.

My biggest problem with Weis and his play calling is that he is so quick to abandon the run game and that he constantly calls boneheaded plays in crucial situations. These two factors have haunted Notre Dame throughout his entire career in South Bend.

Of course the Irish running attack wasn’t very good last year or the year before, but against Michigan it was working with great precision. But after two runs in the third quarter were stopped for short gains, Weis practically gave up.

I realize Notre Dame had a huge advantage with Michael Floyd and Tate, but Allen was playing so well, and it was a mistake to allow Michigan to know the pass was coming on every play. When that is added to the choice not to run the ball on the last possession, well, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

So what does Notre Dame do from here? I think there’s still hope, but this loss will take a while to get over, even if the Irish beat Michigan State and later head into the USC game at 4-1.

I really look at this loss and marvel at all of the bad things that happened to Notre Dame. There wasn’t one big problem but a host of seven or eight things that combined to cause one heck of a rough loss.

Still, Notre Dame needs to fight on and build momentum as the date with the Trojans comes closer, because a lot of people are looking at that game as a bellwether for the season and program as a whole.

But first, the Spartans must be defeated on Saturday.

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