The Irish traveled south to San Antonio in order to beat the Cougars 40-14. Although a bit sloppy and constantly called a “workman-like” effort by Pat Haden, Notre Dame came away with yet another win. Nonetheless, the Irish ran their unbeaten streak on Halloween to 15 straight.

Likes

Golden Tate is the most electryifying player in college football.

Golden Tate

Golden Tate is bigger in Texas.

The box score on Sunday doesn’t speak for how spectacular Tate was in the Alamodome last night. Notre Dame fans were complaining about paying admission to see a poor game in a neutral site stadium, but they got their moneys worth thanks to the ‘ooh’s and ah’s’ of Tate.

The highlight of the night came when Clausen heaved a 50-yard pass to the right corner of the endzone, where Tate and three Cougar defensive backs waited for the ball. Standing at only 5′11″, Tate leaped over all three defenders and came away with the ball for six points.

Not only is he the most overlooked player in college football, but he is also the most electrifying.

Front Seven

For a second straight week, the Irish front four find themselves in the “Likes” category. That could only mean one thing.

Improvement.

Darius Fleming, Steve Filer, Ian Williams and Ethan Johnson led the attack as the Irish pass-rushers found themselves consistently putting pressure on the hapless Cougar freshman quarterback, Jeff Tuel.

Thanks to the front four’s dominace, everyone else’s job was made easier. The linebackers played extremely well. Every play Manti Te’o is on the field, he makes everyone else around him a better player.

“Backup” Running Backs

Robert Hughes has earned plenty of doubters during his three years in the program. However, there is no denying that when the time comes for him to step up, Hughes delivers.

He has earned the right to be the offensive version of Kyle McCarthy, Mr. Dependable. With Armando Allen sitting out in order to be fully healthy for next week, Hughes carried the ball 24 times for 131 yards and a score. Fighting for each and every yard, he was able to help control the time of possession for the Irish (40:54) and served as a check-down option for Clausen every time he didn’t have an open receive.

And then there is yet another freshman, No. 32.

Coming out of Manville, New Jersey, Theo Riddick looks like the successor to Armando Allen and Robert Hughes. In fact, he may even be given some more carries after giving an opportunity on Saturday. Riddick ran the ball 9 times for 51 yards using a combination of power, speed and finesse.

Dislikes

Penalties

The penalties are what turned this game from a great game for the Irish into a good win. With all of the momentum in the world and total control of the game, the offensive line still had reason to commit personal fouls.

Eric Olsen was hit with two personal foul calls and got an earfull from Weis. Being an offensive captain and one of the leaders on the team, the Irish cannot afford these penalties from their veterans against the likes of Pittsburgh and Stanford.

Hopefully this is the last we will see of these mental mishaps.

Punting

While Ben Turk had a beautiful punt of 52 yards pinning the Cougars on their own two-yard line, he also had kicks of 11 and 19 yards.

Not only did the freshman punter still raise question marks for the second straight week, but long-snapper Jordan Cowart had a bad snap which forced Turk to rush a kick, going off the side of his foot.

Consistency is the key in the kicking game and Turk hasn’t quite found that yet. However, that is not to say he won’t because he has the leg and he has the talent. The freshman just needs to put the pieces to the puzzle together.

News, Notes, and Rants

-The Irish are ranked No. 19 in the AP poll, 20th in the Harris poll and No. 21 in the USA Today poll. Look for the Irish to be somewhere between 17-20 in the BCS rankings this week.

-Dayne Crist may have a serious injury. If so, it hurts more than anyone thinks. If the rumor of being an ACL injury is true, Crist is looking at a 6-12 month recovery period.

-Weis said in his post game presser that Trevor Robinson’s injury was probably just a rolled or sprained ankle. Losing Robinson for any amount of time would be a huge loss the rest of the way.

-Before going to commercial at halftime, Clausen went up to Tate after the hail mary touchdown. In his ear, Clausen mouthed “Money, money, money.”

-Robert Hughes needs 6 or 7 touches before he gets going in what seems to be every game. New pregame routine, anyone?

-Jonas Gray may be the odd man out in the future of the running back rotation. He seems very tentative and still cannot hold onto the football.

-Nick Tausch hit his 14th straight field goal, a Notre Dame record. The freshman’s value to the kicking game is hard to put into words.

-Navy rolls into the Bend next weekend with their triple-option attack offense. The Midshipmen lost to Temple this weekend, but also took Ohio State down to the wire.

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"I wanted my turf, damnit!"

Charlie Weis’ team battled to yet another late-game thriller as the Irish beat the Eagles, 20-16, in South Bend.

Likes

Receivers

Notre Dame now has two deserving Heisman contenders thanks to Golden Tate. He is the best college football player nobody is talking about.

Due to Michael Floyd’s injury, Tate’s numbers were expected to take a major hit. Instead, they have only become better.

Without him, the Irish would be looking at at least two or three more losses. Tate’s performances have been the reason Clausen has even had a chance to lead his team back to victory. His attitude has become something fun to watch every week. He knows he is good and loves to show that, both on the field and with his mouth.

Duval Kumara had a long-overdue contributing game yesterday. Being a consistent chain-mover, Kumara had seven receptions for 60 yards. These numbers do not speak for how well the junior receiver played.

Defensive Line

It seems every week, improvement is visible among the defensive front four.

Although they weren’t getting consistent pressure, when they did, it mattered. On all three interceptions thrown by the Eagles’ 25-year old freshman, the Irish were in his face. Darius Fleming moved to rush end and made an impact by putting heavy pressure on Shinskie.

Fleming’s good friend, Steve Filer, also got some reps in while giving the elder some nice pressure. It’s good to see No. 46 on the field, as he was a highly-recruited prospect as a senior and hasn’t lived up this his hype quite yet.

Ian Williams had one of his best games of his career. Stuffing the run, he made his presence felt as the entire unit let up only 70 rushing yards, good for 2.4 yards per carry. Those numbers going up against a solid offensive line and a very good running back are outstanding. No complaints here.

A Win

Yesterday produced the ugliest game the Irish have played all season, but still resulted in a win.

There are plenty of things to point out as far as negatives go, but they all resulted in a 20-15 victory.

Across the Notre Dame community, people are upset over the play of the team. However, would you rather have had them lose for the ninth straight time to a team that rubs us the wrong way consistently, year after year?

With this win, the Irish put another quality win on their resume and will be ranked somewhere between 23rd and 25th going into a fright-fest matchup with Washington State (that means no heart attacks next week, folks!)

Dislikes

3rd-and-Long

I have never seen a football team worse than the ‘09 Irish in 3rd-and-long defensive scenarios.

Week after week, the secondary allows the opponent’s to continue last-minute drives by giving up a 25-yards (or more) pass down the middle of the field. These are the plays that lead to fans like myself throwing things at anything they can reach—including windows.

While were on the topic of the secondary and frustrations, let me discuss the play—or lack thereof—of Harrison Smith. Smith is a great athlete, but not a free safety. Weis needs to make adjustments, as the Irish cannot afford to play a man down each week.

4th-and-17 in their own territory, Shinskie is given time to throw, a receiver is left wide-open at midfield, and the Eagles make the play for a huge gain to put them in great position to take the lead. Luckily, Kyle McCarthy decided to come back as a fifth-year senior and saved his team for what seems like the fifth time this season.

Thank you, Kyle.

Punting

If Ben Turk is better than Eric Maust, the Irish have a real problem.

After two games, the freshman punter had been doing a decent job on punts due to his hang-time. Against Boston College, Turk decided to change things up.

His punts went for an average of 32.7 yards on long drives, giving the Eagles consistently great field position. What happened here?

Weis said in his press conference today that he will reopen the punting competition in practice this week. Either Eric Maust will fill back in after being benched for three weeks, or Turk will be motivated by the threat of change.

Make the necessary adjustments, Charlie.

News, Notes, and Rants

— Manti Te’o is the best defensive player on this team. By the time he graduates, he will be the best linebacker in college football. Cross your fingers that he decides to take a summer mission.. or none at all.

— Both Shaq Evans and Deion Walker have been ill the past two weeks. Evans has dressed, but then again, so has Michael Floyd.

— Robby Parris left the game in the first quarter of Saturday’s game. He had been listed as doubtful the entire week before being cleared to play. After missing a perfectly placed ball by Clausen in the corner of the end zone, he left and returned in street clothes.

— Robert Hughes was knocked out cold after taking a snap from the Wildcat formation on 4th-and-1. A Boston College safety laid a helmet-to-helmet hit on the 240-pounder as Hughes fell just short of the endzone. Kick the field goal, Charlie.

— Boston College receiver Rich Gunnell is yet another example of poor sportsmanship by a Fredo player. Post-game, Clausen went to shake his hand and praise Gunnell’s play, only to be told off by the receiver and received a finger in his face. Clausen laughed it off, pushing him away and jogging back to midfield.

— Floyd’s CAT scans will be available sometime next week, and Weis expects that they will come back with good news. The final decision on when he comes back will be up to Floyd.

— Notre Dame is ranked No. 25 in the Coaches Poll. While only a couple bottom-feeders lost (Kansas, BYU, Texas Tech), almost all of the “Others receiving votes” lost (Nebraska, Michigan, South Florida, Oregon State, etc).

The Sagirin Poll has Notre Dame ranked as No. 20, and the Howell has them at No. 25. The Irish also have a fairly competitive strength of schedule ranked as the 19th toughest in the BCS computers.

— Weis’ teams are 19-0 when out-rushing the opponent. They are 15-22 when they do not. Need I say more?

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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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The Nevada Wolf Pack took the field on Saturday afternoon with an explosive Pistol offense invented by their Hall-of-Fame coach Chris Ault, but left South Bend feeling as if they were left with a BB gun offense.

After a 35-0 victory over Nevada, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish got their 2009 season off to a tremendous start. The Irish scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and never looked back.

The victory for Notre Dame raises expectations for a team looking to assert themselves as BCS contenders and prove themselves as one of the elite programs in college football. Certainly there were many positives to take away from such a convincing victory, but there were also some problems that need to be addressed before the Irish head to Ann Arbor next Saturday.

Positives

Obviously, the offense looked impressive and executed as if it was not the first game of the season. Jimmy Clausen’s 15 for 18, 315 yard, 4 touchdown performance was as good of a start as anyone could have asked from the team captain who now leads the nation in passer rating.

The receivers looked polished as Michael Floyd and Golden Tate proved they deserve to be considered as the best duo in the country. Tate finished with only 3 catches for 59 yards, but also blocked well and grabbed the attention of the Nevada defense. Floyd on the other hand, put together one of the best performances from a receiver in school history with 4 catches for 189 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Michael Floyd: 4 Catches, 189 Yards, 3 TD's vs Nevada

The running game showed some improvement from last season and the offensive line showed some promise as well. Armando Allen looks like he’s become stronger and led the way with 78 yards on 15 carries to go along with a touchdown. The team as a whole gained 192 yards on the ground, outgaining one of the nation’s strongest running games in 2008.

The pass protection for Irish quarterbacks was excellent all day long and Nevada was unable to record a sack all day long. Another positive was that the offensive line looked very mobile and strong on the numerous screen passes that were dialed up by Charlie Weis.

On the defensive side of the ball, Notre Dame deserves credit for shutting out one of the stronger offenses in the nation. The Irish defense continually harassed Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick blitzing 37 out of the first 50 Wolf Pack snaps.

The Irish limited Nevada to only 184 yards on the ground, well below their 2008 average, and denied the Wolf Pack the opportunity to establish a consistent passing attack. Safeties Harrison Smith and Kyle McCarthy played well combining for 15 tackles and McCarthy also intercepted a ball as well.

Linebackers Brian Smith and Toryan Smith led the way with very strong games including a combined eight tackles, four tackles for loss, and two sacks.

The special teams play was limited as Notre Dame did not attempt a field goal throughout the entire game, but freshman kicker looked steady in his extra points and kickoffs. As usual, the Irish kickoff coverage was smothering and dominant.

Negatives

There are a few negatives to dwell upon for Notre Dame. Although they kept Nevada off the scoreboard, the Wolf Pack could have easily put up 20 points having missed a field goal, fumbled at the five yard line, and failed to convert a fourth down deep in Irish territory.

Even though the heavy Irish blitzing attack harassed Kaepernick all day long, Notre Dame continually over pursued into the Wolf Pack backfield as running back Taua gashed through the defensive line for big gains. Taua averaged 6.3 yards per carry and was able to net over 100 yards on the ground as the sole bright spot for Nevada.

Another thing the defense must work on is wrapping up tacklers, especially in the backfield. When the Irish were able to surround Kaepernick, the elusive quarterback was able to sneak away and turn losses into decent gains. The Irish will want to make sure they tackle better in the continuing weeks.

On offense, Clausen and company pretty much had their way the entire contest, although the offensive line still seems to lack the big push up front. Still, the Irish racked up a lot of yards on the ground but only ended up averaging 4.3 yards per carry.

Summary

This was a very strong opening week win for Notre Dame and a very good warm up for the Michigan Wolverine spread option attack. I would have liked the Irish to stretch the field a bit more, particularly with Rudolph, but I get the sense Weis was playing it rather conservative.

Out of Notre Dame’s first 40 snaps on offense, 22 came in either I-formation or in a two tight end set. Clearly, Weis wanted to establish a power running game right from the get-go and wanted to see what Allen, Gray, and Riddick could prove.

Probably the most inspiring part of this victory by the Irish was that they came out to play from the opening kickoff and that we saw numerous backups contribute effectively throughout the entire game.

With many backups in by the fourth quarter, it would have been nice if the play calling didn’t go into a shell in typical Weis fashion. Hopefully, in the coming weeks we will see more than just a series of running plays when the Irish take large leads into the second half.

Three Stars

1. Jimmy Clausen

This was a no-brainer as Clausen put together his second straight near perfect game.

2. Michael Floyd

Despite only four catches, Floyd put up the eighth most yards in Notre Dame history and is proving himself to be one of the best receivers in the country. Most of all, Floyd showed top-end speed that looks downright scary given his size and strength.

T-3.

Brian Smith

Brian Smith was the most active Irish defender and looks like he could be the number one linebacker on the team once again. On numerous plays he was in the in the Nevada backfield wreaking havoc and forcing Kaepernick into mistakes.

T-3.

Manti Te’o

Te’o only saw limited action, but looked every bit the number one defensive recruit in the nation. He had three huge hits, including two tackles and seems as if he is so much stronger and faster than anyone else on the field. It wouldn’t surprise me if Te’o is starting soon.

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