Week 1 - Where’s me pot o’ gold?

Week 1 First Impression.

The Fighting Irish open the 2009 season with the Nevada. To the casual fan, this is supposed to be an easy win, right? I mean, it’s the opener. All good teams schedule cupcakes for the season opener, right? Wrong. Nevada is no cupcake. They may hale from an overall weak conference, but this team is legit. They have the potential to give Notre Dame all it can handle on Saturday.

What could go wrong?

Nevada will march into Notre Dame Stadium in Saturday lead by returning starter and dual threat QB Colin Kaepernick. This guy threw for 2,849 yards last year and ran for an additional 1,130. Granted, this is against JV competition for the most part, but the stats cannot be ignored. The Wolf Pack ranked 3rd in rushing yards per game last year. This team obviously has talent. If Notre Dame lets this offense start rolling out of the gate, and do not make the necessary adjustments required to minimize their production, we could end up in a shootout that goes down to the wire. True, ND’s offense looks promising, but all it takes is a few miscues, a few shots from the “pistol” offense, and we are in a dogfight... or worse, we are playing catch-up.

Where’s me pot o’ Gold? (Keys to the game, or “me pot o’ gold”)

I think a successful day for the Irish, resulting in a quality win, will include several nuggets that contribute to the pot. Here’s a John Madden insight for ya: in order to win we need to put up more points than the other guys, right? Their pass defense is extremely vulnerable, giving up the most passing yards per game in the nation last year. 311.62 yards per game, to be exact... dead last. Jimmy and Charlie must exploit this. You will find big days from Tate and Floyd in my pot o’ gold. To make this much easier, the Irish need to establish a ground threat. I’m looking for Armando Allen to set the tone for his season in game 1. One hundred yards or more from Armando would also be in the pot.

The Fighting Irish defense will be poked and prodded for weaknesses all 4 quarters by this multifaceted offense. In my opinion, we will need good Defensive End play throughout the game. Containing this QB will be a chore considering he can make plays with his feet as well as his arm. Kaepernick throws the ball well on the run, so D Ends that make their reads and contain will need to be in the pot. However, my biggest worry is generated by a young, inexperienced ND Defensive Line. With 3 returning 1,000 yard rushers on the Wolf Pack O, limiting the ground production is key.

With the inevitable uncertainties that exist before every season opener, my pot o’ gold for Nevada is a grab bag of hopes.

What do I think will happen on Saturday?

I see both teams screaming out of the gates with a few quick scores for both sides. Once the guesswork lessens and both sidelines settle down, I believe Notre Dame will begin to disrupt the Wolf Pack offense. By the 3rd quarter the Irish will begin to wear down the Nevada defense and start to control the clock. The surprise of the day will be the decent play of the Notre Dame defense against a big play offense.

Final score: Notre Dame – 35, Nevada – 24

Week 1 - Where’s me pot o’ gold?