Week 3 Reaction - Have we forgotten about the gold?

Notre Dame finally beats Michigan State in South Bend and I'm suprised by my own reaction to the game.  I am not that excited about the game.  Don't get me wrong, I am happy that we won and I'm happy that we are 2-1 on the season.  My problem is, I can't help but think that this team isn't playing up to it's potential.  Notre Dame found themselves fighting off a driving opponent in the closing seconds of the game for the second week in a row.  That would be OK, if they were playing disciplined football.  Much like the Michigan game, the Fighting Irish committed penalties that allowed the opposing team to hang around long enough to have a legitimate chance at winning the game.  Luckily we put a tick in the W column this week thanks to Kyle McCarthy's 3rd pick on the year.

Another seemingly constant theme showed up again this weekend.  Terrible officiating.  Michael Floyd's last touchdown catch of the 2009 football season was ruled an incomplete pass.  Despite multiple replay angles that confirmed the catch, the officials decided to put their heads their rear-ends and ignore the video evidence.  It reminds me of that Buffalo Wild Wings commercial where the ref puts his head under the replay hood and the restaurant patrons tell him to send it to O.T.  What will they do to us next, start tripping players on the field?

I'm not going to be a Charlie Weis apologist any longer.  He may have seemingly "saved" his career for now, but let's not go extending his contract for another 10 years just yet.  Notre Dame's offense was great again, for that I give Charlie credit.  But I fault him for the undisciplined play that we have witnessed that past 2 weeks.  Notre Dame was penalized 11 times or 99 yards on Saturday.  After 3 games we are ranked 100th in the nation in total penalty yards.  I can understand one bad game with a few accidental penalties, but when it becomes a theme I have to question the team's preparation and discipline.  That falls on Charlie.  It seems that his switch to Offensive Coordinator / Head Coach has resulted in lots of Coordinator and not enough Coach. 

Defensive Coordinator John Tenuta is known for his "crazy all-out blitzing schemes" that supposedly create pressure on offenses.  Well, we didn't sack the quarterback at all last game, and only had 4 tackles for losses totaling 4 lost yards.  That is not pressure in my book.  We are ranked 74th in rush defense and 91st in pass defense, which makes us the 96th ranked defense in the country.  Even if we score 34 points per game, those defensive numbers will not take us to a BCS bowl.  This defense has a long way to go, and I am starting to doubt whether Tenuta's defense is the answer.

In my opinion, here is what we "know" about this team:

1. Our offense is capable of scoring everytime they touch the ball.  One of the best O's in the nation.
2. Our Quarterback has a great arm.  He is accurate, has a gun, and is a demonstrated leader.  He showed us his toughness playing through injury on Saturday and should start to enter the Heisman conversations.
3. We now have a pressing need for an additional receiving threat with the loss of Michal Floyd.  He will likely miss the remainder of the regular season as he underwent surgery today on a broken collarbone.
4. Golden Tate is amazing... when he wants to be.  If he gave 100% effort on every play, he and the other receivers would benefit from his hustle.
5. Our Defense isn't as good as we expect.  Our linebackers are solid, bu the defensive line and secondary are not playing to potential.
   
6. Darrin Walls is struggling.  Quarterbacks are gong to his side of the field whenever they get a chance because he hasn't proven that he can cover.  One pump fake and he bights.
   
7. Our Special teams aren't that special.  Kickoff coverage has declined and the field goal / PAT kicking isn't consistent.  

Here's is what we hope to see:

1. A team that plays through adversity and injury.  It was great to see Notre Dame come out of the gates hot on Saturday.  I hope they can continue to play with intensity while improving as the season marches on.
   
2. A defense that adjusts when our blitzing linebackers fail to create pressure.  If we cant get to the ball when we send everyone, then the 9 yard pass plays will march the opposing team down the field.  Our corners are forced to play with a large cushion and the underneath routes are hurting us.  Maybe start dropping linebackers into coverage more often?
3. A more disciplined team.  Penalties are giving opponents too many points and killing momentum.
4. Someone needs to swat that injury bug.  Lets try to keep our key playmakers healthy.  This dynamic offense will become average if we lose anymore impact players. 
5. A win against USC.  This weekend they showed us that they are very beatable.  A win over USC could mean a 1 or 2 loss season, if the defense improves.  That hope is very real.

I may seem awfully pessimistic after an Irish win, but if we hold true to the goal of being a BCS team, then some things need to improve.  I love Notre Dame football and I would love to see Charlie Weis get the monkey of his back by turning this season into a memorable one.  Now lets have a good week of practice and pound the Boilermakers next weekend.

Go Irish!

Week 3 Reaction - Have we forgotten about the gold?