:: Notre Dame Football: Irish Game Day ::
Showdown in Palo Alto: Notre Dame and Stanford have date with destiny; test of character for Fighting Irish in must-win game, with possible at-large "BCS" bowl bid on the line for either team
Leprechaun Express: Notre Dame Football Intel Update Nov. 26, 2011
Notre Dame takes a four-game winning streak and top-25 "BCS" ranking into Stanford Stadium to play a top-6 Cardinal team, with both schools having potential "BCS" bowl bids on the line.
As Ara Parseghian pointed out in the pep rally before Notre Dame blew out Big Ten/12 finalist Michigan State, having a highly ranked opponent is a grea opportunity, because it is by beating teams like that, that one moves up in the rankings.
"BCS" Implications
For the Irish, a win would give them 9 wins, one element of mathematical "BCS" bowl eligibility. And if a strong enough showing vaults them from #22 to #14 or higher in the "BCS" standings, they would be fully eligible for an at-large bid. The "BCS" did confirm a few days ago that Notre Dame is included among the list of teams still under consideration for a possible "BCS" bowl bid.
Stanford, in the top-5 in the rankings but #6 in the "BCS" standings, is shut out of the PAC-12 conference title game without a loss by Oregon. But Stanford, with a win and even higher ranking, and attritition higher up, could conceivably end up in the top-2 and the so-called "BCS National Title" game. Or, Stanford could end up with an automatic bid finishing in the top-4, as long as no other PAC-12 team was in the "title" game.
Keys for Notre Dame
Notre Dame has been riddle by injuries, losing players such as tandem heavy-halfback Jonas Gray, and having other players taking the field a bit banged-up, such as Butkus Award Finalist linebacker Manti Te'o. Illnesses also have affected play. Typical keys for the Irish are amplified, with additional "Next Man In" issues also arising.
Turnovers
As throughout the year, keys for the Irish will include avoiding turnovers and mistakes, with Notre Dame still in the bottom-10 in Div. I-A for turnover margin. In games where Notre Dame has limited or eliminated turnovers, overall success has been notable.
Effort
Notre Dame looked inexplicably flat early on against Southern Cal, and at times against Michigan. Meanwhile, Stanford has a much stronger line of scrimmage and running game in the past few years, and inflicted a death-by-a-thousand-cuts strategy last year against Notre Dame. Scoring only a few touchdowns, Stanford secured a blowout by tacking on 15 additional points by stretching out five additional drives just enough to get some points off of field goals.
The Irish are a bit stronger this year, such as with the offensive line playing better, and the defense a bit bigger and stronger, including and a mobile 330-pound nose tackle. But with the injury issues at this time, as well as the nature of the opponent, Notre Dame will have to push and scrap with maximum sustained effort from start to finish.
One recalls the Notre Dame in the 1950's that beat #1-ranked Oklahoma on the road, snapping the longest winning streak in big-time college football. What was noteworthy was not just how weak that Notre Dame team had been the previous year, or that they won on the road to snap the Sooner winning streak. What was even more interesting was that, with the score deadlocked 0-0 in the second half, the Irish mounted a 20-play, 80-yard drive at 4 yards per play.
That kind of relentless, unyielding effort is what is needed against the Cardinal.
Next Man In
Also intriguing will be the efforts to plug holes in the roster, especially with running backs. It is interesting to note that Brian Kelly has said Notre Dame will have to use George Atkinson and Cam Daniels. Kelly did not necessarily have a rotation at running back last year until he had too, but then discovered that the rotation, especially with big Robert Hughes, was something he needed to win, along with flexibility on how he used his line.
This year, Notre Dame was very effective using a tandem of Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray, and one wondered to what extent Kelly turned to the tandem because of his personnel, or how much he now likes the dynamic of a tandem as part of his scheme.
Against Stanford, Kelly appears to envision rotation. Particularly interesting will be Atkinson, who has had significant game action as a kick returner, including taking two kick returns to the house for touchdowns. Clearly Atkinson, with a gameday attitude beyond his years, will be no shrinking violent, and, at the same time, Stanford will not have much film on him as a running back to study tendencies. As a result, while Atkinson is not as powerful a runner as Gray, if he can hit the ground running with some power and attitude, he could also get a bit of a bump and multiplier effect from the rookie honeymoon period that goes with being a new face without much film for the opponent to crash on.
Rees mobility? Crist and Hendrix cameos?
Kelly has indicated that Notre Dame opponents have dropped as many as seven to nine into coverage on pass plays. Notre Dame Tommy Rees has seemingly adapted well, still getting good completions, but it will be interesting how Stanford dials up its pass defense. Kelly may have made a mistake talking too openly about Rees having a knee issue that has cropped up over time, but truthfully, while scrappy, was never as a good a runner as Dayne Crist.
In an ideal world, Crist would be fully rehabbed and at 100% of his passing abilities, including footwork and escapability. Either way, however, it might be optimal to see Crist go in for multiple possessions to shake up Stanford presenting a deep threat. And icing on the cake would be bringing out the Wildcat, while Crist is in, with fleet-footed and sure-armed Andrew Hendrix at Wildcat quarterback. While perhaps marginally fanciful, the possibilities presented would be endless.
Stanford Still a Harbaugh Team? Passing Complemented by Running
Stanford has its much-hyped Heisman-candidate quarterback Andrew Luck, but truthfully it is the ground game and strong line of scrimmage on both sides of the both that makes the difference between Stanford being a spirited, interesting average team and being a national title contender.
In modern times especially , Stanford always usually had a respectable passing game, even when they had a poor overall record. Former coach Jim Harbaugh managed to retain that passing respectability while bringing in a much stronger line of scrimmage and Big Ten-style power running game.
Luck, for his part, undoubtedly is realizing that other Heisman candidates have sought to use a late-season nationally televised match-up with Notre Dame to punctuate their campaign.
Not necessarily a prolific passer with regard to raw yardage, Luck has thrown to as many as nine receivers in recent games. But in recent games he has not been immune to interceptions.
And Stanford's real overall strength is a balanced offense and strengthened line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
The Cardinal, or the Indians as they used to be known, always have had a strong passing tradition, even when they had a terrible record.
But former coach Jim Harbaugh, while retaining the passing tradition, brought in a Big Ten-style power running game and emphasis on strong line play. Stanford seems to have retained that character, without which Luck would just be another competent Stanford passer.
Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly has pointed out, while praising Luck as perhaps the best college quarterback, it is Stanford's ground game that helps make it so potent on offense, including a near-perfect red zone scoring percentage.
And last year, when Stanford seemingly blew out Notre Dame, it was really more a death-by-a-thousand-cuts phenomenon of Stanford using its steady sledge-hammer approach to sustain extra drives just long enough to get a few points out of them. Stanford only had several touchdowns in 2010 against Notre Dame, but had no fewer than five additional drives where they scrapped along just far enough to get five field goals to tack onto the touchdowns.
As mentioned above, truth be known, Luck is not necessarily all that prolific a passer, albeit one who is fairly efficient. Where he is reputed to be a strong pro prospect is in his poise, his accuracy and timing, and his ability to read the field and time the right pass to the most optimal receiver most available. In one recent game, Luck threw completions to nine receivers.
Joe Montana Super Bowl
Notre Dame goes up against Stanford on the same field, or at least the same site, where Joe Montana had one of his more memorable Super Bowl MVP performances.
Super Bowl XIX, was played in Stanford Stadium on January 20, 1985, with Joe Montana leading the San Francisco 49'ers over Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins 38-16. Notre Dame grad Montana was 24 of 35 for 335 yards and 3 touchdowns, and also rushed for 59 yards and a rushing TD on 5 carries. Montana was named Super Bowl MVP, in what was the second of four Super Bowl wins for Montana and the 49'ers, three of which saw Montana named MVP.
So the Irish will have some Notre Dame echoes of a sort greeting them in Stanford, California.
Let's see if the test of character facing them produces a result worthy of The Comeback Kid.
Keywords: Notre Dame Football, Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football, College Football, Stanford, BCS, Bowl Games
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