Laetare Sunday

For the fifth straight year, Kanka's Sports Page is proud to announce the recipient of the KankaNation Laetare Medal. The KankaNation Laetare goes to the KankaManiac "whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of Kanka's Sports Page and enriched the heritage of humanity."

This year, the award goes to...


Ooh, more multimedia

F-Bomb, for being an active participant on the message boards, for posting the Irish Eyes video from my wedding on Youtube, and for pushing the (still unrealized, thanks to laziness on my part) KankaNation 2.0 project. 2.0 will come some day, I promise.

2011 Community Playing Time Forecast

Once again, Tom Tango is asking everyone - including you - to predict the playing time for everyone on your favorite MLB team. So if you're willing to make some educated guesses about how much everyone on your favorite team, head over to

http://www.tangotiger.net/survey/

Sabermetric Bracketology 2011

I've been applying sabermetric (or, more appropriately, APBRmetric) principles to my NCAA bracket selections for the past three years. In the contest that uses upset points, I was the big winner the first two years, then fell to a disappointing fourth place last year. So, I've been looking to change my methodology for this year.

Fortunately, master prognosticator Nate Silver came up with his own bracket forecast this year, which I was able to modify for my upset contest's scoring system.

To recap the upset scoring system, a team gets a point per round for winning (one point for winning in the round of 64, two for the round of 32, up to six for winning the championship game), plus bonus points for defeating a lower ranked seed. Bonus points are the difference between the two seeds. For example, if a 12 beats a 5 in the first round, they get one point for the win, plus 12 - 5 = 7 bonus points, for a total of 8.

I then took the potential points each team gets for the win and multiplied by the probability of winning to get the team's expected value for each game. In the first round, this was easy - it's just the probability of winning times the difference in the seeds. For example, Notre Dame has a 91% chance of beating Akron. So ND's expected value is .91*1 = .91, while Akron's is .09*(1+15-2) = 1.26.

In later rounds it's a bit more complicated, since the number of points a team gets for winning depends on who they play. If Marquette wins their first round game, they might play Syracuse, a lower seed (which would earn them bonus points with a second round win), or Indiana State, a higher seed. So, the calculation adds a layer.

In the Marquette example, they have a 90% chance of playing Syracuse in the second round (since that's the Orange's probability of winning the first round game) and a 10% chance of facing the Sycamores. Marquette has a 16% chance of advancing past the second round, and would earn 2 points for beating ISU and 10 for beating Syracuse. So the calculation becomes .16 * (.90*10 + .10 * 2) = 1.47.

I propagated this formula for every team for every round, until I got a total expected value for all six rounds for every team in the tournament. From there, I started pairing off the teams into games. I determined the winner by choosing the team who had the greater expected value over the remainder of the tournament, figuring that that would help maximize my value. I'm not sure if this is the best method - some sort of Monte Carlo simulation would probably be the ideal - but it was at least something I could take for a test run.

Some interesting observations along the way:

• Silver's bracket has Notre Dame as the "worst" two seed, with just a 1.8% chance of winning it all. Of course, that may be more because it likes Purdue so much, and not because it dislikes Notre Dame.


• Upset points considered, Clemson is a heavy favorite over West Virginia. Of course, before I could write Clemson into the second round on my bracket, I had to make sure they first won their play-in game.


• As with my past methods, the odds still favor putting all the #1 seeds in the Final Four. Since I'll be playing against a bunch of Ohio State homers in my upset contest, I'm hedging my bets by having Duke beat them in the semis and beating Kansas in the finals.


• I also used Silver's bracket to fill out a bracket that had a more straightforward scoring system. But I also took some liberties, putting Notre Dame in the finals, where they'll lose to SDSU. Apparently I'm not as big of a homer as Luke Harangody, who has the Irish winning it all in the "celebrity" bracket he did for Fox Sports Ohio.

SABR Day in Cleveland: Mike Chernoff's Comments on the Indians

This past Saturday was SABR Day, and Cleveland's Jack Graney Chapter celebrated with a meeting in the press room of Progressive Field. One of the star guest speakers was Mike Chernoff, the new Indians Assistant General Manager. Chernoff is a 2003 Princeton graduate, where he studied economics and played baseball.

Chernoff's dad was in the back of the room; father and son have played a game of catch monthly for as long as the two remember. The elder Chernoff works in the Mets radio team, and the younger's career began as an intern with that very same team. Since then, Mike has worked his way up from Indians intern to Indians AGM. Here are his thoughts on this year's team.

• The front office expects to contend and suprise ahead of schedule, like it did in 2003 and 2004.


• Carlos Santana will start season, and in fact should be ready ready at start of spring training.


• Chernoff compared Matt LaPorta to the Cliff Lee of 2007-2008 - a player struggling with injuries and inconsistencies who spent some time in the minors and was poised for a breakout.


• Because of all the time Asdrubal Cabrera lost to injury last year, his return is like a "new acquisition" for the team.


• Other teams call all the time for Michael Brantley as their CF.


• Shin-Soo Choo is an elite RF, but "don't tell his agent I said that."


• Austin Kearns was re-signed as insurance in case Grady Sizemore can't play every day at the start of the season. (Kearns would play left field with Brantley moving to center.


• Jason Donald and Jayson Nix are in the mix at third, with Luis Valbuena at second.


• Second and third base are the biggest holes right now, but also the biggest positions of strength in the future.


• It would be unrealistic to start Lonnie Chisenhall in the majors without more time in AAA, but Chis may prove the team wrong in spring training.


• Understandably, the team gets a lot of calls about Chisenhall.


• Cord Phelps is ahead of Jason Kipnis right now, but both have similar star power.


• The second half of the season was much better than the first for the Indians, especially the pitching.


• Fausto Carmona, Justin Masterson, Mitch Talbot, and Carlos Carrasco are set in the rotation. The fifth spot will go to one of the guys from last year, or a free agent.


• The Indians have 10-12 available bullpen arms who are young but good.


• The front office, who has struggled putting together an effective bullpen in the past, has determined that they need to get tons of guys with flexibility (options), so they can swap parts in and out as needed.


• Bryce Stowell, Josh Judy, and Zach Putnam are all candidates for a bullpen spot.


• Travis Hafner is still productive, but not a "seven day" (everyday) player. He's most effective against righthanders, so hopefully playing Pronk against righties and Kearns/Shelley Duncan against lefties will give the combined production of a top five DH.


• Mike Hargrove will have a variety of roles with the Tribe, on the field and off. For example, he will be an instructor at spring training. He also will serve as a liason between the front office and fans, both by spreading the team's message to the fans, and by relaying fan feedback to the team.


• For what it's worth, the business and baseball departments are now more closely tied to each other.

Chernoff also fielded a few questions:

• A SABR member asked why Manny Acta seemed so distant and reserved. Chernoff was a bit surprised, as he sees the manager as an open door guy with the team and the community. As an example, Chernoff noted that Acta is often out on the field with a fungo bat in his hands. Personally, I'd side with Chernoff on Acta - an aloof manager wouldn't be out enjoying Snow Days.


• Another question was asked about Valbuena. Chernoff didn't sugar coat things, saying that, "It's not like you're sitting there saying he's terrible, and I'm sitting there saying, 'Oh wow this is great!'" He said that the team sees a player that is still young and has tools, with a good minor league track record and one option left. If they get decent defense and good power out of him, he'll stick around. If he plays like last year, he won't just be off the field, he'll be off the team.


• Someone asked about Hafner's shoulder. Chernoff said that the shoulder is in the best condition it's been in in three to four years, but Hafner still needs to work on it constantly.


• There was a very good question about psychological tools employed by the team. The Indians do have an on-staff psychologist that meets with the players regularly. Scouts notice players' makeup on and off the field. And all potential draftees are given a psychological test.


• One questioner mentioned the concerns about Drew Pomeranz's throwing motion. Chernoff said that because of the injury risks, the Indians may consider fast-tracking Pomeranz to maximize what they can get out of him.


• Alex White is the farthest along of any minor league pitcher. He'll start in AAA, but may reach the majors this season.

Chernoff kept referring to the Indians as a small market team, so there were a few questions about that.

• He said that the mid-90s were essentially a perfect storm of consequences (my words, not his) that allowed the team to have such a high payroll. The stadium was brand new, the Browns were gone, and Cleveland's economy was doing well. Now, the stadium is one of the oldest in the league (There were cherry pickers parked outside the stadium in several locations for renovations), the Browns are once again the most popular team in Cleveland, and the economy hasn't been great for anyone in the area.


• The quote of the day from Chernoff: "Really? The Angels can just take on the entire Vernon Wells contract?"


• Someone asked how the Indians can go from small market to middle market. Chernoff really didn't have an answer, except to say that if the Indians aren't bringing in money in ticket sales, they can't put that money into payroll. He did say the team was working to figure out why Cleveland finished behind teams like Pittsburgh and Kansas City last year when the Tribe has had more recent success than those two clubs.


• Chernoff said the best way to handle free agent attrition was to focus on trade returns and diversify the "portfolio" of players gotten back. He pointed out that Casey Blake was signed as a 29-year-old minor league free agent, and the Indians eventually got Carlos Santana back for him.

2011 Cleveland Indians Lineup by The Book

Last year, Manny Acta made a splash by dropping Grady Sizemore to second in the batting order. This year, he's considering moving him back to leadoff. Is either the right move? And how should the rest of the lineup look?

The Book, one of the best sabermetric books you can find, did extensive work on lineup construction. Their main conclusion was that lineup order didn't matter too much, but it can be optimized for marginal gains. The Book's findings are summarized very well in this Beyond the Boxscore post.

To get the stats for Cleveland's upcoming season, I used the Cairo Projections, which are described (and available for download) here. The nice thing about version 0.5 of this years Cairos is that they include lefty/righty splits. It uses wOBA, which is decribed in detail in the new Frangraphs library. As you can see, wOBA is scaled to be comparable to batting average, with a .321 wOBA being the league average in 2010.

First, here's how the Indians lineup should look against lefties. I took the top nine players in terms of wOBA against lefties, and fortunately things worked out nicely in the field.

order	name	pos	wOBA
1	Shin-Soo Choo	RF	.343
2	Matt LaPorta	1B	.351
3	Shelley Duncan	LF	.332
4	Carlos Santana	C	.346
5	Austin Kearns	CF	.342
6	Jayson Nix	3B	.327
7	Asdrubal Cabrera	SS	.326
8	Travis Hafner	DH	.326
9	Jason Donald	2B	.325

The glaring omission, of course, is Grady Sizemore. Cairo projects Sizemore to have a wOBA of only .309 against lefties. But if you insist on playing him (both in the name of fan interest, and so Kearns doesn't have to play center), you can remove Hafner from the lineup, DH Duncan, and move Donald up to eighth with Grady batting ninth.

Some other items of note:

• Everyone in this lineup is projected to hit above a .321 wOBA. That's nice, but .321 was the average in 2010 against all pitchers. The average against lefties in 2011 may be higher or lower.
• Indians fans should be especially pleased to see such a nice number for Matt LaPorta, especially after his struggles at the plate these past few years.
• LaPorta and Santana have very similar numbers, but Santana has a slight edge in power, giving him the fourth spot over LaPorta. While Choo also has very good power, his on base percentage is just too good to put anywhere but first.

Now, the lineup against righthanders. Unfortunately I wasn't able to take just the best nine hitters this time. Michael Brantley and Travis Buck both rated ahead of Jack Hannahan. Brantley, Buck, and Duncan all rated ahead of Nix and Donald as well. But somebody has to play second and third base.

order	name	pos	wOBA
1	Shin-Soo Choo	RF	.390
2	Carlos Santana	C	.359
3	Matt LaPorta	1B	.332
4	Grady Sizemore	CF	.363
5	Travis Hafner	DH	.342
6	Austin Kearns	LF	.322
7	Asdrubal Cabrera	SS	.318
8	Jack Hannahan	3B	.309
9	Jayson Nix	2B	.307

If you don't think Jack Hannahan is going to break camp with the Tribe, feel free to move Nix up a spot in the order and plug Jason Donald's .303 wOBA into the nine hole.

Notes on this lineup:

• Choo blew everyone away in both on base percentage and slugging. But I chose to hit him leadoff, just to give our best hitter as many at bats as possible.
• Believe it or not, Sizemore is expected to have better slugging numbers than Santana, and Santana better on base numbers than Sizemore. That's why Grady is hitting fourth and Carlos second.
• Cabrera, Nix, and Hannahan/Donald will need to be good with the glove to make up for their below-average projections. Other than that, though, this isn't too bad a lineup.

Finally, for those interested, here are the numbers for a few key players who failed to crack either lineup:

name	wOBA	vs L	vs R
Michael Brantley	.310	.291	.316
Travis Buck	.306	.288	.312
Luis Valbuena	.300	.286	.302
Trevor Crowe	.289	.283	.290
Adam Everett	.268	.282	.264

The Class of 2011

We had a total of five voters this year, including the carryover. The threshold of three votes gave us four inductees this year.



Dave (4 votes): "Mr. Best Man" is seen here with 2010 inductee Klondike.



Knute Rockne (4 votes): "One loss is good for the soul. Too many losses is not good for the coach." Rock only lost 12 games in 13 years, and put Notre Dame (the football program and the school) on the map in the process.



F-Bomb (3 votes): Ooh, multimedia.



Randy Waldrum (3 votes): Coach Waldrum has been receiving votes ever since the Hall of Fame started, but his second National Championship at ND finally put him over the top.


The also-rans. Remember that the multiple vote-getters will receive one carryover vote next year.

Name	Votes	Comment
Cleveland	2	One of the best cities!
JL	2	for his epic performance at Pete's bachelor party
Kanka's Dad	2
Pete	2
Yonto	2
Anyone not named Rafael Palmeiro	1
Ellie the Dog	1	for still being alive
George Hatton	1
Joe Posnanski	1
Kanka	1	Yes, I think you should go in again like a player who later becomes a coach
Kirk Cameron	1	for reassuring us these are not the end times
Leprechauns	1
Manti Te'o	1	because he's a bad man
Muffett McGraw	1
Nachos	1
Notre Dame	1	The whole university
Pete's Dad	1	for traveling to Pete's bachelor party and spending the weekend with us idiots
Ron Santo	1
Softball	1	For bring together the Kankas and making drinking a part of the week
Taylor Swift	1
The Midwest	1

Under Armour All-American Game

Tonight at 7:00 Eastern on ESPN is the 2011 Under Armour All-American Game. The game features head coaches Mike Ditka and Steve Mariucci, and Notre Dame verbals DaVaris Daniels and Ben Koyack. So if you can tolerate the ridiculous uniforms and even more ridiculous team names (Team Micro-G vs Team Click Clack), be sure to check it out.

For more information, check out Under Armour's official site for the game.

Notre Dame Football 2010Issue 13: Sun Bowl vs Miami

Miami Run Offense vs. Notre Dame Run Defense

Miami has found a great deal of success on the ground this year, averaging 39 carries and 190 yards per game. Their two main backs are 20 Damien Berry and 6 Lamar Miller, who both average over 10 carries per game. Berry is averaging 79 yards per game to Miller's 63, but Miller has the advantage in yards per carry at 6.1 to 4.8.

5 Mike James splits time between halfback and fullback, and is averaging five carries and 32 yards per game. Starting fullback 30 Patrick Hill has carried the ball only once, for five yards. Senior tailback 2 Graig Cooper has also seen decent playing time, averaging four carries and 18 yards per game.

Wide receivers haven't contributed much to the running game, combining for only four carries and 38 yards on the season. The quarterbacks have combined for just 38 non-sack carries for 224 yards. That is 5.9 yards per carry, but only amounts to three carries and 19 yards per game.

Notre Dame is giving up 147 yards per game on the ground, but those numbers may still be somewhat tainted by their early season struggles in the run game. Manti Te'o leads the team with 127 tackles, more than 10 per game. He'll again be joined by Brian Smith at inside linebacker. Yes, Carlo Calabrese is healthy enough to play. But Smith has just been spectacular in his past few games inside - especially at USC - so that's where he'll stay for the final game in an Irish uniform.

Sean Cwynar has filled in admirably at nose tackles these past few games, but Ian Williams is back from injury and expected to start at that position. That also means Hafis Williams will move back to defensive end. All in all, that means the defensive line is much deeper than it looked at the start of the season.

Notre Dame Run Offense vs. Miami Run Defense

Notre Dame's run game as of late has featured the slashing of Cierre Wood and the smashing of Robert Hughes. Both have had decent success as of late, so much so that their season averages (44 and 18 yards per game, respectively) don't do them much justice.

Other than a possible cameo by Jonas Gray, Wood and Hughes have been the whole run game for Notre Dame. Quarterback Tommy Rees has not been a threat to run, and Irish receivers have combined for only five carries on the year.

Miami's 4-3 defense has struggled against the run, giving up 171 yards per game. Linebackers 44 Colin McCarthy and 31 Sean Spence lead the team in tackles, with each collecting over 100 total stops.

Spence leads the team with 17 tackles for a loss, and he's one of three Miami players with double digits in that category. Ends 57 Allen Bailey and 35 Oliver Vernon are the other two. (McCarthy would probably be in this category as well hadn't he missed a game this season - he has nine TFL.) As a team, the Hurricanes have made 103 stops in the backfield this season, an average of almost nine per game.

Miami Pass Offense vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense

Miami's base package is a traditional set with two receivers plus a running back, fullback, and tight end. The pass protection has been very good this year, as the Hurricanes have given up just 15 sacks on the season.

It appears that 12 Jacory Harris will be healthy enough to start this game. Harris has a healthy 119.28 passer efficiency rating, but his other numbers betray that rating. Harris has completed just 55 percent of his passes, and his 14 touchdowns are offset by 12 interceptions.

If Harris can't go, freshman 17 Stephen Morris will take his place. Like Harris, Morris has a good passer rating (117.48) that doesn't quite correlate to his completion percentage (50) or his touchdown-interception ratio (5 to 8).

As a team, Miami passes the ball 34 times for 232 yards per game. The leading receiver is 85 Leonard Hankerson, who averages 5-6 catches and 90 yards per game. The 6'3" receiver has also accounted for 12 of Miami's 19 receiving touchdowns on the year.

Across from Hankerson are 3 Travis Benjamin and 47 LaRon Byrd, both averaging around three catches per game. The small, speedy Benjamin is averaging 58 yards per game to Byrd's 33. Fellow wideout 4 Aldarious Johnson is the only other Miami player averaging at least one catch per game.

Running backs Berry, Miller, and James are all averaging just under one reception per game, as is tight end 82 Asante Cleveland. Starting tight end 84 Richard Gordon has not been much of a threat in the passing game, with just five catches in 11 games.

Notre Dame gives up 206 passing yards per game, a respectable total. The team has registered 26 sacks, which is just over two per game, and an additional 30 quarterback hits. Darius Fleming leads the team with six sacks, followed by Ethan Johnson with five. That may come as a small surprise for Irish fans, as both players have had seemingly quiet seasons.

The Irish have combined for 14 interceptions, led by Harrison Smith with four and Darrin Walls with three. Smith, once thought to be a defensive liability, is easily a candidate for most improved player on the defense. The safety hopes to be back for a fifth year next season, and now may Notre Dame fans would welcome him back.

Notre Dame Pass Offense vs. Miami Pass Defense

Since taking over for the injured Dayne Crist, Tommy Rees is averaging 207 yards passing per game. On an average day, he'll attempt 17 passes and complete 10. He has 10 touchdowns to eight interceptions.

Michael Floyd is Notre Dame's leading receiver, averaging over six catches and 83 yards per game. He has 10 of the team's 26 touchdown receptions on the year.

Theo Riddick is second on the team in receptions, despite missing a quarter of the season. Riddick, who averaged five catches and 52 yards per game, is expected to be back in the starting lineup for this game.

Tyler Eifert and TJ Jones are the only other healthy Irish players averaging at least two catches per game. Eifert is averaging 32 yards per game to Jones's 26. Jones, however, has found himself slipping down the depth chart as of late, and may not even see the field in this game.

Duval Kamara has just 11 catches on the season, but three have gone for touchdowns. The senior has shined as of late, and will look to end his Notre Dame career on a high note.

Miami has been downright stingy against the pass this year. The Hurricanes are giving up just 146 yards per game in the air, and have combined for 37 sacks on the season. That's over three sacks per game! Miami's three top defensive ends, 57 Allen Bailey, 97 Adewale Ojomo, and 35 Olivier Vernon, have accounted for 18 of the team's sacks.

Of course, maybe it's this aggressiveness in the passing game that has cost them in the run game. If that is the case, look for a healthy dose of draws and counters from the Irish.

Miami's secondary has dubbed this game "Operation Number 3." Notre Dame's Number 3 will likely be marked by cornerback 13 Ryan Hill, who has three interceptions - tying him for the team lead with safeties 26 Ray-Ray Armstrong and 7 Vaughn Telemaque. As a team, the Hurricanes have intercepted 16 passes and broken up 42.

Special Teams

Miami Kicker 25 Matt Bosher has converted 12 of 16 field goal tries, with a long of 51. He's perfect from inside 30 yards. For Notre Dame, David Ruffer has been perfect from everywhere, converting all 15 attempts with a long of 50.

Matt Bosher also punts for the Hurricanes, averaging 44 yards per kick with a long of 62. Miami yields a respectable nine yards per punt return. Ben Turk has had an up-and-down season punting for the Irish. Turk is averaging 38 yards per punt with a long of 56. Notre Dame is giving up six yards per punt return.

Running backs 24 Storm Johnson and Graig Cooper will return kicks for Miami, although fellow backs 23 Eduardo Clements and Lamar Miller have seen time at returner in the past as well. Johnson, Cooper, and Clements are all averaging about 20 yards per return with longs around 30. Miller has had the most success, averaging 33 yards per return including an 88-yard touchdown. David Ruffer is averaging 65 yards per kickoff for the Irish. Notre Dame is giving up just 19 yards per return, meaning opponents start at the 25 yard line on average.

Bennett Jackson is Notre dame's kick returner. Since taking over that position, Jackson has averaged 22 yards per return with a long of 43. It's no surprise that Miami's strong-legged Matt Bosher also kicks of for the 'Canes. Bosher is averaging 64 yards per kick, with 19 touchbacks on 64 attempts. Miami's kick coverage yields 22 yards per return, giving opponents an average start on the 27.

Travis Benjamin returns punts for the Hurricanes. Benjamin is averaging just five yards per return, but he does have a 79-yard touchdown to his credit. John Goodman is Notre Dame's punt returner. Normally a fan of the fair catch, Goodman has returned just 11 punts on the year, averaging one yard per return with a long of 13.

Notre Dame Players to Watch

Robert Hughes, Duval Kamara, Brian Smith, Harrison Smith

Prediction

Notre Dame 27, Miami 24

It's Ballot Time Again!

Once again, it's time to vote for the KankaNation Hall of Fame.

List up to 10 people you think should be in the KankaNation Hall of Fame, and email to kanka@kankasports.zzn.com by 5 pm Eastern on December 31.
Those who receive a certain percentage of the vote (depends on how many ballots are received; usually 66-75%) will join the Classes of 2004-2010. Those who received multiple votes last year will receive one carryover vote this year.

To view past inductees and voting results, click one of the links below:
Class of 2004
Class of 2005
Class of 2006
Class of 2007
Class of 2008
Class of 2009
Class of 2010

Notre Dame Football 2010Issue 10: Senior Day vs Utah

Notre Dame Players to Watch

Notre Dame Football 2010 Issue 8: Navy

An abbreviated preview for a hectic week....

Navy's offense runs through 4 Ricky Dobbs, who has given the Irish fits in the past. Dobbs is averaging 22 carries and 63 yards rushing per game. But the Middies are also leveraging Dobbs's throwing ability, as he's averaging 13 attempts, seven completions, and 111 yards per game. Dobbs has five rushing touchdowns to four passing, which has to be the best ratio for any recent Navy QB.

This year, Navy has two players sharing time at the fullback spot. 39 Alexander Teich and 47 Vine Murray are both averaging nine carries per game. Murray has had a little more success, averaging 57 yards per game and five yards per carry to Teich's 38 and four.

The slot backs are 20 Andre Byrd and 21 Gee Gee Greene, both small and speedy. Byrd is averaging three carries and 24 yards per game; Greene six and 46. Both are averaging an impressive seven yards per carry.

Navy's fullbacks may have more trouble running the ball than in past years, as Notre Dame's middle defenders - Ian Williams, Manti Te'o, and Carlo Calabrese - have been stout against the rush. The concern for the Irish all season has been discipline on outside runs, which could mean big days for Dobbs, Byrd, and Greene.

In the passing game, both Gee Gee Greene and senior wideout 84 Greg Jones are averaging two catches and 36 yards per game.

Navy's defense is giving up 163 yards per game on he ground and 160 in the air. Their 3-4 defense is heavy on the left side, led by linebackers 29 Aaron McCauley and 54 Tyler Simmons and defensive end 98 Jabaree Tuani. McCauley is first on the team in tackles and TFL, while Simmons is second in the former and Tuani is second in the latter.

McCauley also leads the team in sacks with two, followed by Tuani and fellow DE 90 Billy Yarborough. Middle linebackers Simmons and 44 Max Blue, safety 7 Emett Merchant, and rover (strong safety) 8 Wyatt Middleton.

On special teams, wide receiver 83 Gary Myers is averaging seven yards per punt return, 217-pound fullback Teich is averaging 26 yards per kick return, 16 Joe Buckley has made five of eight field goal attempts (long 42), and 35 Kyle Delahooke is averaging 39 yards per punt with a long of 61. The Midshipmen are giving up 12 yards per punt return and 29 yards per kickoff return. Opponents' average start on kickoffs is the 33 yard line.

In injury news for the Irish, both Theo Riddick and Jamoris Slaughter are having MRIs on their ankles this week. If Riddick can't go, TJ Jones will take his position in the slot with John Goodman starting on the outside.

Notre Dame Players to Watch

Michael Floyd, Cierre Wood, Ian Williams, Harrison Smith, Bennett Jackson, John Goodman

Prediction

Notre Dame 28, Navy 21

Notre Dame Football 2010 Issue 7: Western Michigan

Western Michigan Run Offense vs. Notre Dame Run Defense

Western Michigan is averaging a respectable 103 yards per game on the ground, although they are achieving that number through quantity, not quality. The Broncos are averaging 35 carries per game, but just three yards per carry.

23 Aaron Winchester, small but strong at 5'6", 181 lbs, is averaging 29 yards per game on just under 11 carries per game. Quarterback 14 Alex Carder is the next leading threat. Discounting sacks, Carder is averaging just under eight carries and 46 yards per game.

WMU has cornered the market on diminutive running backs, as 5'4", 160 lb freshman 22 Dareyon Chance is Winchester's backup. Chance is averaging just under five carries and 26 yards per game. He's had the most success of any of the regular backs, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Fellow backs 20 Brian Fields and 21 Antoin Scriven are averaging three carries for under 10 yards per game.

Western Michigan did take the redshirt off of prize freshman 21 Tevin Drake last week. The 6'1", 210 lb beast carried the ball eight times against Ball State for 63 yards.

Notre Dame's run defense is still giving up 146 yards per game, but they've steadily improved against six very good rushing teams. Bob Ross-devotees Manti Carlo (that's Te'o and Calabrese) lead the way - Te'o with 69 tackles and four tackles for loss, and Calabrese with 46 and five.

Notre Dame Run Offense vs. Western Michigan Run Defense

Armando Allen is averaging 16 carries and 75 yards per game, but is a bit banged up. One wonders if the Irish will save Allen and instead employ co-second stringers Cierre Wood (four carries/18 yards per game) and Robert Hughes (one and three) more. Jonas Gray (two and nine) has also been cleared to play for this game.

Western Michigan essentially employs a 4-2 defense, with a "rover" who's listed as a safety on the roster, but who can drop down as a third linebacker when necessary. 34 Jamall Berry, WMU's starting rover, has done it all for the Broncos, sacking the QB, breaking up passes, and forcing fumbles. Berry is also second on the team in tackles to mike linebacker 47 Mitch Zajac.

Will linebacker 42 Dex Jones and defensive end 99 Paul Hazel lead the team in tackles for a loss, with seven and six respectively. The team as a whole has been pretty disruptive on defense, averaging six TFL per game.

Of course, playing what is essentially a nickel package at all times has had its cost for the Broncos, who are holding opponents to just 195 yards per game in the air, but giving up 168 yards per on the ground.

Western Michigan Pass Offense vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense

Western Michigan runs a one back, one tight end, three wide receiver spread similar to Notre Dame's. Quarterback Alex Carder has seen mixed results as a first-year starter. On average, he's completing 25 of 42 passes for 258, a rate of 60 percent. But at the same time, he has almost as many interceptions (seven) as touchdowns (10) this year.

Carder has two main targets averaging five catches per game, wideouts 83 Jordan White and 81 Juan Nunez. White is more of a big play threat, averaging 107 yards per game to Nunez's 59.

8 Ansel Ponder is the first receiver off the bench, and is averaging three catches and 24 yards per game. Running back Aaron Winchester, starting slot receiver 12 Robert Arnheim, and tight end 85 Blake Hammond are all averaging at least one catch per game.

Jordan White leads the team with three touchdown catches, with Nunez, Ponder, and Hammond right behind with two apiece.

Notre Dame's pass defense, giving up 252 yards per game, is starting to pile up the interceptions. The Irish now have eight picks, led by Harrison Smith and Darrin Walls with two apiece. Darius Fleming and Prince Shembo lead the way with three sacks apiece.

Notre Dame Pass Offense vs. Western Michigan Pass Defense

Theo Riddick and Michael Floyd lead the Irish with six catches per game. Riddick is averaging 66 yards per game to Floyd's 78. Look for Floyd to pick on WMU's smaller corners, and Riddick to just run around them.

Kyle Rudolph is out for the year with a hamstring injury, leaving Mike Ragone, Tyler Eifert, and Jake Golic to pick up the slack. However, it's John Goodman who has picked up most of Rudolph's slack recently. Goodman is now averaging two catches and 16 yards per game. Armando Allen and TJ Jones are also averaging a pair of receptions per contest.

As mentioned above, WMU likes to use what is basically a permanent nickel set to limit opponents' passing. They're registering just under three sacks per game, led by the aforementioned Paul Hazel and Dex Jones. The team also has six interceptions on the season, led by cornerback 24 Lewis Toler with three.

Special Teams

17 John Potter has connected on four of five field goals for the Broncos, with a long of 38. David Ruffer remains perfect on the season for the Irish, now converting all 11 attempts. His long is 50, but he says his range is 52.

37 Ben Armer is averaging 43 yards per punt for WMU, with a long of 65. The Broncos are giving up 10 yards per punt return, but the longest return they've given up so far has been for 20 yards. Ben Turk is averaging just 38 yards per punt, but has been booming the ball as of late. Irish opponents have only returned three of his punts for an average of less than one yard per return.

Ansel Ponder returns kicks for Western Michigan. He's averaging 20 yards per return with a long of 31. Nick Tausch is now kicking of for the Irish by virtue of his hang time. Tausch is averaging 55 yards per kick, and ND's coverage team is giving up 21 yards per return. That's an average start on the 26 yard line.

Bennett Jackson is averaging 24 yards per kick return for Notre Dame, with a long of 43. John Potter kicks off for the Broncos. He's averaging 65 yards per boot with five touchbacks in 28 tries. Western Michigan is giving up 21 yards per return, leaving opponents with an average start on the 25.

WMU's punt returner is Jordan White, who's averaging just six yards per return with a long of 14. John Goodman is averaging just four yards per punt return for the Irish, with a long of 13.

Notre Dame Players to Watch

Cierre Wood, Jonas Gray, Harrison Smith, Darrin Walls, Bennett Jackson, John Goodman

Prediction

Notre Dame 38, Western Michigan 14

Notre Dame Football 2010Issue 6: Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Run Offense vs. Notre Dame Run Defense

It shouldn't be surprising by now that Pittsburgh's offense is led by a small but powerful underclassman running back. What is surprising is that that leader is 1 Ray Graham, not returning starter 28 Dion Lewis. Both Graham and Lewis have played three games and are averaging 16 carries per game, but the former has had much more success than the latter. Graham is averaging almost 10 yards per carry and 164 yards per game to Lewis's three and 48.

Quarterback 12 Tino Sunseri averages two rushes per game, excluding sacks, for three yards. So he's not much of a concern in the running game. Fullback 27 Henry Hynoski is averaging two carries and seven yards per game. Wide receivers 82 Jon Baldwin and 5 Cameron Saddler each have one rush to their credit on the season.

Notre Dame has faced some tough run offenses this year, and the numbers reflect it. The team is giving up 153 rushing yards per game.

The Irish have been stout against the inside run, but have had trouble with outside contain. Manti Te'o is averaging almost 13 tackles per game, but many of those have come from chasing down the ballcarrier after the original defender missed. Fellow inside linebacker Carlo Calabrese and safety Harrison Smith are also sure tacklers, averaging over seven tackles per game.

Calabrese leads the team with five tackles for a loss. It was exciting during the Boston College game to watch him wait in a gap and then pounce on the running back at the right moment. Te'o and Darius Fleming have added four TFL apiece.

Notre Dame Run Offense vs. Pittsburgh Run Defense

Notre Dame's run offense has been up and down this year, averaging 111 yards per game. Armando Allen is the clear leader, averaging 16 carries and 78 yards per game.

Robert Hughes is once again listed as the number two tailback, although he still hasn't been given much of a chance to shine on offense. Hughes has only four carries on the year for 12 yards, and is used mostly for his blocking abilities.

Jonas Gray is once again questionable with a quad injury, leaving Cierre Wood as the lone man left in the rotation. Wood is averaging just three carries and 15 yards per game.

Quarterback Dayne Crist has been used sparingly in the Notre Dame run game as of late, although he now has two of the team's four rushing touchdowns. Allen has the other two.

Pitt's 4-3 defense has been predictably stout against the run, giving up three yards per carry and 97 yards per game. Linebackers 55 Max Gruder and 38 Greg Williams lead the team in tackles, and have combined for 45 overall. Excluding sacks, however, the team is averaging just two tackles for loss per game.

Pittsburgh Pass Offense vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense

After a rough few years for Bill Stull and 19 Pat Bostick, the Panthers may have found a quarterback in 12 Tino Sunseri. Sunseri is completing 63 percent of his passes, completing 16 of 25 attempts per game for 172 yards. On the season, Sunseri has four touchdowns to two interceptions.

Wideouts 82 Jon Baldwin and 87 Mike Shanahan (not related, as far as I'm aware) are averaging around 50 yards per game on close to four catches per game. Baldwin has two of the team's four receiving touchdowns.

Running backs Ray Graham and Dion Lewis are averaging three catches per game, and receiver Cameron Saddler two per game. Receiver 15 Devin Street, tight end 85 Mike Cruz, and fullback Henry Hynoski are each averaging one catch per game.

Notre Dame is giving up 248 yards per game in the air. The pass rush has generated just 13 sacks and 12 quarterback hits through five games. Carlo Calabrese leads the team with 2.5 sacks, while Darius Fleming, Ethan Johnson, and Prince Shembo are right behind with 2.0. Fleming and Brian Smith lead the team with three quarterback hits each.

The Irish have seven interceptions on the year, led by Darrin Walls with two. ND has 28 official passes defended, including 21 breakups. Walls leads in both categories, with five and three respectively. Predictably, fellow corners Gary Gray and Robert Blanton have put up similar numbers to Walls in defenses and breakups.

Notre Dame Pass Offense vs. Pittsburgh Pass Defense

On an average Saturday, Dayne Crist completes 23 of 39 passes (58 percent) for 272 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. For what it's worth, his efficiency rating is 129.9.

Theo Riddick is now the leading the Irish with 30 catches (six per game) and three touchdowns. Michael Floyd is still the big play threat, hauling in 28 catches and averaging 82 yards per game. Kyle Rudolph has been hampered by injuries as of late, but still has made 23 catches and three touchdowns.

Armando Allen is averaging three catches per game and TJ Jones two. Jones also has two touchdown catches, matching Michael Floyd. John Goodman has played well as of late, picking up Rudolph's slack as a reliable outlet option. That performance has caused Goodman to be named a co-number one with Jones on the depth chart. Goodman is now up to eight catches on the year.

Pitt has been all-or-nothing against the pass. Even without the injured 91 Greg Romeus, the line has gotten into the backfield a bunch. 97 Jabaal Sheard, 98 Chas Alecxih, 94 Myles Caragein, and 35 Brandon Lindsey have made 15.5 stops in the backfield, including 10 sacks. Sheard has 11 quarterback hits, almost three per game.

Despite all the pressure from the line, the Panthers are still giving up 244 passing yards per game. The team does have four interceptions, three by free safety 17 Jarred Holley.

Special Teams

30 Dan Hutchins kicks field goals for the Panthers. He's converted eight of 11 attempts. Hutchins is perfect from inside 40 yards but has yet to make one from longer than 40. David Ruffer remains perfect for the Irish, converting all eight attempts with a long of 46.

Dan Hutchins also handles Pittsburgh's punting duties. He's averaging 46 yards per kick with a long of 59. Opponents have returned five of Hutchins's 16 punts for a combined two yards. Ben Turk continues to be inconsistent for the Irish. Turk is averaging 37 yards per punt with a long of 53. Fortunately for Turk, the Irish punt coverage is holding opponents to just two yards per return.

Cameron Saddler is Pitt's primary kick returner. He's averaging 20 yards per return with a long of 27. David Ruffer is averaging 65 yards per kickoff with three touchbacks in 26 tries. Notre Dame opponents are averaging 22 yards per return, giving them an average start on the 26.

Bennett Jackson's performance against Boston College has propelled him to the top kick return spot. Jackson is averaging 28 yards per return with a long of 43. 39 Kevin Harper kicks off for the Panthers. He's averaging 66 yards per kick with six touchbacks on 22 tries. Pitt is giving up just 13 yards per return, leaving opponents with an average start on the 22.

Cameron Saddler also returns punts for Pittsburgh. He's averaging 11 punts per return with a long of 29. John Goodman will again return kicks for the Irish. Goodman has shown reliable hands but not much return ability so far, averaging just six yards per return with a long of 13.

Notre Dame Players to Watch

Robert Hughes, John Goodman, Carlo Calabrese, Ethan Johnson, David Ruffer, Bennett Jackson

Prediction

Notre Dame 27, Pittsburgh 22

Notre Dame Football 2010Issue 4: Boston College

Boston College Run Offense vs. Notre Dame Run Defense

2 Montel Harris is Boston College's feature back this year. He's averaging 22 carries and 102 yards per game.

Outside of Harris, there hasn't been much to BC's run game. Second string running back 21 Sterlin Phifer is averaging just four carries 23 yards per game.

Notre Dame's run defense is giving up 190 yards per game, and its leading tacklers tell the story of those numbers. Linebacker Manti Te'o is averaging 14 tackles per game and safety Harrison Smith nine, largely because they're the ones cleaning up other people's missed tackles.

Te'o leads the team with 3.5 tackles for a loss, and Darius Fleming is right behind with 3.0. But Fleming and the rest of the outside linebackers continue to be disappointing. As good as their outside contain was in the Purdue game, it's been nearly nonexistent in the games since.

Notre Dame Run Offense vs. Boston College Run Defense

Armando Allen leads an Irish rushing attack gaining 111 yards per game. Allen is averaging 15 carries and 76 yards per game, and has one of only two team rushing touchdowns on the year.

Robert Hughes has been moved up to the number two running back spot, largely because of his pass blocking abilities. That in and of itself may indicate how much the Irish plan to run this week. Hughes himself has not had a single carry in very limited action this season.

Cierre Wood has struggled since Purdue, but still maintains a 4.4 yards per carry average. Jonas Gray is doubtful for this game witha groin and knee injuries.

Dayne Crist has not had a designed run since the Michigan game, and the debate remains as to when the coaching staff will trust themselves to let him run again.

Boston College's run defense has been stifling this year, giving up just two yards per carry and 71 yards per game. The linebackers are leading the way in tackles, with starters 40 Luke Kuechly, 32 Kevin Pierre-Louis, and 94 Mark Herzlich combining for 76 stops through three games. Kuechly's 4.5 tackles for a loss is just 0.5 behind defensive end 98 Alex Albright for the team lead.

Boston College Pass Offense vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense

After a disappointing start by incumbent 15 Dave Shinskie, freshman 7 Chase Rettig will be making his collegiate debut as the Eagles new starter. Rettig did however enroll early to participate in spring practices. 16 Mark Marscovetra, who has had mild success as Shinskie's backup to this point, gets the "OR" designation next to Rettig on the depth chart.

Boston College runs a base pro set (running back, fullback, tight end, two receivers). Receivers 17 Clyde Lee and 80 Johnathan Coleman and back Montel Harris are leading the way, each averaging about three catches per game. Coleman is the yardage leader, averaging 58 per contest.

Four other BC players are averaging at least one catch per game - receivers 3 Ifeanyi Momah and 86 Bobby Swigert and tight ends Chris Pantale and Lars Anderson. At 6'6", 240, Momah is a matchup problem for any defensive back, and in fact outsizes tight end Anderson.

Notre Dame's defense is giving up 244 passing yards per game and allowing opponents to complete 66 percent of their passes. That first number isn't very good, but the second is much worse. Part of that comes from an inability to generate a pass rush. The Irish are averaging just two sacks per game. Darius Fleming and Ethan Johnson lead the team with two sacks apiece on the season, with Carlo Calabrese right behind at 1.5.

The secondary is still showing signs of bad habits from last year, but their pass defense is improving. The team is averaging six passes defended and five pass breakups per game. Darrin Walls has two of the team's five interceptions on the season.

Notre Dame Pass Offense vs. Boston College Pass Defense

Dayne Crist is up to 289 passing yards per game. On an average day, he'll complete 22 of 35 passes, for a rate of 59 percent. He's also averaging two touchdowns and one interception per game.

Michael Floyd is Notre Dame's leading receiver, an impressive feat considering the coverages he's faced. Floyd is averaging six catches and 85 yards per game.

Kyle Rudolph and Theo Riddick are right behind at five catches per game. Rudolph's hamstring limited him to one catch against Stanford, but he should be back to full strength this week.

Armando Allen and TJ Jones are averaging two catches per game, and John Goodman one. Jones, Floyd, Riddick, and Rudolph each have two touchdown catches apiece, to account for all of Notre Dame's receiving TDs.

Boston College's 4-3 defense has struggled to get pressure on the quarterback, registering only four sacks in three games. Still, their defense ends can do some damage. In addition to Alex Albright's five tackles for a loss, 47 Brad Newman leads the team with two sacks.

That lack of pressure has allowed opponents to average 238 yards per game in the air. Yet the Eagles have given up only two passing touchdowns while collecting five interceptions. Still, it looks like once again the Irish offense will need to lean heavily on the passing game in this one.

Special Teams

85 Nate Freese is Boston College's field goal kicker. He's five-for-six with a long of just 33. Freese's lone miss came on a 47-yarder last week. David Ruffer has remained perfect on the season, now converting all seven of his attempts. His long is 46 yards.

46 Ryan Quigley is back once again as BC's punter. Quigley has been booming the ball this year, averaging 45 yards per punt with a long of 71. Four of his 14 punts have gone over 50 yards. The Eagles punt coverage has been equally impressive, giving up four returns for a combined -17 yards. Ben Turk has been struggling as of late for the Irish, averaging just 36 yards per punt. To his credit, most of his punts have been unreturnable. Irish opponents have returned just two of Turk's 21 punts for four total yards.

Cornerbacks 9 DeLeon Gause and 25 Chris Fox return kicks for the Eagles. Both are averaging around 20 yards per return with a long around 30. Gause does have a 66-yard interception return to his credit, though. David Ruffer kicks off for Notre Dame. He's averaging 66 yards per kick with three touchbacks on 20 tries. Notre Dame's kick team is giving up 20 yards per return, leaving opponents with an average start on the 24 yard line.

Cierre Wood is averaging 20 yards per kick return for the Irish, but has struggled as of late. With those struggles and Jonas Gray's injuries, Bennett Jackson should see some time returning kicks. After channeling Mike Anello on kick coverage, let's see if the speedy, undersized freshman can now channel a 2009 version of Theo Riddick on returns. Nate Freese also kicks off for the Eagles. He's averaging 63 yards per kick with one touchback on 14 tries. He has also kicked the ball out of bounds twice. Boston College is giving up a respectable 18 yards per return, giving opponents an average start on the 30.

DeLeon Gause also returns punts for Boston College. He's averaging just four yards per return on six tries. John Goodman has been officially promoted to starting punt returner after taking over those duties in the Stanford game. Goodman is averaging nine yards per return with a long of 13.

Notre Dame Players to Watch

Robert Hughes, Kyle Rudolph, Darius Flemming, Carlo Calabrese, Bennett Jackson, John Goodman

Prediction

Notre Dame 22, Boston College 19

Notre Dame Football 2010Issue 4: Stanford

Stanford Run Offense vs. Notre Dame Run Defense

The main concern facing Stanford's offense this season was replacing Toby Gerhart. So far, the running game hasn't missed a step, averaging 242 yards per game. The Cardinal are led by the two-headed running back combination of 33 Stepfan Taylor and 25 Tyler Gaffney. Taylor is averaging 10 carries and 52 yards per game, while Gaffney is averaging eight for 46. Gaffney also leads the team with three rushing touchdowns.

Quarterback 12 Andrew Luck has also been productive with his legs. Discounting sacks - of which the Stanford offense has only given up one this year - Luck is rushing four times per game for 47 yards. Those numbers are aided by a 52-yard run, the longest on the team this year.

Fullback 48 Owen Marecic, who doubles as a starting inside linebacker, will also get into the act on offense. Marecic is averaging two carries for six yards per game.

Rounding out the Stanford rushing attack are running backs 15 Usua Amanam and 32 Anthony Wilkerson, both averaging five carries per game. The small, shifty Amanam is averaging 30 yards per game; big back Wilkerson, 18. Yes, when your team averages 42 rushing attempts per game, there are a lot of carries to go around.

The story of Notre Dame's run defense, and the team as the whole, is that they're making fewer mistakes - but the mistakes are bigger. Despite seemingly better tackling, the Irish are giving up 199 yards per game on the ground. Manti Te'o leads the team in tackles with 33 (11 per game) and tackles for a loss with 3.5. He and fellow inside linebacker Carlo Calabrese (23 tackles) will face a tough test against Stanford's run game. As will nose tackle Ian Williams, who Brian Kelly recently described as "dominant."

Conversely, the outside linebacker play has been disappointing at best. Darius Fleming, Brian Smith, Kerry Neal, and Steve Filer all have the ability to be starters at this level, yet have combined for just 37 tackles on the year - four more than Te'o has by himself.

Notre Dame Run Offense vs. Stanford Run Defense

Despite a pass-happy attack in the Michigan State game, Notre Dame is still averaging 31 carries and 133 yards per game. Armando Allen, as expected, has established himself as the feature back, averaging 15 carries and 84 yards per game. Cierre Wood saw limited action against the Spartans, but still has his coaches' confidence. Wood is averaging five carries and 24 yards per game. Jonas Gray has only four carries on the year, and most of that was due to Allen's hand injury last week. Allen, by the way, should be at full strength for this week's game.

Quarterback Dayne Crist is averaging five carries and 20 yards per game. Slot receiver Theo Riddick has two carries on the year, both in the Michigan game.

Stanford's run defense is giving up a less-than-stellar 138 yards per game on the ground, but are still maintaining a respectable 3.8 yards per carry against. Apparently Stanford opponents have been trying to mimic Stanford's offense by running 38 times per game.

Stanford's leading tackler is free safety 3 Michael Thomas. Irish fans are well aware of the red flag that is having a safety as your leading tackler. Yet, Thomas does have a team-leading three tackles for a loss, so that total could be an indication of how much he is moved around and used in run suport.

Inside linebacker 57 Max Bergen and outside linebacker 44 Chase Thomas are next on the team in tackles with 14 and 12, respectively. The Cardinal team is averaging over six tackles for a loss per game, so they do like to get into the backfield.

Stanford Pass Offense vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense

Quarterback Andrew Luck is being hailed as a future Heisman candidate. So far, he hasn't disappointed. Luck is averaging 23 pass attempts per game, which may not seem like much compared to the 42 running plays per game for the team. But Luck does make the most of those chances, completing 64 percent (15 completions/game) for 224 yards. He also has 10 touchdowns to zero interceptions, and an efficiency rating of 192.3.

The Cardinal are expected to be without receiver 8 Ryan Whalen, who was the team's leading receiver in each of the past two year, and tied for the team lead in catches this year. Whalen has a dislocated elbow. In his absence, 89 Doug "This is war!" Baldwin becomes Luck's primary target. Baldwin is averaging three catches, 65 yards, and one touchdown per game.

In Whalen's absence, 81 Chris Owusu steps back into the starting lineup. In his lone appearance this season, Owusu had three catches, two for touchdowns.

Stanford has done a good job of spreading the wealth in the passing game. Thirteen Cardinal have receptions, but no one other than Whalen, Baldwin, and Owusu are averaging more than one catch per game.

On the season, 10 balls have gone to tight ends, led by old friend (and starter) 88 Konrad Reuland with five catches. Six passes have gone to running backs, led by Stepfan Taylor with four. The fullbacks have yet to make a reception.

Notre Dame is giving up 246 yards per game in the air. More concerning is that Irish opponents have completed 68 percent of their passes. Despite this, the Notre Dame corners have gotten better at breaking up passes, recording 15 official passes defended and 13 official breakups. In addition, Darrin Walls, Zeke Motta, and Ian Williams have interceptions.

Motta has been praised for his effort, but Coach Kelly said that the safety needs to work on being in the right place at the right time. The good news for Motta and fellow safety Harrison Smith is that Jamoris Slaughter should be back for this game, returning this thin unit to full strength.

The Irish are averaging just under three sacks per game. Darius Fleming and Ethan Johnson lead the team with two apiece.

Notre Dame Pass Offense vs. Stanford Pass Defense

Dayne Crist's numbers won't win him the Heisman, but he's been effective for a first-year starter. Crist is averaging 21 completions on 35 attempts per game, a 60 percent rate. Dayne is averaging 284 yards per game, and has seven touchdowns on the year to two interceptions.

Kyle Rudolph has been Crist's main target, averaging seven catches and 96 yards per game. Michael Floyd and Theo Riddick aren't close behind, averaging five catches per game (with Riddick's numbers helped largely by his performance against Michigan State). Floyd is averaging 76 yards per game, but has two key fumbles against his name. Riddick is averaging 60 yards per contest.

TJ Jones and Armando Allen are averaging three catches per game. Jones, Rudolph, and Floyd are leading the team with two touchdowns apiece.

Despite three new offensive linemen (including both tackles) and a new starting quarterback, the Irish have given up only five sacks through three games.

The Cardinal have switched to a hybrid 3-4 look, and it's been quite productive so far. The team has recorded 11 sacks in three games, led by outside linebacker Chase Thomas with 3.5. Thomas is one of seven linebackers or lineman who has recorded a sack for Stanford this year.

Cornerback 9 Richard Sherman is fourth on the team in tackles (nine), first in passes broken up (four) and defended (five), and has one of the team's three interceptions. It sounds like he's in charge of covering opponents' top receivers, and at 6'3", he's more than capable of giving Michael Floyd all he can handle.

Stanford is holding opponents to a measly 90 passing yards per game. Of course, that number is skewed by the fact that Cardinal opposition has attempted only 68 passes (and completed only 34) on the season.

Special Teams

Another old friend, 39 Nate Whitaker, is Stanford's placekicker. He's a perfect three-for-three on the year, although all of his attempts have come from 23 yards or less. Notre Dame's David Ruffer is also perfect, connecting on all five of his attempts with a long of 46.

36 Daniel Zychlinski punts for the Cardinal. Two of his six punts have gone over 50 yards, with a long of 64. He's averaging 48 yards per kick. Stanford is giving up 28 yards per punt return, a number marred by a 70 yard touchdown. Notre Dame's Ben Turk is averaging just 37 yards per punt, but Turk is all about hang time rather than length. None of Turk's 16 punts have been returned.

Usua Amanam and Doug Baldwin return kicks for Stanford. Amanam is averaging 35 yards per return with a long of 60; Baldwin 21 with a long of 24. David Ruffer also kicks off for the Irish. He's averaging 66 yards per kick with three touchbacks in 17 tries. Notre Dame is giving up 20 yards per return, giving opponents an average start on the 26.

Cierre Wood is Notre Dame's primary kick returner, although he's "on notice" to step up his performance. Wood is averaging 20 yards per return with a long of 38. Nate Whitaker has been booming kickoffs for the Cardinal. His 26 kicks have averaged 68 yards, with eight going for touchbacks. Stanford is giving up 25 yards per return, giving opponents an average start on the 35. Notre Dame should definitely win the hidden yardage battle in that regard.

Doug Baldwin also returns punts for Stanford. He's averaging only eight yards per return with a long of 22. Armando Allen should be back to returning punts for Notre Dame. He's averaging an impressive 24 yards per return with a long of 38.

Notre Dame Players to Watch

Michael Floyd, Carlo Calabrese, Darius Fleming, Jamoris Slaughter, Cierre Wood, Armando Allen

Prediction

Notre Dame 31, Stanford 28

Notre Dame Football 2010Issue 3: Michigan State

Michigan State Run Offense vs. Notre Dame Run Defense

Michigan State has started the season by beating up on two lesser opponents. As has been their M.O. this decade, the Spartans are doing so with a multi-faceted running game. 4 Edwin Baker (5'9", 208) is averaging 16 carries and 150 yards a game, while 24 Le'Veon Bell (6'2", 240) is averaging 10 carries and 95 yards. That's right, both backs are averaging 9.5 yards a carry. Each have also cashed in three touchdowns.

22 Larry Caper adds a third weapon to the MSU running game. Caper, who scored two touchdowns against the Irish last year, has however missed the first two games with a hand injury. He's listed as questionable for this Saturday.

Quarterback 8 Kirk Cousins has had five non-sack rushing attempts for 18 yards. In addition, two Spartans receivers have each seen individual carries. Michigan State does employ a fullback in a base pro set, but he has yet to see a touch on the grouns

The Irish defense's rushing stats are no doubt tainted by Denard Robinson's performance from last week. However, the positive is that it is the middle linebackers, and not the safeties, who lead the team in tackles. Manti Te'o has 22 stops, and Carlo Calabrese has 19. A somewhat concerning stat is that Notre Dame has only three tackles for a loss, with one coming from Te'o and one each from cornerbacks Gary Gray and Robert Blanton.

Notre Dame Run Offense vs. Michigan State Run Defense

Armando Allen and Cierre Wood have been the primary ballcarriers for the Irish, with Allen getting the bulk of the carries. Armando is averaging 16.5 carries and 91 yards per game, while Wood is averaging 6.5 and 34. Both are over five yards per carry, a very positive sign.

Irish quarterbacks have had 13 non-sack rushing attempts for 60 yards, while the only receiver to run the ball so far is Theo Riddick. Riddick had limited success in two attempts against Michigan, running for zero and three yards.

MSU's 4-3 defense is led by an experienced set of linebackers. 53 Greg Jones is the star, and so far 43 Eric Gordon and 10 Chris Norman have been able to match his production. The trio have combined for 57 tackles in two games. As a whole, the Spartans defense has held opponents to just 65 yards per game on the ground.

Michigan State Pass Offense vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense

Kirk Cousins returns for his second season as Michigan State's starting quarterback. Thanks to the effectiveness of the running game, Cousins has only needed to attempt 19 passes per game so far. On average, he will complete 11 of those passes for 164 yards.

Cousins' favorite target so far has been wideout 2 Mark Dell, who is averaging 3.5 catches and 50 yards per game. After Dell, no one is averaging more than one catch per game.

Cousins does like to use his tight ends, as three Michigan State TEs have two catches apiece this year. That may not seem like much, but remember it accounts for over one-fourth of all MSU completions. Of the remaining 16 passes, 15 have gone to wide receivers (including Dell) and only one to a running back.

Due to nagging injuries to Jamoris Slaughter and Dan McCarthy, Harrison Smith and Zeke Motta were the only safeties available to play for Notre Dame last week. Slaughter does hope to be back this week though. Speaking of depth in the secondary, Notre Dame stayed in its base 3-4 set for the entirety of the Michigan game, although it's unclear whether that was because of the lack of defensive backs or because they wanted extra linebackers in against Robinson.

The Irish are giving up 232 passing yards per game. Ethan Johnson leads the team with two sacks, while Ian Williams, Kapron Lewis-Moore, and Kerry Neal have one apiece.

Notre Dame Pass Offense vs. Michigan State Pass Defense

Dayne Crist has been an effective, if not flashy, passer so far, completing 62.7 percent of his passes. Crist is averaging 25 attempts, 16 completions, and 241 yards per game.

Kyle Rudolph has been Crist's favorite target so far, due to his ability to get open in almost any situation. Rudolph is averaging 6.5 catches and 103.5 yards per game.

Michael Floyd is averaging five catches and 74 yards per game, yet the team thinks he isn't getting involved enough. Against Michigan, Floyd primarily played as the lone receiver on the short side of the field, and Michigan was able to shut him down with double coverage. The Irish will look to move Floyd around this week to get him more opportunities.

All the attention paid to Floyd has given a chance for TJ Jones to show his ability. Jones is averaging three catches and 57 yards per game, and leads the team with two touchdown catches.

Theo Riddick is averaging two catches per game, while backs Armando Allen and Cierre Wood are averaging one apiece.

Opponents have gone to the air often against Michigan State, but that may be a result of the leads the Spartans have been putting up. MSU is giving up 247 passing yards per game, while recording only three sacks on 90 passing attempts.

Defensive end 89 Colin Neely leads the team with 1.5 sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss overall. Strong safety 11 Marcus Hyde has recorded the team's lone interception.

Special Teams

The strong-legged 4 Dan Conroy takes over as MSU's full-time placekicker this year. He's a perfect 4-for-4 on the season with a long of 50. For the Irish, David Ruffer has also converted all four of his field goal attempts. Ruffer's long is 46 yards.

18 Aaron Bates, a four-year starter, is one of the best punters in the nation. On eight tries, he's averaging 46 yards per kick, with a long of 57. But he's not outkicking his coverage, as the Spartans are holding opponents to six yards per return. Eric Maust is averaging 36.8 yards per punt with a long of 47. The good news is that Irish opponents have yet to be able to return a punt.

Receiver 82 Keshawn Martin and starting free safety 39 Trenton Robinson have been returning kicks for the Spartans, although Le'Veon Bell has been bumped ahead of Robinson on this week's depth chart. Martin is averaging 22 yards per return, Robinson 21. David Ruffer is averaging 62 yards per kickoff for Notre Dame, with two touchbacks on 12 kicks. Irish opponents are averaging 22.6 yards per return, giving them an average start on the 26.

Cierre Wood has been ND's primary kick returner, averaging 23.5 yards per with a long of 38. Theo Riddick has added one return for 19 yards. 17 Kevin Muma kicks off for the Spartans. He's averaging 62 yards per kick with two touchbacks on 14 tries. MSU is surrendering 22 yards per return, giving opponents an average start on the 30.

Keshawn Martin also returns punts for Michigan State. He's averaging a modest 13.4 yards per return with a long of 47 yards. Armando Allen has returned two punts for the Irish this year, one for nine yards and one for 38. That's an average of 23.5 yards.

Notre Dame Players to Watch

Dayne Crist, Michael Floyd, Ian Williams, Jamoris Slaughter, Eric Maust, Cierre Wood

Prediction

Notre Dame 23, Michigan State 20

Notre Dame Football 2010Issue 2: Michigan

Michigan Run Offense vs. Notre Dame Run Defense

The Wolverines lost running backs Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown, but that didn't stop their ground game in week one. Led as always by a veteran offensive line, Michigan ran 61 times against Connecticut for 287 yards.

Michigan was led by quarterback 16 Denard Robinson, who had nearly half of the team's carries (29) and finished with 197 yards and a touchdown. Michigan's top two running backs, 2 Vincent Smith and 20 Michael Shaw, saw 14 and 15 carries respectively, and each finished with a touchdown and over 50 yards rushing.

Slot receiver 19 Kelvin Grady also had a carry in the game. So as if containing Robinson and the backs weren't hard enough, the receivers also need to be accounted for.

Inside linebackers Carlo Calabrese and Manti Te'o tied for the team lead in tackles against Purdue. That's great news for the Irish defense, as most of those tackle opportunities would have slipped to the safeties last year.

Gary Gray also tied for the tackle lead, and fellow corner Darrin Walls was just two behind. Most of those tackles came in run support as part of a very good overall effort to keep contain. The corners, outside linebackers, and ends will need more of that this week if they want to beat Michigan. Of course, the corners can't creep up too much and let Robinson pass over their heads at the last second.

The Irish run defense looks pretty sound despite a limited showing. Notre Dame played without Steve Filer and Prince Shembo for most of the game due to cramping, but still showed solid depth at linebacker. Anthony McDonald should also see increased playing time this week, and Manti Te'o will no doubt be ready to make up for all the missed opportunities he made last week.

The key for the Irish defense will be to win first down, and force Robinson and the Wolverines into passing situations in the quarterback's first road start.

Notre Dame Run Offense vs. Michigan Run Defense

Armando Allen and Cierre Wood both made impressive season debuts, with Allen running 18 times for 98 yards and Wood going seven times for 63 yards.

Allen and Wood were aided by exceptionally coordinated pull blocking by the line, and by determined downfield interference from Michael Floyd. Of course, for some refs any blocking done by a wide receiver is immediately called a hold, so the Irish may not always be able to rely on Floyd to help them get to the second and third level.

Michigan's defense is led by its three starting linebackers, 88 Craig Roh, 45 Obi Ezeh, and Jonas Mouton. The three combined for 22 tackles against UConn, but the team as a whole did give up 138 yards on the ground.

Michigan Pass Offense vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense

Denard Robinson certainly was impressive running on UConn, but he was equally effective in the air. Robinson completed 19 of 22 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown against the Huskies.

Of Robinson's 19 completions, 12 went to wideouts, four to running backs, and three to tight end 86 Kevin Koger. 22 Darryl Stonum led all Michigan Receivers with five catches.

Robinson had only one completion go for over 16 yards; that was a catch by 8 Terrence Robinson for 43. Understandably, the Wolverines were probably trying to keep things simple for their quarterback's first start.

Notre Dame's gameplan versus Purdue was to stop the run and the big pass, and allow the underneath pass. So while Robert Marve completed 31 of 42 passes, the Boilers only finished with 12 points and 220 passing yards. Of course, interceptions by Darrin Walls and Ian Williams helped.

Notre Dame Pass Offense vs. Michigan Pass Defense

Dayne Crist at times looked like a seasoned passer, and at times like a kid a little too excited to be making his first career start at Notre Dame stadium.

Crist finished 19 for 26 despite missing a few open receivers in the end zone. Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph did their parts in keeping Crist's confidence level high, each making five receptions. TJ Jones added his first career touchdown, and backs Cierre Wood and Armando Allen combined for three catches.

Michigan switched to a 3-3-5 defense this year, a somewhat puzzling move considering the relative lack of experience in the secondary. Cornerbacks Donovan Warren (who led the Wolverines in interceptions and pass breakups in 2009) and Boubacar Cissoko are no longer with the team. 13 Carvin Johnson and 29 Troy Woolfolk are expected to miss this game due to injuries, although Johnson - who plays a hybrid safety/linebacker role - is still listed as a starter on the most recent depth chart.

That being said, Notre Dame shouldn't put itself in a position where it needs to pass to win the game. But if the Irish can get a ground game working early, they can use their talented receivers to put this game away.

Special Teams

Michigan is breaking in new placekicker 34 Brendan Gibbons, who missed from 43 and made from 24 last week. After Nick Tausch's success last year, it was somewhat surprising when David Ruffer was named the starting placekicker for Notre Dame last week. After a perfect day with makes from 22, 46, and 37, Ruffer will retain his position against the Wolverines.

The Wolverines also have a new punter in 43 Will Hagerup. Hagerup punted only once last week, and it covered 51 yards. Ben Turk did not get off to a great start for the Irish, averaging just 31 yards per punt on three tries with a long of 35. On a positive note, none of his punts were returnable.

Darryl Stonum and 9 Martavious Odoms return Kicks for the Wolverines. Both had a 19 return last week. David Ruffer kicked off seven times for the Irish last week, averaging 61.6 yards with one touchback. The Irish gave up 13.7 yards per return, for an average start on the 22. That was largely thanks to freshman receiver Bennett Jackson, who made four tackles on 10 special teams appearances.

Cierre Wood is averaging 25 yards per kick return with a long of 38. Brendan Gibbons also kicks off for Michigan. He had six kicks last week, averaging of 54 yards with two touchbacks. Michigan gave up 12 yards per return, for an average start on the 28.

10 Jeremy Gallon is Michigan's punt returner. He had one chance last week and ran for seven yards. Armando Allen returns punts for Notre Dame. He had one return for 38 yards in the opener.

Notre Dame Players to Watch

Dayne Crist, Michael Floyd, Manti Te'o, Steve Filer, Ben Turk, Bennett Jackson

Prediction

Notre Dame 28, Michigan 24

Notre Dame Football 2010Issue 1: BEAT PURDUE!

Purdue Run Offense vs. Notre Dame Run Defense

Purdue's offense, which was already replacing its quarterback and three lineman, took another major blow when Ralph Bolden, last year's leading rusher, went down with an ACL injury in the spring. Bolden will be replaced by 5 Al-Terek McBurse and 1 Keith Carlos, two players short on experience but long on athletic ability. McBurse had just four rushes for 10 yards as a freshman in 2009, while Carlos was moved from wide receiver following Bolden's injury. But both players saw success as kick returners in 2009, so they do know what to do in open space.

Quarterback 9 Robert Marve ran 59 times for 119 yards and two touchdowns at Miami in 2008. So while he may not be a major threat with his legs, he's certainly not afraid to try. Purdue's fullbacks and wide receivers only saw a handful of rushing attempts in 2009, but they will still need to be accounted for.

The Irish will again move to a 3-4, mostly due to the relative depth at line and linebacker. The move will also hopefully reignite 95 Ian Williams, who had his most success in that scheme in 2007.

Unfortunately, the linbacker depth has already taken a hit with injuries to 54 Anthony McDonald and 40 Steve Paskorz. 5 Manti Te'o and 44 Carlo Calabrese will start on the inside, backed up by 48 Dan Fox and 36 David Posluszny. Both Te'o and Calabrese are hard-hitting run stuffers.

On the outside, 56 Kerry Neal, 58 Brian Smith, and 46 Steve Filer are all fighting for the spot opposite 45 Darius Fleming. With the injuries on the inside, it will be interesting to see if Brian Smith returns to that position at some point this season.

Notre Dame Run Offense vs. Purdue Run Defense

5 Armando Allen is now in his fourth season as a starter, and has blossomed into a Doak Walker Award semifinalist. He'll be joined by a trio of talented backs in 33 Robert Hughes, 25 Jonas Gray, and 20 Cierre Wood. Interestingly enough, Wood didn't even see the field last year due to the depth at this position. But the talented recruit has impressed in fall practice, and has quickly moved to the primary backup on the depth chart.

It will be interesting to see how the other positions play into the running game. Quarterback 10 Dayne Crist was a mobile threat before his knee injury. While the team will no doubt be cautious with its starting QB, all the effects of Crist's injuries are basically gone.

Most spread offenses rely on end-around runs to varying degrees. 3 Michael Floyd started the spring game with such a run, but his physical abilities may not be the best match for such a game. Former tailback and current slot receiver 6 Theo Riddick seems to be an obvious choice for such plays. The Irish will also employ the wildcat, with anyone from Allen to 9 Kyle Rudolph running the show.

Brian Kelly's spread doesn't call for the fullback much, but the position is used when the situation calls for a traditional under center formation. Notre Dame's roster only lists two fullbacks, and for each player (running back Hughes and tight end 41 Bobby Burger) it is his second position.

The good news for Purdue's defense is that they return six members of their front seven. The bad news is that that front seven was torched for 173 rushing yards per game last year. Linebackers 30 Joe Holland, 24 Jason Werner, and 47 Chris Carlino combined for 229 tackles in 2009. Werner added a very impressive 14.5 tackles for loss.

Purdue Pass Offense vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense

Purdue's new starter is Robert Marve, a University of Miami transfer who completed 54.5 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions as the Hurricanes starter in 2008.

Marve's primary target will be 8 Keith Smith, who accounted for one-third of Purdue's receptions in 2009 and six of their 23 receiving touchdowns. Purdue distributed the ball to a variety of receivers in 2009; tight end 85 Kyle Adams is the only other returning player to average more than two catches a game last year.

Notre Dame's 3-4 lets both 90 Ethan Johnson and 89 Kapron Lewis-Moore play their natural position of defensive end. Normally 3-4 lineman do little more than occupy opponents' lineman to create gaps for the linebackers. But Johnson and KLM are talented players who should be able to get pressure on the passer despite a numbers disadvantage. That's especially true against a Purdue offensive line that is replacing three starters.

If Notre Dame's line can get pressure on Marve, it will allow the linebackers to stay back in pass coverage, where they can help a very thin Irish secondary. Purdue's base set uses three wide receivers, while Notre Dame only has four cornerbacks on scholarship - not counting former receiver/running back Barry Gallup.

Notre Dame Pass Offense vs. Purdue Pass Defense

Dayne Crist steps into the starting role for Notre Dame after mixed success in an abbreviated audition last year. But the knee is healthy and Coach Kelly's offensive schemes appear to be forgiving on a young passer.

Of course, it helps that Crist has no shortage of qualified targets. Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph are the big names who will get everyone's attention. But Crist will need a reliable checkdown when those two are covered, and that role hopes to be filled by senior 18 Duval Kamara.

Theo Riddick moves from running back to slot receiver, and is already looking like a natural. Talented freshman 7 TJ Jones has practiced both in the slot and in Kamara's X wideout position. Jones has shown both the shiftiness needed by the former position and the downfield ability needed by the latter.

There's more good news, bad news for Purdue in its pass defense. The good news is that they return defensive end 94 Ryan Kerrigan and his 13 sacks from 2009. The bad news is that they'll be breaking in four new starters in its defensive backfield against a pass-happy Notre Dame offense.

Special Teams

37 Carson Wiggs returns for his third season as Purdue's placekicker. The strong-legged Wiggs hit just 14 of 21 field goals in 2009, but only one of those misses came from inside 40 yards. He also had a long of 59. 40 Nick Tausch returns for the Irish after an impressive freshman campaign that saw him hit 14 of 17 attempts.

Carson Wiggs will also be taking over punting duties for the Boilermakers. Wiggs did have four punts last year, averaging 36 yards with a long of 51. 35 Ben Turk returns as the Irish punter. In 2009 Turk averaged 38 yards per punt with a long of 53.

Sophomore wide receiver 13 Antavian "Beeze" Edison steps in as Purdue's punt returner this year. He'll be backed up by 3 Waynelle Gravesande, who averaged 4.6 yards on 11 punts last year. Armando Allen will return punts for the Irish in 2010 after taking a year off from all return duties. He'll be backed up by "hands" man 81 John Goodman, who had five returns for 56 yards last season.

Al-Terek McBurse and Beeze Edison will return kicks for the Boilers. McBurse averaged 25 yards per return in 2009, including an 87-yard touchdown.

Cierre Wood and Theo Riddick are scheduled to return kickoffs for Notre Dame. Riddick averaged 23 yards per return last year.

Notre Dame Players to Watch

Dayne Crist, Cierre Wood, Ian Williams, Carlo Calabrese, Ben Turk

Prediction

Notre Dame 31, Purdue 21