Fighting Irish Will Miss Michael Floyd, but Others Could Shine

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

It didn't take long for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to lose a key member of their team.  Charlie Weis, in what many consider a make-or-break year, has lost arguably his best overall player. 

Though just a sophomore, Michael Floyd has shown he is the most dangerous offensive player Notre Dame has to offer. 

In three games this season, Floyd caught 13 passes for 358 yards, a mind-boggling 27.5 yards per catch.  He also found the end zone five times, among the nation's best in that regard.

His rare combination of size and speed provided matchup problems for every opponent Notre Dame has faced thus far.

But injuries are an all-too-common occurance in football, and the injury bug has bitten a little too soon for the Irish.

There's no need to worry, Irish fans, provided the rest of the deep and talented receiving corps can step up. 

Several Irish receivers will need to step up their games and if they do, they'll grab more than just passes from Jimmy Clausen.  They'll also be grabbing the headlines.

Here are the guys that will be counted on to help fill the Floyd void.

Golden Tate

By far, the most obvious guy needed to step up.  Tate is a star in his own right and nothing will change for him in terms of teams game-planning for him. 

Tate will likely draw more double teams now that Floyd is gone, but he has the big-play ability to handle the added coverage. 

This year, Tate has 19 grabs, tops on the Irish, but also has dropped several key balls, including a couple of possible touchdowns.

Tate likes to run his mouth and show his swagger, but he'll have to back it up now in the absence of Floyd. 

Any dropped balls, whether they are five yards or 50, could be a disaster for this team.

Kyle Rudolph

One of the top tight ends in the nation, Rudolph has 13 grabs this year and has provided Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen with a nice security blanket over the middle. 

Teams are well aware of Rudolph now, however, and the sophomore will have linebackers and safeties' eyes on him at all times. 

Without Floyd, teams will likely designate their best safety to cover Rudolph, at least in passing downs.  Kyle will need to use his 6'6" frame to "post-up" for Clausen and give him a nice target.

Duval Kamara

Duval burst on the scene two years ago for the Irish but has been rather quiet since.  His freshman season of 2007 was about as good as anyone could have hoped for.

Kamara set two Notre Dame freshman receiving records, recording 32 receptions (which broke Tim Brown's previous freshman record of 28 grabs) and hauling in four touchdown passes.  He started five games for the Irish that year, so he is no stranger to playing in the spotlight.

Kamara's sophomore campaign was a disappointment, and his previous freshman records were broken by, who else, Michael Floyd.

Kamara only caught 20 passes for 206 yards.  Over his final five games last season, Duval only managed seven receptions.

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