Notre Dame vs. San Diego State: Keys To An Irish Win

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame open their season this weekend against a significantly less talented opponent. Facing such an opponent Notre Dame should only need to show up to win. In this vein there aren’t any “keys to victory” as typically precede an Irish gridiron matchup. Therefore, in atypical fashion, three things the Irish should accomplish on offense and defense this weekend.

Offense

1. Establish the run. Weis has said it, the Irish are built to do it, and with offensive coordinator Michael Haywood now calling the plays one would suspect it’s coming. But Notre Dame needs to stop talking and start producing on the ground. Work out the kinks early, run the ball with authority, and form the building blocks of offensive confidence and identity that can be sustained into the season.

2. Develop the play action pass. In conjunction with running the football, give Jimmy Clausen (presumably) easy throws off play action. It will build his confidence, should be open with success in the running game, and should really be the only passes the offense attempts. Furthermore, the play action passing game should be some of the most easily executed passes in the playbook.

3. Don’t open it up. There is no need to attempt more than 20 passes, no need to go down the field more than a handful of times, no need to show any future opponents any more than a power running game headed by James Aldridge, Robert Hughes, and Armando Allen. This team is still young, it can still make mistakes, and there is no reason to give Michigan et. al. any unnecessary advantages.

Defense

1. Rattle Ryan Lindley and do it early. Apply pressure to the opposing quarterback, force hurries, and hit him often. This doesn’t means showing the entire blitz package from every 3-4/4-3 personnel alignment. Just like the offense, there is no need for the Irish to tip their hand to future opponents. It just means getting Lindley out of a rhythm early on in the game.

2. Tackle well in the open field. The Irish haven’t been the best tacklers in recent history and against teams like San Diego State that like to spread the field it is of paramount importance. Good tackling against teams who like to get the ball to players in space is very often the difference between a three-and-out and a sustained drive.

3. Play the inexperienced secondary players. The Irish have a wealth of talent in their secondary, but most of it is inexperienced. San Diego State provides a perfect opportunity to give the younger players the game experience they are going to need to effectively contribute as the season progresses.