Bleacher Report - Articles by Jonathan Kitchens

Saturday's Sack: Notre Dame vs Michgan—They're Just Getting Started

Jonathan Kitchens — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:37:54 -0400

Someone's season is going to change for the worse on Saturday.

Two teams of storied rivalry; Michigan and Notre Dame meet for the 37th time in the Big House. One of them go home with a whole lot of unanswered questions. The other goes home with that special feeling that they could have something good going on this season.

It's another weekend, and time for another Saturday's Sack. This week of course it's a rivalry week with Notre Dame heading to the Big House to face the Michigan Wolverines. So, without further ado, let's just jump right in.

As before, I'll do the opponent first in my breakdown of what each team must do if they want to spend Happy Hour-Happy in Ann Arbor.

Michigan: Offense

Run the Ball. For a few years now Notre Dame has had a very average run defense. They are susceptible to the big run play. Last week Nevada was able to rip off some long ones and you should have the ponies to replicate that feat.

John Tenuta will blitz the fire out of the offensive line and keep Forcier confused as to where the blitz is coming from and who will be open for a dump off or safety valve pass. The best way to defeat Tenuta's pressure scheme is to run right up the gut, right past it.

Protect Your QBs. Your playing with a young freshman QB. I don't care how "mature" you think he is for his age, a freshman will get rattled if pressured. In order to avoid costly picks that will keep your defense on the field, you need to keep the pressure and sacks to a minimum.

This defense got a few sacks against a very good QB last weekend and all they have been hearing about is how great Forcier is. They will hit him hard if you don't protect him. What you don't need is an early season injury to Michigan's Tebow.

Utilize Short Passes. Tenuta plays a soft cover three coverage, always has, and Corwin is probably blue in the face trying to get him to let the CBs play up. The fact that they will not is a blessing to you. Since they play so far off the WR, you will be able to toss a short pass quickly for a solid gain on almost every down.

This will help Forcier's confidence, his pass numbers, and a WR might make a play after the catch. This will also help mitigate all of the blitzing you'll be facing. You can win this game on short passes and running alone.

If you start to sling it down the field, you will run into interceptions and lots of third and longs. This is a run first, short pass second game.

Michigan: Defense

Cover. This is a fairly self explanatory key to victory but it is an important one none-the-less. It is also easier said than done. You have a decent corner in Warren and a promising player in Cissoko on the edges. Michigan fans tell me they are All-World lock-down corners.

But who are we kidding? Between the two of them they have one INT, about 50 tackles, and about six passes defended. Reashon McNeil of Notre Dame has 11 passes defended, 2 INT, and 41 tackles, and he isn't starting.

So, in order to stop Notre Dame's juggernaut of a WR core, you will have to roll safeties over to help Cissoko and Warren. If you double cover both edge receivers, you leave LBs to cover the middle against Kyle Rudolph and the third WR.

This will be a matchup issue as your tallest DBs will be on the edges and Kamra is 6'5". Your best bet is if Warren and Cissoko make a huge jump from game one and one of them can single cover Tate. As unlikely as it sounds that is the best bet for beating NDs WR.

Get to Clausen. Basped and Moch came in with incredible resumes when it comes to getting to the quarterback. Both were kept quiet on Saturday. You have to make a concerted effort to get double teams against your DTs so that Graham can get Sam Young man-to-man. That is your best bet to get to Clausen.

I know, I know, the Michigan DL is faster this season. Quick DTs really don't mean that much because they are colliding with the OL, burst, and strength are much more important and you want your speed to the edges. Anyway you can, you have to get to Clausen. He will destroy your suspect secondary if he is given time.

Force Turnovers. Michigan lost the turnover battle badly last year in South Bend, and this year is has to be Michigan's defense causing the turnovers if Michigan wants to walk away with this one comfortably. There are issues with the count being heard in all the noise and oftentimes silent counts are off.

The Big House will be rocking and you need to take this advantage to give Clausen different looks so that he will not be able to get set before he snaps.

So now that the Wolverines have had a go at getting done what they need to win at home. Let's hit up the Irish.

Notre Dame: Offense

Control the Line of Scrimmage. You did a pretty good job against Nevada and their DL weighs about the same as Michigan's. This will be important though as Michigan is gearing up for the pass. Their DBs and LBs will be aggressive against the pass to try and slow down that offense.

If you can start to run the ball, even a little bit, the LBs and safeties will have to bite on play-action and that will leave a WR somewhere in man-to-man coverage. Make no mistake, the secondary will be better than Nevada's but they are by far not the best secondary you will face this season.

Use the Middle. Michigan is fully embracing Rich Rods defensive scheme of using smaller faster LBs to fly around the field. This means that with the safeties helping to support pass coverage on the edges, the LBs will be along in the center. This is where Kyle Rudolph can shine.

He out-weighs every single LB on Michigan's roster by at least 20lbs, in some cases much more. No one else on Michigan's team weighs as much as he does until you get to the defensive line. Meaning?

You need to throw to Kyle in the middle. He isn't going to take tough shots and he is taller than all the LBs by anywhere from two inches to as much as six inches. Use him. A lot.

Utilize the Third Receiver. Michael Floyd and Golden Tate get all the hype, but Duval Kamara, Shaq Evans, Robby Parris, John Goodman, and Deion Walker will all see play time. You can easily confuse a defense by hitting many receivers. Duval creates mismatches with his size.

He is taller than all DBs and LBs and Safeties. A jump ball is his catch every time. He could also be a threat across the middle. Shaq is a mismatch with speed, as he is a little slower than Tate but faster than Floyd. You have to find a way to get more WRs the ball so they will pull coverage off of your main guys a bit to try and stop you underneath.

Notre Dame: Defense

Hit the Freshman. While it sounds as if I am suggesting hazing...well lets just call it initiation. Against Nevada the defensive line was relatively quiet. That cannot be the case this weekend. You have to find away to get to Forcier and Denard often. This will rush their decisions and cause them to throw poor passes.

This will also shake them up in general and throw off their timing. You know all about this as you watched Jimmy Clausen look lost after a few sacks. Hit them more times than the LBs this week. Make it a contest of sorts.

Take Away the Deep Throw. With all of Michigan's running weaponry, you have to limit their offense and make them one dimensional. The DBs will have to limit the passing game to allow the front seven and safeties to help in run support.

If Michigan is limited to short yardage passes like Nevada was, they will have to run the ball. You can then stack the box and have a LB QB spy floating out there to make sure he doesn't take off streaking for the end-zone.

Bring Them to the Ground. Against Nevada, you would have looked much better if you had tackled just a wee-bit better. There were some missed tackles and blown assignments that let plays go longer than they should have. That is easily attributable to first game jitters, but that has to stop this weekend.

Forcier and Denard are not as big or strong as Kaepernick, so they will not be able to out muscle you. They are more elusive, however, and you will need to make sure you have good angles and solid hits with wrap-ups included.

So, that's it for the two teams. Let's make some predictions now.

Notre Dame 35

Michigan 21

Notre Dame's offense will eventually over-power a Michigan defense that is still young and inexperienced at spots. Notre Dame will take advantage of a suspect secondary to pull it out in the second half. I think this one is close for the first half; but Michigan doesn't have the defensive depth to stay out on the field all day.

Once guys get tired, ND will plug in fresh WRs and RBs and take the game over. Barring turnovers for either team this will be a fairly hard fought game most of the way through. Turnovers either way make this a very, very close game, or a complete blow-out depending on who is getting lucky.

Saturday's Sack: Notre Dame Isn't Oregon

Jonathan Kitchens — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:51:08 -0400

Two WAC teams are looking for the same thing. A BCS berth.

Boise State is pretty much there, seeing as Oregon was their big test of the season. From here on out all they have to do is show up and play reasonably well to ensure they stay ranked high enough and—most likely—go undefeated. But there is another team that is trying to break into the picture as well, and their test starts tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. EST.

Nevada still has much to prove. With their rival knocking off Oregon the Wolfpack will be hungrier than ever tomorrow to upset the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and make their own case to world.

Unfortunately, Notre Dame isn't Oregon.

Oregon had to replace almost their entire offensive line. Notre Dame brings back one of the most experienced offensive lines in college football. We need dig no further. Whether Notre Dame is overrated or not has yet to be seen, but Oregon certainly was with a new coach and new offensive line.

Tomorrow will answer a host of questions, but before kickoff, I'll take this opportunity to spell out how each team can win in a short and sweet piece.

I'll do the visitors first. What Follows are my "Sack Keys" or the keys for each team to win this match up.

Nevada: Offense

Run the football

When you have Vai Taua and Luke Lippincott and Kaepernick all able to run, you have to run. I know you wanted to improve your passing, but take some advice and watch the Michigan State-Notre Dame game last season. Notre Dame wanted to improve their rushing.

It didn't work. You'll be going against a seasoned group of veteran DBs who are fighting to keep their starting jobs and who have been trying to cover Micheal Floyd, and Golden Tate all offseason. Not to mention Shaquelle Evans, John Goodman, and Deion Walker. Or Kyle Rudolph. Get the picture? Run the ball.
Protect Kaepernick

Maryland showed something to the world that we had not seen before: a flustered and less durable Kaepernick. After he got hit a few times he was erratic, over-throwing receivers and not picking the best holes to run through when he failed to spot the open man.

Tenuta=blitz. That's the way he plays the game. Saturday he will finally be calling all the defensive plays for the first time since his addition to the staff. He is going to try and get Kaepernick on the ground. If Nevada's offensive line has one of those days that they often had last season, ND will be getting lots of tackles-for-loss and sacks. This will also force him to throw off-balance without setting up, which usually leads to picks.

Nevada, you can't afford to keep letting Notre Dame's offense on the field. You don't have the defensive guys to rotate in to keep them fresh and you will lose in the fourth quarter if your defense stays on the field.

Nevada: Defense

Sack Jimmy Clausen

If you are going to give your team any shot at all, you cannot allow Notre Dame to neutralize your sack-artist defensive ends. You're outweighed by Notre Dame's offensive line and they have a chip on their shoulders. You have to find a way to get a few sacks in this game, or at least try to rattle Jimmy. A calm and collected Jimmy Clausen is a Jimmy Clausen that ends up going 22-26 for 401 yards and 5 TDs. Coincidentally, your WAC counterpart, Hawaii, failed to consistently put pressure on him.
Stop the run

Whether you're good at it because teams just threw all the time or you really are that good at stopping the run, you can't let that change tomorrow. If Notre Dame can run on you with any success, you might as well pack it up.

Your defense isn't equipped to deal with two threats at once. You can stop the run and make them pass on you, or you can try to take out the passing game and take your chances with the run. If you let them run AND pass, there is no way you can win this game.
Cover the WRs

I know this is going to be a tall order for any team this season as ND has a stable of talent catching the ball, but you will have to limit the big plays in the passing game. Too many 30-yard catches means you'll be in for a long and dismal game.

Don't try man-to-man. Every team that tried man coverage last season got burned for some long ones. Tate and Floyd cannot be single-covered: bottom line. Let James Micheal-Johnson plug up the middle and roll your safeties over to protect the long ball. If you don't, Weis will throw all day if he has to.

Now that I've gone over the Sack Keys for Nevada, I'll do the same for Notre Dame. (Did you expect anything else?)

Notre Dame: Offense

Don't Drop the Ball

You cannot afford to have turnovers in this game. You are more athletically gifted and have greater depth on your roster, but turnovers are the great equalizer. If you turn the ball over, you let Nevada on the field and their offense can make you regret that.
Run the Ball

Your offensive line outweighs the Nevada defensive line by size of the prototypical corn-fed Midwestern lineman. You need to go out and hit them in the mouth before they get settled. Make them worry about both the run and the pass, and they will remain confused.

It will help that you will be running from more formations this season, rather than the eight used all season last year. This means you'll be using some formations that Nevada hasn't seen before. Couple that with running and you have a very confused defense.
Neutralize their Defensive Ends

Kevin Basped and Dontay Moch cannot be allowed to run amok. Sam Young and Paul Duncan outweigh them both by almost 60 lbs., but the question is going to be if they have the speed to keep them at bay. If the ends get to Jimmy more than a few times, you will have a long day. It will look like 2007 all over again.

Notre Dame: Defense

Slow The Run

I say slow because I don't think it feasible that any team is going to be able to outright shut-down the Nevada run game. There is too much talent and experience to completely neutralize.

What you can do is slow them down and make them grind out every yard. If they have to go one yard at a time, they are more likely to try and throw if you can get them down early.

Force them to play to your strength. Nevada hasn't won a game where they were not allowed to pull off big runs. If they are limited, Nevada's offense is as well. Kaepernick isn't going from 54 percent passing efficiency to 74 percent in one offseason. No matter how much Nevada fans want him to be, he is not Pat White.
Get Grass Stains on Kaepernick

Kerry Neal and Kapron Lewis-Moore should have the best game of all DL this game, with Ian Williams as a close third in tackles. If that is true, then Colin is getting big-time pressure—which he can't deal with very well.

You actually have to get to him, though. Not almost. You have to hit him. KLM will be strapped with the job of containing Kaepernick, Taua, and Luke on that side, a tall order for the red-shirt sophomore. He has to make sure that, more often than not, he brings the ball carrier to the ground. Kerry Neal needs to use his speed and strength to get to Colin often. At a solid 250, he weighs enough to give several of Nevada's linemen problems and is still explosive enough to beat them to the edge and make the play.
Create Turnovers

You have to get the ball from the hands of Nevada's ball carrier and onto the ground. Nevada doesn't have the skill players to win through the air alone. If you create turnovers and get some takeaways—maybe a pick-6—you will be putting Nevada into a tough spot. Turnovers will deflate them and make it even more difficult than it will already be for them to score through the air.

Bottom Line

Notre Dame has the horses, Nevada has the desire. This is a game of improvement. Who improved the most over the offseason? If that team is Notre Dame, then this will be a blow-out. If that team was Nevada, then they will run all over Notre Dame. They may not win by a huge score, but they will win by taking the clock and running it right down Notre Dame's throat.

The test begins tomorrow. We will see which team is ready for the big time.

Final Score Prediction: Notre Dame 38, Nevada 21

5 Days Until A Nevada Upset? Notre Dame Kicks Off 2009

Jonathan Kitchens — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:24:51 -0400

Five days, 16 hours, and eight minutes (roughly) from when I write this, Notre Dame and Nevada will kick off the pigskin to continue one of the best traditions yet invented by man: college football.

For months we have waited tensely, teams gauging each other against past years, future years, down years and up year. Fans have analyzed their teams, their opponents, and their recruits. We have gone through the what ifs, the can we-s, and the should we-s. Now its time for fans to buckle up. Its going to be a bumpy ride.

Saturday, for Notre Dame, this ride begins with Nevada. The Pack is coming to South Bend and they have something to prove. They want to be this year's Boise State, they want to be the dominant team in the WAC and they want to bust the BCS wide open. But none of that happens if they lose to Notre Dame. They need this upset. Its tough love when your schedule dictates that your season rides on the first game.

Imagine for a moment that Notre Dame had to play their first game against USC. That makes me shudder. Nevada finds themselves in this position.

Certainly, the history is different, Nevada doesn't have a history of getting embarrassed by Notre Dame for the last decade. However, statistics will tell you that since 2005 Nevada is 0-4 in opening games against D1 opponents and that in that same time they are in general 1-8 against BCS Conference teams. That certainly is a dismal outlook beginning this season. But the overwhelming question is, "Can they really do it?"
Nevada fans certainly think so.

My first instinct is to completely look over this game as a Notre Dame fan. I mean, its the WAC. Sure Nevada had a decently ranked rush defense, but the average ranking of the rushing attacks they faced was 81st. See what I mean? But beyond the defense there is a dangerous offense that if Notre Dame lets go, can burn. Big time.

For those of you who have been under a rock until, well, today; Nevada runs the Pistol offense. Quick explanation is the fact that it is essentially a variation of the spread offense with the RBs and QB a little closer to the line of scrimmage.

Why does that matter? Plays develop faster. Much faster. A few yards seems trivial but in a split second the running back is at the line and moving through the defensive unit.

This also allows Nevada's biggest threat, quarterback Colin Kaepernick, to scramble easily on a QB keeper, or toss a quick out in record time. But all is not well with the gun-slinging style of the pistol.

The fact that everything is closer means that the offensive line must be very solid or the QB is going to get sacked. Often. Oh, and don't forget tackles for a loss. If the defensive linemen isn't picked up right away, or the blitz gets through, the ball carrier will be met at the line. Nevada wasn't the worst team by far in sacks Allowed coming in at a nice round 30th ranking.

However, that was against teams whose defensive ratings averaged 76th in the nation. That's 37 spots below what the Notre Dame defense was ranked last season. Before you get all red in the face and make that vein in your neck pop out, I know that Notre Dame wasn't the best at getting to the QB last season. I am fairly certain that number will improve this season though.

So still the question remains. Can they do it? Well they certainly have the offense to win the game. Colin Kaepernick is the BEST quarterback Notre Dame will play against all season. He is essentially Tim Teabow of the WAC, and seriously, his numbers were better than Teabow's.

They also bring back a thousand yard rusher in Vai Taua, two if you count Colin, which after running for 1130 yards I think you have to. They lost their best receiver and only have one solid proven option coming back this season in Chris Wellington. This means that there are alot of unknowns in the WR core going into this season.

The Notre Dame defense should be able to step up for this one though. Notre Dame cannot afford to look past Nevada and I doubt very seriously they will. ESPN has predicted great expectations for the Irish, but a few have also said that they are overrated and that Nevada will pull out this upset.

The players are hearing this, and I doubt it makes them happy.

The Nevada fans I talked to certainly agree on that point. Some that I talked to predict Nevada winning by as much as 28.

The bottom line is that Nevada has serious question on their own defense. Nevada fans have said that Notre Dame will only score 17-24 on Nevada's defense. I think the Clausen-Tate-Rudolph-Floyd group from last season could score 21 on that secondary.

As of yet word from their scrimmage last Saturday is that the offense had "taken a step backwards," and, "we are not where we need to be". In case you were wondering; that was Coach Ault whose words were echoed by Colin Kaepernick. The defense got a few picks, but the entire secondary that was the WORST secondary in the nation last season, is gone and replaced with green, inexperienced players.

Notre Dame is painfully aware of what happens when you have inexperience all over the field. In case you forget, go watch some games from 2007.

The Nevada secondary may improve, but they will need a miracle to improve to a level of competitiveness with the Notre Dame passing game.

My prediction for this game is 38-21. Weis will play fairly conservative, and ND will get three TDs through the air, and two on the ground. Towards the end of the game ND will get a field goal.

All in all Nevada will score and get yards. They always get yards. But I think in the second half is where Notre Dame has more horses ready than Nevada. Similar to Hawaii in that they were almost in it until about half-time. I see something similar playing out here. If Weis plays real conservative then we could see a lower score, which is possible.

What I don't see is this game being an upset. Notre Dame has to much to lose to take this lightly and they have been getting trashed the entire off season. They know they have something to prove and they know they wont fix anything by playing Nevada close or losing to them.

Five days, 16 hours, and eight minutes from now is kick off. Lets get this party started.

Armando Allen Is Key to Irish Success in 2009

Jonathan Kitchens — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:22:41 -0400

The excitement accompanying a new toy on Christmas Day is something everyone can relate to. Likewise, we all understand the decided let down of opening grandma’s gift and finding a home knit wool sweater designed in crooked argyle. Now that most of us are a bit older we certainly see more Fruit of the Loom packages on Christmas than new toys, but we get our kicks elsewhere in life. One area in particular: Watching college football.

It is no secret that Notre Dame fans enjoy the pleasurable anxiety of drooling over a blue-chip recruit’s film while praying every day that he opts to put on the Golden Helmet and signs on the line. Then hopefully comes the rush on signing day when that long awaited player declares, "I will be playing football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish". Then we wait.

Withdraws soon take over as we hover like addicts, waiting for any tidbits of news from spring and fall training. Then that shiny new toy plays a season or two and isn’t the clone of The Rocket that we imagined. He doesn’t run like The Bus, and he doesn’t catch like Tim Brown. But, by then we are fine, we have some new toys waiting.

Cut to the scene unfolding now in South Bend on the Notre Dame campus. Talented toys are coming into Notre Dame in numbers that have not been seen for a long time.

With new toys comes the every growing expectation of overnight success—those elusive super-stud freshmen and underclassmen that will come and save us all. There are a myriad of areas that fit this bill currently at Notre Dame, from linebacker to quarterback. I want to talk about the running back situation.

Many have already waved their magic off season wands of decision and said indeed, Jonas Gray is the uncontested starter at tailback for Notre Dame. Not so fast my friend.

Let's not forget about those he will have to beat out for the spot—specifically Armando Allen. I personally think Robert Hughes is a different kind of back that can be used effectively and is very talented, but since Armando Allen was pretty much the uncontested starter for the 2008 season I will focus on him.

First, let us meander down memory lane.

The recruiting class of 2007 is set to have a big role in rebuilding the Notre Dame program. Enter all of the names we know and love from Jimmy Clausen to Golden Tate and beyond. Also enter Armando Allen.

The year before Notre Dame grabbed up James Aldridge a five-star back that was to return the Irish to a team that can run the ball with force. Time now tells a different story as James has been injured often, ineffective at tailback and the Irish ground game worse for it.

As much as James is a great person and a hard worker—it is an example of a top recruit not panning out as expected. So Notre Dame recruited Armando Allen and Robert Hughes to be the future if James Aldridge couldn’t get his feet under him. Here is where I point to first to explain why Armando Allen hasn’t been the incredible back that we expected out of the gun.

My first thought on why Armando Allen hasn’t made Irish fans coo-coo for Coco Puffs is because he played in 2007. While I do think he did gain some valuable experience that will make him a very good back this season, if we wanted to see something really good in 2008 Notre Dame should have red-shirted him. I think he was still a bit underweight and was thrown to the wolves.

Robert Hughes was much more physically developed as a freshman and it showed as he did very well in 2007. Armando Allen also didn’t play his senior year of high school. He essentially went a year and a half without playing in a game. I am surprised that he was even able to do what he did in 2007. His 348 yards is not anything to go crazy over, but seeing all the factors that were against him, and coming off the injury while splitting carries, and running behind an atrocious line, I give him a pass. He did average a personal best 4.0 yards per carry.

That’s not too shabby for a rusty freshman

Before he broke his leg as a junior, scouts were oozing praise on him like a baker puts icing on a cake. He was called “one of the best backs in the nation” several times. He ran for over 1000 yards in nine games against the toughest competition. He was to become Notre Dame’s new golden boy.

Remember, Gold Domers what it felt like to grab him over Florida? Then he only ran for those measly 348 yards and we all wondered where the speed was. Clocked at 4.3 at the AA combine we all just knew he was going to be a terror to catch. When he didn’t break many runs in 2007 for long yards or touchdowns, we began to wonder.

Come around to this season and we start to see some good things. My biggest fear after the 2007 season was if the kids could still believe in themselves. Coach Charlie Weis said the same thing over and over in press conferences and I agreed. Some didn’t, but personally I think a team has no chance at all if guys are not confident in their own ability, and the ability of those around them.

In 2008 we saw a large improvement in Armando Allen. He was larger, and wasn’t afraid to run straight into guys he knew were going to pummel him, and he never quit even when it seemed there was never a hole in front of him.

This is the second thing that I think was hurting all of Notre Dame’s running backs. It is hard to teach a running back how to have good vision to see holes when there are none. That is where Armando’s speed has gone. That hesitation in trying to find an opening that should be there somewhere caused him to look a lot slower than he really is. His blazing 4.3 speed has turned into a 4.7 because of that .4 of a second that he has to wait for a hole, then decide.

I do not blindly place all of that on the offensive line as at times there were holes and Armando missed them, however I do feel that it would be far easier to solidify a running back’s understanding of the concept of running the zone, if they could actually run in the zone once in awhile. Even with a line that seemed completely incapable of run blocking at times, Armando Allen improved. He jumped up to an average of 4.4 yards per carry and turned himself into a receiving threat as well.

In his second season Allen's combined total yards, not including special teams gains was 940 yards. That is not super star combined yardage at all, however he was Notre Dame’s third leading receiver. That is telling.

Most backs have much more yards on the ground but don’t usually accumulate more than a hundred yards receiving, at most usually not more than 150. There are always exceptions. For example, this season Knowshon Moreno had 392 yards receiving—it is really based on the offensive schemes, but that’s another article for a later date.

A sophomore running back getting that many receiving yards with Golden Tate, Michael Floyd, Kyle Rudolph, David Grimes, and Duval Kamara, all being in the above average to excellent category as far as wide receivers go Allen was the third leading receiver. No other running back on Notre Dame’s roster was even close. The reason behind this is the fact that Armando Allen is deadly in space. He can cover a lot of ground when he plays confidently. He is the best screen runner Notre Dame has and could end up being the best they have had in a long time.

The knock on Armando coming out of high school was that he wasn’t that great between the tackles, but he had the speed to kill teams on the edge or in space. That ability to get yards out of the screen is what makes Armando a deadly back.

The touchdown that he scored against Hawaii off the screen was a 21-yard touchdown screen pass. Too bad they were at Hawaii’s 21 because had they been at their side of the field it would have been so much prettier to see Armando Allen run the majority of the field.

No Hawaii player was going to catch him on that play. On another play he broke for a 41-yard gain, also on a screen pass, and had a few Hawaii players not been fast on their reads and gotten the angles correct he would have had another long score.

The talent is there without a doubt. As the season wore on he began to see the field better and better, and gain confidence. If you look at his kick return in the Hawaii game, you see that he was playing with the speed that comes from knowing exactly what you have to do.

If there is anyone that can improve Armando and bring him to a new level as a junior, it is running backs coach Tony Alford. Alford has a track record of making backs run well in the zone system. It seems like any back he worked with improved and kept improving. Armando will benefit from his no-nonsense approach to practice and work ethic. Of course being trained in the finer points of reading the zone blocks will not hurt either.

Don’t give up on Armando Allen just yet. It can take a long time for a running back to recover mentally from an injury and get back into the groove of things. Towards the end of the season it seemed that Armando was ready to take that step—he has certainly done so on special teams. I fully expect Armando Allen to surprise some people in 2009.

He has all the right physical talents to be a good back, but has suffered from injuries in and struggled behind a woeful offensive line. He is the style of back that works in a zone blocking system as pointed out by the earlier mentioned zone blocking article by Anthony Pilcher.

The three other backs, Gray, Aldrdge, and Hughes are all better at the straight ahead-downhill rushing style with limited cuts. Armando has the footwork to take advantage of cutback lanes, and if he learns patience, with adjusting to the developing play. If Armando finally grasps the concept in the off season he will be an explosive back that will open up the running game for the rest of the backs. Armando Allen is primed to really show off next season. I don’t think his kick return in the Hawaii game will be his last either.

The Last Stand: Charlie Weis To Return for Fifth Year

Jonathan Kitchens — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:50:02 -0500

Over the last week, speculation has swirled and rumors have cropped up. Irish fans have waited with baited breath.

The wait is over.

According to Irish Eyes of Scout.com, Notre Dame said athletics director Jack Swarbrick will soon announce that Charlie Weis will remain head coach of the Fighting Irish.

Amid the sighs of relief and the curses of anger, Notre Dame fans should take a step back and think for a moment about Notre Dame's decision to keep Weis for another season.

It may have been the smart move.

Granted, this has been a disappointing season for anyone who bleeds Blue and Gold, but in truth Notre Dame is exactly where most people thought it would be. After last year's horrid 3-9 season, analysts and experts assumed at best ND would win seven games. Fans looked at the schedule and said nine or 10. Some of the Kool-Aid keggers said 11-1 for the season. Looks like the experts are experts for a reason.

ND has lost many winnable games this season, the most stinging against terrible Syracuse. That hurt.

Of course, when a team has nothing to lose and nothing left to play for than to knock down your hopes for a Gator Bowl, you should not be surprised when they come out swinging.

All of that aside, ND had leads on top 25 teams this season, to the point of pushing them around and making it look easy, but they let those leads slip away. Blown blocking has been an example of Notre Dame's mistakes this season. Too often quarterback Jimmy Clausen has been put under duress by three- and four-man rushes, something that should almost never happen — unless you have Justin Tuck on your defensive front.

Execution more than lack of talent has put Notre Dame where it is now. Still, the Irish have a chance to go to a smaller bowl that no one really knows the name of and play someone they can beat. If Notre Dame cannot show up at a bowl game fired up to break the losing streak, then someone needs to check the team's pulse.

If they execute, they can beat any of the teams they match up against.

The most critical time with Weis coming back will be the off-season. Weis will be working extra long hours on recruiting, trying to hold the class together after a deluge of criticism and negativity. No matter how you feel about him as a coach, he is one of the best recruiters in college right now.

That said, some changes on the field are needed, and those changes have to start with the staff. As much as this staff is filled with great recruiters, it needs to be filled with talented coaches. Players cannot develop themselves, and they rely on good coaching to excel. Right now, at the offensive line position the Irish are not improving. In fact I would say they got worse as the season wore on.

Offensive coordinator/running backs coach Michael Haywood will be a great head coach somewhere and is one of the best running backs coaches in the business. However, he doesn't seem to be effective at coaching backs in Weis's offensive schemes. I doubt Weis gets rid of him, though. It's hard to judge the improvements or lack thereof in the backs this season because they haven't had consistent holes to get through.

Receivers coach/recruiting coordinator Rob Ianello will most likely be back next season unless he picks up a head coaching job somewhere. This will be a plus for Notre Dame since he is another great recruiter. While his ability to coach wide receivers is so-so, the talent he is bringing in gives him a pass in my book — as long as the wide receiver corps improves next season.

Weis would be a fool to get rid of defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach Corwin Brown or assistant head coach/linebackers coach Jon Tenuta. The improvements to the defense have been excellent, especially given how much Notre Dame relied on it this season. The Irish will end the season ranked (most likely) 39th in the country. And next season they will only be better.

Next year will be a good year for the Irish. The schedule is favorable, although many teams that Notre Dame beat soundly will not be as bad as they were this season. Notre Dame should win around nine games in 2009.

Not bad.

And if you look at it like this, it looks even better.

2007: 3-9.

2008: 7-6 (assuming ND wins their bowl). That's an increase of four wins. If they win three more games next season, Notre Dame is knocking on the national title door in 2010.

Jack Swarbrick is playing the smart card. Let Weis have his fifth year. If he doesn't win, then Swarbrick has had a year to look at possible candidates. If he does win, then Swarbrick made a shrewd choice. And bear in mind the next coach would be almost guaranteed a five-year contract to see what he could do.

Whatever happens, next season is Charlie's last stand. From last season to this season, virtually every stat related to Notre Dame has improved.

Lets see what happens when he gets backed into a corner.

Who Called It? Charlie Weis Resumes Play Calling for Notre Dame

Jonathan Kitchens — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:12:42 -0500

This season Notre Dame has been subject to an emotional roller coaster of highs and lows. Each week has been a surprise grab bag-mostly of the unpleasant kind. From the high of beating Michigan to the now low of losing to Boston College; Notre Dame has only proved one fact for sure.

Notre Dame has some good receivers.

As unlikely as it seems, nothing else is truly set in stone and there are so many questions. After the bore-fest that was the so called "Holy War," Coach Weis finally admitted to what many fans and analysts have been saying all along. The play calling has been very questionable at times, and the offense terribly inconsistent.

Some will be preening and primping themselves wanting to claim they saw it all along, others of us tried to have faith and hope that they were merely wrinkles to be ironed out.

Once again a situation proves, ignoring the facts do not make them go away. What has gone away is the Notre Dame fandom's faith in Haywood as a play caller. As much as everyone doesn't want to admit it, at team who ranks 95th in the nation should not try and run for a first on fourth and eight. We have seen that play called as well as others that share the quality to make a stomach develop ulcers.

Football is a chess match on a grass board. There are plays that a defense no matter how good cannot defend; as well as plays that no matter how many times you run it-it still won't work. Some people are good at chess. At anticipating what the opponent will do. Of making them do what they want.

Some people—not so much

Anyone sitting through a number of Notre Dame's games this season has felt the dread of being in a slow and agonizing check mate from the gun. There are many questions that have yet to be asked much less answered.

Should someone who has never called plays before learn on the job at Notre Dame?
Is Coach Haywood being hampered by trying to conform to Coach Weis's scheme?
Will Weis taking over the play calling really make a difference when the offensive line cannot hold off a three man rush?
Can Weis do the hard thing and fire someone who isn't doing their job?

Tuesday at his first press conference of the week, Coach Weis has declared that he will be game planning and calling plays against Navy on Saturday. He has left it open that he may continue to do so for the rest of the season.

This comes after a death in Coach Haywood's family and he will be missing time this week to be with them. I have a personal suspicion that Notre Dame will be somewhat more effective this week than they were last week.

My basis for this is the game against Tennessee in 2005. The Vols came in with a vaunted defense that was going to shut out Notre Dame. Weis opens up with three screen passes to spread out the defense. From there Brady Quinn simply did what Brady Quinn does.

Weis can scheme.

Notre Dame had the Trojans on the ropes that same year and if not for poor corner play on fourth and long, Notre Dame knocks off USC in a game that they were expected to get run out of the stadium.

Navy doesn't have a great defense and if the Irish come to play they can simply outscore the Midshipmen and avoid another loss to Navy. However, the true test will not be against Navy. It will be the rest of the season as a whole. Coach Weis is in no danger of being fired this season, and most likely not next season either.

Weis has taken a step towards righting run-away ship that is the Notre Dame Football team. Time will tell if he will be able to answer the rest of the questions. To you who say now, “I told you!" Well, you called it.

The Art of the Big Mouth: Open Mouth, Insert Foot Syndrome

Jonathan Kitchens — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:50:31 -0400

Speaking has existed in various forms long before humanity ever set charcoal to cave walls or quills to vellum. It has persisted through the course of our history, playing a role in that shaping of that history and defining individuals by their abilities, or lack thereof to speak.

Somewhere between prose and cursing insults there lies trash-talking, an art form all to itself.

Every species of animal expresses dominance in a difference way. Monkeys may scream, gorillas may thump their chests. Other displays vary from coloration, to violence, to the biggest whatever, and more.

As human beings we can trash talk. We have a certain recklessness in our pride that even in the face of unbeatable odds we refuse to admit we might not be able to handle the task and instead resort to the verbal assault known as "Trash-Talking."

In the office, on the street, and in the bar, humans everywhere seek to establish their dominance. After one too many, it doesn't matter that the other guy is a descendant of a Viking who outweighs you by a hundred pounds. You will still reel your red-rimmed eyes up towards the general direction of his face and open that big mouth.

However, the best example for this is in the sports we hold dearest to our hearts. Football in particular gives rise to the televised individual with an ego. This individual can make a statement, and in less time than it takes to make an EGGO waffle, the statement will saturate every major media outlet in America.

Terrell Owens can do it. He and Ocho Cinco, among others, are headline divas—and truth be told, that is where they want to be. They excel at the art of the big mouth, talking and trashing.

Whether it is demanding that they be traded because they are better than the rest of their team, or bashing the opponent coming in, they talk—and because we are human, we listen.

Overall, we don't mind as much if a player can back it up. There is no doubt that some trash-talking between teams makes a game all the more interesting.

Having no particular affiliation to the Pittsburgh Steelers, when the Rashard Mendenhall comments were taken up by the press, I couldn't help but see if he could make good on his screams and chest-thumping—or if the Ravens' defense would make him suck his toes.

The same goes for Miami trashing the Patriots' Matt Cassel, calling him out. Who didn't want to watch to see if Miami really could do it?

As much as we respect those who can open their big mouths and legitimize their claims, we deride those who open their big mouths and are all talk.

This weekend in a college game that did not receive much national attention, Chris Marinelli of Stanford called out Notre Dame, the city, the fans, and the team. He failed to perform, allowing Notre Dame's Pat Kuntz to get by him for two sacks. The team as a whole underperformed to his big mouth exclamations.

Notre Dame fans smiled, enjoying the words he was forced to eat. Stanford fans groaned. Not only did Marinelli look foolish, he made the team as a whole look like silly, arrogant boys, hyped up on testosterone.

The Open-Mouth-Insert-Foot Syndrome—or OPMIFS, for those who don't know medical acronyms—is a contagious societal ill. In the office we trash-talk over a project date and who can do it better, faster—who can be more creative, who can get the raise. We respect those who can perform.

Peyton Manning telling the Indianapolis recruiters he will come back and beat their @#$'s for the next eight years if they didn't recruit him now seems like a solid comment. Had he busted, well, Sports Illustrated would have had something else to write about—his big mouth.

In whatever facet of the world we inhabit, we do the same— as such, we love the Art of the Big Mouth. We love it almost as much as the games themselves, second only to our love of laughing at someone who has ended up saying a bit too much.

We feel better about ourselves when someone catches OPMIFS. Really, we do.

The old clichés still ring true: Actions speak louder than words. Think before you speak. Talk is cheap.

But if we all followed those, the world would be a whole lot less interesting, and sports as a whole would be, well, diva-less and boring. Who would want that?

Saturday's Sack: The Irish Catching Cardinals

Jonathan Kitchens — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 05:12:04 -0400

Today is a day to cheer for. As Pat Kuntz rips off his suit, revealing a tank-top and jean shorts. We know something for sure. Notre Dame heard the remarks made by a certain Cardinal Offensive Linemen earlier in the week.

According to Kuntz, he is not going to hit him in the face, he is not going to knock him on the ground; he is going to rip his head off. Anyone looking at the size of Kuntz may have to agree that firing him up was not the smartest move.

That said this is the space where I introduce the Saturday Sack for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Each week, I'll give the short list, no long winded soliloquies or monologues, waxing grand about Notre Dame. Just the facts ma'am. And so this week it begins with the Cardinals headed into South Bend.

The Sack:

1.) If Notre Dame wants to remain unbeaten at home, they must stop Stanford's running Trio from controlling the ground.

2.) Notre Dame must control the tempo of the game. Make Pritchard win the game and repeat his performance of last week.

3.) Offensive line, show'em your stuff. If Notre Dame can make the run game a threat, Stanford's defense isn't talented enough to spread themselves out.

4.) Defensive line, its your turn. Stanford has called you out, to keep any sort of dignity, hit them in the mouth and introduce Pritchard to Irish grass.

5.) Throw. Alot. Stanford has shown that they cannot stop anyone's pass. Play action will be your friend here.

6.) Hit field goals. Need I say more?

That wraps up the major items that need to happen for Notre Dame to remain unbeaten at home and to send the Cardinal's home with a ninth straight loss to Notre Dame. Oh, and to make Marinelli eat his words when he looks at the stats and the scoreboard.

Notre Dame Will Take Advantage of Stanford's Weak Pass Defense

Jonathan Kitchens — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:54:06 -0400

The secret is out. Notre Dame can once again pass the ball with excellent results.

After Jimmy Clausen threw for a career high of 275 yards, no one will ever doubt the air game again, nor will any opponent underestimate the talented receiving core that Coach Weis has developed by recruiting and hard work over the off season.

Purdue lined up with the intent that they would shut down Golden Tate, aka the “Golden Weapon”. They managed to keep him fairly quiet. If you consider 64 yards and a touchdown quiet. However, they seemed to have forgotten about freshman Micheal Floyd, who had his career day with six receptions and 100 receiving yards.

Grimes also had a good day and scored a touchdown and did Rudolph the TE. All of those plays and some more besides will have be active against Stanford this Saturday, else there may be tears in Irish Eyes.

Weis assures the world that the team understands that they are not good enough to just show up and win, that they will have to play from the first to the fourth. I for one believe him.

Michigan State showed the team what happens to them if they just show up and expect to win. They will not make that mistake again against the Cardinals. So how do they match up?

The Cardinals have a stout defensive front that doesn’t give up to many yards on the ground. They did however give up 140 yards to Washington, more than Purdue gave up to Armando Allen last week. It seems that there is some suspect as to the consistency to Stanford’s offensive line as they gave up only 86 rushing yards to Oregon State.

Notre Dame needs to show something of a run game this week as well which will cause Stanford to stack the box more. A defensive move they really can’t afford against Notre Dame’s fast receivers in Golden Tate and Micheal Floyd.

Which brings us to the Stanford Secondary. A word comes to mind. Terrible. Yep that’s the one. The Cardinal secondary has flown around more like confused penguins than their namesake. Against Oregon State they gave up 404 yards, only being saved by two interceptions on bad throws. Arizona State threw for 345 in the air.

Their lowest so far? Well that came against TCU, with 145 yards through the air, however TCU rushed for 233 yards. Against San Jose State, they had nine sacks, but still allowed 165 through the air. Washington with Locker going out for most of the game, threw for 237 yards.

The point is Notre Dame will be able to throw. This will be a serious problem for Stanford as the Notre Dame WR core is most likely the best talent they have faced so far this year with the possible exception of Arizona State. Given time Jimmy Clausen can throw enough to look like a major league pitcher rather than a college quarterback.

Offensively the Cardinal air attack is only passable. They haven’t fair well against decent defenses and Saturday should be no exception. With the Brown/Tenuta defense getting plenty of pressure on quarterbacks this season, the Standford quarterback will have to make a lot of quick decisions. When you push youth like that, you get bad decisions. I fully expect the Notre Dame defense to take advantage of those.

The Cardinals run much better than they throw, and unless Notre Dame puts a stop on the two tandem backs, Stewart and Kimble, it could put some pressure on the Irish offense to score and score often.

Saturday it will come down to the same thing it did last week. Which Notre Dame team will show up? I have a feeling that the emotion will be there this week. Look for the defensive line to be angry that they havent gotten as many sacks as they would like and so they will pick up a few.

Pat Kuntz will look like and angry bull looking to smash the nearest thing in front of him. Armando Allen will need to stretch the field again, and Clausen will have to use drop off passes to him to avoid the blitzes that Stanford will most certainly throw at him. Look for another one of the backs to have a big day as an asset to Allen.

Aldridge has been running hard and may get to see more play time this week. The defense will pick up a pair of interceptions, of those if they score the game will be +21 in favor of the Irish. Stanford will come to play, but their weakest point is Notre Dame’s strongest and as such will not be able to keep up with the Irish in scoring.

Notre Dame 45

Stanford 21

Irish Eyes are Smiling Again: Jimmy Clausen and Co. Headed for Glory.

Jonathan Kitchens — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:35:39 -0400

When Brady Quinn walked out of Notre Dame Stadium for the last time, the nay saying began. The major media news flourished with the tales of an overrated Notre Dame without its' star quarterback.

Who knew how right they would be?

The 2007 season matched all the highs that Coach Charlie Weis had achieved, only in the wrong direction. When the dust settled, an abysmal sight greeted the fans of the Fighting Irish. 3-9. The worst season in more years than Notre Dame has record books to count them in. And Notre Dame lost to Navy. Breaking the win streak of 43 years and highlighting the ultimate low in Notre Dame history.

Then it began.

The call for Charlie Weis's job. The outcry, fans outraged at losing to Navy. At looking so far from the 2005 and 2006 teams that Coach Weis fielded that Notre Dame could have been beaten by a division II school. It raged on. The once smiling Irish Eyes were blood-shot from the tears of shame and far to much ale. A few faithful stood by and said that it would just be a passing phase, that things would be better in the future that Notre Dame would rise again.

May I take this moment to say, "I told you so."

What's that you say? Yes, it is only the fifth game of the season. Yes, they still do look young, and are still making mistakes. But even so, Notre Dame is without a doubt, back and growing in the right direction.

After the SDSU game, Chicken Little hit the streets again, and a murmur rose among the ranks. Sure, Notre Dame won, but a score more like 63-3 would have been more to the liking.

And so it began again.

With Michigan on the horizon with the same punishing defense that had stripped Notre Dame of everything but their skivvies last season, waiting and slavering for a chance at the Irish.

Then a miracle happened.

Michigan forgot how to hold onto the ball. Then Notre Dame was able to move the ball in the first half well, and even got some run yards. Amazing. Of course that was simply because of the turnovers, they say. But, hey, Notre Dame was 2-0 so who was going to complain?

Then comes Michigan State. This is the part where we all groan as if our ex has just shown up at the door, wanting to talk, while we have our new interest waiting on the couch.

Notre Dame's defense kept them in the game until they were too tired to hardly stand up, much less go out and stop a monster in green and white, sometimes called in this dimension, Javon Ringer. The offense struggled and made costly mistakes costing Notre Dame the win. That's right we did it again.

People who had said Notre Dame would end the season with "11 wins this season after watching the Michigan game!", changed their call to, "Fire Weis and go get Skip Holtz, like father like son right?!"

Not so fast skippy.

The Purdue game. Everyone looked at that game with dread. Sure their run defense was almost non-existant; but Painter was a serious veteran completing almost 65% of his passes. Kory Sheets looked like Javon Ringer's mini-me, but with ankle-breaking jukes and two of the wide recievers looked like it was any day until they had their coming out party. Pudue was going to score points. Could Notre Dame?

The offense spoke for itself. The first half, Notre Dame struggled again and the fans began to get antsy. Restless Leg Syndrome took a firm hold on the stadium and people began to consider Touch Down Jesus with renewed fervor. Then Robert Blanton made a pick six on Painter that help Notre Dame tie it up before the half.

At half time Notre Dame must have taken to licking car batteries and taping electrodes to themselves as electric is the only word to describe the team that came back out of the tunnel.

Armando Allen, the sophomore running back ran for almost 100 yards in the third quarter alone, making the Purdue defense look like a high school squad. Perfect since Armando said he hadn't had a game like that since his junior year.

Then Jimmy Clausen began to show his stuff, throwing for 275 yards and three touchdowns. Notre Dame played like they were back.

The defense has been solid so far this season. They are putting a lot of pressure on quarterbacks and are only a few steps away from getting him on the ground. In 2006 the defense ended up being ranked 65th in the NCAA.

In 2007 Corwin Brown improved Notre Dame's overall defensive ranking to 39th, and put the secondary in 2nd with only Ohio State allowing fewer pass yards. This year Notre Dame and Charlie Weis have proven it to the nation. They are back. This year they will end up with a wining season. Next year. Well the sky is the limit for this team as they will continue to get better and play harder.

The rest of the college football world beware. The team with the most National Championships, could stack on a few more in the near future. Here come the Irish.