Notre Dame's Key Matchups in 2009

Game One: Nevada @ Notre Dame

Nevada ground attack v Notre Dame ground defense:

It's not hard to see where the key match-up lies on opening day of the 2009 college football season.

Nevada has one of the best rushing attacks in the country. In 2008, Nevada ranked 3rd in rushing offence and 5th in total offence. They have a multi-dimensional quarterback who is as likely to take off on foot as he is to send the ball long.

In fact, Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick is likely to run more this season because of the losses in the receiving core at Nevada. Mike McCoy and Marko Mitchell will be missing from the receiving core.

Kaepernick ran for 1,130 yards last season, although he was not the leading rusher for Nevada which shows just what kind of ground attack they possess.

Vai Taua ran for over 1,500 yards last season and is a danger everytime he touches the ball. Along with Kaepernick, Vai Taua was one of the main reasons Nevada averaged over 500 yards per game on the ground in 2008.

Notre Dame ranked 45th in rushing defence last season, but there is reason for optimism. With Jon Tenuta calling the plays, and more pressure coming, holes should be filled quicker and players brought down in the backfield.

Notre Dame will be quicker on defence with Freshman Manti Te'o offering a lot, and standout Brian Smith will use his speed from the OLB position to track down opponents. If runners do get into the secondary, Notre Dame have the pace to track them down.

However, Nevada will offer a very early challenge to Notre Dame's new attacking defence.

Game Two: Notre Dame @ Michigan

Notre Dame's passing attack v Michigan's passing defence:

It seems like no player is talked about in college football as much as Jimmy Clausen...well that's what it seems like to the Irish. There is so much potential, and this is his season to shine.

Notre Dame's passing attack is almost guaranteed to be their main strength this season. With Golden Tate and Michael Floyd returning, as well as Kyle Rudolph over the middle, Notre Dame could have one of the best pass attacks in college football.

On the other hand Michigan's pass defence last season was nasty. It ranked 87th overall and 9th in the Big 10.

The loses of several key defensive players are bound to impact a defence that wasn't that great to start with.

Safety Brandon Harrison, defensive end Tim Jamison, defensive tackle's Will Johnson and Terrence Taylor, and cornerback Morgan Trent will all be missing from the Wolverines' defence this season.

Will Michigan's defence be able to hold Jimmy Clausen and the Notre Dame offence? That will be the key to the game.

Game Three: Notre Dame v Michigan State

Notre Dame ground attack v Michigan State ground defence:

There is little doubt that the Notre Dame run game has to be more effective this season. Notre Dame ranked 100th in it's ground attack last season, and although they have the talent, the offensive line found it hard to open up holes.

The duel threat of Armando Allen and Robert Hughes should improve with the senior offensive line, although don't expect wonders. However, do expect Notre Dame to be in the top 50 or 60 teams in terms of rushing attack, with freshman Cierre Wood joining the 2009 attack.

Michigan State's rush defence was average last season, ranking 67th in the country last season. The middle of the Spartans defence is most definitely it's strength, with Eric Gordon, Gregg Jones, and Adam Decker. However, for this to be effective the Spartans will have to get a pass rush together.

If the Spartans fail to get their pass rush together, then Jimmy Clausen will pick them apart, making the Spartans bite on play action.

Game Four: Notre Dame @ Purdue

Purdue safety Torri Williams v Notre Dame wide receiver Golden Tate:

This is the match-up that I can't wait for. Both players have star potential in the near future. Williams led the Boilermakers in tackles and interceptions last season.

We saw last season that Golden Tate has pace to burn, and he is not afraid to go over the middle. In fact, the post route that Tate runs is one of Clausen's favorite targets.

Golden Tate went over the middle with regularity last season, especially against the likes of Michigan. Williams will be patrolling the middle, and whoever blinks first could turn the match in favor of their team.

Golden Tate is arguably the best player on Notre Dame's offence, and Torri Williams is arguably the best player on Purdue's defence. It will be a highlight reel match-up, and I can't wait to see it.

Game Five: Notre Dame v Washington

Washington's defence v Notre Dame's offensive line:

Washington's defence was one of the worst in the nation last season, ranking 110th in total defence. They forced little pressure on the quarterback, and the middle of their defence allowed runners to glance on through.

I have already highlighted that the Notre Dame rush attack was not efficient last season, and there will be a lot of pressure on the offensive line to open up gaps for players like Allen/Hughes and Wood.

Washington's defence returns the majority of it's players from last season, with one more year of experience. However, there will be one welcome sight for the Huskies and that's the return of E.J. Savannah.

He should immediately improve that defence. If they can get pressure on Jimmy Clausen and close down the holes, then they could be effective against Notre Dame.

Personally, I don't think Washington will offer much this season, but they will be better than they were last season.

Game Six: Notre Dame v USC

USC's offensive line v Notre Dame's defensive line:

This is going to the trenches—the experienced USC offensive line against the relatively young Notre Dame defensive line.

USC has lost two big key components of there offence in wide receiver Patrick Turner and quarterback Mark Sanchez. However, they are returning all members of their offensive line that Notre Dame struggled with last season.

OT Chalres Brown, G Alex Parsons, C Kristofer O'Dowd, T Butch Lewis, and G Jeff Byers are all back for USC, protecting their raw QB while he tries to find his receiving core that is still full of talent will be a major deciding factor in this game.

Notre Dame, with its new, imaginative defence using blitz packages and interchangeable defensive personnel, will do everything it can to get to the quarterback. Brian and Toryan Smith will bring the pressure from the linebacker core. Ethan Johnson and promising Kapron Lewis-Moore will try and disrupt the offense from the Notre Dame trench.

Game Seven: Notre Dame v Boston College

Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen v Boston College's defensive line:

The reason I put this match-up here is as much to do with what Boston College lost as it does with who they have. Losing BJ Raji and Ron Brace are massive losses, and how Boston College cope with these losses is going to be a big reason for there success or failure.

However, Boston College will be returning defensive ends Alex Albright and Jim Ramella, and although they are returning a lot of starters in the back seven from last season, the success of the defensive line will automatically reflect on the success of the whole defence.

Boston College ranked 18th in pass defence last season, and fifth in pass defence. Although a lot of that comes from the pressure that was put on opposing QBs, thanks in large part to the defensive line.

Jimmy Clausen will have to be at his best, but if he gets time in the pocket he has the receivers who can go man on man and come down with the ball. Golden Tate will be able to get behind the Boston defence, and Michael Floyd has shown that he can come down with the ball in traffic.

Game Eight: Notre Dame v Washington State (In San Antonio Texas)

Notre Dame's Armando Allen v Washington State ground defence:

What can you say about the Washington State ground defence—last season it was truly awful. I think that actually might be kind to the Washington State defence as well. They were slow, they offered little pressure, teams would hand the ball off time and time again, and come away with the same result. First Down

Allen rushed for 585 yards last season and 3 TDs. He showed glimpses of being a very good back, if he is given the room then he can really pick up the yards. If Washington State doesn't get pressure in the backfield, Allen could have a career day here.

Like in many of these match-ups, the Notre Dame offensive line is going to be the key.

If all goes well for Notre Dame, this match could be an embarrassment for Washington State and a massive day for the Notre Dame runners.

Game Nine: Notre Dame v Navy

Navy's ground attack v Notre Dame's defence:

There is something about Navy that just makes you think that they will be among the leaders, if not the best in the nation on the ground. That's what they do and that's there game.

They averaged over 300 yards a game on the ground last season, and although they lost some serious talent in the running game in Shaun White, you just know that they are again going to produce a 1000+ yard rusher. That guy could come from anywhere, but they have talent in the form of Bobby Doyle and Alex Teich.

A lot is resting on Notre Dame's defence. They need to keep the games close and let Clausen go to work. If they allow the team to get down, then Clausen will be picking up the pieces late and throwing interceptions all over the field.

Pressure is the key here, and how fast the linebackers can move up and fill the gaps in the line will be the difference maker in this historic game.

Game 10: Notre Dame @ Pittsburgh

Notre Dame's Michael Floyd and Golden Tate v Pittsburgh's Aaron Berry and Jovani Chappell.

There were match-ups all over the field here—in the trenches, the running game against an impressive Pittsburgh front seven. Even special teams could be important in this game, but one of the match-ups that interests me most is the wide receivers against the cornerbacks.

Michael Floyd was the stand out player last season. As a freshman he came in and produced 48 receptions for 719 yards and 7 TDs. He should be one of the players most Notre Dame fans are excited to see this season.

Golden Tate on the other hand had 58 receptions, 1080 yards, and 10 TDs.

For me, Berry and Chappell are very underrated on the national stage. They have the potential to play zone or man-to-man and perform at a high level. If they can keep the two biggest weapons in Notre Dame's receiving game quiet, it could be a long day for Irish fans.

Game 11: Notre Dame v Connecticut

Notre Dame's Kyle Rudolph v Connecticut Middle linebackers:

I was looking for something a little bit different here, and I thought about the strengths of UConn last season: its running game and its defence, particularly in the middle of their linebacking core.

I thought about going with the Notre Dame receiving core in general, however the likes of Floyd and Tate have already gotten enough publicity so lets go with Kyle Rudolph.

Rudolph presented himself as a real threat last season, at 6'6" and 252 pounds, he is a big body on the end of that line and can block some rush. However, the biggest factor last season was his ability to go over the middle. Although he caught just 29 receptions for 340 yards, he was a valuable over the middle threat for Clausen. He showed that he can catch a bunch with five receptions for 70 yards against Stanford.

Although the Irish have Mike Ragone and Will Yeatman, after Rudolph's performances as a freshman, he should get more passes thrown his way.

UConn will have Scott Lucas and Greg lloyd back for the 2009 season, and both players have playmaking ability. They have very good awareness in their pass coverage, and if Clausen is unable to find his favorite target over the short distance in the middle of the field, he might try to start forcing the ball into coverage.

Game 12: Notre Dame @ Stanford

Notre Dame's offence v Stanford's offence:

Here I see two offences that are capable of putting up points. Stanfords defence was not great last year. However, they are returning a lot of starters from that side of the ball, and have every opportunity to improve in that area.

If Stanford are going to impress on offence i think that they should be starting freshman Andrew Luck. Tavita Prichard has shown a Jekyll and Hyde type personality, at times he makes some very good throws, some very good decisions. On other occasions he makes some stupid mistakes, and makes horrible decisions.

He will have Whalen and Baldwin back in the receiving core, and his offensive line have every chance to be a very good unit. However all that will go to waste if they can not get Prichard's mistakes cut down. Luck had a good spring and i fully expect him to be the starter come November 28th when this game will take place.

I don't think I need to go back over Notre Dame's offence again here. They have a bunch of talent on paper, and if they can put it on the field, this could be a glorious game to finish off a good season and cement a BCS bid.