Notre Dame Football: South Florida's Offense Too Fast for the Irish?

NCAA Football's opening weekend presents a high profile game between Big East championship contender South Florida and historical power Notre Dame.  It's the return of Skip Holtz to his alma mater and his father's legendary stopping ground. Meanwhile, Brian Kelly leads his team onto the field hoping to continue the late year success of 2010.  Will the South Florida offense run circles around the Notre Dame defense? Or will Notre Dame walk away with the game?

Many South Florida fans are talking about Notre Dame's lack of team speed, supported by Kirk Herbstreit's prediction that the Bulls will win the Big East behind the leadership of quarterback B.J. Daniels.  In South Florida's favor, Notre Dame struggles with mobile quarterbacks such as the recent example in Michigan's Denard Robinson.  How will this year's struggle play out on Saturday?

Notre Dame brings back an experienced defense led by superstar Manti Te'o. He's looked like a lightning bolt running around the middle of the field, fighting blockers and providing tackling highlights from sideline to sideline.  He finally has a defensive line that is strong enough to command the line of scrimmage and he has colleagues in the linebacking corp as fast or faster than he is. 

With a strong fast front seven, the Irish secondary can finally find some relief knowing that they won't be left alone chasing receivers for unreasonable amounts of time.  The secondary also benefits from the blossoming of safety Harrison Smith, who's finally become comfortable in his role as a free safety after being moved between safety and linebacker earlier in his career.  If South Florida believes it's going to walk over the Irish based on team speed, they may be surprised after kickoff.  If Notre Dame unleashes freshman defensive end Aaron Lynch, the South Florida coaching staff may need a bottle of aspirin to deal with the headaches he'll likely cause them.

On the other hand, there's the South Florida offense.  It returns quarterback B.J. Daniels who threw for 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his first year of Skip Holtz's pro-style attack.  Though his numbers are not impressive, Daniels if fortunate to study under Holtz who has a history of developing mobile quarterbacks in a pro system at East Carolina, where Holtz regularly challenged for the Conference USA title.  Though Daniels earned MVP honors for his performance in the Meineke Car Care Bowl last year, he's struggled mightily in the new system.  He's certainly a remarkable athlete, but he lacks consistency, especially in the passing game. 

Fortunately for Daniels, he has receivers who are as quick as they are fast. But those receivers are relatively green in their abilities.  They have potential to be productive throughout the season but that production will be difficult to come by in the first game of the season in one of college football's most historic sites.

The South Florida running game is bolstered by Colorado transfer Darrell Scott and should benefit from the experience of tough, multipurpose running back Demetris Murray.  Murray was second on the depth chart running for 542 yards and catching 11 passes for 153 yards.  He's no burner, but he's tenacious and tough to bring down.  With Murray, Scott is a large back at 6'1" 230 lbs.  Will he be able to make the difference in the running game?  Unfortunately, the running backs have to find production behind an offensive line that has lost three starters.

In all, if Daniels can get the ball to his receivers, the South Florida offense should be productive with a passing attack complemented by a powerful running game.  Look for South Florida drives to stall regularly, however, if Daniels isn't productive in the passing game.  With three new lineman and no electric running backs, the South Florida running game can't sustain this offense, alone.  Skip Holtz is an experienced coach from an excellent pedigree, so expect some surprises early to help his team shake off the aura of Notre Dame stadium.

Though South Florida touts its speed, Notre Dame's defense is sufficiently upgraded and has the players to properly allow the defense to "spy" Daniels.  Whether that spy is Te'o, Fleming, or Shembo, Daniels should find difficulty getting outside on a Notre Dame defense that is faster than it's been in a decade.  With a defensive line that can control the line of scrimmage, the linebackers can run free to stop the Bulls from making big plays, especially with a backfield that lacks the speed to intimidate the Irish. 

Notre Dame's secondary, despite being criticized by Irish fans who failed to realize their struggles stemmed from an unproductive front seven, is one of the best in the nation.  Gary Gray and Robert Blanton have more athleticism and skill than any of South Florida's receivers.  Couple that with Harrison Smith hunting South Florida receivers and running backs from his safety position, and it appears the South Florida passing game will struggle against a secondary that should finally live up to its potential.

With a Notre Dame defense that's finally put the pieces together and acquired the depth on the defensive line required to sustain a high level of play throughout all four quarters of the game, South Florida needs to play five star football or face a blowout.  It's hard to imagine the Bulls playing at such a level on the first day of the 2011 football season in such a reverent, yet hostile, environment. 

The reality is South Florida is not as fast as the pundits, or its fans, believe.  They'll be in for a surprise as Notre Dame's defense completely overpowers them, with Daniels committing multiple mistakes in the opener.  In the end, the Irish hold South Florida to 17 points, while allowing the Notre Dame offense to lead the team to an easy victory.