Notre Dame Football: What We Learned About the Fighting Irish in Week 1

One has to wonder: What if Jonas Gray hadn't fumbled the ball?

What if it hadn't been returned for a touchdown?

What if Dayne Crist hadn't thrown that interception in the end zone?

We can speculate all we want about how if not for inexcusable mental mistakes, Notre Dame could have and should have rolled over the South Florida Bulls. But they didn't.

Jonas Gray fumbled the ball. It was returned for a touchdown. Dayne Crist threw a pass he shouldn't have. And Notre Dame lost its first game in what was suppose to be a storied season.

Lucky for the Irish there's still an entire season to amend for their mistakes. And despite some mental errors, there were some good things to be seen of the Irish team this season. So let's take a look at what we learned about the Irish in Week 1.

Good: The Defense Is as Good as Advertised

Here's some stats for you (as if you haven't already seen them).

The Irish defense held the South Florida offense to 254 yards, allowed one offensive touchdown and stopped the Bulls on 12 of their 14 third down conversion attempts.

The defense stepped up when the offense couldn't (how long has it been since that has been the case in South Bend?).

The only thing that defense did wrong was not cause any turnovers to help overcome a -5 turnover ratio.

Bad: Crist Did Nothing to Show He Should Be the Starter

This could come to you as good or bad news depending if you're a Tommy Rees fan or a Dayne Crist fan.

Crist's numbers in one half: 7-of-15 for 95 yards and one interception (in the end zone), including a number of bad reads and throws (though dropped passes are a factor here to).

Crist was suppose to be the superior athlete and passer to Rees, but he sure didn't look like it on Saturday.

Good: Tommy Rees Proved That He Can Be the Starter

This is good news no matter whom you're a fan of.

Rees' numbers: 24-of-34 296 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs (though one really wasn't his fault).

Rees came out in the second half and really led the way for the near Irish comeback, almost scoring (if not for the previously mentioned interception) on his first drive and then scoring on the second drive.

The Irish offense had looked good all day, but it looked even better with Rees at the helm. 

Money says Rees is the starter come Michigan. Like the old saying, if it ain't broke don't fix it. 

Bad: This Team Is Still Young and Makes Mistakes

It came to a complete shock to the Irish players, coaching staff, fans and pretty much every analyst out there that the Irish committed five turnovers. Heck, even the USF defense was probably surprised at how willing the Irish were to give them the ball.

One turnover is a hiccup, two is a fluke, three is a problem and anything beyond that is a pattern and just plain inexcusable. Not to mention that three turnovers in the red zone will pretty much guarantee your team a loss.

Aside from the turnovers, the Irish committed a very un-Brian-Kelly-team-like eight penalties for nearly a hundred yards.

I don't care if you have an all-star team playing against an FCS school, if you make mistakes like that you are going to lose the game.

Good: Wood and Floyd Proved They Are the Real Deal

Two bright spots on the day for the Irish was the play of wide receiver Michael Floyd and running back Cierre Wood.

Alright it's not like these guys came out of nowhere to surprise anyone. Floyd is one of the best receivers in the game, and Wood has been predicted to be ND's first 1,000-yard back since 2006.

But the play of these two skill players should excite the Irish faithful. Floyd went off for 154 yards and two touchdowns on 12 receptions, while Wood finished over the century mark with 104 yards on 21 carries. Had the Irish not been forced to go to the pass in the second half, Wood could have easily finished over 150 yards.

Bad: The Rest of the Irish Skill Players Need Work

Sure Tyler Eifert's six receptions for 93 yards looks great statistically, but dropped passes plagued Eifert, Theo Riddick and T.J. Jones all game long.

When the quarterback is having an off game, it's up to the other guys to step up and make plays and simply put that didn't happen.

Riddick is as dangerous a playmaker as a player can be, but poor decisions (i.e., the muffed punt and near muff on the very next USF punt) and shaky hands prevented him from really helping out.

All three of those guys, along with Gray, have the talent to really contribute to the offense. Hopefully this one chalks up to first game jitters and nothing more, but only time will tell.

Good and Bad: The Irish's Toughest Opponent This Season Is Themselves

It may seem a cheap way out, and it's really no excuse, but, this is one of those times where one team didn't really win the game the other team just lost it.

No disrespect to the South Florida program. The Bulls deserved to win this game more than the Irish did. They played clean football.

But if not for the overwhelming amount of mental mistakes by the Irish, this one would not have been close. The USF offense was being stalled drive after drive by the improved Irish defense, being held to field goals most of the time even when the drive started on the Irish side of the 50-yard line.The Notre Dame offense seemingly moved the ball at will and could have easily gone up 14-0 before the end of the first quarter.

If the Irish offense moves the ball like it did and the defense keeps up the pressure, then the toughest opponent the Irish will face this season is themselves. Mental mistakes kill momentum and can kill a season if not dealt with properly. If the Irish can move past this loss and play clean football, they can run the table. If they dwell on the defeat and what they did wrong, it could be another long season for Irish fans.

Where Does the Team Go from Here

If the Irish players thought practice was tough already, they are in for a world of hurt. Brian Kelly is going to drill ball control into the team so hard this week that the players will have nightmares of what will happen if they commit as many turnovers against Michigan.

The problems are fixable, the team is talented, and one-loss does not eliminate the Irish from BCS contention. This team should still have some high morale about what they can do.

If the Irish come out ready to play smart football than the first night game at Michigan could be a great one for the Irish. If they come out flat and play like they did Saturday, then Robinson and the Wolverines will have a field day on the golden domers.