Notre Dame's 5 Most Disappointing Players in 2011

Though Notre Dame bounced back against Michigan State for its first win of the year, at 1-2 the Irish are still not where they hoped to be after three games. And while teams, not individuals, lose games, there have been certain players who have failed to live up to their preseason expectations.

Michael Floyd, Robert Blanton and Louis Nix have been as good as advertised through three games; but here are the five players whose struggles have played a major impact in Notre Dame's disappointing first quarter of the 2011 season.

1. Dayne Crist

Crist received too much criticism for the loss to South Florida, but his poor performance in the first half set the tone for the entire game, missing open receivers and throwing a terrible interception in the end zone.

Talent only gets you so far, and Crist is a prime example of just how important the mental aspect is to success on the football field. The redshirt junior was removed from the game at halftime of the opener and may never see significant minutes again with the Irish.

2. Gary Gray

Gray was one of the most pleasant surprises in 2010, proving to be an outstanding tackler on the outside and showing improved cover skills. Unfortunately, the senior took a major step back in Notre Dame's loss to Michigan, repeatedly struggling to adjust to underthrown passes, allowing Michigan to stage a rally for the ages in stunning the Irish.

The struggles continued this past Saturday against Michigan State, another underthrown pass had Gray completely off-balance, resulting in a big gain for the Spartans. Gray was temporarily removed from the game, and his flaws have now been greatly exposed.

3. Darius Fleming

Fleming was expected to thrive in his second year in Bob Diaco's defense, playing the pass-rushing "cat" linebacker position. He hasn't been bad, but he has yet to become the dominant pass rusher the Irish were hoping for, registering only half a sack through three games.

He is best suited to play against pro-style offenses, and has only faced one pro-style attack in the first three games. Notre Dame's next opponent, Pittsburgh, likes to get the ball out quickly, so it may be another week or two before Fleming has his breakout game.

4. Taylor Dever

Like Fleming, Dever has been adequate, but the right tackle has had some bad moments that have cost the Irish. He was beat badly by Michigan freshman Jake Ryan on a key third-down play in the loss to the Wolverines that forced an Irish punt.

The running game has struggled in third-and-short situations, but Dever and his fellow linemen had a strong performance as Notre Dame won its first game of the year against Michigan State. Now the Irish will need to grind out the tough yards when the defense is expecting the run.

5. Ben Turk

Turk appears to be a player who looks great on Wednesday and Thursday, but can't translate success in practice to success on Saturday. He is averaging only 36 yards per punt, including a couple of pure shanks.

Special teams have not been a bright spot for the Irish, although Turk finally had a positive play against Michigan State that pinned the Spartans at their own one-yard line. Kyle Brindza is waiting in the wings, so Turk will have to improve to keep his starting role.