Notre Dame Football: Tommy Rees, Turnovers Will Kill Notre Dame

Just when it looked like Notre Dame's season was completely down the drain, the Fighting Irish finally showed up in Week 3 and pulled a massive upset by beating Michigan State, who came into the game ranked No. 15 in the nation. 

Is Notre Dame really in the clear though? 

Quarterback Tommy Rees has an impressive 69.7 percent quarterback ranking through three games, but somehow, he has still managed to toss five interceptions alongside just six touchdowns. 

While Rees simply just does not look like he can be careful with the football, he has also been fumbling like it's going out of style.

The Notre Dame offense has just collapsed time and time again when the pressure's been on.  Remember when Cierre Wood fumbled by running into his own teammate against Michigan?  Odds are that Fighting Irish fans have had nightmares about it.  

Furthermore, it's not like Notre Dame has a cupcake schedule ahead of them.  USC, Maryland and Stanford are just a few of the opponents that lie ahead.  

Rees is a true sophomore, so some growing pains are to be expected.  However, for this football team to at least match their 2010 record of 8-5, they need to start looking a lot more polished on offense.

It is hard for a defense to be effective when they are constantly on the field.  The sad part is it's not like this offense doesn't have any weapons.  

Despite his shortcomings, Rees can throw touchdowns and keep his team competitive.  Cierre Wood has generally been a very reliable running back, and Michael Floyd is one of the best wide receivers in the nation.

Turnovers kill, and Notre Dame has had a lot of them so far.  If this squad continues to play the way they have, it would be hard to imagine the Fighting Irish winning more than four or five games.