Notre Dame Football: Midseason Report Card for the Fighting Irish

Like many other years, Notre Dame entered this season with the lofty goal of winning the National Championship.  Whether or not it was a realistic thought at the time, or a pipe dream, is irrelevant...the Irish dropped their first two games.

Since then, however, the Irish have rallied to win four straight. 

So which is the real ND team?  The turnover-prone team that dropped the first two, or the offensive juggernaut that won the next four? 

These rankings take into account the entire season, and are hopefully a good indicator of things to come for the Irish.

Quarterback

Grade: C+

This is the hardest grade to give out for Notre Dame, because the position has been the most inconsistent.  At first glance, it looks like Tommy Rees has become the new General Motors; as he goes, so go the Irish.  Below the surface, however, we find that the truth is, ND hasn't asked Rees to do that much since early on in the season.

Rees turned it over five times in the first two games, including a fumble inside the Michigan ten-yard-line, when a touchdown would have effectively iced the game.  Since then, however, he has thrown only two interceptions.  He has added nine touchdowns over the past four games.

He's being more economical with his game.  In the first two, he averaged 11.98 yards per completion.  Since, 10.02.  That being said, he's completing a lower percentage of his passes.

It is almost as if the training wheels were taken off Rees to start the season, and then put back on after the Michigan game.  ND realized they didn't need Rees to win games for them, they just needed him to not lose them.  This is something they should have realized earlier on, as there was no reason for them to continuously throw up 14-0 and 24-14 against Michigan.  There was also no reason to bench him after the USF game.

Running Back

Running Backs: B

Running Backs Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray may have saved the Irish' season. 

After falling to 0-2, Wood and Gray combined for a tough 126 yards and two touchdowns against MSU.  The next week, 178 against Pitt. 

Neither man's stat line is astounding, but that's because they split carries, and don't mind doing it.  While Wood is the main starter, Gray has averaged 11 carries over the past two games, and had a 79 yard touchdown against Pitt.

The irony is that the men did just as well against South Florida and Michigan.  Wood had 282 total yards against USF and Michigan combined.  Again, call it a play-calling error, but I don't know why Wood and Gray didn't carry the ball 40+ times against the Wolverines. 

If there is one criticism, it is that the backs are just as guilty when it comes to turnovers as Rees.  Wood had a fumble against Michigan while the Irish led.  Additionally, he had the big fumble on the one-yard-line against USF.

Wide Receivers

Grade: A

Everyone knows about Michael Floyd at this point, and for good reason.  He has 53 catches for 639 yards. He is a top-five receiver in the nation.

After him, the Irish have more talent.  Three receivers have caught three touchdowns on the season (Tyler Eifert, Theo Riddick, and TJ Jones).  All four receivers mentioned have caught 20 or more passes.

The balance has taken some pressure off of Floyd.  Still, he remains a big threat.  He has caught more than ten passes three times this season, and gone over 100 yards receiving three times as well. 

Ironically, two of these instances occurred in the two Irish losses.  This illustrates how important it is that ND has developed a running game, and spread the wealth out to receivers more effectively. 

Offensive Line

Grade: A+

The offensive line has allowed only five sacks, an even more impressive number when one considers that ND has attempted 232 passes (one sack for every 46.4 attempts).

Additionally, ND is rushing for 6.0 yards per carry, and they have allowed only 29 tackles for loss, which is tied for 21st in the nation.

Through all of the scrutiny ND has gone through, no one has ever questioned their ability to move the ball down the field quickly and effectively.  The Irish are averaging 467.5 yards per game, and their offensive line is just as important of a reason for their success as any other.

Just watch the opening drive of the video I have attached (which is a great video by the way, I wish they had these for every game).  ND's offensive line totally dominates USF, yet Wood either runs into his own blocks, or fumbles.  Additionally, they give Rees plenty of time.

Defensive Line

Grade: B

ND has allowed 136.5 rushing yards per game, and an average of 3.79 yards per carry, the latter of which is 50th best in the nation.

The Irish only have 4.5 sacks from the defensive line, three of which have come from Freshman Aaron Lynch.  Lynch has added eight QB Hurries, and might be headed towards a Freshman All-American selection.

In addition to Lynch, DE Kapron Lewis-Moore has added four TFLs.

The defensive line isn't dominant, but it isn't a weakness either.  They have been a consistent, adequate performer for the Irish.

Linebackers

Grade: B+

Manti Te'o is of course the star of this unit.  The Junior has 32 solos, 8.5 TFLs, and three sacks on the season.  He remains the best player on the Irish defense.

Other linebackers have stepped up though.  Darius Fleming has added 2.5 sacks, 4 TFLs, and has three pass break-ups. Prince Shembo and Dan Fox each have 2 TFLs on the season. 

Other than Te'o, the Irish may not have the big-name, "marquee" player on defense.  That being said, the linebacking corps is under-appreciated and under-rated.  They are athletic and quick for their position.

Secondary

Grade: C-

ND is ranked 67th in the nation in pass defense, but there are a few caveats to consider.  For one, they played Air Force, who isn't a traditional passing team, but still tallied 200 yards against the Irish (although they did throw it quite often against ND).  Second, they allowed Denard Robinson, a poor thrower to throw 338 yards on 11 completions. 

The Irish have intercepted six passes, but given up ten touchdowns through the air. 

Special Teams

Grade: C

They're 55th in the nation in kick return average, with one touchdown, against MSU (George Atkinson III with the honors). They're 118 in the nation in punt return average, 0.3 per return!

ND is 68th in the nation in kick coverage, and 118th in punt return coverage (although there have only been three of them). 

Let's analyze that punting statistic a bit more.  They have punted only three times all year.  Once against USF, and it was returned 34 yards.  Once against Michigan, for 21.  And once, against Pitt, for 10 yards.

ND's offense is really good, but it is absurd to think they can avoid punting this often down the road...right?  Once they get into a game where they have to punt a few times, this could be killer in the field position game...(although since they have only three punts, this could be a total statistic anomaly.  They could be awesome on punt coverage for all we know).

David Ruffer is only 4 for 8 in field goals.  His long is 39.  He missed a crucial one against USF from 30 yards that would have gotten the Irish back within six.  They lost a lot of momentum at that point, and ended up losing by three.