Luck vs. the Irish: 10 Keys to Watch as Notre Dame Faces Stanford

The keys to a Notre Dame Irish upset over sixth-ranked Stanford Cardinal are not a secret.  Last year, the Irish did what they could in limiting the talented Andrew Luck, but fell short in many other aspects of the gridiron.

Looking like a new team in 2011, the Irish have a much better shot in spoiling the Cardinal's BCS hopes than many would give them credit for.  As of today, the Irish are seven-point underdogs.

Luckily for the Irish, hard-nosed two-way player Owen Marecic—who scored on back-to-back offensive and defensive touchdowns on the Irish in 2010—entered the NFL Draft and is no longer blocking for running back Stepfan Taylor.

Stopping Andrew Luck in key situations will be the theme to the Irish beating the Cardinal on prime time Saturday evening.

Pass Rush

If the Notre Dame Irish are going to slow down high-caliber NFL prospect Andrew Luck, they are going to need to do something many defenses have failed to do against the Stanford Cardinal.

Pressure, disrupt and sack Andrew Luck.

The Cardinal have only allowed nine sacks of Luck on the season, but have struggled in the past two weeks.  During that span, Luck has been sacked a remarkable five times.

Notre Dame could be planning to use deception on the defensive line by standing up their lineman and linebackers in order to confuse Luck and the Cardinal blocking scheme.  They've done this in previous weeks.

Stopping Stepfan Taylor

During Stanford's 37-14 rout of the Notre Dame Irish in South Bend a season ago, running back Stepfan Taylor racked up 108 yards on 28 carries against a porous Notre Dame defensive unit.

The 2011 Irish, though, are much improved in all aspects of their defense.

Containing Taylor and the Cardinal rushing attack is one of the principle keys to stopping Andrew Luck.  It takes away his ability to play off of the running game.  

Without the play-action pass working for Luck, a much improved Irish defense can make things interesting in Palo Alto this weekend.

Play-Action Defense

As mentioned previously, the play-action pass is a primary component of the hard-nosed Stanford Cardinal offense.  Heisman hopeful Andrew Luck is a great quarterback, but he—like all quarterbacks—cannot do everything on his own.

With a strong rushing game, Luck will pick apart the Irish secondary with play-action passing.  He uses the entire field and will find openings in any defense when they are committing seven or eight defenders to the line of scrimmage to stop the run.

Stop the run; stop the play-action pass.

Linebackers' instincts and reads, secondary recognition and effective play calling by defensive coordinator Bob Diaco will be especially key against Luck and the Cardinal Saturday night.

Red Zone Defense

The Stanford Cardinal are going to get first downs and are going to move the football against the Notre Dame Irish.  Teams cannot hope to completely stifle the potent Cardinal offense.

However, the Irish can limit the Cardinal touchdowns to field goals.

If Notre Dame's much improved defense can hold when it matters most, in the red zone, the offense will have plenty of opportunity to keep the Irish in contention.

Michael Floyd

Senior stand-out wide receiver Michael Floyd has built a case for first-round consideration in next April's NFL Draft.

If the Notre Dame Irish are to beat the Stanford Cardinal, they must involve Floyd early and often.  His ability to play any receiver position will be a key to getting him open in space.  The Cardinal know this; it isn't a secret.

Stop Michael Floyd, and the Irish offense will likely flounder.

Running Game Without Jonas Gray

Last week against the Boston College Eagles, the Notre Dame Irish squeaked away with a 16-14 victory.

However, what they lost may have been more important than any victory.  Senior running back Jonas Gray was lost for the season after suffering a right knee injury.  Gray, leading the Irish with 12 touchdowns on the season, was also averaging 6.9 yards per carry.

Luckily for the Irish, Gray was not the only option at running back.  Starting running back Cierre Wood receives the majority of work out of the backfield and has racked up nine touchdowns.  His 5.4 yards per carry is also nothing to sneeze at.

However, where are the Irish going to supplement the explosion Jonas Gray created as a change of pace to Wood's hard-nosed running?

The South Bend Tribune reports junior wide receiver Theo Riddick is a possibility to see time at running back against the Cardinal on Saturday night.

Head coach Brian Kelly said it himself:

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"We’re into a one-game season, so to speak, when it comes to Stanford, so yeah, we’ll sit down as a staff and, first of all, see what Theo is able to do physically and then decide whether he can go into a running back position and help us out."

"

Riddick has experience at running back.  During his freshman season, he averaged over five yards per carry and was actually ahead of Cierre Wood on the depth chart at that time.  If Wood declares for the NFL Draft in April, Riddick could be a short-term solution for the Irish at running back next season.

Tommy Rees

Notre Dame Irish quarterback Tommy Rees needs to figure out a way to adapt to whatever the Stanford Cardinal throw at him on Saturday.

If the Cardinal drop eight or nine defenders, Brian Kelly and his staff must find a way to get Rees in space and find players downfield.  Quick passes will likely be ineffective against the stout defensive front of the Cardinal.

Rees, on the season, is not having as great of a season as many had hoped after he ousted Dayne Crist for the starting position early in the season.

He has, however, performed great at times.  Like Luck, Rees will depend heavily on the success of the running game in order to keep defenders at bay.  If the Irish can control the line of scrimmage against their toughest challenge yet, Rees has the ability to make the big plays needed to beat the Cardinal.

"Good" Irish Show Up

The Notre Dame Irish have been inconsistent and suspect at times in 2011.  Their potential greatly exceeds their play on certain Saturdays.

Also, don't forget the Irish fail to show up for ranked matchups.

Brian Kelly's teams usually perform better as the season progresses.  His teams are 16-0 in November and December over the last few years (ESPN).

Positive Turnover Ratio

Notre Dame Irish quarterback Tommy Rees may be facing the toughest test of his sophomore season. The Stanford Cardinal are an imposing defensive unit, built to create turnovers and allow the offense to control the clock.

The Cardinal's 3-4 defensive scheme is built to confuse opposing quarterbacks.

Rees, as you may remember, struggled somewhat against the Pittsburgh Panthers' 3-4 defensive front in a Week 4 victory.

The Irish must leave their miscues in South Bend if they hope to spoil the Cardinal's BCS hopes.

Minimize Penalties

Penalties have wrecked Notre Dame's offense at times in 2011.  The crippling penalties have been uncharacteristic lapses by the Irish this season and could greatly hinder the game plan against the Stanford Cardinal.

The last thing the Irish want to do is give Andrew Luck any second chances.

They also need to keep the ball moving on offense, and cannot afford to suffer setbacks against a very imposing Cardinal defense.

Like in any contest, especially one as difficult as the Irish face Saturday night, penalties will kill their chances.