3yardsandacloud
Administrator Emeritus
2005-06 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Game Preview
written by: BB73, Bucklion, DaddyBigBucks, daddyphatsacs,
Hubbard, Jaxbuck, LordJeffBuck, and 3yardsandacloud
The 2005 Buckeyes clinched a BCS bowl bid with a #4 spot in the final BCS standings, and got the matchup many fans wanted when the Fiesta Bowl invited tOSU and Notre Dame, who also earned an automatic BCS bid with their #6 ranking.
This will be the first time that Notre Dame has played a member of the Big 10 Conference in a bowl game. Their 1976 Gator Bowl victory over Penn State was well before the Nittany Lions joined the Big 10 in 1993.
This will be only the fifth game ever between the two traditional powers. Ohio State has an opportunity to win their third Fiesta Bowl in the last four seasons, and can accomplish something for the first time with a win: victories over Notre Dame and That School Up North in the same year. The Buckeyes have split those contests in each of the 4 years when they played The Fighting Irish.
Ohio State first hosted Notre Dame in 1935, and a comeback by the visitors was the only loss for the Buckeyes that year, who probably would have been named national champions had they won that classic struggle. After stopping ND's conversion attempt after a late touchdown, Ohio State appeared to have the game in hand after recovering the on-side kick attempt. But tOSU lost a fumble near midfield and a dramatic last-minute TD gave the Irish an 18-13 win.
In November of that year, the tradition of meeting TSUN in the final game of the regular season game began with a victory in Ann Arbor. Incidentally, that was also the year that the first Heisman trophy was awarded to Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago.
In 1936, the first year that the Associated Press named a national champion in college football, Notre Dame defended its home turf with a 7-2 win. Ohio State wrapped up that season in the 'Shoe with a 21-0 victory over TSUN.
It wasn't until 1995 that the Buckeyes (then #7 AP) and the Fighting Irish (#15 AP) squared off again. The 'Shoe may still be echoing from the noise the crowd made when Terry Glenn went 82 yards with a pass from Bobby Hoying. The final score was 45-26, and Eddie George took home the Heisman Trophy at the end of that season.
A 1996 visit to South Bend was the last time that tOSU (then #4 AP) faced the Irish (#5 AP). The Buckeyes had scored 70 and 72 in their first 2 games, and came away with a 29-16 win. That season ended with a Rose Bowl win over Arizona State, with David Boston catching the pass from Joe Germaine.
Both programs definitely have storied histories. Notre Dame received a great deal of national attention in 1924, when their 13-7 defeat of Army in New York City was famously described by Grantland Rice, writing for the New York Herald Tribune. ""Outlined against a blue, gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again." That year marked the first of Notre Dame's 12 recognized national championships.
Ohio State's football history since 1924 certainly stands on its own. Using statistics from football.stassen.com, here are the all-time leaders in winning percentage since 1924 (updated through the end of the 2005 regular season):
1. .73077 Ohio State
2. .72717 Alabama
3. .72575 Notre Dame
In the interest of fairness, going back a full 100 seasons, the numbers from 1906 through 2005 are:
1. .74926 Notre Dame
2. .73049 Michigan
3. .72857 Ohio State
Notre Dame's history is replete with legendary coaches. One can't help but be impressed with these profiles:
Knute Rockne: 13 years, .881 winning percentage, 5 perfect seasons.
Frank Leahy : 11 years, .855 %, went from 1946 to 1949 with no losses and 2 ties.
Ara Parseghian: 11 years, .836 winning percentage.
Notre Dame players have won 7 Heisman Trophies, a record they now share with USC, compared to 6 for tOSU players.
Both programs have fourteen 10-win seasons. Whoever wins this game will break that tie since both teams currently stand at 9-2.
Notre Dame is looking for their first bowl win since the 1993 season. Despite that, they are one of the schools on this select list. The only programs to win each of the 5 major Bowl Games (Rose, Orange, Sugar, Cotton and Fiesta) are: tOSU, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Oklahoma.
Ohio State is looking to improve its impressive record in BCS bowls, which began after the 1998 season. Here are the records of teams that have either won at least two or played in at least three BCS Bowls:
3-0 Ohio State
3-0 USC
3-1 Miami
2-0 LSU
2-0 Wisconsin
2-1 Florida
1-2 Michigan
1-4 Florida State
Notre Dame's only prior appearance in a BCS Bowl game was a loss to Oregon State in the Fiesta Bowl that followed the 2000 season. Despite their recent struggles, they have an even record of 13-13 in bowl games all time. The relatively small number is due to the school administration not allowing bowl participation from 1925 to 1968.
It's time for more history be made in the desert.
This will be the first time that Notre Dame has played a member of the Big 10 Conference in a bowl game. Their 1976 Gator Bowl victory over Penn State was well before the Nittany Lions joined the Big 10 in 1993.
This will be only the fifth game ever between the two traditional powers. Ohio State has an opportunity to win their third Fiesta Bowl in the last four seasons, and can accomplish something for the first time with a win: victories over Notre Dame and That School Up North in the same year. The Buckeyes have split those contests in each of the 4 years when they played The Fighting Irish.
Ohio State first hosted Notre Dame in 1935, and a comeback by the visitors was the only loss for the Buckeyes that year, who probably would have been named national champions had they won that classic struggle. After stopping ND's conversion attempt after a late touchdown, Ohio State appeared to have the game in hand after recovering the on-side kick attempt. But tOSU lost a fumble near midfield and a dramatic last-minute TD gave the Irish an 18-13 win.
In November of that year, the tradition of meeting TSUN in the final game of the regular season game began with a victory in Ann Arbor. Incidentally, that was also the year that the first Heisman trophy was awarded to Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago.
In 1936, the first year that the Associated Press named a national champion in college football, Notre Dame defended its home turf with a 7-2 win. Ohio State wrapped up that season in the 'Shoe with a 21-0 victory over TSUN.
It wasn't until 1995 that the Buckeyes (then #7 AP) and the Fighting Irish (#15 AP) squared off again. The 'Shoe may still be echoing from the noise the crowd made when Terry Glenn went 82 yards with a pass from Bobby Hoying. The final score was 45-26, and Eddie George took home the Heisman Trophy at the end of that season.
A 1996 visit to South Bend was the last time that tOSU (then #4 AP) faced the Irish (#5 AP). The Buckeyes had scored 70 and 72 in their first 2 games, and came away with a 29-16 win. That season ended with a Rose Bowl win over Arizona State, with David Boston catching the pass from Joe Germaine.
Both programs definitely have storied histories. Notre Dame received a great deal of national attention in 1924, when their 13-7 defeat of Army in New York City was famously described by Grantland Rice, writing for the New York Herald Tribune. ""Outlined against a blue, gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again." That year marked the first of Notre Dame's 12 recognized national championships.
Ohio State's football history since 1924 certainly stands on its own. Using statistics from football.stassen.com, here are the all-time leaders in winning percentage since 1924 (updated through the end of the 2005 regular season):
1. .73077 Ohio State
2. .72717 Alabama
3. .72575 Notre Dame
In the interest of fairness, going back a full 100 seasons, the numbers from 1906 through 2005 are:
1. .74926 Notre Dame
2. .73049 Michigan
3. .72857 Ohio State
Notre Dame's history is replete with legendary coaches. One can't help but be impressed with these profiles:
Knute Rockne: 13 years, .881 winning percentage, 5 perfect seasons.
Frank Leahy : 11 years, .855 %, went from 1946 to 1949 with no losses and 2 ties.
Ara Parseghian: 11 years, .836 winning percentage.
Notre Dame players have won 7 Heisman Trophies, a record they now share with USC, compared to 6 for tOSU players.
Both programs have fourteen 10-win seasons. Whoever wins this game will break that tie since both teams currently stand at 9-2.
Notre Dame is looking for their first bowl win since the 1993 season. Despite that, they are one of the schools on this select list. The only programs to win each of the 5 major Bowl Games (Rose, Orange, Sugar, Cotton and Fiesta) are: tOSU, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Oklahoma.
Ohio State is looking to improve its impressive record in BCS bowls, which began after the 1998 season. Here are the records of teams that have either won at least two or played in at least three BCS Bowls:
3-0 Ohio State
3-0 USC
3-1 Miami
2-0 LSU
2-0 Wisconsin
2-1 Florida
1-2 Michigan
1-4 Florida State
Notre Dame's only prior appearance in a BCS Bowl game was a loss to Oregon State in the Fiesta Bowl that followed the 2000 season. Despite their recent struggles, they have an even record of 13-13 in bowl games all time. The relatively small number is due to the school administration not allowing bowl participation from 1925 to 1968.
It's time for more history be made in the desert.
Date and Time
2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Monday, January 2nd, 2006
5:00 EDT Kick-off at Sun Devil Stadium (Tempe, AZ)
Constructed: 1958
Seating: 73,752
Surface: Natural Grass (Hybrid Bermuda Grass)
National Broadcast:
ABC National TV Broacast: Brent Musburger (Play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Analysis), and Jack Arute (Sideline)
ESPN Radio National Broadcast: Dave Paach (Play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (Analysis) and Stacy Dalea-Schuman (Sideline)
Regional Radio Broadcast:
Ohio State Radio Network: Paul Keels (Play-by-play), Jim Lachey (Analysis), and Jim Karsatos (Sideline)
Westwood One Radio Network (ND): Tony Roberts (Play-by-play), and Allen Pinkett (Analysis)
Team Information:
Monday, January 2nd, 2006
5:00 EDT Kick-off at Sun Devil Stadium (Tempe, AZ)
Constructed: 1958
Seating: 73,752
Surface: Natural Grass (Hybrid Bermuda Grass)
National Broadcast:
ABC National TV Broacast: Brent Musburger (Play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Analysis), and Jack Arute (Sideline)
ESPN Radio National Broadcast: Dave Paach (Play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (Analysis) and Stacy Dalea-Schuman (Sideline)
Regional Radio Broadcast:
Ohio State Radio Network: Paul Keels (Play-by-play), Jim Lachey (Analysis), and Jim Karsatos (Sideline)
Westwood One Radio Network (ND): Tony Roberts (Play-by-play), and Allen Pinkett (Analysis)
Team Information:
Ohio State:
Road Jerseys - West Bench
Practice Site: Pinnacle High School, 3535 East Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix, AZ 85050 (480) 419-4410
Team Headquarters: Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort, 7575 East Princess Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85255 (480) 585-4848
Notre Dame:
Home Jerseys - East Bench
Practice Site: Scottsdale Community College, 9000 East Chaparral Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85256 (480) 423-6285
Team Headquarters: Scottsdale Plaza Resort, 7200 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85253 (480) 948-5000.
Road Jerseys - West Bench
Practice Site: Pinnacle High School, 3535 East Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix, AZ 85050 (480) 419-4410
Team Headquarters: Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort, 7575 East Princess Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85255 (480) 585-4848
Notre Dame:
Home Jerseys - East Bench
Practice Site: Scottsdale Community College, 9000 East Chaparral Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85256 (480) 423-6285
Team Headquarters: Scottsdale Plaza Resort, 7200 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85253 (480) 948-5000.
2005-06 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Offensive Preview
Returning starters: 10
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish enter the Fiesta Bowl with one of the nation’s most impressive units. Given the production of 2004, it was difficult to foresee this kind of dramatic improvement, even with the coaching change and Charlie Weis’ pedigree. The Irish ranked 81st nationally in total offense in 2004, averaging only 345.5 yards per contest. Within that, the rushing game was atrocious (127.4 ypg; 85th nationally) and the passing game was average (218.1 ypg; 54th nationally). The Irish also scored only 24.1 points per contest on offense, good for only 72nd in the nation. Still, a wealth of talent and a veteran returning unit gave cause for optimism as the 2005 season approached. The question would be could Charlie Weis bring immediate success?
Enter Coach Weis, fresh from 3 Super Bowls with the New England Patriots. On the offensive side of the ball, he has David Cutcliffe, former head coach at Mississippi, as assistant head coach, Mike Haywood, a former Notre Dame player, to help run the offense, and former NFL player Bernie Parmalee. Weis’ attention to minute details and his NFL-laden scheme paid huge dividends for the Irish this year, and their 9-2 record can be attributed a great deal to their improvement offensively. Notre Dame finished the regular season 10th nationally in total offense at 497.4 ypg ... an improvement of over 150/game from last year. The passing offense has been particularly good, raking 4th nationally at 334.3 yards per contest, a nearly 120 yard improvement from 2004. The rushing attack wasn’t great, but wasn’t bad, averaging 154.8 yards per game, good for 49th nationally and still almost 30 yards better than 2004. Another dramatic upswing can be found in scoring points, where Notre Dame jumped to 6th nationally at 38.2 points per game, a full 2 TDs per game better than one year ago. The Irish also vaulted to 4th nationally in 1st downs per game (26.5 ... up from 18.1 in 2004), 7th nationally in 3rd down conversion percentage (48.5% ... up sharply from 37.2% in 2004), and also converted half of their 4th down tries. No matter how one looks at it, the Irish offense made an immediate and significant ascent up the offensive rankings board in 2005, and this unit is clearly one of the better offenses that Ohio State will contend with this season.
Quarterbacks
QB #10 Brady Quinn (6-4, 231, JR, Dublin-Coffman HS, Dublin, OH)
“But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here, Everybody's gonna jump for joy.” ---Bob Dylan
Yes, the revitalization of a recently quiescent tradition-laden program has been led front and center by Columbus’ own Brady Quinn, who absolutely flourished in Coach Weis’ system in 2005. Quinn completed 63.9% of his passes for 3633 yards, and 32 TDs to only 7 INTs for a rating of 162.9.
He opened the season with a decent performance against Pittsburgh, throwing for 227 yards and 2 scores to lead the Irish to a season-opening victory. He followed that game with a “do what needs to be done” game against Michigan, against whom he threw for only 140 yards, but he did throw 2 TDs with zero INTs to lead the Irish to their first statement-victory at Ann Arbor. His break-out performance came in a losing effort in week 3 against Michigan State, where he torched the Spartans for 487 yards and 5 TDs in a game that the Irish lost in overtime. After the loss, Quinn continued to shine, leading the team to a victory over Washington with 327 yards passing and a TD, and following that up with an impressive 440 yards passing against a veteran Purdue defense in a decisive Irish victory. With the team at 4-1, the showdown with archrival USC was on the horizon. Everyone knows the story of Leinart and the “Sneak heard ‘round the world” but lost in that game was a good game by Quinn, passing for 264 yards against the nation’s top team, with a TD and an INT. He also scored his only rushing TD against the Trojans. Instead of getting down after the tough loss, Quinn went out and not only led the 4-2 Irish to a big bounce-back win over BYU, he played arguably the best game of any QB this season, totaling a gaudy 467 passing yards and 6 TDs to zero INTs, completing 78% of his passes. With a surge of newfound confidence, Quinn threw for 295 yards and 3 TDs against a tough Tennessee front 4, threw for 284 yards and 4 TD passes in a rout of bowl-bound Navy, threw for 270 and 2 TDs against Syracuse, and closed the season with 432 passing yards and 3 TDs against a game Stanford squad closing their stadium at Palo Alto ... all Irish victories.
Quinn is also the team’s 3rd leading rusher, having gained 122 total yards on 60 carries, with a TD against USC. He generally ends up with between 3-7 carries per game (the USC game was the exception, when he had 13), and can put 10-30 yards on the board if necessary. As such, he is certainly not a running QB, but he can create space to throw or gain a few valuable yards if called upon, so the Buckeye defense will need to keep an eye on him in the pocket.
Quinn exploded after the USC game, and never looked back. He has been in command of the offense, and it is difficult to find a weakness in his game, based on his recent performances. He was sacked only 15 times this season, and after taking a beating at times last year (25 sacks), his toughness is not at all in question. He can throw short, intermediate, or deep passes with nearly equal effectiveness, and his high completion percentage (64.9%) and yards per attempt (8.97) support that contention. The Buckeyes will need to play a very good game, getting pressure from the front 4, mixing up the coverages, and covering the intermediate passes effectively if they want to be successful against "The Mighty Quinn".
Second on the depth chart is David Wolke (#14), a freshman from Mount Juliet, TN, and third is Evan Sharpley (#13), a freshman from Marshall, MI. Out of the two, Wolke completed 1 pass in 2005, in the Purdue game. Both will battle to be the future of the Irish program on offense, but needless to say, if either sees the field for more than one play, then the Irish are either in trouble, or the game is a blowout ... one way or the other.
QB Rating: A
Head-to-Head: Brady Quinn versus Troy Smith
Quinn (P/R): 263/305 (64.9%), 3633 yards, 32 TDs, 7 INTs, 162.9 rating; 60/122, 1 TD
Smith (P/R): 130/209 (62.2%), 1940 yards, 14 TDs, 4 INTs, 158.4 rating; 123/545, 11 TDs
Obviously, the strengths of these 2 QBs are somewhat different, but both led their teams to very successful seasons with equal records of 9-2. Quinn is certainly more of a pocket passer, using his feet to create space to throw, and throwing all over the field at any time. Smith is much more of a versatile threat, able to connect on an important 3rd down pass, throw deep, or take off and gain a 1st down with his running ability. The coaches will also employ a series of QB draws to take advantage of his speed. As outlined above, Quinn exploded after the USC loss, and had a great stretch run. Smith came on after the Penn State loss, throwing for at least 200 yards the next 4 games, and culminating with his magical 300 yard passing day against arch rival Michigan, leading the come-from-behind victory that cemented his place in Buckeye immortality. If you ask the average fan of either school, neither would trade their QB for the other ... so who is better? There is no clear-cut answer here, as both have done what the team needed them to do, especially down the stretch, to have the offense firing on all cylinders. Some might argue that Quinn’s numbers are inflated having played against some weaker defenses, but he could only play who was in front of him, and Quinn gets the slight edge based on his superior passing and consistency since the season’s inception. Smith, however, definitely has the chance to show that it is he, and not Quinn, who is the best QB on January 2nd. This one will be settled on the field.
Edge: Quinn
Running Backs
RB #3 Darius Walker (5-11, 200, SO, Buford HS, Lawrenceville, GA)
FB #44 Asaph Schwapp (6-2, 230, FR, Weaver HS, Hartford, CT)
Darius Walker is the unquestioned focus of the Fighting Irish ground attack. His season totals of 1106 yards and 6 TDs are very good, and far surpass anyone else on the Irish squad. His 1106 yards are on 237 carries, averaging 4.7 yards per carry, which is certainly respectable, but his longest run for the season is only 38 yards. One of Walker’s high points is also that he is a dual threat in the passing game, hauling in 36 passes for 314 yards and 2 TDs. He has gained at least 100 yards on the ground in 7 games, and scored a TD of some kind in 7 games also, all while averaging about 20 carries and 3-4 receptions per game.
One of his best games was the season opener at Pittsburgh, where he ran for 100 yards and also caught 3 passes for 52 yards, scoring a TD each way. He followed up that performance with 104 yards at Michigan, and followed that up with 116 yards and a receiving TD in the loss to Michigan State. When Notre Dame hit the road and needed to bounce back from that tough home loss, Walker was ready to contribute, gaining 128 yards and scoring a TD at Washington and tallying 80 with a TD in their win at Purdue. Walker was held somewhat in check, but still played very well against USC, where he gained 82 yards on the ground and caught 4 passes for 43 yards. Following that tough loss, he saw very limited action in the game against BYU, but once again gained over 100 all-purpose yards (62 rushing yards, 34 receiving yards) in the win over Tennessee. Most important to Buckeye fans, Walker comes into the bowl game having closed the season with 3 very good performances. He gained 118 yards and scored a TD in the win over Navy, gained 123 and scored a TD against Syracuse, and perhaps saved his best performance for last, when he carried the ball 35 times for 186 yards and a TD, and also caught 5 passes for 55 yards in the season-closing win over the Stanford Cardinal. Clearly Walker enters the Fiesta Bowl with a lot of confidence, and demonstrated in the final 3 games the he can carry a heavy workload, put up solid numbers, and contribute in the passing game. He will be a key element to the potential success, or lack thereof, of the Irish offense against the Buckeye defense.
Second on the depth chart is Travis Thomas (#26), a junior who was second on the team with 63 carries for 248 yards and a somewhat surprising 5 TDs (to Walker’s 6). Thomas is not the threat in the passing game that Walker is, having hauled in only 2 passes for 9 yards on the season. This solid back has seen work in 9 games in 2005, including solid workloads against USC (18 carries for 52 yards, TD) and Navy (11 carries, 58 yards, TD). He also scored TDs against Washington, Purdue, and Stanford. After his 11 carries against Navy, he had only 3 in each of the last 2 games. Buckeye fans can expect to see Travis play in the Fiesta Bowl, but the extent of the workload he will have is one question that fans and the team can ponder over the next few weeks.
Third on the chart is freshman Justin Hoskins (#33). He has just 2 carries for -1 yard (against Navy) and though he may be a serious factor in the future of the Irish ground attack, don’t expect him to play a highly significant role in the Fiesta Bowl.
Fullback Schwapp has good size and is a good blocker. He has contributed 63 yards on 25 carries and has caught 3 passes for 22 yards during the 2005 season, so don’t expect him to put up large numbers in the Fiesta Bowl. His role will primarily be to open space for Walker to free up Quinn and the passing game, and to protect his QB.
RB Rating: B
Head-to-Head: Darius Walker versus Antonio Pittman
Walker: 237/1106 yards, 6TDs, 4.7 YPC; 36 rec/314 yards, 2 TDs, 8.7 YPR
Pittman: 222/1195 yards, 6TDs, 5.4 YPC; 15 rec/155 yards, 0 TDs, 10.3 YPR
This one will certainly spark some colorful water cooler conversation, as the QB matchup does. Walker started well, and was consistent throughout the season. He had the monster game against Stanford (186 yards, TD), and was solid throughout 2005. Pittman was a bit more sporadic, with huge games against Iowa (171 yards) and Minnesota (186 yards, 2 TDs), but only 4 other games that he cracked the 100 yard plateau (compared to Walker’s total of 7). Pittman is also less a part of the passing game. However, Pittman’s yards-per-carry is significantly higher, and his 6 TDs came in the last 4 games, indicating the roll he is on closing the 2005 season. On the other hand, Walker also closed the season in a big way, so both players will be rolling in to Tempe high on confidence, and certainly a focal point of both their own offensive coordinator, and the opposing defense. Again, this one will ultimately be settled on the field, as it is crucial for each team to establish the run to make the offense work. So, as with the QBs, either player could emerge as the clear choice by the end of the game. At this point, the edge goes to Pittman, for his higher YPC, his ability to break the big one (his long on the season is 67, to Walker’s 38) and the Minnesota game, which for him was arguably the biggest stage of the year, going straight up against Maroney and Russell and the vaunted Gophers ground attack. Pittman responded with his best game of the season, rushing for 186 yards and 2TDs, and has been on a roll every since, and because of that, he gets the slight edge ... for now.
Edge: Pittman
Wide Receivers
WR #21 Maurice Stovall (6-5, 221, SR, Archbishop Carroll HS, Philadelphia, PA)
WR #86 Jeff Samardzija (6-4, 190, JR, Valparaiso HS, Valparaiso, IN)
Without question, the emergence of Samardzija as a big-play wide receiver has keyed much of the Irish passing game, if not their resurgence. Though Irish die-hards may say otherwise, Samardzija came out of virtually nowhere this season, having caught just 17 passes for 274 yards last year. This season, he is unquestioningly one of the best in the nation, catching 72 passes for 1215 yards and 15 scores, and winning the BP “Boston-Carter Award” for the nation’s best receiver. His impressive credentials include 5 games of 100 or more yards receiving, and scoring a TD in 10 games, and scoring 2 or more 4 times. He has good height to go up and get the ball, and good speed to go downfield either under the ball or after the catch. These attributes make him a dangerous weapon either at his own 20, or in the red zone, and Samardzija has emerged as a bona fide elite receiver.
Interestingly, he started off very modestly against Pittsburgh and Michigan, scoring a TD in each game, but catching only a total of 7 passes for 86 yards. His emergence really hit in the Michigan State contest, when he caught 6 balls for 96 yards and scored an impressive 3 TDs. He went on to light up Washington and Purdue like proverbial Christmas trees, catching 8 for 164 and a score in Seattle and 7 for 153 and 2 TDs against the Boilermakers. He was also impressive against USC, catching 6 for 99 yards and a TD, and then he dominated BYU, catching 10 passes for 152 yards and 2 TDs. He completed his second “100 yard double” against Tennessee, when he hauled in 7 passes for 127 yards and a score. After a light load against Navy (5 for 42 yards), and a moderate performance against Syracuse (7 catches, 80 yards, TD), he cemented his huge 2005 campaign by detonating on Stanford, catching 9 passes for an eye-popping 216 yards and 2 TDs to close the campaign.
On the other side, Stovall is a grizzled veteran of the program, who has stuck through some tough times and has provided important quality leadership to help lead the Irish comeback. He has been rewarded handsomely with a breakout season of his own. It’s not often that a “2nd receiver” in college hauls in 60 passes for 1023 yards and 11 TDs, but Stovall has had quite a run in 2005, after catching only 21 passes and 313 yards and a TD in 2004. Like his counterpart on the other side of the field, Stovall had 5 games of 100 yards or more receiving, and he scored TDs in 6 games. Stovall is a big target, especially effective on 3rd downs and in the red zone. He runs good routes, and is just as capable as his now-more famous counterpart to have a monster game if defenses key on Samardzija. The Buckeyes will be wise to give him the attention in the defensive scheme that he has earned this season, and not focus solely on stopping Samardzija.
The parallels of the two receivers continue when breaking down their week-to-week performances. He also had 2 very pedestrian games to open the season against Pittsburgh (2 for 27 yards) and Michigan (2 for 17 yards), before lighting up the Michigan State defense for 8 catches, 176 yards, and a TD. This started a very interesting trend with Stovall, which was having an average game, followed by a monster game, followed by an average game, and so on, which continued until the conclusion of the season. His big effort against the Spartans was followed by a significantly lesser performance against USC (3 catches, 30 yards), but he bounced back nicely to have his best game of the year against BYU, whose secondary he annihilated to the tune of 14 catches for 207 yards and 4 TDs. This utter devastation of an opposing defense was again followed by an average performance (2 catches, 41 yards, TD against Tennessee), and then another big game against Navy, where he caught 8 passes for 130 yards and 3 TDs to keep the winning streak over the Academy in tact. The following week against Syracuse was a more solid performance than other “off” weeks (3 catches, 91 yards, TD), but he, like his fellow wideout, closed the season with a big game against Stanford, hauling in 7 passes for 136 yards and a TD to sink the Cardinal.
The depth chart at receiver features a mixture of experience and new talent, but none of the other wideouts on the roster put up big numbers. Senior and veteran wide receiver Matt Shelton (#82; 5-11, 177) has been the most consistent contributor, catching 22 passes for 252 yards this year. He had solid games against Michigan State (6 catches, 87 yards), Purdue (7 for 68) and Syracuse (3 for 62), and has played in but has not been a significant factor in any of the other games. Fleet-footed freshman David Grimes (#11; 2 catches, 19 yards) and junior Chase Anastasio (#23; no catches) round out the chart, but may not see a lot of field time. The lack of experienced depth might keep this unit as a whole from being the nation’s best, but with the two at the top of the chart, the Irish wideouts should command as much respect as any.
WR Rating: A-
Head-to-Head: Jeff Samardzija/Maurice Stovall/Matt Shelton versus Santonio Holmes/Ted Ginn Jr./Anthony Gonzalez
Samardzija: 72 catches, 1215 yards, 15 TDs, 16.9 YPR
Stovall: 60 catches, 1023 yards, 11 TDs, 17.1 YPR
Shelton: 22 catches, 252 yards, 0 TDs, 11.5 YPR
Holmes: 48 catches, 853 yards, 10 TDs, 17.8 YPR
Ginn Jr.: 43 catches, 636 yards, 3 TDs, 14.8 YPR
Gonzalez: 27 catches, 358 yards, 3 TDs, 13.3 YPR
Again, this is the third positional comparison in a row that could spark some hefty debate amongst fans of both schools, and outside observers for that matter. Clearly at the top of the chart, the Irish numbers are better. However, any Buckeye fan would put Holmes up against either ND wideout and probably say they think Holmes is better. No doubt that Holmes and Samardzija had great seasons, and are amongst the nation’s best receivers. At the “2” spot, both Stovall and Ginn had their ups and downs, but clearly Stovall put up the better numbers, and had 5 really good games. Ginn did not reach the lofty expectations heaped upon him at the beginning of the season, but he did have a few good games of his own, including a big one against Illinois (4 catches, 138 yards, TD) and, when it counted most, against Michigan (9 catches, 89 yards). He is a danger to score every time he catches the ball, though clearly that didn’t happen as often as he or Buckeye fans would have liked, so advantage Stovall. However, when it comes to quality depth, the Buckeyes seem to have a clear advantage, with the vastly underrated Gonzalez, who came up “all aces” in 3 games that were crucial Buckeye victories against quality bowl-bound competition (6 catches for 90 yards against Iowa, 4 for 63 against Minnesota, 4 for 75 against Michigan) and a quality 4th receiver in Roy Hall (14 catches, 112 yards). So, the Irish get the advantage at the top, whereas the Buckeyes win on depth, especially when they spread the field. It would not be at all surprising to see Gonzalez and Stovall being two significant keys to the game…whichever plays best will do a lot to advance their team to victory. Both the Buckeyes and the Irish believe they have one of the nations’ best receiving corps. Both are correct, and neither has a clear decided advantage going in to the football game. This, as with all of these matchups, will truly be settled on the field, because one unit or the other will probably end the game with the advantage, and they will probably also be on the winning side. Until then ... call it even.
Edge: Even
Tight Ends
#88 Anthony Fasano (6-4, 253, SR, Verona HS, Verona, NJ)
Often overlooked and underappreciated, the TE position is unique in that it can provide a huge boost to both the passing and rushing games. Anthony Fasano is just that type of player, and he does both very effectively. He has good size and is a fine blocker. His size also provides a big target in the passing game, where he has flourished this year, catching 45 passes for 564 yards and 2 TDs. Like the rest of the Irish passing attack, he had a couple of modest games to start the season, but he also broke out against Michigan State, catching 7 passes for 93 yards. He shined against the nation’s top-ranked USC team (4 catches, 86 yards), and also was instrumental in the passing game in victories over Washington (6 for 66 yards), BYU (5 for 55), Tennessee (4 catches, 78 yards, TD) and Navy (4 catches, 70 yards, TD), in addition to his good blocking. Clearly the Buckeye linebackers and safeties will have to respect his presence in the passing game, and he could be a key to getting the ground game on track if he is matched up consistently with Hawk or Schlegel. He was a finalist for the Mackey award, given to the nation’s best TE, so he really has led the way at his position across the college football landscape in 2005.
Second on the depth chart is junior John Carlson (#89), a player of similar size (6-6, 250) that can be a factor in the passing game (7 catches, 56 yards, TD). He is also a good blocker who could enter the game in double TE situations, should any arise. The Irish have a third experienced player is senior Marcus Freeman (#87), also a capable blocker (6-4, 242) who hasn’t played a lot this year.
TE Rating: A
Head-to-Head: Anthony Fasano versus Marcel Frost
Fasano: 45 catches, 564 yards, 2 TDs, 12.5 YPR
Frost: 6 catches, 62 yards, 0 TDs, 10.3 YPR
Hamby: 9 catches, 84 yards, 0 TDs, 9.4 YPR
Obviously this is not a fair comparison, as Ryan Hamby spend a good portion of the year as the Buckeye starter at TE. Still, it doesn’t matter who one plugs in for the Buckeyes, Fasano is a special talent, and an elite TE. His mastery of the position exceeds anything the Buckeyes have, and he is obviously the choice for this position battle.
Edge: Fasano
Offensive Line
LT #68 Ryan Harris (6-5, 270, JR, Cretin-Derham Hall HS, Saint Paul, MN)
LG #50 Dan Santucci (6-4, 297, SR, Saint Patrick’s HS, Chicago, IL)
C #78 John Sullivan (6-4, 280, JR, Greenwich HS, Old Greenwich, CT)
RG #74 Dan Stevenson (6-5, 297, SR, Barrington HS, Barrington, IL)
RT #73 Mark LeVoir (6-7, 320, SR, Eden Prairie HS, Eden Prairie, MN)
This unit is very experienced, and is built on quickness and agility. The consistency up front made this unit very good in 2005, and also was a key to the sharp increase in success of both the rushing and passing attacks. Tackles Harris and LeVoir were highly touted coming out of high school, started 44 games between them prior to the start of 2005, and have led the Notre Dame resurgence up front this season, starting all 11 games as a tandem. Harris was a freshman All-American in 2003, and has continued to develop into a fine tackle, despite being smaller than many of his counterparts at other schools. Stevenson started all 12 games in 2004 and all 11 this year, logging a total of 34 starts in his Irish career. He brings a wealth of experience to the guard position. Santucci beat out the experienced Bob Morton for the starting guard spot after starting the Insight Bowl last year, and he also started all 11 games. Center Sullivan started the final 8 contests after starting all 12 last year and logging the most minutes on the field for the Irish line in 2004. Despite Quinn, the receivers, and Walker getting most of the publicity, look no further than this talented and veteran group to find out why the Irish are back in 2005.
The Irish are two-deep at each line position, providing valuable depth and experience along the interior line especially. The most experienced backup is probably senior center Bob Morton (#76), who started the first 4 games, missed the Purdue contest, and then saw action in the final 7 contests. He can play center or guard effectively, and has started 26 games in his Irish career, so he has a very, very good chance of getting into the Fiesta Bowl. Guards Santucci and Stevenson are backed by 3 senior guards, all of whom saw significant action this year. RG Scott Raridon (#62) led the way, appearing in 9 contests, while LG Brian Mattes (#79) appeared in 7 games, and fellow LG James Bonelli (#71) appeared in 5. By contrast, the tackle spots are manned by freshmen, who will no doubt be the future of the school. Reserve LT Michael Turkovich (#77) appeared in 5 games, while RT Paul Duncan (#72) saw the field in 6. All of these players have some level of experience, and don’t be surprised to see several of them, particularly Morton, to play several snaps against the Buckeyes.
OL Rating: A-
Head-to-Head: Notre Dame versus Ohio State
This one is always hard to gauge, and it will take the results of the game to really know which line is better. Both lines have extensive experience. The Buckeye offense has played well of late, and the success of the running game in recent games can be attributed to the improved play of the line as the season wore on. Nick Mangold is probably the best player of the 10 starters, and Rob Sims was an All-Big Ten guard. However the Irish have been able to avoid serious injuries and have kept a strong continuity throughout the course of the 2005 campaign. Both offenses have been on a roll of late, and it will be interesting to see how the veteran Irish line tackles the experienced and ferocious Buckeye front 7. This will be a fun one to watch.
Edge: Even
Offensive Analysis
This unit is full of talent, and there are no major glaring weaknesses. The running game probably has the most questions, but Walker has been good of late, and the line has been plowing through opposing defenses to open some good space to run. The biggest key will be whether the Irish line can keep the Buckeye front seven at bay and keep star QB Brady Quinn vertical for most of the night. If they can, the Quinn can cause havoc to any secondary, and he has 3 exceptionally good targets to choose from, including a star TE, which is a rarity in today’s college game. Quinn has been really, really good all year, but he has what is probably his toughest challenge to date ahead of him in the veteran and punishing Buckeye defense. Walker may have trouble running against the likes of Hawk, Whitner and company, which will put a great deal more of the game on Quinn’s shoulders. He will have plenty of help from Fasano, Stovall, and Samardzija…can they rise to the challenge and prove to the world that the Fighting Irish are truly back to stay and a force to be reckoned with? Time and change will surely show ...
Overall Offensive Rating: A-
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish enter the Fiesta Bowl with one of the nation’s most impressive units. Given the production of 2004, it was difficult to foresee this kind of dramatic improvement, even with the coaching change and Charlie Weis’ pedigree. The Irish ranked 81st nationally in total offense in 2004, averaging only 345.5 yards per contest. Within that, the rushing game was atrocious (127.4 ypg; 85th nationally) and the passing game was average (218.1 ypg; 54th nationally). The Irish also scored only 24.1 points per contest on offense, good for only 72nd in the nation. Still, a wealth of talent and a veteran returning unit gave cause for optimism as the 2005 season approached. The question would be could Charlie Weis bring immediate success?
Enter Coach Weis, fresh from 3 Super Bowls with the New England Patriots. On the offensive side of the ball, he has David Cutcliffe, former head coach at Mississippi, as assistant head coach, Mike Haywood, a former Notre Dame player, to help run the offense, and former NFL player Bernie Parmalee. Weis’ attention to minute details and his NFL-laden scheme paid huge dividends for the Irish this year, and their 9-2 record can be attributed a great deal to their improvement offensively. Notre Dame finished the regular season 10th nationally in total offense at 497.4 ypg ... an improvement of over 150/game from last year. The passing offense has been particularly good, raking 4th nationally at 334.3 yards per contest, a nearly 120 yard improvement from 2004. The rushing attack wasn’t great, but wasn’t bad, averaging 154.8 yards per game, good for 49th nationally and still almost 30 yards better than 2004. Another dramatic upswing can be found in scoring points, where Notre Dame jumped to 6th nationally at 38.2 points per game, a full 2 TDs per game better than one year ago. The Irish also vaulted to 4th nationally in 1st downs per game (26.5 ... up from 18.1 in 2004), 7th nationally in 3rd down conversion percentage (48.5% ... up sharply from 37.2% in 2004), and also converted half of their 4th down tries. No matter how one looks at it, the Irish offense made an immediate and significant ascent up the offensive rankings board in 2005, and this unit is clearly one of the better offenses that Ohio State will contend with this season.
Quarterbacks
QB #10 Brady Quinn (6-4, 231, JR, Dublin-Coffman HS, Dublin, OH)
“But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here, Everybody's gonna jump for joy.” ---Bob Dylan
Yes, the revitalization of a recently quiescent tradition-laden program has been led front and center by Columbus’ own Brady Quinn, who absolutely flourished in Coach Weis’ system in 2005. Quinn completed 63.9% of his passes for 3633 yards, and 32 TDs to only 7 INTs for a rating of 162.9.
He opened the season with a decent performance against Pittsburgh, throwing for 227 yards and 2 scores to lead the Irish to a season-opening victory. He followed that game with a “do what needs to be done” game against Michigan, against whom he threw for only 140 yards, but he did throw 2 TDs with zero INTs to lead the Irish to their first statement-victory at Ann Arbor. His break-out performance came in a losing effort in week 3 against Michigan State, where he torched the Spartans for 487 yards and 5 TDs in a game that the Irish lost in overtime. After the loss, Quinn continued to shine, leading the team to a victory over Washington with 327 yards passing and a TD, and following that up with an impressive 440 yards passing against a veteran Purdue defense in a decisive Irish victory. With the team at 4-1, the showdown with archrival USC was on the horizon. Everyone knows the story of Leinart and the “Sneak heard ‘round the world” but lost in that game was a good game by Quinn, passing for 264 yards against the nation’s top team, with a TD and an INT. He also scored his only rushing TD against the Trojans. Instead of getting down after the tough loss, Quinn went out and not only led the 4-2 Irish to a big bounce-back win over BYU, he played arguably the best game of any QB this season, totaling a gaudy 467 passing yards and 6 TDs to zero INTs, completing 78% of his passes. With a surge of newfound confidence, Quinn threw for 295 yards and 3 TDs against a tough Tennessee front 4, threw for 284 yards and 4 TD passes in a rout of bowl-bound Navy, threw for 270 and 2 TDs against Syracuse, and closed the season with 432 passing yards and 3 TDs against a game Stanford squad closing their stadium at Palo Alto ... all Irish victories.
Quinn is also the team’s 3rd leading rusher, having gained 122 total yards on 60 carries, with a TD against USC. He generally ends up with between 3-7 carries per game (the USC game was the exception, when he had 13), and can put 10-30 yards on the board if necessary. As such, he is certainly not a running QB, but he can create space to throw or gain a few valuable yards if called upon, so the Buckeye defense will need to keep an eye on him in the pocket.
Quinn exploded after the USC game, and never looked back. He has been in command of the offense, and it is difficult to find a weakness in his game, based on his recent performances. He was sacked only 15 times this season, and after taking a beating at times last year (25 sacks), his toughness is not at all in question. He can throw short, intermediate, or deep passes with nearly equal effectiveness, and his high completion percentage (64.9%) and yards per attempt (8.97) support that contention. The Buckeyes will need to play a very good game, getting pressure from the front 4, mixing up the coverages, and covering the intermediate passes effectively if they want to be successful against "The Mighty Quinn".
Second on the depth chart is David Wolke (#14), a freshman from Mount Juliet, TN, and third is Evan Sharpley (#13), a freshman from Marshall, MI. Out of the two, Wolke completed 1 pass in 2005, in the Purdue game. Both will battle to be the future of the Irish program on offense, but needless to say, if either sees the field for more than one play, then the Irish are either in trouble, or the game is a blowout ... one way or the other.
QB Rating: A
Head-to-Head: Brady Quinn versus Troy Smith
Quinn (P/R): 263/305 (64.9%), 3633 yards, 32 TDs, 7 INTs, 162.9 rating; 60/122, 1 TD
Smith (P/R): 130/209 (62.2%), 1940 yards, 14 TDs, 4 INTs, 158.4 rating; 123/545, 11 TDs
Obviously, the strengths of these 2 QBs are somewhat different, but both led their teams to very successful seasons with equal records of 9-2. Quinn is certainly more of a pocket passer, using his feet to create space to throw, and throwing all over the field at any time. Smith is much more of a versatile threat, able to connect on an important 3rd down pass, throw deep, or take off and gain a 1st down with his running ability. The coaches will also employ a series of QB draws to take advantage of his speed. As outlined above, Quinn exploded after the USC loss, and had a great stretch run. Smith came on after the Penn State loss, throwing for at least 200 yards the next 4 games, and culminating with his magical 300 yard passing day against arch rival Michigan, leading the come-from-behind victory that cemented his place in Buckeye immortality. If you ask the average fan of either school, neither would trade their QB for the other ... so who is better? There is no clear-cut answer here, as both have done what the team needed them to do, especially down the stretch, to have the offense firing on all cylinders. Some might argue that Quinn’s numbers are inflated having played against some weaker defenses, but he could only play who was in front of him, and Quinn gets the slight edge based on his superior passing and consistency since the season’s inception. Smith, however, definitely has the chance to show that it is he, and not Quinn, who is the best QB on January 2nd. This one will be settled on the field.
Edge: Quinn
Running Backs
RB #3 Darius Walker (5-11, 200, SO, Buford HS, Lawrenceville, GA)
FB #44 Asaph Schwapp (6-2, 230, FR, Weaver HS, Hartford, CT)
Darius Walker is the unquestioned focus of the Fighting Irish ground attack. His season totals of 1106 yards and 6 TDs are very good, and far surpass anyone else on the Irish squad. His 1106 yards are on 237 carries, averaging 4.7 yards per carry, which is certainly respectable, but his longest run for the season is only 38 yards. One of Walker’s high points is also that he is a dual threat in the passing game, hauling in 36 passes for 314 yards and 2 TDs. He has gained at least 100 yards on the ground in 7 games, and scored a TD of some kind in 7 games also, all while averaging about 20 carries and 3-4 receptions per game.
One of his best games was the season opener at Pittsburgh, where he ran for 100 yards and also caught 3 passes for 52 yards, scoring a TD each way. He followed up that performance with 104 yards at Michigan, and followed that up with 116 yards and a receiving TD in the loss to Michigan State. When Notre Dame hit the road and needed to bounce back from that tough home loss, Walker was ready to contribute, gaining 128 yards and scoring a TD at Washington and tallying 80 with a TD in their win at Purdue. Walker was held somewhat in check, but still played very well against USC, where he gained 82 yards on the ground and caught 4 passes for 43 yards. Following that tough loss, he saw very limited action in the game against BYU, but once again gained over 100 all-purpose yards (62 rushing yards, 34 receiving yards) in the win over Tennessee. Most important to Buckeye fans, Walker comes into the bowl game having closed the season with 3 very good performances. He gained 118 yards and scored a TD in the win over Navy, gained 123 and scored a TD against Syracuse, and perhaps saved his best performance for last, when he carried the ball 35 times for 186 yards and a TD, and also caught 5 passes for 55 yards in the season-closing win over the Stanford Cardinal. Clearly Walker enters the Fiesta Bowl with a lot of confidence, and demonstrated in the final 3 games the he can carry a heavy workload, put up solid numbers, and contribute in the passing game. He will be a key element to the potential success, or lack thereof, of the Irish offense against the Buckeye defense.
Second on the depth chart is Travis Thomas (#26), a junior who was second on the team with 63 carries for 248 yards and a somewhat surprising 5 TDs (to Walker’s 6). Thomas is not the threat in the passing game that Walker is, having hauled in only 2 passes for 9 yards on the season. This solid back has seen work in 9 games in 2005, including solid workloads against USC (18 carries for 52 yards, TD) and Navy (11 carries, 58 yards, TD). He also scored TDs against Washington, Purdue, and Stanford. After his 11 carries against Navy, he had only 3 in each of the last 2 games. Buckeye fans can expect to see Travis play in the Fiesta Bowl, but the extent of the workload he will have is one question that fans and the team can ponder over the next few weeks.
Third on the chart is freshman Justin Hoskins (#33). He has just 2 carries for -1 yard (against Navy) and though he may be a serious factor in the future of the Irish ground attack, don’t expect him to play a highly significant role in the Fiesta Bowl.
Fullback Schwapp has good size and is a good blocker. He has contributed 63 yards on 25 carries and has caught 3 passes for 22 yards during the 2005 season, so don’t expect him to put up large numbers in the Fiesta Bowl. His role will primarily be to open space for Walker to free up Quinn and the passing game, and to protect his QB.
RB Rating: B
Head-to-Head: Darius Walker versus Antonio Pittman
Walker: 237/1106 yards, 6TDs, 4.7 YPC; 36 rec/314 yards, 2 TDs, 8.7 YPR
Pittman: 222/1195 yards, 6TDs, 5.4 YPC; 15 rec/155 yards, 0 TDs, 10.3 YPR
This one will certainly spark some colorful water cooler conversation, as the QB matchup does. Walker started well, and was consistent throughout the season. He had the monster game against Stanford (186 yards, TD), and was solid throughout 2005. Pittman was a bit more sporadic, with huge games against Iowa (171 yards) and Minnesota (186 yards, 2 TDs), but only 4 other games that he cracked the 100 yard plateau (compared to Walker’s total of 7). Pittman is also less a part of the passing game. However, Pittman’s yards-per-carry is significantly higher, and his 6 TDs came in the last 4 games, indicating the roll he is on closing the 2005 season. On the other hand, Walker also closed the season in a big way, so both players will be rolling in to Tempe high on confidence, and certainly a focal point of both their own offensive coordinator, and the opposing defense. Again, this one will ultimately be settled on the field, as it is crucial for each team to establish the run to make the offense work. So, as with the QBs, either player could emerge as the clear choice by the end of the game. At this point, the edge goes to Pittman, for his higher YPC, his ability to break the big one (his long on the season is 67, to Walker’s 38) and the Minnesota game, which for him was arguably the biggest stage of the year, going straight up against Maroney and Russell and the vaunted Gophers ground attack. Pittman responded with his best game of the season, rushing for 186 yards and 2TDs, and has been on a roll every since, and because of that, he gets the slight edge ... for now.
Edge: Pittman
Wide Receivers
WR #21 Maurice Stovall (6-5, 221, SR, Archbishop Carroll HS, Philadelphia, PA)
WR #86 Jeff Samardzija (6-4, 190, JR, Valparaiso HS, Valparaiso, IN)
Without question, the emergence of Samardzija as a big-play wide receiver has keyed much of the Irish passing game, if not their resurgence. Though Irish die-hards may say otherwise, Samardzija came out of virtually nowhere this season, having caught just 17 passes for 274 yards last year. This season, he is unquestioningly one of the best in the nation, catching 72 passes for 1215 yards and 15 scores, and winning the BP “Boston-Carter Award” for the nation’s best receiver. His impressive credentials include 5 games of 100 or more yards receiving, and scoring a TD in 10 games, and scoring 2 or more 4 times. He has good height to go up and get the ball, and good speed to go downfield either under the ball or after the catch. These attributes make him a dangerous weapon either at his own 20, or in the red zone, and Samardzija has emerged as a bona fide elite receiver.
Interestingly, he started off very modestly against Pittsburgh and Michigan, scoring a TD in each game, but catching only a total of 7 passes for 86 yards. His emergence really hit in the Michigan State contest, when he caught 6 balls for 96 yards and scored an impressive 3 TDs. He went on to light up Washington and Purdue like proverbial Christmas trees, catching 8 for 164 and a score in Seattle and 7 for 153 and 2 TDs against the Boilermakers. He was also impressive against USC, catching 6 for 99 yards and a TD, and then he dominated BYU, catching 10 passes for 152 yards and 2 TDs. He completed his second “100 yard double” against Tennessee, when he hauled in 7 passes for 127 yards and a score. After a light load against Navy (5 for 42 yards), and a moderate performance against Syracuse (7 catches, 80 yards, TD), he cemented his huge 2005 campaign by detonating on Stanford, catching 9 passes for an eye-popping 216 yards and 2 TDs to close the campaign.
On the other side, Stovall is a grizzled veteran of the program, who has stuck through some tough times and has provided important quality leadership to help lead the Irish comeback. He has been rewarded handsomely with a breakout season of his own. It’s not often that a “2nd receiver” in college hauls in 60 passes for 1023 yards and 11 TDs, but Stovall has had quite a run in 2005, after catching only 21 passes and 313 yards and a TD in 2004. Like his counterpart on the other side of the field, Stovall had 5 games of 100 yards or more receiving, and he scored TDs in 6 games. Stovall is a big target, especially effective on 3rd downs and in the red zone. He runs good routes, and is just as capable as his now-more famous counterpart to have a monster game if defenses key on Samardzija. The Buckeyes will be wise to give him the attention in the defensive scheme that he has earned this season, and not focus solely on stopping Samardzija.
The parallels of the two receivers continue when breaking down their week-to-week performances. He also had 2 very pedestrian games to open the season against Pittsburgh (2 for 27 yards) and Michigan (2 for 17 yards), before lighting up the Michigan State defense for 8 catches, 176 yards, and a TD. This started a very interesting trend with Stovall, which was having an average game, followed by a monster game, followed by an average game, and so on, which continued until the conclusion of the season. His big effort against the Spartans was followed by a significantly lesser performance against USC (3 catches, 30 yards), but he bounced back nicely to have his best game of the year against BYU, whose secondary he annihilated to the tune of 14 catches for 207 yards and 4 TDs. This utter devastation of an opposing defense was again followed by an average performance (2 catches, 41 yards, TD against Tennessee), and then another big game against Navy, where he caught 8 passes for 130 yards and 3 TDs to keep the winning streak over the Academy in tact. The following week against Syracuse was a more solid performance than other “off” weeks (3 catches, 91 yards, TD), but he, like his fellow wideout, closed the season with a big game against Stanford, hauling in 7 passes for 136 yards and a TD to sink the Cardinal.
The depth chart at receiver features a mixture of experience and new talent, but none of the other wideouts on the roster put up big numbers. Senior and veteran wide receiver Matt Shelton (#82; 5-11, 177) has been the most consistent contributor, catching 22 passes for 252 yards this year. He had solid games against Michigan State (6 catches, 87 yards), Purdue (7 for 68) and Syracuse (3 for 62), and has played in but has not been a significant factor in any of the other games. Fleet-footed freshman David Grimes (#11; 2 catches, 19 yards) and junior Chase Anastasio (#23; no catches) round out the chart, but may not see a lot of field time. The lack of experienced depth might keep this unit as a whole from being the nation’s best, but with the two at the top of the chart, the Irish wideouts should command as much respect as any.
WR Rating: A-
Head-to-Head: Jeff Samardzija/Maurice Stovall/Matt Shelton versus Santonio Holmes/Ted Ginn Jr./Anthony Gonzalez
Samardzija: 72 catches, 1215 yards, 15 TDs, 16.9 YPR
Stovall: 60 catches, 1023 yards, 11 TDs, 17.1 YPR
Shelton: 22 catches, 252 yards, 0 TDs, 11.5 YPR
Holmes: 48 catches, 853 yards, 10 TDs, 17.8 YPR
Ginn Jr.: 43 catches, 636 yards, 3 TDs, 14.8 YPR
Gonzalez: 27 catches, 358 yards, 3 TDs, 13.3 YPR
Again, this is the third positional comparison in a row that could spark some hefty debate amongst fans of both schools, and outside observers for that matter. Clearly at the top of the chart, the Irish numbers are better. However, any Buckeye fan would put Holmes up against either ND wideout and probably say they think Holmes is better. No doubt that Holmes and Samardzija had great seasons, and are amongst the nation’s best receivers. At the “2” spot, both Stovall and Ginn had their ups and downs, but clearly Stovall put up the better numbers, and had 5 really good games. Ginn did not reach the lofty expectations heaped upon him at the beginning of the season, but he did have a few good games of his own, including a big one against Illinois (4 catches, 138 yards, TD) and, when it counted most, against Michigan (9 catches, 89 yards). He is a danger to score every time he catches the ball, though clearly that didn’t happen as often as he or Buckeye fans would have liked, so advantage Stovall. However, when it comes to quality depth, the Buckeyes seem to have a clear advantage, with the vastly underrated Gonzalez, who came up “all aces” in 3 games that were crucial Buckeye victories against quality bowl-bound competition (6 catches for 90 yards against Iowa, 4 for 63 against Minnesota, 4 for 75 against Michigan) and a quality 4th receiver in Roy Hall (14 catches, 112 yards). So, the Irish get the advantage at the top, whereas the Buckeyes win on depth, especially when they spread the field. It would not be at all surprising to see Gonzalez and Stovall being two significant keys to the game…whichever plays best will do a lot to advance their team to victory. Both the Buckeyes and the Irish believe they have one of the nations’ best receiving corps. Both are correct, and neither has a clear decided advantage going in to the football game. This, as with all of these matchups, will truly be settled on the field, because one unit or the other will probably end the game with the advantage, and they will probably also be on the winning side. Until then ... call it even.
Edge: Even
Tight Ends
#88 Anthony Fasano (6-4, 253, SR, Verona HS, Verona, NJ)
Often overlooked and underappreciated, the TE position is unique in that it can provide a huge boost to both the passing and rushing games. Anthony Fasano is just that type of player, and he does both very effectively. He has good size and is a fine blocker. His size also provides a big target in the passing game, where he has flourished this year, catching 45 passes for 564 yards and 2 TDs. Like the rest of the Irish passing attack, he had a couple of modest games to start the season, but he also broke out against Michigan State, catching 7 passes for 93 yards. He shined against the nation’s top-ranked USC team (4 catches, 86 yards), and also was instrumental in the passing game in victories over Washington (6 for 66 yards), BYU (5 for 55), Tennessee (4 catches, 78 yards, TD) and Navy (4 catches, 70 yards, TD), in addition to his good blocking. Clearly the Buckeye linebackers and safeties will have to respect his presence in the passing game, and he could be a key to getting the ground game on track if he is matched up consistently with Hawk or Schlegel. He was a finalist for the Mackey award, given to the nation’s best TE, so he really has led the way at his position across the college football landscape in 2005.
Second on the depth chart is junior John Carlson (#89), a player of similar size (6-6, 250) that can be a factor in the passing game (7 catches, 56 yards, TD). He is also a good blocker who could enter the game in double TE situations, should any arise. The Irish have a third experienced player is senior Marcus Freeman (#87), also a capable blocker (6-4, 242) who hasn’t played a lot this year.
TE Rating: A
Head-to-Head: Anthony Fasano versus Marcel Frost
Fasano: 45 catches, 564 yards, 2 TDs, 12.5 YPR
Frost: 6 catches, 62 yards, 0 TDs, 10.3 YPR
Hamby: 9 catches, 84 yards, 0 TDs, 9.4 YPR
Obviously this is not a fair comparison, as Ryan Hamby spend a good portion of the year as the Buckeye starter at TE. Still, it doesn’t matter who one plugs in for the Buckeyes, Fasano is a special talent, and an elite TE. His mastery of the position exceeds anything the Buckeyes have, and he is obviously the choice for this position battle.
Edge: Fasano
Offensive Line
LT #68 Ryan Harris (6-5, 270, JR, Cretin-Derham Hall HS, Saint Paul, MN)
LG #50 Dan Santucci (6-4, 297, SR, Saint Patrick’s HS, Chicago, IL)
C #78 John Sullivan (6-4, 280, JR, Greenwich HS, Old Greenwich, CT)
RG #74 Dan Stevenson (6-5, 297, SR, Barrington HS, Barrington, IL)
RT #73 Mark LeVoir (6-7, 320, SR, Eden Prairie HS, Eden Prairie, MN)
This unit is very experienced, and is built on quickness and agility. The consistency up front made this unit very good in 2005, and also was a key to the sharp increase in success of both the rushing and passing attacks. Tackles Harris and LeVoir were highly touted coming out of high school, started 44 games between them prior to the start of 2005, and have led the Notre Dame resurgence up front this season, starting all 11 games as a tandem. Harris was a freshman All-American in 2003, and has continued to develop into a fine tackle, despite being smaller than many of his counterparts at other schools. Stevenson started all 12 games in 2004 and all 11 this year, logging a total of 34 starts in his Irish career. He brings a wealth of experience to the guard position. Santucci beat out the experienced Bob Morton for the starting guard spot after starting the Insight Bowl last year, and he also started all 11 games. Center Sullivan started the final 8 contests after starting all 12 last year and logging the most minutes on the field for the Irish line in 2004. Despite Quinn, the receivers, and Walker getting most of the publicity, look no further than this talented and veteran group to find out why the Irish are back in 2005.
The Irish are two-deep at each line position, providing valuable depth and experience along the interior line especially. The most experienced backup is probably senior center Bob Morton (#76), who started the first 4 games, missed the Purdue contest, and then saw action in the final 7 contests. He can play center or guard effectively, and has started 26 games in his Irish career, so he has a very, very good chance of getting into the Fiesta Bowl. Guards Santucci and Stevenson are backed by 3 senior guards, all of whom saw significant action this year. RG Scott Raridon (#62) led the way, appearing in 9 contests, while LG Brian Mattes (#79) appeared in 7 games, and fellow LG James Bonelli (#71) appeared in 5. By contrast, the tackle spots are manned by freshmen, who will no doubt be the future of the school. Reserve LT Michael Turkovich (#77) appeared in 5 games, while RT Paul Duncan (#72) saw the field in 6. All of these players have some level of experience, and don’t be surprised to see several of them, particularly Morton, to play several snaps against the Buckeyes.
OL Rating: A-
Head-to-Head: Notre Dame versus Ohio State
This one is always hard to gauge, and it will take the results of the game to really know which line is better. Both lines have extensive experience. The Buckeye offense has played well of late, and the success of the running game in recent games can be attributed to the improved play of the line as the season wore on. Nick Mangold is probably the best player of the 10 starters, and Rob Sims was an All-Big Ten guard. However the Irish have been able to avoid serious injuries and have kept a strong continuity throughout the course of the 2005 campaign. Both offenses have been on a roll of late, and it will be interesting to see how the veteran Irish line tackles the experienced and ferocious Buckeye front 7. This will be a fun one to watch.
Edge: Even
Offensive Analysis
This unit is full of talent, and there are no major glaring weaknesses. The running game probably has the most questions, but Walker has been good of late, and the line has been plowing through opposing defenses to open some good space to run. The biggest key will be whether the Irish line can keep the Buckeye front seven at bay and keep star QB Brady Quinn vertical for most of the night. If they can, the Quinn can cause havoc to any secondary, and he has 3 exceptionally good targets to choose from, including a star TE, which is a rarity in today’s college game. Quinn has been really, really good all year, but he has what is probably his toughest challenge to date ahead of him in the veteran and punishing Buckeye defense. Walker may have trouble running against the likes of Hawk, Whitner and company, which will put a great deal more of the game on Quinn’s shoulders. He will have plenty of help from Fasano, Stovall, and Samardzija…can they rise to the challenge and prove to the world that the Fighting Irish are truly back to stay and a force to be reckoned with? Time and change will surely show ...
Overall Offensive Rating: A-
2005-06 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Defensive Preview
Returning Starters: 3
As you sit back and get a feel for this battle you think of what may be to come. It could be the beginning of the re-emergence of that team, who in the late 80’s, was better than most other guys around. The shadows of a skinny little guy toting the sidelines has been replaced with much larger one (pun intended :)). Charlie Weis has had a very successful first year with the Irish. He has restored tradition within the program, and has gotten the Irish to buy into the team philosophy that made New England so successful during his tenure as the offensive coordinator there. He has a great offensive mind, and has really got the Irish faithful believing that they’ll return to the glory of years past. Though with this great offense that all have heard about, there comes a definite flaw in their armor ... and it lies on the defensive side of the ball.
Notre Dame is an average, to below average defensive football team. The glaring weakness with the Irish lies in their secondary, where they are among the bottom feeders in the nation against the pass. They have been solid against the run, but you have to wonder how much of this is attributed to their poor pass defense numbers. Below is where they rank nationally in most major defensive categories.
Scoring Defense: 24 Points per contest (45th Nationally)
Rushing Defense: 119 Yards per contest (25th Nationally)
Passing Defense: 258 Yards per contest (97th Nationally)
Total Defense: 377 Yards per contest (64th Nationally)
Sacks: 2.73 per contest, 30 for the season (31st Nationally)
Tackles for loss: 6.64 per contest, 73 for the season (41st Nationally)
Interceptions: 13 on the season (39th Nationally)
Opponents 3rd down conversion percentage: 32.7% (19th Nationally)
Defensive Line
LE #95 Victor Abiamiri (6-4 260 JR)
LT #98 Trevor Laws (6-1 293 JR)
RT #66 Derek Landri (6-3 263 SR)
RE #99 Ronald Talley (6-4 261 SO)
Notre Dame features a defensive line that would probably have to be considered the strong point of their defense. Leading the way for the Irish is junior defensive end Victor Abiamiri. On the season Abiamiri has a total of 46 tackles, including 15 for a loss, and a team high 8 sacks. Abiamiri has also been credited with 7 QB hurries this season. Abiamiri had a breakout performance against Stanford where he tallied up 10 tackles and 4 sacks. He has great athleticism, and has a quick first step coming off the end. Leading the way at the other end spot for the Irish will be sophomore Ronald Talley. Talley has 20 tackles on the season, including 1.5 for a loss and a sack. Talley would probably be considered the weak spot on the Irish defensive line, look for the Bucks to run at him quite a bit.
Paving the way on the interior for the Irish will be senior tackle Derek Landri. Landri has had a solid season tallying up 37 tackles, including 7 for a loss and 3 sacks. The other interior spot will be manned down by junior Trevor Laws. On the season Laws has a total of 32 tackles, including 3 for a loss and 1.5 sacks. In addition, Laws has also blocked a kick this season.
Analysis
All in all this unit is pretty solid, and have been the brightest spot on the Irish defense. Abiamiri is the biggest force along this front, he has really come on as the season has progressed. Landri is very solid in the middle, although he is a bit undersized for a defensive tackle. Look for OSU to attack Landri with a healthy diet of Pittman up the middle, and expect them to run a lot of option at Talley on the outside.
DL Rating: B
Head-to-Head: Notre Dame vs Ohio State
Ohio State has the #1 rushing defense in the country, Notre Dame has the 25th best. The Buckeyes have 39 sacks on the season, in comparison to Notre Dame’s 30. Kudla has been an absolute beast this season, so has Abiamiri for Notre Dame, we’ll call it a wash. Beyond that point, OSU dwarf’s Notre Dame in skill and athleticism. We’ll give the easy edge to the Buckeyes.
Edge: Ohio State
Linebackers
OLB #40 Maurice Crum (6-0 220 SO)
MLB #46 Corey Mays (6-1 234 SR)
WLB #39 Brandon Hoyte (6-0 236 SR)
Notre Dame features a fairly solid linebacker corps led by senior WLB Brandon Hoyte. Hoyte leads the Irish with 82 tackles, including 15.5 for loss and 6 sacks. In addition, Hoyte has also broken up 3 passes and forced 2 fumbles this season. Hoyte, the captain of the Irish defense, was a 2005 Wuerffel Trophy finalist, which is a national award that honors a college football player who best combines exemplary community service with outstanding academic and athletic achievement. Hoyte is a fantastic playmaker for the Irish and will need a big game for the Irish defense to slow down the surging Buckeye attack.
Leading the way for the Irish at middle backer is senior Corey Mays. Mays is 2nd on the team with 68 tackles this season, including 10.5 for loss and 4 sacks. In addition, Mays has forced 2 fumbles and recovered 3 of them. The final outside linebacker spot will be manned down by sophomore Maurice Crum. On the season Crum has 50 tackles, including 3.5 for a loss. Crum has also forced a fumble and been credited with 3 QB hurries respectively.
Analysis
This linebacker corps is pretty decent, especially with the presence of Hoyte on the outside. Hoyte is the leader of this defense, expect an emotional game from him, and look for the Irish to feed off of it defensively. Mays is another backer that the Buckeyes will have to keep an eye on. He has the capability to disrupt the passing game with his ability to get pressure on the QB. Crum is without a doubt the weak link on this unit, expect the Buckeyes to attack him on the weak side.
LB Rating: B-
Head-to-Head: Notre Dame vs Ohio State
Not much of a comparison here for the most part, although the absence of Carpenter (at least a full strength Bobby C.) makes it a touch closer ... not by much though. Lombardi Award winner A.J. Hawk has had the season that everyone expected from him, which says a lot about his character due to the pressure on him in 2005. He is the best backer in the country hands down, and I will miss watching him roam the field at OSU. He'll make some NFL team very happy next year, I'll make the prediction of calling him the NFL's defensive rookie of the year in 2006. Hoyte is the only ND player in this unit that would see the field consistently at OSU this year, he has the knack for making big plays. When we factor all together the clear edge goes to OSU.
Edge: Ohio State
Secondary
RCB #22 Ambrose Wooden (5-11 197 JR)
WS #18 Chinedum Ndukwe (6-2 219 JR)
BS #9 Tom Zbikowski (6-0 208 JR)
LCB #30 Mike Richardson (5-11 193 SR)
Leading the way in the secondary for Notre Dame is junior safety Tom Zbikowski. Zbikowski, who's also a special teams standout, had a fantastic year for the Irish with 5 interceptions, 2 of which he returned for a TD. In addition he had 62 tackles, including 1 for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble. Zbikowski is a physical, gritty player who seems to never stop playing until the whistle blows. He has a knack for making big plays, and will be relied upon heavily to bail out an otherwise abysmal secondary. The other safety for the Irish will be Powell, OH native Chinedum Ndukwe. On the season Ndukwe has 50 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss. Ndukwe has also picked off 2 passes, and recovered a team high 4 fumbles this season.
Getting the nod at one of the cornerback slots for the Irish will be senior Mike Richardson. On the season Richardson has a total of 62 tackles, including 5 for a loss and 3 sacks. In addition, Richardson has also picked off 3 passes and forced 2 fumbles. Richardson is a physical player who the Irish love to blitz off the corner. His physical style leaves him prone to the big play, and this secondary has seen plenty of them this season. Look for OSU to attack him with their speed on the outside. The other corner spot will be held down by junior Ambrose Wooden. On the season Wooden has a total of 67 tackles and 2 interceptions. Wooden is probably the weakest link in the Irish secondary, his high tackle total has to disturb the Irish defensive coaches. When a corner is racking up this many tackles it means that teams are going at him quite a bit. Look for more of the same from Ohio State.
Analysis
I’m sure that you can figure out that this unit is the weakest link in the Notre Dame defense. They are physical, and decent in run support, but are very vulnerable to the big play (see overall analysis below for details). Zbikowski is the lone star in this unit. He is a great football player, and has a knack for big plays (anyone remember the punt return against USC?). Look for him to possibly come up with a pick against the Buckeyes in this contest. He will need to have a huge game if Notre Dame is going to slow down a very lethal OSU passing game (I can’t believe that I just said that :)). If you look at the numbers you will see that this unit has picked off a decent amount of passes this season. You will also see that this unit has given up over 300 yards passing in 6 of 11 contests. When you couple this with all the big plays that they surrender, it becomes evident that they take a lot of risks on defense. Usually when a team plays this way, it is due to the fact that they lack the athleticism to hang with the big boys. Time will tell if they can hang with OSU’s receivers.
DB Rating: C-
Head-to-Head: Notre Dame vs Ohio State
This one is pretty much a no brainer. Ohio State has the 26th best pass defense in the country, Notre Dame stands at 97th. Ohio State has two possible first round draft picks in the secondary (Youboty, Whitner), I can’t think of any Domers that will go in the first 2 rounds in their secondary, maybe Zbikowski. Notre Dame has picked off many more passes this season, but have also given up many more big plays than the Bucks. Buckeyes get the nod easily here.
Edge: Ohio State
Overall Defensive Analysis
I’m sure that you can figure out that Notre Dame is a top heavy team, with the offense stealing most of the thunder this season. This defense has surrendered 400 or more total yards 4 times this season. I’m sure that most who have actually read this whole article (shame on you if you decided to skim over to the end ... maybe next year I’ll make Cliffnotes) will figure out that the Irish are prone to the big play. We’ll start with their rushing defense. They have given up a 30+ yard rushing play in 6 games this season (that’s over half of the games for you that lack basic math), and have given up a 40+ yard play in 4 games this season. Now on to the secondary, who I have so eloquently ripped a part so far in this preview. This unit has given up a 30+ yard passing play in 8 contests this season. Furthermore, they have given up a 50+ yard passing play in 5 of those contests. And for those who have actually watched Notre Dame this season, do you remember the 70+ yard play that Stanford had late in that contest? It nearly cost them the game, lucky for the Irish that Stanford couldn’t play defense.
Maybe I’ll be wrong about this Irish unit, I’m not too sure. One thing that I am rather confident about is that if you match up ND’s defense and OSU’s offense purely on athleticism and talent, the Buckeyes prevail in a month of Sundays. Unfortunately you don’t win on athleticism and talent, football is a much more complicated thing. Coaching, and motivation, and many other intangibles have to be factored in. Add to the fact that this is a bowl game, and you see where this goes (though the Irish have lost their last 7). What it comes down to is that if OSU plays to their potential, and Notre Dame does the same, the Buckeyes win easy. Time will tell if this will be the case, but needless to say I like OSU’s chances in this contest.
Overall Defensive Rating: C+
As you sit back and get a feel for this battle you think of what may be to come. It could be the beginning of the re-emergence of that team, who in the late 80’s, was better than most other guys around. The shadows of a skinny little guy toting the sidelines has been replaced with much larger one (pun intended :)). Charlie Weis has had a very successful first year with the Irish. He has restored tradition within the program, and has gotten the Irish to buy into the team philosophy that made New England so successful during his tenure as the offensive coordinator there. He has a great offensive mind, and has really got the Irish faithful believing that they’ll return to the glory of years past. Though with this great offense that all have heard about, there comes a definite flaw in their armor ... and it lies on the defensive side of the ball.
Notre Dame is an average, to below average defensive football team. The glaring weakness with the Irish lies in their secondary, where they are among the bottom feeders in the nation against the pass. They have been solid against the run, but you have to wonder how much of this is attributed to their poor pass defense numbers. Below is where they rank nationally in most major defensive categories.
Scoring Defense: 24 Points per contest (45th Nationally)
Rushing Defense: 119 Yards per contest (25th Nationally)
Passing Defense: 258 Yards per contest (97th Nationally)
Total Defense: 377 Yards per contest (64th Nationally)
Sacks: 2.73 per contest, 30 for the season (31st Nationally)
Tackles for loss: 6.64 per contest, 73 for the season (41st Nationally)
Interceptions: 13 on the season (39th Nationally)
Opponents 3rd down conversion percentage: 32.7% (19th Nationally)
Defensive Line
LE #95 Victor Abiamiri (6-4 260 JR)
LT #98 Trevor Laws (6-1 293 JR)
RT #66 Derek Landri (6-3 263 SR)
RE #99 Ronald Talley (6-4 261 SO)
Notre Dame features a defensive line that would probably have to be considered the strong point of their defense. Leading the way for the Irish is junior defensive end Victor Abiamiri. On the season Abiamiri has a total of 46 tackles, including 15 for a loss, and a team high 8 sacks. Abiamiri has also been credited with 7 QB hurries this season. Abiamiri had a breakout performance against Stanford where he tallied up 10 tackles and 4 sacks. He has great athleticism, and has a quick first step coming off the end. Leading the way at the other end spot for the Irish will be sophomore Ronald Talley. Talley has 20 tackles on the season, including 1.5 for a loss and a sack. Talley would probably be considered the weak spot on the Irish defensive line, look for the Bucks to run at him quite a bit.
Paving the way on the interior for the Irish will be senior tackle Derek Landri. Landri has had a solid season tallying up 37 tackles, including 7 for a loss and 3 sacks. The other interior spot will be manned down by junior Trevor Laws. On the season Laws has a total of 32 tackles, including 3 for a loss and 1.5 sacks. In addition, Laws has also blocked a kick this season.
Analysis
All in all this unit is pretty solid, and have been the brightest spot on the Irish defense. Abiamiri is the biggest force along this front, he has really come on as the season has progressed. Landri is very solid in the middle, although he is a bit undersized for a defensive tackle. Look for OSU to attack Landri with a healthy diet of Pittman up the middle, and expect them to run a lot of option at Talley on the outside.
DL Rating: B
Head-to-Head: Notre Dame vs Ohio State
Ohio State has the #1 rushing defense in the country, Notre Dame has the 25th best. The Buckeyes have 39 sacks on the season, in comparison to Notre Dame’s 30. Kudla has been an absolute beast this season, so has Abiamiri for Notre Dame, we’ll call it a wash. Beyond that point, OSU dwarf’s Notre Dame in skill and athleticism. We’ll give the easy edge to the Buckeyes.
Edge: Ohio State
Linebackers
OLB #40 Maurice Crum (6-0 220 SO)
MLB #46 Corey Mays (6-1 234 SR)
WLB #39 Brandon Hoyte (6-0 236 SR)
Notre Dame features a fairly solid linebacker corps led by senior WLB Brandon Hoyte. Hoyte leads the Irish with 82 tackles, including 15.5 for loss and 6 sacks. In addition, Hoyte has also broken up 3 passes and forced 2 fumbles this season. Hoyte, the captain of the Irish defense, was a 2005 Wuerffel Trophy finalist, which is a national award that honors a college football player who best combines exemplary community service with outstanding academic and athletic achievement. Hoyte is a fantastic playmaker for the Irish and will need a big game for the Irish defense to slow down the surging Buckeye attack.
Leading the way for the Irish at middle backer is senior Corey Mays. Mays is 2nd on the team with 68 tackles this season, including 10.5 for loss and 4 sacks. In addition, Mays has forced 2 fumbles and recovered 3 of them. The final outside linebacker spot will be manned down by sophomore Maurice Crum. On the season Crum has 50 tackles, including 3.5 for a loss. Crum has also forced a fumble and been credited with 3 QB hurries respectively.
Analysis
This linebacker corps is pretty decent, especially with the presence of Hoyte on the outside. Hoyte is the leader of this defense, expect an emotional game from him, and look for the Irish to feed off of it defensively. Mays is another backer that the Buckeyes will have to keep an eye on. He has the capability to disrupt the passing game with his ability to get pressure on the QB. Crum is without a doubt the weak link on this unit, expect the Buckeyes to attack him on the weak side.
LB Rating: B-
Head-to-Head: Notre Dame vs Ohio State
Not much of a comparison here for the most part, although the absence of Carpenter (at least a full strength Bobby C.) makes it a touch closer ... not by much though. Lombardi Award winner A.J. Hawk has had the season that everyone expected from him, which says a lot about his character due to the pressure on him in 2005. He is the best backer in the country hands down, and I will miss watching him roam the field at OSU. He'll make some NFL team very happy next year, I'll make the prediction of calling him the NFL's defensive rookie of the year in 2006. Hoyte is the only ND player in this unit that would see the field consistently at OSU this year, he has the knack for making big plays. When we factor all together the clear edge goes to OSU.
Edge: Ohio State
Secondary
RCB #22 Ambrose Wooden (5-11 197 JR)
WS #18 Chinedum Ndukwe (6-2 219 JR)
BS #9 Tom Zbikowski (6-0 208 JR)
LCB #30 Mike Richardson (5-11 193 SR)
Leading the way in the secondary for Notre Dame is junior safety Tom Zbikowski. Zbikowski, who's also a special teams standout, had a fantastic year for the Irish with 5 interceptions, 2 of which he returned for a TD. In addition he had 62 tackles, including 1 for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble. Zbikowski is a physical, gritty player who seems to never stop playing until the whistle blows. He has a knack for making big plays, and will be relied upon heavily to bail out an otherwise abysmal secondary. The other safety for the Irish will be Powell, OH native Chinedum Ndukwe. On the season Ndukwe has 50 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss. Ndukwe has also picked off 2 passes, and recovered a team high 4 fumbles this season.
Getting the nod at one of the cornerback slots for the Irish will be senior Mike Richardson. On the season Richardson has a total of 62 tackles, including 5 for a loss and 3 sacks. In addition, Richardson has also picked off 3 passes and forced 2 fumbles. Richardson is a physical player who the Irish love to blitz off the corner. His physical style leaves him prone to the big play, and this secondary has seen plenty of them this season. Look for OSU to attack him with their speed on the outside. The other corner spot will be held down by junior Ambrose Wooden. On the season Wooden has a total of 67 tackles and 2 interceptions. Wooden is probably the weakest link in the Irish secondary, his high tackle total has to disturb the Irish defensive coaches. When a corner is racking up this many tackles it means that teams are going at him quite a bit. Look for more of the same from Ohio State.
Analysis
I’m sure that you can figure out that this unit is the weakest link in the Notre Dame defense. They are physical, and decent in run support, but are very vulnerable to the big play (see overall analysis below for details). Zbikowski is the lone star in this unit. He is a great football player, and has a knack for big plays (anyone remember the punt return against USC?). Look for him to possibly come up with a pick against the Buckeyes in this contest. He will need to have a huge game if Notre Dame is going to slow down a very lethal OSU passing game (I can’t believe that I just said that :)). If you look at the numbers you will see that this unit has picked off a decent amount of passes this season. You will also see that this unit has given up over 300 yards passing in 6 of 11 contests. When you couple this with all the big plays that they surrender, it becomes evident that they take a lot of risks on defense. Usually when a team plays this way, it is due to the fact that they lack the athleticism to hang with the big boys. Time will tell if they can hang with OSU’s receivers.
DB Rating: C-
Head-to-Head: Notre Dame vs Ohio State
This one is pretty much a no brainer. Ohio State has the 26th best pass defense in the country, Notre Dame stands at 97th. Ohio State has two possible first round draft picks in the secondary (Youboty, Whitner), I can’t think of any Domers that will go in the first 2 rounds in their secondary, maybe Zbikowski. Notre Dame has picked off many more passes this season, but have also given up many more big plays than the Bucks. Buckeyes get the nod easily here.
Edge: Ohio State
Overall Defensive Analysis
I’m sure that you can figure out that Notre Dame is a top heavy team, with the offense stealing most of the thunder this season. This defense has surrendered 400 or more total yards 4 times this season. I’m sure that most who have actually read this whole article (shame on you if you decided to skim over to the end ... maybe next year I’ll make Cliffnotes) will figure out that the Irish are prone to the big play. We’ll start with their rushing defense. They have given up a 30+ yard rushing play in 6 games this season (that’s over half of the games for you that lack basic math), and have given up a 40+ yard play in 4 games this season. Now on to the secondary, who I have so eloquently ripped a part so far in this preview. This unit has given up a 30+ yard passing play in 8 contests this season. Furthermore, they have given up a 50+ yard passing play in 5 of those contests. And for those who have actually watched Notre Dame this season, do you remember the 70+ yard play that Stanford had late in that contest? It nearly cost them the game, lucky for the Irish that Stanford couldn’t play defense.
Maybe I’ll be wrong about this Irish unit, I’m not too sure. One thing that I am rather confident about is that if you match up ND’s defense and OSU’s offense purely on athleticism and talent, the Buckeyes prevail in a month of Sundays. Unfortunately you don’t win on athleticism and talent, football is a much more complicated thing. Coaching, and motivation, and many other intangibles have to be factored in. Add to the fact that this is a bowl game, and you see where this goes (though the Irish have lost their last 7). What it comes down to is that if OSU plays to their potential, and Notre Dame does the same, the Buckeyes win easy. Time will tell if this will be the case, but needless to say I like OSU’s chances in this contest.
Overall Defensive Rating: C+
2005-06 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Special Teams Preview
Returning Starters: 2
Special Teams
PK / P #19 D.J. Fitzpatrick (6-2 206 SR)
PR #9 Tom Zbikowski (6-0 208 JR)
KR #11 David Grimes (6-0 170 FR)
KR #1 D.J. Hord (6-1 198 FR)
H #83 Jeff Samardzija (6-5 216 JR)
SNP #61 J.J. Jansen (6-3 242 SO)
D.J. Fitzpatrick is the workhorse of the Notre Dame special teams. Starting all games the past two seasons and a majority during 2003, D.J. currently ranks 10th on the Irish all time scoring chart with 203 points. He has amassed 1561 yards on 39 punts this year, for a 40 yard average. Ten of those punts were placed inside the 20 yard line. Fitzpatrick has a long of 60 yards this year and a career best of 67 yards. D.J. is also holding down the place kicking duties and is 11 of 17 on the year with a long of 48 yards (career best is 50). Add to that an outstanding 50 of 51 point after attempts (101 of 104 career) and you can see why D.J. is a very important player for the Irish.
Tom Zbikowski has been a bright spot for the Irish returning punts. He's fielded 20 for 345 total yards and a very nice 17.3 yard average. Two punt returns went for scores including a 78 yarder versus Tennessee and 60 yarder versus USC. Tom was an option quarterback in high school and is a veteran boxer who still competes in the Golden Gloves. This is a tough young man and the Bucks will need to keep him contained during the "most important play" of a football game ... the punt.
David Grimes has been the Irish main stay returning kickoffs. David has fielded 15 kicks for a total of 338 yards and a respectable 22.5 yard average. His long kick return was a 40 yarder and he's returned one punt for 17 yards.
D.J. Hord has seen limited duty this season returning 6 kickoffs (in 5 games) for a total of 110 yards (18.3 yard average) and a long of 36 yards versus Tennessee.
Jeff Samardzija (Shark) is ... well a wide receiver (duh), but also handles the ... well holding duties for PATs and FGs. The Bucks need to keep an eye on Jeff as his athletic ability makes him a threat to run, receive or possibly throw from the holder position. The only miscue this season was a botched PAT versus Washington that was credited to a poor snap.
J.J. Jansen has had a solid season at long snapper. His only miscue was bad snap resulting in a botched PAT conversion versus Washington.
Head-to-Head: Notre Dame vs Ohio State
After looking at the numbers, Ohio State holds an advantage in too many categories to give the edge to Notre Dame. Here's a quick break down:
Kick Return average: OSU 23.9 - ND 19.5
Punt Return average: OSU 11.2 - ND 14.7
Punt average: OSU 40.4 - ND 39.5
Punt average (net): OSU 37.5 - ND 35.7
Punt (long): OSU 76 - ND 60
Punt (inside 20): OSU 18 - ND 10
Field Goals: OSU 20 of 24 - ND 12 of 18
PATs: OSU 40 of 41 - ND 52 of 54
Kickoffs average: OSU 63.1 - ND 60.5
Kickoffs (touchback): OSU 49 of 70 - ND 10 of 77
Notre Dame only holds a decided edge in their punt return yardage.
Edge: Ohio State
Overall Special Teams Analysis
The Notre Dame special teams are a solid group but not spectacular in any area. Their healthy 14.7 yard punt return average is the most impressive statistic of the group and Zbikowski has the ability to break a big play at any time. The 19.5 yard kick return average is ... well average, with no returns longer than 40 yards. That mirrors a pedestrian 39.5 punt average and a slightly better 35.7 yard net (read: pretty good coverage). The place kicking is actually a bit weak (12 of 18) with two misses each inside 30, 40 and 50 yards and 1 blocked attempt. The really bright spot here is Fitzpatrick's 52 of 54 kicking on point after attempts.
Overall Special Teams Rating: C+
Special Teams
PK / P #19 D.J. Fitzpatrick (6-2 206 SR)
PR #9 Tom Zbikowski (6-0 208 JR)
KR #11 David Grimes (6-0 170 FR)
KR #1 D.J. Hord (6-1 198 FR)
H #83 Jeff Samardzija (6-5 216 JR)
SNP #61 J.J. Jansen (6-3 242 SO)
D.J. Fitzpatrick is the workhorse of the Notre Dame special teams. Starting all games the past two seasons and a majority during 2003, D.J. currently ranks 10th on the Irish all time scoring chart with 203 points. He has amassed 1561 yards on 39 punts this year, for a 40 yard average. Ten of those punts were placed inside the 20 yard line. Fitzpatrick has a long of 60 yards this year and a career best of 67 yards. D.J. is also holding down the place kicking duties and is 11 of 17 on the year with a long of 48 yards (career best is 50). Add to that an outstanding 50 of 51 point after attempts (101 of 104 career) and you can see why D.J. is a very important player for the Irish.
Tom Zbikowski has been a bright spot for the Irish returning punts. He's fielded 20 for 345 total yards and a very nice 17.3 yard average. Two punt returns went for scores including a 78 yarder versus Tennessee and 60 yarder versus USC. Tom was an option quarterback in high school and is a veteran boxer who still competes in the Golden Gloves. This is a tough young man and the Bucks will need to keep him contained during the "most important play" of a football game ... the punt.
David Grimes has been the Irish main stay returning kickoffs. David has fielded 15 kicks for a total of 338 yards and a respectable 22.5 yard average. His long kick return was a 40 yarder and he's returned one punt for 17 yards.
D.J. Hord has seen limited duty this season returning 6 kickoffs (in 5 games) for a total of 110 yards (18.3 yard average) and a long of 36 yards versus Tennessee.
Jeff Samardzija (Shark) is ... well a wide receiver (duh), but also handles the ... well holding duties for PATs and FGs. The Bucks need to keep an eye on Jeff as his athletic ability makes him a threat to run, receive or possibly throw from the holder position. The only miscue this season was a botched PAT versus Washington that was credited to a poor snap.
J.J. Jansen has had a solid season at long snapper. His only miscue was bad snap resulting in a botched PAT conversion versus Washington.
Head-to-Head: Notre Dame vs Ohio State
After looking at the numbers, Ohio State holds an advantage in too many categories to give the edge to Notre Dame. Here's a quick break down:
Kick Return average: OSU 23.9 - ND 19.5
Punt Return average: OSU 11.2 - ND 14.7
Punt average: OSU 40.4 - ND 39.5
Punt average (net): OSU 37.5 - ND 35.7
Punt (long): OSU 76 - ND 60
Punt (inside 20): OSU 18 - ND 10
Field Goals: OSU 20 of 24 - ND 12 of 18
PATs: OSU 40 of 41 - ND 52 of 54
Kickoffs average: OSU 63.1 - ND 60.5
Kickoffs (touchback): OSU 49 of 70 - ND 10 of 77
Notre Dame only holds a decided edge in their punt return yardage.
Edge: Ohio State
Overall Special Teams Analysis
The Notre Dame special teams are a solid group but not spectacular in any area. Their healthy 14.7 yard punt return average is the most impressive statistic of the group and Zbikowski has the ability to break a big play at any time. The 19.5 yard kick return average is ... well average, with no returns longer than 40 yards. That mirrors a pedestrian 39.5 punt average and a slightly better 35.7 yard net (read: pretty good coverage). The place kicking is actually a bit weak (12 of 18) with two misses each inside 30, 40 and 50 yards and 1 blocked attempt. The really bright spot here is Fitzpatrick's 52 of 54 kicking on point after attempts.
Overall Special Teams Rating: C+
2006 Fiesta Bowl Predictions
Bucklion's prediction: 33-17, Ohio State
BB73's prediction: 34-20, Ohio State
DaddyBigBucks's prediction: 34-23, Ohio State
daddyphatsac's prediction: 34-17, Ohio State
Jaxbuck's prediction: 31-17, Ohio State
LordJeffBuck's prediction: 41-31, Ohio State
3yardsandacloud's prediction: 35-28, Ohio State
Last Game Results (OSU 34 - Notre Dame 20)
Low score wins the year long battle of prediction supremacy! Totals to be posted after the game. (Difference of actual score versus predicted score. 10 point penalty for picking the losing team.)
(175) 3yardsandacloud's prediction: 35-28, Ohio State (1 + 8 = 9 + 166)
(190) BB73's prediction: 34-20, Ohio State (0 + 0 = 0 + 190)
(193) Jaxbuck's prediction: 31-17, Ohio State (3 + 3 = 6 + 187)
(197) daddyphatsac's prediction: 34-17, Ohio State (0 + 3 = 3 + 194)
(198) LordJeffBuck's prediction: 41-31, Ohio State (7 + 11 = 18 + 180)
(220) Bucklion's prediction: 33-17, Ohio State (1 + 3 = 4 + 216)
(32) DaddyBigBucks' prediction: 34-23, Ohio State (0 + 3 = 3 + 29)
(4th week of participation)
(Lots) Hubbard's prediction: Seems that Hubbard is MIA.
BB73's prediction: 34-20, Ohio State
DaddyBigBucks's prediction: 34-23, Ohio State
daddyphatsac's prediction: 34-17, Ohio State
Jaxbuck's prediction: 31-17, Ohio State
LordJeffBuck's prediction: 41-31, Ohio State
3yardsandacloud's prediction: 35-28, Ohio State
Last Game Results (OSU 34 - Notre Dame 20)
Low score wins the year long battle of prediction supremacy! Totals to be posted after the game. (Difference of actual score versus predicted score. 10 point penalty for picking the losing team.)
(175) 3yardsandacloud's prediction: 35-28, Ohio State (1 + 8 = 9 + 166)
(190) BB73's prediction: 34-20, Ohio State (0 + 0 = 0 + 190)
(193) Jaxbuck's prediction: 31-17, Ohio State (3 + 3 = 6 + 187)
(197) daddyphatsac's prediction: 34-17, Ohio State (0 + 3 = 3 + 194)
(198) LordJeffBuck's prediction: 41-31, Ohio State (7 + 11 = 18 + 180)
(220) Bucklion's prediction: 33-17, Ohio State (1 + 3 = 4 + 216)
(32) DaddyBigBucks' prediction: 34-23, Ohio State (0 + 3 = 3 + 29)
(4th week of participation)
(Lots) Hubbard's prediction: Seems that Hubbard is MIA.
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