Game recap here
The initial impression that many have today is one of disgust or "here we go again" after watching the Irish yesterday. As ugly as it was, a win is a win. Last year's team would not have won that football game late like the Irish did yesterday. Much more can be learned after an ugly win than what could have been learned after a loss that likely would have been the beginning of the end of the Weis era. Now to address my specific game predictions from my Friday post, as well as to assess grades for the 4 areas of grading (Passing Offense, Rushing Offense, Defense, Special Teams), here we go:
- Rushing Game I predicted 10 carries at least each for Armando Allen, James Aldridge, and Robert Hughes. In addition, I predicted 300 yards rushing and 4 TDs on the ground. Wow. The rushing total finished at 105 yards, including zero rushing TDs. Allen had 17 carries, Hughes had 16, and Aldridge had none. I love giving all the carries to the more talented sophomores than the older, slower Jr James Aldridge. But where were the big 300 pound uglies that we heard about all off season? The run blocking was just plain bad for 90% of the rushing attempts. This must be fixed, because passing won't come as easy on other teams. Grade: C-
- Passing Game I predicted Jimmy Clausen would finish with 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, and pass for 225 yards. Jimmy surpassed all expectations, especially late in the 4th quarter, throwing 3 touchdowns and 237 yards, against 2 interceptions. It should be noted that the two interceptions were likely both Kamara's fault, one hitting him in the face mask and another ball thrown his way that he wasn't even looking for. Jimmy's touchdown passes were beautiful, well thrown passes. He finished the game 10 out of his last 11, allowing the Irish to complete the comback with a victory. Pass blocking, unlike last year, was superb. Zero sacks for Jimmy Clausen, and only 1 hurry. This after giving up 58 sacks in 2007. Grade: A
- Defense Predicted 3 turnovers, 4 sacks, and 2 celebration penalties. The Irish defense got 2 turnovers, 1 INT and 1 Fumble. Overall, I thought the defense played fair. They definitely blitzed a whole helluva lot, which is encouraging to see. It's apparent though that our defensive line will not be able to get pressure by itself, so blitzing and leaving short passing routes open for the opponent - which San Diego St used all day long - will be a common situation our defense creates. The defense only got 1 sack, despite all the blitzes. We must get more pressure on the quarterback, while figuring out a way to better stop the short and intermediary passing routes. Our safeties and deep pass coverage was a plus. And hey, we only gave up 13 points and 345 yards of total offense, so I can't complain too bad. But San Diego State's ball controlling and short passing game was definitely a cause for concern. Grade: B-
- Special Teams A complete abortion on the kicking game. Numerous bad snaps by Freshman Braxton Cave, in addition to a field goal attempt that was not unlike a Chinese fire drill. We did partially block a punt, and had good coverage on our punts and kickoffs. Some decent punt returns by Armando Allen as well. But our inability to lineup and kick a field goal, with even extra points not even close to certain, this was a huge disappointment. Grade: D
A win is a win, but we all know the Irish will have to play better to beat any of our later opponents on the schedule. This win does put us on a 3 game winning streak. We'll see how much longer it can last when the Wolverines come to town next weekend. They have plenty of talent, but luckily haven't totally put it together yet either. More on that game later in the week.
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