Moving Forward

Before we completely move on from the Michigan loss, here are a few stat nuggets and notes related to both the game and the season thus far:

• Michael Floyd will play this weekend after receiving 15 stitches due to a cut on his knee suffered with 5 minutes to go in the game.
• Weis is sending in a good number of plays to the Big 10 officials for review. Numerous bad calls happen in a normal game, but this game had more than usual. Referees are not perfect, but 2 or 3 of the calls would have been enough of an edge to win the game. For instance, the lack of a pass interference on the "pre-catch wrestling" with Golden Tate at 2 minutes to go (shown above) is one that certainly would have closed the game out.
• While Michigan out rushed the Irish 190 yards to 154, both teams averaged similar YPC - ND 5.1, Mich 5.0. Don't let the loss blur our fantastic success running the ball. The Irish rushed for just 3.3YPC in 2008, and much less in the 2007 beatdown.
• The Irish passed for 336 yards vs Michigan's 240. Total offensive yards favored the Irish, 490-430.
• Time of possession, turnovers, missed field goals, 3rd down conversion, and even 4th down conversion were all pretty much the same for both teams. What gives? Two things:
• A 94 yard kickoff return for a TD by Michigan's Darryl Stonum, against the 2008 #1 KO coverage unit in the country. The breakdown not only cost the Irish possibly the game, but also a chance to finish in the top 10 in KO coverage yet again.
• Having the ball last - If the Irish get the ball back with 1 minute and a timeout or two, or simply catch the wideopen and poorly run hitch route on 3rd down with 2 minutes to go, the game could have been ended differently.
• Notre Dame is one of only 7 teams in the country that have 0 sacks thru 2 games. Great offensive line protection has been a huge factor in Jimmy's amazing start
• ND is average 500 yards of total offense per game - putting them at #17 in the country. And certainly the teams ahead of us have played schools not quite as solid as Nevada and Michigan.
• The scariest stat so far season to date . . . rushing yards given up. Notre Dame is 88th in the country in rush defense, giving up 5.1ypc thru 2 games.
• Did Michigan get a little rough after plays were over? Watch the bottom of the screen in this clip, and judge for yourself.

The Irish program moves forward from a difficult loss against Michigan by facing Michigan State this weekend in Notre Dame Stadium - the same Michigan State team that the following can be attributed to:

• Has won 6 straight games in Notre Dame stadium (last win for the Irish vs MSU at home - 1993!)
• Upset by Central Michigan at home last week, 29-27, on a last second field goal
• Predicted by many in the pre-season (including VaticanSmoke) to defeat Notre Dame

The keys to this game are the non-statistical hurdles that both teams must face. Which team can respond coming off a crushing loss? Can Notre Dame win with the added pressure of the Michigan loss? Can the Irish final break the spell of the Spartans in Notre Dame stadium? On the surface it looks as if Michigan State has a strong line on both sides of the ball, and strong linebackers - but that's it. Notre Dame should be able to pass the ball, largely because no one has come close to stopping them yet. The Irish are going to have issues defending against the Michigan State run game, however. A more conventional attack with lack of a proficient passing game should make this task easier for the Irish than the Spartans' attempt to stop the Irish aerial attack.

Needless to say, this is a critical game for the program and especially for Weis. If the Irish are going to have a successful season, it starts with a good ole fashioned beat down on Saturday. Mark D'Antonio is not a coach that gets beat down often, given his conservative run the ball and stop the run approach. Many Irish fans are eager to see how this team responds to the often cliched "adversity". Game preview on Friday.