Nevada Post Game

A very good start for the Irish felt more like a relief than anything else. The talent is there but getting off to a good start often releases a lot of built up pressure on the program - letting things flow a bit easier. A few fast facts about the game:

• The Irish dismantled the Nevada Wolfpack 35-0, marking the first shutout of the Charlie Weis era. Last shutout was 7 years ago in 2002 against Rutgers, my last home game as a senior.
• Jimmy Clausen finished 15 for 18 with 2 of the 3 incompletions being "drops". Combined with 4 TDs, Jimmy had a near perfect day.
• The Irish rushed for 178 yards, but more importantly, 4.3 YPC on 41 attempts
• The Irish allowed ZERO sacks in the game (kudos to the offensive line)
• Nevada rushed for 153 yards on 29 carries, good for a not so hot for the Irish 5.3 YPC
• Nevada was 2 for 11 converting 3rd downs. The Irish finished 6 for 12 on 3rd down conversions
• Notre Dame finished with 2 sacks of Nevada and 4 tackles for a loss.
• 20 (!) new Irish players saw gametime for the first time in their freshman or redshirt freshman seasons

As for my predicted score of 38-27, close for the Irish but not for the Wolfpack. Kyle Rudolph's opening TD was correctly predicted, and was in the ballpark predicting Jimmy's day. You can check out my game prediction here if you like.

A few post game tidbits for you:

• The "Real" Score - The Irish deserved to win by at least 3 to 4 touchdowns, but not 35-0. That said, Nevada could move the ball between the 20s but not inside. There is something about this defense that turns on when a team is closing in on the end zone - even last year it was apparent. Whether is a big 2nd down sack forcing a 3rd and long, or a big tackle on 3rd down, the Irish defense makes the most of every opportunity they achive (or is given to them).
• Depth Building - To play as many youngsters as we did was also a huge plus. Good programs develop depth by playing their backups early and often - which the Irish were able to do on Saturday. Even backup QB Dayne Crist got in the game for a good period of time. After Sam Bradford went down, every team knows that a backup QB is just one play away from being thrust into the spotlight. 3 Offensive lineman on the 2nd team got reps with the first team during the 1st half, another huge bonus.
• Offensive Formations Galore - Charlie's mantra is that he uses multiple formations to run common plays - confusing the defense and gaining synergies on offense. Multiple tight ends is probably Weis's best formation - and one that is seen less in college than in the pros. The Irish were able to run about 40% of the plays with 2 tight ends, as opposed to the prior 2 years where we lacked the depth to run multiple tight end formations. Look for the offense to excel simply because of the formations now available to Weis due to our TE depth.
• Freshman Impact - Manti Te'o (pictured above) is going to be a beast at linebacker. On his first play he blitzed, was out of the play, but then chased the play down from the backside to hit Kaepernick for a huge tackle. He had two other tackles/hits in the second half that were 2 of the more powerful tackles I have seen by an Irish defender in years (see above). His playing time will gradually increase as he gains a better grasp of the defense, in line with our game plan. Backup RB and kick returner Theo Reddick did a nice job last week as well. The scatback has some explosiveness and should be fun to watch.

NBC broadcast is still a bit cheesy, but much less so than year's past. Pat Hayden is fine, and Tom Hammond is pretty bland and painful to listen to. The computer graphics and animations, along with the music, are much better this year.

Below is a good summary of all the key plays in the game - a good, efficient watch. Watch it, then forget about it. One of our most hated rivals awaits us at week's end. Check back later this week for some good Michigan vs Notre Dame info. Early line in Vegas - Irish favored by 3.5.