Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Overall Rank: #25
#1 Independent
Notre Dame Team Page
2010 Record: (8-5)
2010 Bowl: Sun Bowl vs. Miami (W 33-17)
Coach: Brian Kelly (8-5 at Notre Dame, 61-27 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: Charley Molnar
Defensive Coordinator: Bob Diaco
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Cierre Wood, RB, 603 yards
Passing: Dayne Crist, QB, 2,033 yards
Receiving: Michael Floyd, WR, 1,025 yards
Tackles: Manti Te’o, LB, 133
Sacks: Darius Fleming, LB, 6.0
Interceptions: Harrison Smith, S, 7
Other Key Returnees: CB Robert Blanton, LB Carlo Calabrese, G Tyler Dever, TE Tyler Eifert, CB Gary Gray, DE Ethan Johnson, OT Zack Martin, DE Kapron Lewis-Moore, G Trevor Robinson, S Zeke Motta, WR Theo Riddick, G Chris Watt
Key Losses: RB Armando Allen, RB Robert Hughes, LB Kerry Neal, QB Tommy Rees, LB Brian Smith, C Chris Stewart, CB Darrin Walls, DT Ian Williams
Michael Floyd spent his summer suspended from the team. When fall camp was just around the corner, it was no surprise that Floyd was back on the roster. Floyd leads a superb group of wide receivers and caught 79 passes for 1,025 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Add Theo Riddick, T.J. Jones and tight end Tyler Eifert to the mix and the Irish have a ton of receiving weapons.
Strengths:
While the receivers will carry the offense, Notre Dame’s success this season will come from the defense. Defensive ends Kapron Lewis-Moore and Ethan Johnson are experienced players and Sean Cwynar is talented enough to replace Ian Williams in the middle of the line. If the front three falter, the linebackers will cover for them. Darius Fleming is the rush linebacker and tallied 6.0 sacks last season. Manti Te’o has lived up to his hype and is a tackling machine. He will again team up with Carlo Calabrese to form the middle of the linebacker corps. Prince Shembo is expected to step into the other outside linebacker spot in the Irish’s 3-4 defense and should provide the team with another pass rushing threat. The secondary is the most experienced group on the team, and possibly the best too. Gary Gray and Robert Blanton are solid corners and Harrison Smith is one of the best strong safeties in the nation.
Weaknesses:
It is understandable, especially from Coach Kelly, to keep the ball in the air, but the Irish need to balance their attack. The pressure is now squarely on the shoulders of sophomore Cierre Wood. The 6-0, 210 pound running back did not exactly have a breakout freshman campaign, rushing for just 603 yards on 119 attempts, but he is the Irish’s best hope. The offensive line did a fine job protecting their quarterback, but they failed to pave the way for a consistent ground attack. With four starters returning, led by tackle Zack Martin and guard Trevor Robinson, Notre Dame has the potential to be a balanced offense.
The Bottom Line:
For a while it appeared that Dayne Crist would be the quarterback who would fit into Coach Kelly’s pass happy scheme. Last year he did throw for 2,033 yards and 15 touchdowns, but Tommy Rees played decently as well. Heading into the fall the Notre Dame staff was thinking about using both quarterbacks, more out of necessity than leaving too much talent on the sidelines. That is not exactly a huge confidence boost for Crist or Rees. Crist should be able to secure the starting job in the fall, which he has already begun to do, but he may be on a short leash. Instability at quarterback could negate the positives Notre Dame has at the receiver position. This team will still pass a lot, but finding a quarterback and sticking with him would be very beneficial. That was a problem for the offense last year and it was that inconsistency that led to loses to teams like Navy and Tulsa.
Projected Bowl: Champs Sports Bowl
2010 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 126.62 (92nd in nation, 3rd among independents)
Passing Offense: 253.08 (34, 1)
Total Offense: 379.69 (61, 2)
Scoring Offense: 26.31 (67, 3)
Rushing Defense: 142.15 (50, 2)
Pass Defense: 215.08 (54, 2)
Total Defense: 357.23 (50, 2)
Scoring Defense: 20.23 (23, 1)
Turnover Margin: .08 (51, 3)
Sacks: 2.08 (54, 1)
Sacks Allowed: 1.54 (38, 3)
Madness 2012 NFL Draft Rankings:
#23 Michael Floyd
#33 Manti Te'o
#87 Darius Fleming
Madness 2011 FBS Football Recruit Rankings:
#13 Aaron Lynch
#32 Ishaq Williams
#38 Stephon Tuitt
#45 Ben Koyack
#69 Matt Hegarty
#96 Davaris Daniels
#115 George Atkinson III
#159 Everett Golson
#168 Eilar Hardy
#169 Troy Niklas
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