Notre Dame
has to be better this year, right?
Certainly it’s hard to imagine the Irish repeating last year’s 3-9 debacle – a season in which they were blown out in their first five games, crushed 38-0 by rival USC, and lost to both Air Force and Navy. The Midshipmen hadn’t beaten the Irish in four decades.
The Irish figure to be a better team in 2008. A much better team, in fact. But there are still major questions about this team — on defense, along both lines, and maybe even in their own heads, as this young squad tries to figure out how to be Notre Dame again.
The bottom line? Notre Dame won’t lose nine games this year. But they certainly won’t win nine either.
Biggest Challenge
The defense. The Irish offense was so bad last year that the defense's troubles sometimes escaped notice, but the fact is, this is a very pedestrian unit. Notre Dame gave up 30 or more points in each of its first five games, then let Navy score 46 and Air Force score 41 before finding a groove in its last two games. Of course, those games were against Duke and Stanford. As for defensive star power? Well, there’s not much. There’s linebacker Maurice Crum, safety David Bruton and, well …
Biggest Strength
Offensive skill players. Yes, the same bunch of guys that could hardly be counted on to get a first down, much less a touchdown, last season figures to be the strength of the 2008 Irish. Coach Charlie Weis has nine starters back from last year’s offense, including a couple good skill guys, and has been stockpiling recruits at a Pete Carroll-like rate. Leading the way for the Irish offense will be golden boy quarterback Jimmy Clausen (1,254 yards passing, 7 touchdowns, 6 interceptions) who almost certainly will be better this season than he was in 2007. Clausen has all the talent in the world; he just needs a little confidence. Clausen loses his top target, reliable tight end Jon Carlson, so he will likely rely on promising receiver Duval Kamera, who caught 32 passes and scored four touchdowns in 2007. Running back is a position of mild concern, though Robert Hughes showed some promise late last season, when he rushed for 110 yards against Duke and 136 against Stanford. The offensive line, which was quite frankly horrible in 2007 (Clausen alone was sacked 34 times), will be anchored by right tackle Sam Young. If the line can give Clausen any time at all, this offense can score. Of course, that’s a big “if.”
Prediction
The schedule is tough, as usual. But it's hardly murderer’s row. The season opener, at home against San Diego State, should be a win (if it’s not, then Weis has trouble), so the first real test comes Sept. 13 against Michigan. The Wolverines have problems of their own, and likely will still be working out the kinks as they transition to Rich Rodriguez’s spread offense, so they’ll be vulnerable. If the Irish can get a win here, at home, the next few weeks will look a lot less daunting. Michigan State is on the rise, but Purdue is beatable, as are Stanford, North Carolina (though this one may be tougher than the Irish might expect) and Washington. The stretch run presents only two truly unwinnable games – at Boston College and at USC – so if the Irish can come out of October at 4-3, seven wins isn’t out of the question. But a more realistic prediction is 6-6, as Weis continues to rebuild his program. He’ll get back to the BCS eventually. It just won’t be this year.
