Game Coverage, Statistics »

By · November 25th, 2009
Notre Dame vs. Stanford: Keys to an Irish Win

The 2009 regular season finale for the Fighting Irish will take place in Palo Alto Saturday. Notre Dame faces a much-improved Stanford team and is trying to avoid a four-game losing streak to close out the season. Doing so will be no small task. This game once looked to be the final hurdle to an […]

Game Coverage, Statistics »

By · November 23rd, 2009
Statistically Speaking: Notre Dame vs. Connecticut

Editor’s note: I was at the Ole Miss – LSU game this weekend and was unable to watch Notre Dame play Connecticut. This analysis is directly from the box score and will undoubtedly lack certain insight that comes from viewing the game. The Irish dropped their third straight Saturday, this time at home, on Senior […]

Miscellany, News, Statistics »

By · November 23rd, 2009
2009 Elite Selection Playoff: Week Twelve

The national title picture is becoming more and more clear. Unless something dramatically changes, it will be Texas against the winner of the SEC in the national championship game. The ESP has Alabama number one and Florida number two, while the BCS has the two teams in reverse order. This disparity is largely due to […]

Game Coverage, Statistics »

By · November 19th, 2009
Notre Dame vs. Connecticut: Keys to an Irish Win

The Fighting Irish return to South Bend Saturday on the heels of their second consecutive loss and looking to avoid a second-half season meltdown. Despite the promise this squad showed early in 2009, the last handful of games have looked eerily similar to the last six games of 2008 when the Irish sputtered to a […]

Game Coverage, Statistics »

By · November 16th, 2009
Statistically Speaking: Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh

Notre Dame couldn’t complete the comeback Saturday, falling 27-22 to Pitttsburgh at Heinz Field. The Irish offense sputtered for three quarters while the defense kept the score close in the early going. For the second consecutive week, the team looked unprepared and unmotivated until the fourth quarter. This final 15 minute period showed some potential […]

Miscellany, News, Statistics »

By · November 16th, 2009
2009 Elite Selection Playoff: Week Eleven

There was quite a bit of shuffling at the top of the ESP this week (as always a comparison to the BCS is here). Florida dropped a spot after a rather unconvincing win over South Carolina while Alabama jumped two spots to take over at the top. Texas remained number two with TCU, Cincinnati, Boise […]

Game Coverage, Statistics »

By · November 12th, 2009
Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh: Keys to an Irish Win

The Fighting Irish travel to Pittsburgh Saturday. Notre Dame visits the Panthers in the wake of a stunning loss to the Midshipmen, a game where the defense was repeatedly gashed up the middle and the offense struggled mightily in the red zone. The latter has been a theme all season while the former has also […]

Miscellany, News, Statistics »

By · November 11th, 2009
2009 Elite Selection Playoff: Week Ten

Iowa’s loss to Northwestern dropped them out of the top five in the ESP while the other top teams largely remained the same. Florida or Alabama have to lose at least one game, but—with few exceptions—the remaining top five teams have favorable schedules for the remainder of the year. For comparison purposes the BCS results […]

Game Coverage, Statistics »

By · November 10th, 2009
Statistically Speaking: Notre Dame vs. Navy

Notre Dame lost at home to the Midshipmen for the second consecutive time Saturday. The Irish looked unprepared on both sides of the ball and the players appeared to play without emotion for the first time this season—a costly mistake when facing a Navy team that always gives maximum effort. As expected, the determining factors […]

Game Coverage, Statistics »

By · November 5th, 2009
Notre Dame vs. Navy: Keys to an Irish Win

Notre Dame returns home to face the Midshipmen Saturday, one week after crushing the hapless Cougars in San Antonio and one week before an away showdown with the 14th ranked and 7-1 Pittsburgh Panthers. The Navy offense is potent and always offers a unique challenge for the Irish defense, but it is the Midshipmen defense […]