How the Irish Can End Up In This Year’s Title Game

The Annual Sports Lull is here. Basketball is finished, the U.S. Open is over, and baseball has four more months until the games actually matter. It is now the time of year when football (god bless it) begins to reemerge from its spring hibernation. Preseason magazines begin to dot grocery store shelves. People you’ve never heard of start publishing pre-preseason Top 25 polls, and you are surprised to find that you actually care where your team ranks. And several poor athletes are dubbed Heisman favorites, setting up the vast majority for a season of defensive scheming (no more running lanes for you, Mr. Vick, gonna have to throw it, bye bye Heisman) and stunning disappearing acts (did anyone actually see Alabama’s Freddie Milons last year?).

The best part of this wonderful time is that every team still has a shot at the title (well, maybe not Boston College. Mid-December bowl wins over sub-par teams from Arizona do not a championship team make). Irish fans everywhere are pouring over the schedule, looking at the polls, and saying to themselves "Is this the year we get back on top? How can our boys make it to Pasadena?" Here’s how:

1. SOLID QUARTERBACK PLAY – ND’s three losses last year came in games when the team did not receive solid play from the quarterback position, for a variety of reasons. In the Nebraska loss, Battle was playing with a broken hand suffered on the game’s first play. Even with his 120 rushing yards against the stingy Nebraska defense, the lack of a passing attack substantially hurt ND’s ability to score. Without the two kick returns, the game probably wouldn’t have been as close as the final score. In the Michigan State loss, Godsey played admirably but was unable to move the team. Then came the Spurrier-like quarterback shuffle of Godsey and LoVecchio, with even my grandmother being able to figure out that the tall QB meant a passing play and the short guy meant Option Right or Option Left. Without a solid presence under center, the offense struggled mightily. And in the Oregon State loss, LoVecchio arguably had his worst game under center (13-33, 138 yards, 2 INT, 1 fumble). I am not trying to be critical of the QB’s – without Godsey throwing for more yards than Brees, or LoVecchio winning his first 7 starts, a BCS appearance never would have happened. But if the team is going to win it all this year, we need solid play under center every single game. LoVecchio should feel much more comfortable in the pocket than he did in January, and Clark and Holiday provide talented if untested help off the bench. Solid QB play should not be a problem.

2. REDISCOVER THE RUN – Notre Dame football has always been about brute strength, and this year is no different. With Jones, Fisher, and Howard in the backfield, ND has the horses to wrack up the yards on the ground…if the offensive line can open up the holes. The last we saw, ND was running for a paltry 17 yards in the Fiesta Bowl. Granted, Oregon State was an extremely tough defensive squad, but ND faces two such teams this year in Nebraska and Tennessee. Without some easy rushing yards, especially in the early minutes when the adrenaline is high, ND’s offense is going to rest solely on LoVecchio’s throwing arm. ND has the athletes and strength program to put together an offensive line that steamrolls defenses, Nebraska-style. ND doesn’t need domination, but a balanced attack is essential for a great season – remember, even Oklahoma’s pass-happy offense ran enough 3^rd-and-long traps and draws that defenses had to pay attention.

3. WANTED: TACKLERS – With Driver and Denman, last year’s #1 and #2 tacklers, no longer roaming the defensive side of the ball, ND needs a couple players to step up and take their spots. Prime candidates are Rocky Boiman and Grant Irons. Boiman has showed the motor and aggressiveness that could lead to 8+ tackles a game, and Irons has the experience and physical tools necessary to explode opposing backfields. These two will have to have big years for ND to spend January in CA.

4. NOT SO SECONDARY – The secondary is one place where the Irish need vast improvement. Last year’s Fiesta Bowl debacle was enough to convince the Cincinnati Bengals to draft BOTH of Oregon State’s wide receivers. With Brock Williams gone to the NFL, ND lacks the big-time corner necessary to shut down half the field. Jefferson’s status is still up in the air, and while Walton certainly has shown signs of stepping up, the Irish still lack a good second corner. Vontez Duff has shown pure speed that the Irish haven’t seen in the secondary in quite some time, but he’s untested. The secondary will need to patch up its holes in a hurry if the Irish are to make a title run.

5. BIG GAME I – The season’s opening game will go a long way towards showing whether or not the 2001 Irish have a shot at winning it all. The Huskers will have not one but two games under their belts before ND comes to Lincoln. Guaranteed blowouts over TCU and Troy State will ensure that Nebraska has all of their kinks worked out before we take the field. ND will be going into a hostile environment (Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium, when filled on football Saturdays, becomes Nebraska’s 3^rd largest city) with untested players at wide receiver, offensive line, and cornerback. Nebraska has holes to fill too, with players such as Dan Alexander, Correll Buckhalter, Kyle Vanden Bosche, Dominic Raola, Carlos Polk, Bobby Newcombe, and Matt Davidson no longer on the team, but Eric Crouch will ensure that the running game stays on its 300+ yards-per-game pace. While a September loss doesn’t completely take ND out of the running for the national title, this game will be a true litmus test of the Irish’s title chances.

6. BIG GAME II – The Tennessee game in South Bend on November 3 may end up being more important than the early season visit to Lincoln. Many members of the media have Tennessee playing for the national championship now that they’ve reloaded after losing several top players to the NFL two years ago. With the game being played so late in the season, an Irish home loss would almost certainly bump them from their Rose Bowl perch, should they be in contention. While the Volunteers have suffered some off-season setbacks (including the loss of OL Michael Munoz for the year to a knee injury), their trip to South Bend may end up being one of the three biggest games of the year. A must-win for the Irish.

7. BATTLE OF FLORIDA – Like every year, the FSU/Miami (Oct. 13) and Florida/FSU (Nov. 17) games will have a large impact on who ends up going to Pasadena. Many preseason articles have one, two, or all three Florida teams in the top 5. Odds are that one of these teams will make the Rose Bowl -- ND most likely will have to fight for the remaining spot.