Keys to Beating Nebraska
UHND.com - Frank Vitovitch
September 7, 2001
Notre Dame, Ind - Notre Dame faces a daunting task this weekend in traveling to Lincoln, Nebraska to face the #5 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. No one has won in Lincoln since Texas did it back in 1998 on Halloween and no non conference team has beaten Nebraska at Memorial Stadium since 1991. That being said, Notre Dame will fight an uphill battle this Saturday. However, it is not an impossible task and Notre Dame has a real chance at winning this game and here is what they need to do to win.
First off, Notre Dame has to be able to run the ball in order to win. Notre Dame's passing game isn't at the point where it can beat a team by itself, at least not yet. If Notre Dame would have had two games to prepare, maybe the passing game would be farther along, but they haven't so there are sure to be some kinks in it. Remember, Matt LoVecchio wasn't asked to pass all that much last year. If Notre Dame can establish a running game against Nebraska it will mean that Notre Dame's offensive line is doing its job and that Notre Dame will be keeping the ball out of Eric Crouch's hands.
Controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball will be very important. While the offensive line must be able to open holes for the Notre Dame tailbacks, the defensive line must also be able to hold the power Nebraska rushing attack in check. If Nebraska is able to run at will, it will be a long day for Notre Dame. If Nebraska is able to have long, sustained drives that take up large chunks of time, Notre Dame will start off the season 0-1.
Notre Dame needs to put a spy on Eric Crouch. Someone, maybe Courtney Watson, needs to be watching Crouch at all times. Crouch is at his best when he is running with the football. He has adequate passing skills, but he is not going to beat Notre Dame with his arm. If he is burning Notre Dame for huge plays passing, Notre Dame will have more than it can handle. If the Irish can prevent Crouch from ripping off long scoring runs, they will be in this game until the end. Last season they held Crouch in check for most of the game outside of his second quarter 62 yard run. Notre Dame needs to duplicate that effort and eliminate the long run in order to win. The front seven from last year is missing only one player, even though it is Anthony Denman who was the heart and soul of the defense last year. Look for Rocky Boiman to step in and fill the void left by Denman.
Last season Notre Dame only committed eight turnovers all season, Notre Dame continue that kind of play to beat Nebraska. Early turnovers could spell disaster for the Irish Saturday night. The Irish can win this game if they protect the ball. Nebraska's secondary is not their strength so as long as Matt LoVecchio plays smart like he did last season, there shouldn't be any turnovers through the air.
On top of playing smart with turnovers, Notre Dame also has to avoid stupid penalties. Stupid penalties have killed them in the past such as the '99 Michigan when Bobby Brown was flagged for excessive celebration and Ron Isreal made a late hit that got Michigan even closer to the end zone. If Notre Dame can avoid these mental mistakes, their chances are good.
Besides establishing the running game on offense, Notre Dame has to open it up a little or at least mix it up a little. There is so much offensive talent on this squad that there is no reason at all this team should not average at least 30 points a game. They need to open the offense up a little though. With David Givens, Javin Hunter, and Arnaz Battle lining up at receiver, there is no reason no to get them the ball. If Notre Dame simply runs right at Nebraska, they won't get far. However, if they mix in the pass mainly on first down, it will both attack a Nebraska weakness and open up the running game. With the safeties having to respect the passing game, the running game should work better without eight and nine man fronts.
Lastly and most importantly, everyone that steps on that field has to believe they are going to win. If they go out there thinking they can win they will lose. They need to know they can win and then go prove it. The coaches have to believe too and from everything that Bob Davie said he does believe this team will win. He has said it will be tough but for the most part has downplayed the fact that Nebraska played two games already. He has mentioned it but said there is nothing he can do about so there is no need to spend time worrying about it.
So for Notre Dame to win they have to run effectively so that they don't have to win the game passing, mix in passing plays so that Nebraska doesn't stack the line to stop the run, control Nebraska's ground attack especially Eric Crouch on the option, not turn the ball over, avoid stupid penalties and penalties in general, and believe they can win and they have to do it in front of 80,000 raucous fans in the most hostile environment they have played since the '99 season. Just a walk in the park right? Hardly. Still though, I think this Notre Dame team is special. This will be the fourth season I am covering Notre Dame football and it is by far the most talented team I have seen.
My prediction: Nebraska leads until halftime, then in the second half, Notre Dame comes back to win a close one. Notre Dame 31, Nebraska 28.