Took a hiatus from the board over Christmas, so I'm just now posting in this thread. Please forgive several quotes in this one post.
Right, but no one has really played bend don't break. That's what we are willing to do. I easily see them bringing in another player for run D. And we will play soft on the outsides and give up flat passes to your WR's. As long as our DB's have tackled as well as they have all year (watch first half of OU), the gameplan can work.
Chavis at LSU is known for a bend but don't break defense.
We never give up big pass plays. We didn't give up any to D-Rob, Landry Jones, or to the two best WR's in the country. I'm not worried about big pass plays in this game. It's all if we stop the run. It will by far be the toughest game plan to execute all year. The closest is Stanford, but again, Bama is the toughest.
Of course, you didn't give up big pass plays to the two best WRs in the country (except for that last 50+ yard pass). I doubt having their Senior QB making the passes had something to do with that, but you don't want to mention that, do you?
Hoke, Shaw, Stoops, Kiffin etc aren't stupid no one comes with the gameplan of running away from Manti. Either way the game plan of running right at Manti sounds awesome on paper until you realize Manti plays behind a stud Nose Guard who has destroyed every offensive line this year.
Ignoring the use of the word "destroy," let me ask you this: has he faced an OL with 3 All-Americans? Or has he faced an offensive lineman that has won the Rimington and the Outland trophies?
Te'o is such a threat because he is hard to get a body on because their DL is good at eating space. You'd rather try to get a guard on him than run laterally and let him move side-to-side, but Nix makes it hard to get up on him. Their offense has been a liability that has been a struggle to get across the finish line for them, but there is no smoke and mirrors on their defense. They look a lot like us: they have the right kind of personnel to run a 3-4 and make you pass effectively to win. Their LB corp is basically like our own: one star (Mosley and Te'o) and a bunch of role guys (at this juncture of their careers). Their secondary has been the point of concern for each fanbase.
Personally, I think Te'o gets too much credit because their down linemen are really the stars of this defense. Te'o on his own would just be a guy getting a lot of tackles...with their linemen clogging things up, he's allowed to take risks and come through clean to the ball carrier. The story of the game will be how we handle their linemen. If we can free up an interior guy to get a hat on Te'o, we will move the ball. If their linemen don't let guys get free to the second level...we're in for one of those close games where their offense has pulled a rabbit out of their hat in the fourth quarter.
His credit/praise comes from his story. He plays for ND. His girlfriend and grandmother both died. He's a mormon playing at ND. It's the perfect media storm.
The matchups between the Alabama receivers and ND's defensive secondary are very interesting. I really don't know how to read it. As many on this board have pointed out - the corners and safeties are supposed to be ND's weakness. However, they have played well all year and developed along quite nicely. They are definitely young. Russell is a true freshman - but he plays like a veteran. He drew a PI call on Stills in the OU game that was quite saavy. In addition, he was the one that committed two PIs in a row against Lee in the USC game that also showed some football intelligence. He wasn't going to give up the TD pass and knew that a PI only moved the ball a few inches closer to the goaline.
ND was fortunate neither of those PIs led to a TD. Did the Freshman QB play a role in that outcome? Possibly. Have to consider how a 2-year starter, National Champion, All-American QB handles those 15 yard penalties compared to a first time starter.
The common description of the defense is "bend but don't break." LSU bent several times in 2011 and finally broke in New Orleans. Not many teams can't bend without breaking when bent several times.