Notre Dame Very Beatable

REBELZED

All-American
Dec 6, 2006
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I actually think that we match up better with you guys than with Georgia.

We provide matchups on offense that will be difficult for any defense. No one can single cover Tyler Eifert. And I mean nobody. He is a first round TE. Once that matchup is accounted for, we can pretty much throw the ball to any receiver we want. And our #1 receiver will be back for the NCG anyway. Not to mention, we have 3 RB's that have had multiple 100 yd games this season, and if you watched the U$C game, you saw what Theo Riddick is capable of. And there is the mobile QB to account for.

On defense, I would agree that we won't be able to drop back safeties like we did against U$C. That is why the holes in the middle were open for U$C to run the ball. We had to watch Lee & Wood. When not dropping back our safeties, we shut down Stephan Taylor and Leveon Bell, and any other RB b/c 1) we have a solid front 7, and 2) we didn't have to worry about 2 NFL ready WR's like Lee and Wood for U$C. With Bell out and really only Cooper to worry about for you guys in the passing attack, I think we would match up pretty well on D.

Our red zone scoring was skeptic against USC, but if we improve in the next 44 days I think there are solid matchups all along the field. We have faced speed (Miami, Oklahoma) and power (Stanford, MSU) this year. I understand that because we had close games, there is room to be skeptical. But to think that we wouldn't beat any of the top 4 teams in the SEC? That is insanity.
I'm pretty sure sure Moseley, Milliner, Lester, et al would stand a chance at covering your TE. Notre Dame doesn't have any receivers of much note outside of him. Bama's probably faced 6 or 8 RB's already this year that are better than Riddick and will add 2 more after they play UGA. Lots of RB's have had success against USC this year in case you haven't noticed.

If we do make it to the NC, I hope your defense thinks the only receiver they have to account for is Cooper. We don't have Lee and Woods, but we have a group of solid guys with a much better QB than Wittek and a much better O line than USC's. Lacy and Yeldon >>>> Taylor and Bell and there again, Bama's O line >>>> Stanford and MSU (lol, really?)

Actually, the fact that you're trying to compare Bama to Miami, Oklahoma, USC, Michigan State, et al tells me all I need to know about your football opinion :)
 

Blindside13

All-SEC
Oct 22, 2011
1,846
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I agree with another post. I think several teams in the SEC can beat Notre Dame. They have not even come close to seeing the overall team speed either UA or UGA have.
 

FriendlyIrish

3rd Team
Nov 22, 2012
217
0
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I'm pretty sure sure Moseley, Milliner, Lester, et al would stand a chance at covering your TE. Notre Dame doesn't have any receivers of much note outside of him. Bama's probably faced 6 or 8 RB's already this year that are better than Riddick and will add 2 more after they play UGA. Lots of RB's have had success against USC this year in case you haven't noticed.

If we do make it to the NC, I hope your defense thinks the only receiver they have to account for is Cooper. We don't have Lee and Woods, but we have a group of solid guys with a much better QB than Wittek and a much better O line than USC's. Lacy and Yeldon >>>> Taylor and Bell and there again, Bama's O line >>>> Stanford and MSU (lol, really?)

Actually, the fact that you're trying to compare Bama to Miami, Oklahoma, USC, Michigan State, et al tells me all I need to know about your football opinion :)
None of the teams I listed are as good as your defense. But there are aspects of every team we have played that we have shut down. Speedy WR's in Dorsett, Lee, & Woods. Good RB's in Bell and Taylor. Yes, Lacy and Yeldon are much better, but that doesn't mean they will dominate the 2nd best scoring D in the country. Bell & Taylor have put up top numbers this year, albeit against worse defenses. Also beat a front 7 in Stanford (who, although slow, shut down the fastest team in the country).

I'm sure you have a group of solid guys at WR this year that are capable of making big plays. It sucks that the WR core has suffered a few injuries. I get that. But besides Cooper, no other WR has more than 4 catches on the year. It is to be seen how good the redshirt freshman Black will be, and maybe we will see this Saturday. McCarron is obviously lightyears ahead of Wittek, yet even when Woods and Lee got the ball, we held them to their lowest yards after the catch of their entire careers as CFB players. We had to give up a little in the run game to do that. I don't think we would need to do that against Bama or Georgia.

I want to face 'bama in the NCG, as do most ND fans. We want to beat the best. Again, I hope to talk matchups after this Saturday on here. It's an enticing game, and I think it may be closer than many in the SEC think.
 

NationalTitles18

TideFans Legend
May 25, 2003
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I'm sure you have a group of solid guys at WR this year that are capable of making big plays. It sucks that the WR core has suffered a few injuries. I get that. But besides Cooper, no other WR has more than 4 catches on the year.

We had to give up a little in the run game to do that. I don't think we would need to do that against Bama or Georgia.
What? No offense intended, but you need to check your stats again, my friend. Jones and Norwood each have >20 receptions on the year. Here, let me help you to stop embarrassing yourself.

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/alab/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2012-13/stats/season_stats.pdf

And I pray your coaches think like you do they don't need to worry about the passing game against Bama or Georgia. Good thing for ND is they know better.
 

deltatider

1st Team
Nov 29, 2005
935
531
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What? No offense intended, but you need to check your stats again, my friend. Jones and Norwood each have >20 receptions on the year. Here, let me help you to stop embarrassing yourself.

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/alab/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2012-13/stats/season_stats.pdf

And I pray your coaches think like you do they don't need to worry about the passing game against Bama or Georgia. Good thing for ND is they know better.
Heck Norwood had 2 or 3go catches on that final LSU drive alone.
 

REBELZED

All-American
Dec 6, 2006
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None of the teams I listed are as good as your defense. But there are aspects of every team we have played that we have shut down. Speedy WR's in Dorsett, Lee, & Woods. Good RB's in Bell and Taylor. Yes, Lacy and Yeldon are much better, but that doesn't mean they will dominate the 2nd best scoring D in the country. Bell & Taylor have put up top numbers this year, albeit against worse defenses. Also beat a front 7 in Stanford (who, although slow, shut down the fastest team in the country).

I'm sure you have a group of solid guys at WR this year that are capable of making big plays. It sucks that the WR core has suffered a few injuries. I get that. But besides Cooper, no other WR has more than 4 catches on the year. It is to be seen how good the redshirt freshman Black will be, and maybe we will see this Saturday. McCarron is obviously lightyears ahead of Wittek, yet even when Woods and Lee got the ball, we held them to their lowest yards after the catch of their entire careers as CFB players. We had to give up a little in the run game to do that. I don't think we would need to do that against Bama or Georgia.

I want to face 'bama in the NCG, as do most ND fans. We want to beat the best. Again, I hope to talk matchups after this Saturday on here. It's an enticing game, and I think it may be closer than many in the SEC think.
You have played teams with one aspect here and there, but you haven't played any with the speed, power, and size combo of Alabama OR Georgia. That's how teams like Bama and UGA win. Load up on the run? Get beat by a good QB/receivers. Sit back on the pass? Get gashed by great O lines and RB's. Oh yeah, and don't forget that your O has to move the ball against the Bama/UGA D too. What team ND has played with a competent offense? A 4 loss USC with a backup QB?

Have you looked at Alabama's receiving stats? There are 5 players with more than 4 catches, 4 of them with more than 18 catches.

Don't get me wrong, I think ND has a good team this year. I just don't think they are as good as Bama or UGA (or Florida, or A&M, or LSU, or USCe). Good thing is, we will find out. I just hope it's Bama that gets the shot.
 

FriendlyIrish

3rd Team
Nov 22, 2012
217
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Sorry, I meant to include Norwood and Christian Jones in there. I know they are the vets. I thought I had written them. Anway, I can justify our schedule and the opponents we have faced all day. But its not SEC, so it probably will not register.

But really, if you want to look at it, the schedules are not incomparable. Our best opponent is Stanford (8th), whom we beat. Your best opponent is A&M, and it was your only loss. Our second best opponent is Oklahoma, whom we beat away, and yours is LSU, and you beat, away. Our 3rd best opponent is at USC, yours is neutral side against Michigan...

The list goes on. But there is no point in arguing that now. If you guys win this Saturday, it is matchups (and coaching). And we will obviously be big underdogs.
 

REBELZED

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Sorry, I meant to include Norwood and Christian Jones in there. I know they are the vets. I thought I had written them. Anway, I can justify our schedule and the opponents we have faced all day. But its not SEC, so it probably will not register.

But really, if you want to look at it, the schedules are not incomparable. Our best opponent is Stanford (8th), whom we beat. Your best opponent is A&M, and it was your only loss. Our second best opponent is Oklahoma, whom we beat away, and yours is LSU, and you beat, away. Our 3rd best opponent is at USC, yours is neutral side against Michigan...

The list goes on. But there is no point in arguing that now. If you guys win this Saturday, it is matchups (and coaching). And we will obviously be big underdogs.
I think LSU and A&M both would route Stanford and I know they would both route Oklahoma this year. Regardless, we have one common opponent and I'm sure you know the difference in scores between our games...
 

FriendlyIrish

3rd Team
Nov 22, 2012
217
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0
Right. But that is a rivalry game. We have always been close with scUM. And honestly, our offense was nearly inept at the beginning of the season. And Golson didn't even play the second half of that game. We have had our fair share of close games this season, but have always found a way.

Golson is improving dramatically, and gives us an extra element that Rees never did. He plays much better on the road and in the spotlight. I think the scUM game is an attenuated comparison. Stanford v. LSU and A&M, I dont' really know. I know a lot about Stanford and much less about A&M.
 

CajunCrimson

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Mar 13, 2001
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Right. I don't doubt that Mosley, Dickson and co. could neutralize in some sitations. But Eifert causes a matchup problem no matter what. Besides Chris Gragg, there really isn't any other TE's in SEC in top ten in CFB. Mayyybbee Lutzenkirchen, but not really. And with Arkansas passing attack this year, I don't think Bama has seen a player quite like Eifert. I'm not saying he's going to dominate, I'm just saying he causes matchup problems.
Maybe TEs aren't elite in the SEC, is because they are ineffective in the SEC because of the defensive schemes that are there.

Most SEC TEs are blockers -- due to the speed at the DE positions....they are needed for protection.....

If you run 5 on the OL all game -- vs either Bama or UGA -- you will struggle. If you put your TE in frequent passing routes -- you will need another TE for blocking which reduces the number of WRs out -- which frees up the safeties....
 

Neos

Suspended
Nov 14, 2011
260
0
0
yeah, they will be 10 point underdogs to anyone they play in the championship game.
 

TIDE24

1st Team
Jan 12, 2000
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Bartlett, TN
We first have to beat uga to have the opportunity.

Some teams just seem to have destiny on their side and the ball "bounces" their way. The barn was that way in 2010. ND is kind of like that this year. I am not saying that they cannot be beat, b/c I do believe we are a better team, but sometimes it is better to be lucky than good, and I don't think it is a given we will beat them.
 

BamaMoon

Hall of Fame
Apr 1, 2004
20,947
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There is a reason why the SEC has won six in a row (and 8 of the 14 BCSNCGs).

Iron sharpens iron! When you play the best throughout the year and then you get to rest and game plan for a month it usually equals victory over a team that didn't play as challenging a schedule against elite athletes all year long.

Irish, we know that a team with less talent (supposedly) can go in to the big game and come out with a victory, but if we are fortunate enough to get past Georgia, we are pretty excited about playing a team that many of us believe would lose 2 or 3 games in the SEC if "y'all" played here.
 

FriendlyIrish

3rd Team
Nov 22, 2012
217
0
0
"Ya'll" seem to forget that we have a harder SOS. I would rather take a grinding, difficult schedule with not ONE let up each week (besides a bye), than to play only the 3rd and 4th best teams in the SEC and have an moderate/easy schedule the rest of the year.

Against us, playing 2 good teams in the SEC and not good teams the rest of the year won't give you that big of an advantage. Your talent, experience in the big game, and Saban give you the advantage, but not your schedule. Couldn't say the same for Florida.
 

Jack Bourbon

Hall of Fame
Aug 3, 2001
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Well, ND was almost beaten by quite of few teams, some of whom are terrible. If ND struggles against Pitt and BYU, how can they expect to fare well against the SEC's best team?
 

Jack Bourbon

Hall of Fame
Aug 3, 2001
6,432
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"Ya'll" seem to forget that we have a harder SOS. I would rather take a grinding, difficult schedule with not ONE let up each week (besides a bye), than to play only the 3rd and 4th best teams in the SEC and have an moderate/easy schedule the rest of the year.

Against us, playing 2 good teams in the SEC and not good teams the rest of the year won't give you that big of an advantage. Your talent, experience in the big game, and Saban give you the advantage, but not your schedule. Couldn't say the same for Florida.
The ND schedule is full of mediocre teams. These were not OU's, Michigan's, or even Stanford's top-notch units this year, by any stretch.
 

FriendlyIrish

3rd Team
Nov 22, 2012
217
0
0
Well, ND was almost beaten by quite of few teams, some of whom are terrible. If ND struggles against Pitt and BYU, how can they expect to fare well against the SEC's best team?
I wish I had an answer, Jack. Against BYU, Golson was out with a concussion the entire game. Pitt, well, was a letdown game after Oklahoma. The best thing that came from that game is we played terribly for 3 quarters, came back from 20-6 deficit in the 4th, tied it up and caught a lucky break on a missed FG in 3OT. That is the most objective perspective I can give.

We have grinded it out for every game. We dominated teams on the road and played closer games at home. There is one more test, and that is to see if a team outside of the SEC can hang with you. I think we can, because we play great defense and run the football efficiently, and have a mobile, smart QB. It remains to be seen.

But to say they were overrated, I don't really understand. OU is 11, Stanford is ranked 8 and took off Oregon, and plays a ridiculously tough schedule. Really? Overrated??
 

Jack Bourbon

Hall of Fame
Aug 3, 2001
6,432
479
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I didn't say overrated, but I think the value assigned to ND wins over those teams is a little inflated due to those teams' longer-term reputations. I'd argue that the PAC-10 and Big-12 are not particularly deep this year, which might explain how those teams racked up the wins to be ranked in the top 10.

I'll be honest with you, I am with the crowd that believes that 5 out of our best 6 teams (Ala, LSU, A&M, Fla, Ga, SC) would beat anybody outside the league pretty consistently--Oregon, ND, KState included. And the next tier of teams, including Ole Miss, MSU, and Vandy (gasp) is pretty good as well.

Anyone can win the title game, but there's a reason SEC teams have been dominating the BCS. I can promise you no team in the conference has an easy schedule, regardless of where teams in various conferences are ranked. If anything, SEC teams seem to handily win title games because they appear more battle-tested than the opponent.

I'll add that the perception of the SEC's struggling powerhouses (Ark, Tenn, Aub) may be a little skewed too, as the top 6-9 teams in the conference have had a hand in their failures. The exception being Auburn, who is horrible. ;)
 
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