Question: Saban: We're not running away from Teo

TrueGritnPluck

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Nov 21, 2011
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This reads like a massive quibble. No one knows better than we that you need some lucky breaks along the way to stay undefeated. I think the point that a lot of posters are making is that ND struggled against 2nd tier opponents while Bama did not. On Jones, he played effectively against UGA with the same injury. Jones will play and play well - bet on it. On sticking with running, the common fan complaint is quite the opposite, that we pass when the run is working. On paper, we look like a running team, but that's very deceiving. Many of those running yards were piled up in the last half of games where the opponent couldn't stop the run and there was no reason to pass. Back to the passing issue, many fans feel that we've passed when we didn't need to, just to prove we can. Our new OC is from the west and that may be a built-in bias. It's JMHO, but I do think in this game that we'll start out running until ND proves that it can stop it. We don't really have plans "B" and "C" in the way you frame it...
This is an outstanding analysis
 

ND Philosopher

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Dec 27, 2012
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With all due respect to Notre Dame(and I respect their accomplishments) the best defense we will face this year is LSU who is bigger and faster at every single position on the field.

We scored enough to win and they couldn't stop us when the game was on the line.

Now, let's flip it.

Notre Dame has not encountered any defense that even remotely compares to Alabama in any way, form or fashion.
Its crazy how different the two fan bases see the record. We agree that Alabama will be the toughest run defense Notre Dame will face. But when I look at the NCAA statistical rankings I see 4 Notre Dame opponents all with better defensive statistics than LSU at stopping the run. Alabama is 1, BYU 2, Stanford 3, Notre Dame 4, Michigan State 8, and LSU 9.

Two QB's scored 20 plus points against us...the Heisman Trophy Winner..and the QB of the SEC East Champion Georgia Bulldogs. Is you're QB that good?
This game will say a lot about that. Don't go to sleep on Golson. He has a tremdous upside. He has got a great arm, and he has great "escapability." He is a threat to run the ball that Alabama will have to account for, but he doesn't have Johnny Heisman's top end speed. His primary problem has been mastering running the offense. He made huge strides in the second half of the season. We'll see if the time off has enabled him to step his game up yet another notch.

With all due respect you talk about your front seven and you should be proud because they're very good. But, in the regular season, we led the nation in scoring defense, rushing defense etc. and we didn't play Navy's and Pittsburghs and Wake Forest's and Boston College's...
we played the toughest competition in the nation. That simple.

It will hurt us if Barrett can't play but in short, even if he can't go, there's a no name right behind him who is better than Notre Dame's starting center.

His name is "Cousin" and he's ready to kick some butt.

Enjoy the game :)

sip
When I look at Alabama schedule, I see more cupcakes there. I think it would be a pretty hard sell to convince anyone who is not already an Alabama fan that the bottom half of Alabama's schedule was tougher than the bottom half of Notre Dame's. Western Carolina? Florida Atlantic? Seriously? Auburn and Arkansas were both a joke this year. Notre Dame played 10 teams that were bowl eligible this year. Alabama played 6 teams that couldn't muster the 6 wins that requires. Notre Dame --2.

But I won't dispute that Notre Dame was not as impressive against the weaker teams that they played. I just don't think how the teams performed against the weaker teams says much of interest about the game to come.
 

rgw

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I've said this to many ND fans: the rise in Golson's level of play and the decrease in Notre Dame's competition have a direct correlation. Notre Dame haven't played a good to great team since the end of October. USC would have been an interesting test for their defense but they skirted on that because of Barkley's injury. I don't think they played a team that was really going to challenge Golson after the OU game.

With that said, Golson does have all the tools you'd want in a college QB. Strong arm, good feet, can make chain moving runs on broken plays, etc. He hasn't put it together against top competition this year but a 1-game season with a month of prep can do a lot to steady a quarterback. McCarron looked like a different man in the BCSCG last year. He flopped against LSU - had some good moments and bad just like Golson - and didn't really get tested the rest of the season. He looked like the QB we have today after that month of prep. He's definitely the X-factor for Notre Dame. I don't see them pounding out 200 yards on the ground and winning with just the run and defense.
 

ND Philosopher

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Dec 27, 2012
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I agree with him though. LSU was not the best defense we played. They were breaking in a lot of new DBs this year and their LB corp was overwhelmed with injuries. Minter had so many tackles basically due to covering for other guys missed assignments.

LSU's DL and safeties were as good as any we'll see this season, but they were really struggling with their linebackers at times. UGA's DL is probably a better comparison for Notre Dame but even then...UGA is a team too focused on making big plays. Notre Dame is good about preventing big plays over trying to make them.
I agree. Notre Dame's defense is not as aggressive as any of these teams. ND's emphasis is on being very disciplined about assignments, and making good tackles. Like Alabama, ND places great emphasis on fundamentals. There is no question that Alabama is the gold standard there. By comparison, I was shocked at how poorly Georgia tackled in the SEC championship game.
 

TIDE-HSV

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I agree. Notre Dame's defense is not as aggressive as any of these teams. ND's emphasis is on being very disciplined about assignments, and making good tackles. Like Alabama, ND places great emphasis on fundamentals. There is no question that Alabama is the gold standard there. By comparison, I was shocked at how poorly Georgia tackled in the SEC championship game.
Many teams have imagined how well they would tackle against Yeldon and Lacy.That's a lot easier to imagine than to accomplish. Those guys are hard to tackle...
 

MBA_99

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Jan 11, 2010
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Re: the original thread title, would Te'o be the best LB on Bama's team, i.e. is he as good a leader and in position as often as CJ? Or is he just the sexiest player on a ND team?

In 2009 I think he would've been our 3rd best.
 

sanjosecrimson

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May 18, 2007
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When I look at Alabama schedule, I see more cupcakes there. I think it would be a pretty hard sell to convince anyone who is not already an Alabama fan that the bottom half of Alabama's schedule was tougher than the bottom half of Notre Dame's. Western Carolina? Florida Atlantic? Seriously? Auburn and Arkansas were both a joke this year. Notre Dame played 10 teams that were bowl eligible this year. Alabama played 6 teams that couldn't muster the 6 wins that requires. Notre Dame --2
.

fair enough on Fla Atl. and W. Carolina. how bout we switch some teams for giggles. :wink:

Bama gets Navy, BC, Wake, Purdue, Pitt, BYU

ND gets Tennessee, Ole Miss, Miss St., Missouri, Arkansas.

just a hunch, but if y'all struggled with Purdue, Pitt and BYU ALL at home, what you think will happen if you play these teams mentioned above on the road ???

and just to raise the stakes a bit higher, Bama will take Stanford and USC. ND gets LSU and TAMU. what will be the outcome?? here's the deal, ND must travel to Death Valley at night. TAMU goes to South Bend. ND might split the 2 games, but most likely lose both.

ND won at Norman, Bama won UGA basically in their backyard.

Bama whipped Michigan in Dallas. ND barely hangs on to win Michigan in South Bend.

FYI, Segarin has ND with the #31 toughest schedule and Bama at #33. please don't make your schedule seemed so much tougher than Bama.:cool:
 
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rgw

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Who cares whom played more 6 or 7 win teams...you're judge by how you play against the best not the mediocre.
 
.

fair enough on Fla Atl. and W. Carolina. how bout we switch some teams for giggles. :wink:

Bama gets Navy, BC, Wake, Purdue, Pitt, BYU

ND gets Tennessee, Ole Miss, Miss St., Missouri, Arkansas.

just a hunch, but if y'all struggled with Purdue, Pitt and BYU ALL at home, what you think will happen if you play these teams mentioned above on the road ???

and just to raise the stakes a bit higher, Bama will take Stanford and USC. ND gets LSU and TAMU. what will be the outcome?? here's the deal, ND must travel to Death Valley at night. TAMU goes to South Bend. ND might split the 2 games, but most likely lose both.

ND won at Norman, Bama won UGA basically in their backyard.

Bama whipped Michigan in Dallas. ND barely hangs on to win Michigan in South Bend.

FYI, Segarin has ND with the #31 toughest schedule and Bama at #33. please don't make your schedule seemed so much tougher than Bama.:cool:
I like how you think. If ND plays Bama's schedule, I could see 3 losses, so they don't get to play Georgia. They wind up in the Belk Bowl.
 

JeffAtlanta

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Aug 21, 2007
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Who cares whom played more 6 or 7 win teams...you're judge by how you play against the best not the mediocre.
Exactly - that is why SOS calcuations that sum up wins and losses or count the number of opponents with winning records are overly simplistic.

An elite team is more likely to lose playing LSU & a 2-9 team, than playing two 6-5 teams.
 

ND Philosopher

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Dec 27, 2012
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Many teams have imagined how well they would tackle against Yeldon and Lacy.That's a lot easier to imagine than to accomplish. Those guys are hard to tackle...
Yes, but I'm pretty sure you'd have a better chance if, say, you used your arms. Just a hunch...
 

rgw

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Sep 15, 2003
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Anybody watching the Pinstripe Bowl will see the kind of officiating we'll have to deal with...some very soft holding and PI calls already.
 

athlete37

Scout Team
Dec 13, 2012
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I would like to offer an apology to Alasippi and the rest of the board for my comment earlier on this thread. Although I disagreed with his opinion, the way I responded was both disrespectful and undeserved. I appreciate the hospitality that the other Irish fans and myself have received on the thread and apologize for the disruption.
 
I would like to offer an apology to Alasippi and the rest of the board for my comment earlier on this thread. Although I disagreed with his opinion, the way I responded was both disrespectful and undeserved. I appreciate the hospitality that the other Irish fans and myself have received on the thread and apologize for the disruption.
It's all good. It's expected to be that way sometimes.
 

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