Game preview from an ND blog

uafan4life

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That's not bad. He's pretty accurate on most of his keys to the game. Of course, he isn't making any real predictions on how those keys will turn out although he does tend to - as any fan would - gloss over a bit Notre Dame's weaknesses in making some of those keys happen.

Overall, though, it's a pretty good read. Thanks for posting.
 

CajunCrimson

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I thought he had credibility until he got to:

Well, at some point the SEC has to lose, why not this year
People hate Dynasties

Really? That's your big finish?
 

jps1983

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I thought he had credibility until he got to:

Well, at some point the SEC has to lose, why not this year
People hate Dynasties

Really? That's your big finish?
In fairness, those are just off-the-cuff type of arguments; just like the ESPN stats he throws out.
 

jps1983

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Enjoyed the read; it was definitely not as biased as the other ND stuff posted; I think Barrett vs. Nix is the big battle for our offense. If Barrett wins without help, it's a long day for ND; if he needs help, then I think it falls on our RB's to get those extra yards the writer discusses for the ND backs. I think we may try to run more outside to get away from their big DL and force their LBs and DBs to make plays in space.
 

ccc2259

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Seemed pretty accurate and balanced. I don't buy into the point Bama is unable to sustain long drives. When all other elements of Bama's game plan are working, long, time-consuming drives are a hallmark of Alabama football.
 

sanjosecrimson

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Seemed pretty accurate and balanced. I don't buy into the point Bama is unable to sustain long drives. When all other elements of Bama's game plan are working, long, time-consuming drives are a hallmark of Alabama football.
its been a hallmark under CNS. Bama lives for long drives. IIRC,Bama led the SEC and Nation awhile back on TOP. its one of the main keys to victories.
 

RBTider

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Decent read. If Barrett Jones is close to healthy, I feel pretty good about our offense. The one player I worry about is on ND's Offense. The TE scares me more than anyone.

Roll Tide Roll!
 

TIDE-HSV

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Seemed pretty accurate and balanced. I don't buy into the point Bama is unable to sustain long drives. When all other elements of Bama's game plan are working, long, time-consuming drives are a hallmark of Alabama football.
That caught my eye also, particularly after he'd said earlier in the article that our receivers were the least of their worries, because they'd done so well at containg the deep ball all year. Then he came out with this paragraph, which makes as little sense as anything I've ever read from a sportswriter:

Take a look at the chart below and you'll see Alabama is not good at sustaining methodical drives...because they've been so explosive on offense and haven't had to rely on stringing together long scoring drives with a ton of plays.
This is tantamount to saying "X is a terrible boxer because he knocks everyone out in the first round..." :D
 

rgw

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OFD's previews by position have been pretty good. I thought the quarterback comparison piece was weak and typical of the overly optimistic outlook on Golson.

Golson has huge upside and may very well develop into a first-round pick but at this juncture calling him even with McCarron is laughable. Hell, Golson could outplay McCarron in the game and he still wouldn't be better than McCarron.
 

crmsntd91

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I really don't see anywhere that Notre Dame is "better" than Georgia or LSU on defense. They just never play good offenses. The two "good" offenses they played one was without its starting QB and the other has been dimensional for a few seasons now (USC and OU).
 

crimsonaudio

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Seemed pretty accurate and balanced. I don't buy into the point Bama is unable to sustain long drives. When all other elements of Bama's game plan are working, long, time-consuming drives are a hallmark of Alabama football.
Here's a good comparison - points per minute of possession:
Alabama: 1.21 ppm
Notre Dame: 0.82 ppm

That can keep their long, sustained drives, we score ~1.5x as many points per minute of possession as does ND while only holding the ball ~one minute less per game...
 

cmmiller711

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I thought there was a weird disconnect when he said there will be emphasis on getting up the field with 4, and then he turned around and said there will be emphasis on eating blocks and gap containment.... which is it?
 

cmmiller711

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Also.... let me get this straight.... Notre Dame's big advantage over Bama is that they can sustain long scoring drives, and they're 119th in D1 IN REDZONE TOUCHDOWN PERCENTAGE?! Does any one else see the flaw in that logic?


I guess the guy is saying that they'll have 13 play 7 minute drives and score from the 21.
 
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