Notre Dame Football 2008: First Quarter

Going into the football season this year, I wasn't quite sure what to think. On one hand, the team was coming off one of the worst seasons in school history, finishing 3-9. On the other hand, there was no questioning the amount of talent Charlie Weis and his staff was bringing in. The question was whether that talent would mature and develop quickly enough to start winning a lot of games.

Going into the season, I thought it was instructive to break it into four quarters, with three games in each. I concluded that if Notre Dame finished each quarter 2-1, I would have been satisfied. With a bowl win, this would have given the Irish a record of 9-4. Though I hoped for a 10-2 or 9-3 season, anything more than 8-4 would have been gravy.

As most readers of this blog know, the first two quarters went roughly as planned. The final two? Not so much.

First Quarter

Notre Dame began the season with San Diego State, Michigan, and Michigan State (road). Just about everyone following ND expected the San Diego State game to be little more than a glorifed scrimmage. The Aztecs, starting their season a week sooner than the Irish, lost their opening game to Division I-AA Cal Poly. Not only that, they gave up nearly 300 yards rushing to Cal Poly and were missing almost 10 defensive lineman.

The game turned into a near disaster. San Diego State led most of the way due to a couple of Jimmy Clausen interceptions and a shocking inability to run the football. Up 13-7, San Diego State was driving deep in Irish territory and poised to go up two scores against a struggling ND offense. David Bruton then made a play that potentially saved the Irish season (and Charlie Weis' job), forcing and recovering a fumble at Notre Dame's 1 or 2 yard line. The Irish would eventually score a couple of late touchdowns to win 21-13.

Aside from the near disaster, this came will probably be best remembered as the debut of Michael Floyd in a Notre Dame uniform. Floyd had only one catch, but it was a jumping 37-yard touchdown pass where he displayed the incredible combination of athleticism, balance, and hands that will make him a household name very shortly.

After this Pyrrhic victory, the Irish faced Michigan. I wasn't sure what to think at this point. Michigan struggled to a 1-1 record to start the year, but we weren't really certain quite how bad they would turn out. Just as in the 2007 ND-Michigan game, I predicted that whoever jumped out to an early lead would have a huge edge. Unlike the 2007 game, it was the Irish who forced turnovers and dominated early. Notre Dame raced out to a 21-0 lead behind the stellar play of Golden Tate and Real American Hero Mike Anello. The Irish cruised to a 35-17 victory.

Not knowing quite how putrid Michigan truly was, I hoped that this game would serve as a turning point for the young Irish. Notre Dame headed for East Lansing at 2-0 and faced a challenge against Michigan State. Again, the Irish struggled to run the ball, but for the first time since 2006, we saw glimpses of the dynamic passing game that made Charlie Weis a hero early in his tenure at ND. Jimmy Clausen spread the field with four and five receiver sets for much of the second half, but turnovers again killed the Irish. One pick in the Spartan end zone killed an Irish scoring opportunity, and one deep in Notre Dame territory set up the Spartans with an easy drive. Notre Dame's defense put up a game fight against super-duper-workhorse Javon Ringer, but the Irish fell 23-7 in a game that was probably closer than the score let on.

First Quarter Grade: B-.

The Irish went 2-1, meeting my preseason goals. The high point was obviously the Michigan drubbing. It may sound strange, but the low point was San Diego State, not Michigan State. Even though the Irish won their opener, their sloppy play and struggles against a deeply flawed opponent made just about everyone think "Here we go again." Following the Spartan game, even though we lost, there was reason for hope. As we will soon see, that hope blossomed in the form of a beautiful passing game that nearly carried the Irish to a perfect second quarter.