Photo Illustration by Pat Coveney and Blair Chemidlin

There were a lot of ques-tions going into last week’sgame and, in general, NotreDame did a good job ofanswering them. Against Purdue, the Irish

offense found some holes, thedefense made some tacklesand the special teams weresuccessfulon bothsides of theball. In general,

that’s whatobserverswanted tosee fromNotreDame. But with

one weekdown andMichigancoming to South Bend, it’stime to get more specific. “We have not reached a

point where we understandthe entire offense, defenseand special teams,” Irishcoach BrianKelly saidWednesdayafter prac-tice. “This isgoing to be awork inprogresseach andevery week.”Last

week’s Irishwere a newteam making its debut andfinding a way to win. Thisweek’s Irish are no longernew, but not yet experienced. So does this week’s Irish

squad have an answer toMichigan quarterbackDenard Robinson, who threwfor 186 yards and ran for 197more Saturday in theWolverines’ 30-10 win overConnecticut?“Oh, what a fantastic ath-

lete he is,” defensive linecoach Mike Elston saidTuesday. “You’re not pre-pared to defend with him.He’s just a fantastic athlete.”There were times on

Saturday when fans had towonder whether the Irishdefense was too slow orPurdue quarterback RobertMarve was too fast. Elstonsaid Marve is “not even in thesame ballpark” as Robinson. Kelly said the offense and

defense both would have tocompensate for Robinson.“I always look at it from

both perspectives,” he said.“One is controlling the foot-ball, but the other is put a lotof points on the board and itchanges the way they man-age the game.” Looks like the team is going

to need to understand its

specifics in a hurry. Can this week’s Irish score

enough points to knockMichigan off its game?If Notre Dame wants to put

points on the board, theoffensive linemen can’t misssome of the blocks theymissed against Purdue.Quarterback Dayne Cristcan’t miss when he sendspasses into the back of theend zone, either. The only player who never

missed against Purdue waskicker David Ruffer, but itwill be hard to put up “a lotof points” three at a time. If they are able to score,

can this week’s Irish keepRobinson and the rest of theWolverines contained?Purdue couldn’t hurt Notre

Dame with big playsSaturday, but theBoilermakers moved the ballwell on short gains thatturned into first downs.Robinson will probably do thesame, and the Irish will need

to find a wayto stop him. “He’s a run-

ning back,”Kelly said.“And the onlyway I knowhow to take arunning backout of play isto hit him andmake sure youtackle him.”

After Saturday’s game Kellywasn’t happy with the team’stackling, though fans werethrilled by the suggestion oftackling ability that had elud-ed the team for several sea-sons.Inside linebackers Carlo

Calabrese and Manti Te’o ledthe team in tackles with nineeach — but Te’o missed sev-eral more.The defensive line had four

sacks, with three coming in aseven-minute span to openthe second half. To get atRobinson, they’ll need to cre-ate more consistent pressurethroughout.If this week’s Irish can suc-

cessfully fix the problemsthey encountered last week,they may be able to find theanswer to Denard Robinson. “That’s going to be the

issue,” Kelly said. “If youreally want to know and cutit down to its real roots,you’ve got to tackle this kid.”In general, that sounds like

a plan.

The views expressed in thiscolumn are those of theauthor and not necessarilythose of The Observer.

Contact Laura Myers atlmyers2@nd.edu

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERpage 2 Friday, September 10, 2010

Questions remaindespite opening win

Laura Myers

Sports Writer

COMMENTARY

Follow the game LIVE as we blog from thepress box at Notre Dame Stadium:

ndsmcobserver.com/sports/irish-football

If Notre Dame plays wellSaturday, it could help the Irishin seasons to come as much as itwould help them during this sea-son.Three four-star recruits,

according to the ESPN top 150recruit rankings, will visit cam-pus for the Michigan game,along with a pair of twins, Irishrecruiting expert Mike Franksaid.“If they like what they see,

there is a good chance NotreDame could end up with both[George and Josh Atkinson],”said Frank, who heads the onlineESPN affiliate Irish Sports Daily.Along with the Atkinson broth-

ers, defensive end Stephon Tuitt,safety Wayne Lyons and offensivetackle Antonio Richardson willspend the weekend at NotreDame absorbing the gamedayexperience.Richardson, the highest ranked

recruit among the five at No. 32,would fill a big need for NotreDame on the offensive line. Thehigh school senior already tipsthe scales at 310 pounds, stand-

ing 6-foot-6.“He’s always had an interest in

Notre Dame,” Frank said. “Hewants to come up for a gameand get that experience, see thatatmosphere. If he likes it, NotreDame could really be in the mixfor him.”Lyons, at No. 67 on the ESPN

top 150, would potentially join asecondary that is currently strug-gling depth-wise.“Lyons is a phenomenal ath-

lete,” Frank said. “He could playcornerback or safety, and is justa guy you want.”Tuitt, from Georgia, has listed

Notre Dame as one of his top fivepreferences, but is still highlyrecruited from across the coun-try, with reason.“Tuitt would be a great addi-

tion to the class,” Frank said.“He is a big guy already so hewouldn’t need to add muchweight to play that defensive endposition.”Tuitt, 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds,

has not visited Notre Damebefore.“He is a real smart kid,” Frank

said. “He’s the type of kid who Ithink will really like it once he’shere. He is very similar personal-ity-wise to a lot of guys already

on the team.”Of the five recruits, Notre

Dame might have its best chanceof landing the Atkinson brothers.Josh, a cornerback, would alsopotentially help Notre Dame’sdepleted secondary in a year.“If Josh commits, he will prob-

ably be the guy with the mostspeed at the corner position,”Frank said.George Atkinson could play

multiple positions for the Irish.Frank compared George to for-mer Florida receiver PercyHarvin, who left college after the2008 season.“George is a real dynamic

player that could play nearlyanything,” Frank said. “I thinkNotre Dame envisions him in aPercy Harvin role, you put him atwide receiver or running back.He could play a lot of differentpositions.“The main thing is you just

want to put the ball in his hands,because he has the ability toscore from anywhere.”George and Josh Atkinson are

also considering Washington andOregon.

Atkinson twins highlight recruitsFOOTBALL RECRUITING

By DOUGLAS FARMERSports Editor

Contact Douglas Farmer atdfarmer1@nd.edu

Last week’s Irish were anew team making its

debut and finding a wayto win. This week’s Irishare no longer new, butnot yet experienced.

The point of Irish coach BrianKelly’s message to junior DayneCrist before Saturday’s openerwas likely similar to the onemany quarterbacks receive priorto their first career start.“He was just trying to settle me

down,” Crist told The ObserverTuesday. “He didn’t want me topress or try and do too manythings to try and win it all in oneplay. He said if I just went outthere and played my game, we’dhave a great chance of being suc-cessful.”Straightforward enough. But

the way in which Kelly deliveredthat simple message — by tellingCrist “he didn’t have to win theHeisman today” — demonstrateshow highly heregards the tal-ent and poten-tial of his start-ing quarter-back.“It’s definitely

flattering anytime yourcoach talksabout you inthat light, butthe mostimportant thingto me is always going out thereand winning games with the restof the guys,” Crist said of Kelly,referencing college football’smost prestigious individualaward. “It’s nice that your headcoach has confidence in you, butnone of those individual acco-lades or awards come withoutteam success, so it’s more aboutplaying solid team football.”Those awards may come in

time, but if Saturday’s perform-ance is any indication, Crist’s toppriority is efficiently managingthe offense in a way that gives theIrish a chance to win.

Tired of questionsWhen Crist committed to Notre

Dame in the summer of 2007,there was little doubt he wouldeventually succeed fellowCalifornian Jimmy Clausen as theIrish quarterback. That has hap-pened, but not in the way most

would have predicted three yearsago, with Clausen leaving earlyfor the NFL and Kelly replacingformer Irish coach Charlie Weisthis winter.Add in the fact that Crist —

who played sparingly last seasonafter redshirting as a freshman in2008 — suffered a torn anteriorcruciate ligament (ACL) in NotreDame’s blowout win overWashington State last Halloween,and there were plenty of ques-tions worth pondering all winter.But not for Crist. “Really, to be honest, I just got

tired of hearing about all thosethings,” he said. “You go fromthat period of time where youdon’t play a game and that’s allyou hear for six or seven months,and you get tired of hearing it all.You just want to go out there,play to the best of your ability,

and try to quietas many of thosethings as possi-ble.”Crist’s knee

recovered aheadof schedule, andhe was able toparticipate fullyin spring andsummer drills,albeit in a redjersey, signalingthat he was off-

limits to contact. Taking thosevaluable offseason reps gave Cristthe opportunity to learn the newoffense and develop a relation-ship with Kelly, who is admittedlyhands-on with his quarterback.“Like any relationship, it grows

and matures with time,” Cristsaid. “We’ve definitely gonethrough phases of just getting toknow each other, both on and offthe field. Then, as we know moreand more about each other, weunderstand what makes eachother tick, just certain ins andouts of everything. As a result,the relationship continues togrow and will do so as the seasoncontinues and as long as I’mhere.”Crist’s spring and summer

availability helped erase concernsabout his familiarity with the no-huddle, fast-paced spreadoffense. Even still, some uncer-tainty existed about his knee:

How would he react when thered jersey came off and it wastime to take a hit? But, again, those questions did-

n’t affect Crist.“It’s been put toward the back

of my head for a while now,” Cristsaid of the knee. “I’m very happywith how everything turned out,with the treatment of the doctors,athletic trainers and everyonewho did their part in making sureit was 100 percent healthy.”

Opening statementCrist’s stat line Saturday wasn’t

spectacular, as he finished 19-of-26 for 205 yards and one touch-down. He wasn’t perfect, either,as he overshot multiple receiversin the end zone and took a pair ofsacks.“There were some issues we

identified on offense that we wantto make sure we correct for nextweek,” Crist said. “Obviously, it’sgoing to take more and more forus to win each week, but we didenough things to win, and we’rehappy with that.”Simply put, Crist avoided

turnovers and did enough to givethe Irish, with their improved rungame and attacking 3-4 defense,a chance to win Saturday. “It was definitely a point of

emphasis for me, trying to pro-tect the ball in my first start, try-ing to be efficient and accurate aspossible,” Crist said. “Now thatI’ve got a little bit more familiari-ty and my comfort level has goneup with game experience, I justfeel I’ll be able to progress and dosome better things each week.”One element of that is picking

up the pace at which the Irish getto the line, call a play and snapthe ball — a major piece ofKelly’s up-tempo attack.Saturday’s unit operated at lightspeed relative to last year’s Irishoffense, but coordinator CharleyMolnar called the pace “pedestri-an.”“It was not the normal speed

that we’re used to working at,but quite honestly, it was theright speed for Saturday,” hesaid. “It was the right speed toallow our guys to get lined upquickly, but not so fast that theyweren’t able to concentrate ontheir assignments and execute.”

The ability to execute in anopener, with a new coach,scheme and quarterback, is areflection of Crist’s readiness forhis starting debut.“You didn’t really see the jitters

and stuff that you would expectfrom a first-time starter on thebiggest stage in the world,” juniortight end Kyle Rudolph said.“Dayne has prepared himselfsince the day he got here for thatopportunity. You could tell whenhe went in there, he was ready.”

‘Real big rivalry’Kelly tried to downplay the

Notre Dame-Michigan rivalry athis Tuesday press conference,even comparing the showdownbetween two of college football’smost storied programs to anannual matchup betweenCincinnati and Miami (Ohio).“From our end, it’s a rivalry

game every week at NotreDame,” he said. “I have neverprepared football teams in amanner that we focus on a par-ticular rivalry, that this is all eggsin one basket. I try to keep asteady, enthusiastic approach toevery game.”Crist followed Kelly’s message

prior to the opener againstPurdue, and he typically echoeshis coach’s words when hespeaks to the media. But not evenCrist could utter the cliché thatSaturday’s tilt with theWolverines is “just anothergame.”“Obviously you’re going to have

some emotions going into thisone,” he said. “It’s a big one, areal big rivalry, and somethingthat’s bigger than any player onthe team. There will probably besome nerves going in, but it’ll def-initely be that way for bothteams. In a big game like this, it’sexpected, but everyone’s just

excited more than anything.”Equally exciting are the

prospects of a Crist-led offensethat includes passing-game play-makers like Rudolph and widereceivers Michael Floyd, TJ Jonesand Theo Riddick — the latter ofwhom Kelly said will becomemore involved in the comingweeks.“We want to be talked about as

one of the most explosive andmost efficient offenses in thecountry,” Crist said. “We’ve gotsome very serious offensive goalsthat we set at the beginning ofthe season, and we want to makesure we accomplish those thingseach week. We really just want towin football games and be anexplosive offensive team.”The degree to which the Irish

need that explosive offense onSaturday may depend on how theNotre Dame defense fares againstMichigan’s dangerous, dual-threat quarterback DenardRobinson. When facing a potentoffense, one line of thinking is tocontrol the clock and hold theball whenever possible — whichdirectly contradicts Kelly’s fast-paced philosophy.“My other perspective would

be: get up on them, score a lot ofpoints,” Kelly said Wednesday. That responsibility, then, will

fall on the unit Crist now calls hisown.“I need to have a great week of

practice, as does the entireteam,” Crist said. “On offense,I’ve got to be a guy who displaysa lot of leadership throughout theweek and really make sure we’repracticing the right way and win-ning earlier in the week, asopposed to just going out thereand trying to win on Saturday.”

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERFriday, September 10, 2010 page 3

Cool, calm, Crist

Contact Matt Gamber atmgamber@nd.edu

In Brian Kelly’s new scheme, the offense will go as Dayne Crist goes, and he’s okay with thatBy MATT GAMBERSports Writer

PAT COVENEY/The Observer

Junior quarterback Dayne Crist looks for an open receiverduring Notre Dame’s 23-12 victory over Purdue Saturday.

“It’s a big one, a real bigrivalry, and somethingthat’s bigger than anyplayer on the team.”

Dayne Cristjunior quarterback

DAN JACOBS/The Observer

Senior running back Armando Allen takes a handoff from quarterback Dayne Crist Saturday. Cristand Allen led the Irish offense, in Brian Kelly’s new scheme, to 358 total yards.

HEAD T The Observer � IRISH INSIDERpage 4 Friday, September 10, 2010

Irish Offense vs. Wolverines Defense

Brian Kellyhead coach

First season at Notre Dame

career record: 172-57-2

record at ND:1-0

against Michigan: 0-0

Notre DameFighting Irish

Record: 1-0AP: NR Coaches: NR

Dayne Crist didn’t look bad lastweek, but he did make somemistakes. He missed an occa-sional open receiver, and not allof his passes looked crisp. Butanother week of experience run-ning Brian Kelly’s offense canonly help.The problems in the passing

game were not just on Crist .

Newly converted receiver TheoRiddick dropped passes, and NotreDame’s go-to wideout, Michael Floyd,fumbled at the goal line. Avoidingthis type of mistake will go a longway to improve the passing game.Emerging in the receiver position

against Purdue was freshman TJJones, who caught three balls for 41yards and a score. Junior tight end

Kyle Rudolph and Floyd also eachhad five catches for the Irish.The Michigan secondary is relatively

inexperienced, and should have a dif-ficult time stopping the Irish passingattack, as long as Crist and the Irishcan avoid making mistakes and hurt-ing themseleves.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

The Irish running game lookedvastly improved from previousseasons. Kelly’s spread-styleoffense should open up the fieldand allow for a consistent run-ning attack.Senior Armando Allen led the

team with 18 carries for 93yards, averaging 5.2 yards percarry, and scored from 22 yards

out, his longest career touchdownrun.The most electric of the Irish run-

ning backs against Purdue was sopho-more Cierre Wood, who in his firstappearence for Notre Dame averaged8.3 yards per carry on seven carriesand looked as if he was on the vergeof breaking loose on almost everycarry.

The Michigan defense held its weekone opponent Connecticut to only23:08 in time of possession, and stop-ping the Irish running attack wouldhelp them repeat that feat. LinebackerObi Ezeh, the Wolverines’ most expe-rienced defensive player, led the teamwith nine tackles against the Huskies.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Brian Kelly’s offense is difficultto defend for any defense, andwill be especially tough for aMichigan squad which finished82nd in total defense in theNCAA last season.With a week under his belt,

Crist should be more adept atrunning Kelly’s scheme to ahigher level, which can only

make the first-yearcoach’s job easier.Kelly’s fast-paced

offense will try to scoreearly and often, whichmay be necessary to keepup with the quick-scoreability of the Wolverines.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

David Ruffer convertedall three of his field goalattempts against theBoilermakers, includinga 47-yarder which wasthe longest of his career.That makes him 8-8 inhis career on field goals.Both Armando Allen

and Cierre Wood had

excellent returns againstPurdue, and both have thesharp moves and speed totake a kick all the way backfor a score, but Michigan gaveup only 11.75 yards perreturn against UConn, fifthbest in the NCAA.

EDGE: EVEN

Sept. 4

Sept. 11

Sept. 18

Sept. 25

Oct. 2

Oct. 9

Oct. 16

Oct. 23

Oct. 30

Nov. 13

Nov. 20

Nov. 27

Purdue—W

Michigan

@ Michigan St.

Stanford

@ Boston College

Pittsburgh

Western Michigan

@ Navy

Tulsa

Utah

Army

@ USC

2010 Schedule

ND PASSING

Statistical LeadersND OFFENSEQB DAYNE CRIST

19-26, 205 yds., 1 TDRB ARMANDO ALLEN

18 rush, 93 yds., 1 TDWR MICHAEL FLOYD

5 rec., 82 yds., 0 TDWR TJ JONES

3 rec., 41 yds., 1 TDTE KYLE RUDOLPH

5 rec., 43 yds., 0 TD

MICHIGAN DEFENSELB OBI EZEH

6 solo, 9 total, 1 FRLB CRAIG ROH

2 solo, 5 total, 2 TFLDE RYAN VAN BERGEN

1 solo, 4 totalCB J.T. FLOYD

3 solo, 6 total, 1 FFS ALBERT EVANS

4 solo, 6 total

Head-to-HeadND OFFENSEScoring: 23.0 ppg (76th)

Total: 358.0 ypg (71st)

Rushing: 153.0 ypg (62nd)

Passing: 205.0 ypg (63rd)

Turnovers against: 1 (19th)

Fumbles lost: 1 (48th)

Interceptions: 0 (1st)

Sacks Allowed: 2 (63rd)

T.O.P. for: 24:55 (96th)

MICHIGAN DEFENSEScoring: 10.0 ppg (28th)

Total: 343.0 ypg (61st)

Rushing: 138.0 ypg (61st)

Passing: 205.0 ypg (63rd)

Turnovers for: 1 (57th)

Fumbles rec.: 1 (20th)

Interceptions: 0 (66th)

Sacks: 0 (95th)

T.O.P. against: 23:08 (8th)

Bob DiacoDef. Coordinator

Charley MolnarOff. Coordinator

ND RUSHING

NDSPECIALTEAMS

NDOFFENSIVE

COACHING

After last week’s victory overPurdue, my co-worker Sam [threepicks to the right] couldn’t get overhow “weird” of a game it was.Well Sam, expect this weekend to

be more “normal.” Normal? NotreDame’s best bet to outscoringRichRod and Denard Robinson is toabandon all caution, and let theBrian Kelly playbook loose.Only in his second start, Dayne

Crist will make a mistake or two withthe added responsibility, but he willmature before Irish eyes in the sec-ond half, leading Notre Dame to avictory and a top-25 ranking.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 38, Michigan 28

Denard Robinson scares me, but I’mwilling to bet Manti Te’o scaresRobinson more — or, at least he willafter laying his first lick on the Michiganquarterback. No doubt, Robinson wasimpressive in his debut, but playingagainst a confident Irish defense inNotre Dame Stadium is a whole newballgame. He’ll make plays with hislegs, but I think Notre Dame will limithis ability to pass effectively. An additional week of practice should

add some depth to the Irish offensiveplaybook and allow Dayne Crist and Co.to make a few of the big plays that elud-ed Notre Dame against Purdue.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 27, Michigan 21

Coaches often say that a teamimproves most between weeks oneand two, and the Irish will need thatimprovement to keep up with thehigh-powered Michigan attack. Cristis a week more experienced in run-ning Kelly’s offense, and should onlycontinue to improve.The defense looked fast last week

against Purdue, a stark differencefrom the last few years, but they willneed to tackle better to stop DenardRobinson from running all over thefield. Honestly, I doubt they will beable to stop him, but they should beable to outscore him.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 27, Michigan 24

DouglasFarmer

Sports Editor

Matt Gamber

Editor-in-Chief

Eric Prister

AssociateSports Editor

HEAD TO HEADThe Observer � IRISH INSIDERFriday, September 10, 2010 page 5

Wolverines Offense vs. Irish Defense

Rich Rodriguezhead coach

Third season at Michigan

career record: 108-71-2

record at Michigan:9-16

against ND: 1-1

MichiganWolverinesRecord: 1-0

AP: NR Coaches: NR

Sept. 4

Sept. 11

Sept. 18

Sept. 25

Oct. 2

Oct. 9

Oct. 16

Oct. 30

Nov. 6

Nov. 13

Nov. 20

Nov. 27

Connecticut—W

@ Notre Dame

Massachusetts

Bowling Green

@ Indiana

Michigan State

Iowa

@ Penn State

Illinois

@ Purdue

Wisconsin

@ Ohio State

2010 Schedule

Statistical LeadersMICHIGAN OFFENSEQB DENARD ROBINSON

19-22, 186 yds, 1 TD

QB DENARD ROBINSON

29 rush, 197 yds, 1 TD

RB VINCENT SMITH

14 rush, 51 yds, 2 total TD

WR DARRYL STONUM

5 rec., 34 yds., 0 TD

TE KEVIN KOGER

3 rec., 30 yds., 0 TD

ND DEFENSECB GARY GRAY

8 solo, 9 total, 1 TFL

LB CARLO CALABRESE

7 solo, 9 total.

DL ETHAN JOHNSON

3 total, 2 sack

LB MANTI TE’O

6 solo, 9 total

CB DARRIN WALLS

5solo, 7 total, 1 INT

Head-to-HeadMICHIGAN OFFENSEScoring: 30.0 ppg (57th)

Total: 473.0 ypg (32nd)

Rushing: 287.0 ypg (13th)

Passing: 186.0 (75th)

Turnovers against: 0 (1st)

Fumbles lost: 0 (1st)

Interceptions: 0 (1st)

Sacks Allowed: 0 (1st)

T.O.P. for: 36:52 (9th)

ND DEFENSEScoring: 12.0 ppg (37th)

Total: 322.0 ypg (56th)

Rushing: 102.0 ypg (46th)

Passing: 220.0 ypg (70th)

Turnovers for: 2 (27th)

Fumbles rec.: 0 (58th)

Interceptions: 2 (11th)

Sacks: 4 (8th)

T.O.P. against: 35:05 (96th)

Calvin MageeOff. Coordinator

Greg RobinsonDef. Coordinator

The Michigan passing attack relieson one thing: speed.Notre Dame’s defense traditionally

lacks one thing: speed.Yet, the Irish showed signs of speed

in containing Purdue throughout theseason-opener. The secondary playedsolid, though not excellent. DarrinWalls killed a Boilermaker drive withan interception inside the red zone,

but beyond that he found himselfturned around more times than defen-sive coordinator Bob Diaco wouldhave liked to see.Wolverine quarterback Dernard

Robinson has a strong arm, and willbe looking for Walls, or counterpartGary Gray, to make a mistake.This will be the first real challenge

for both Michigan’s offense and Notre

Dame’s secondary, so in manyways the distinguishing factorshave not yet presented them-selves.Nonetheless, that speed factor

hangs in the balance, andMichigan has shown an abun-dance of it.

EDGE: MICHIGAN

Last week, Michigan ran for 287yards, 197 courtesy of quarterbackDernard Robinson. Irish defensive BobDiaco has compared the speedy quar-terback to having a 12th player.Whenever Robinson decides to carry

the ball himself, his running backturns into a lead blocker, instead of arunning threat, so the Irish need tocompensate for both.

But Notre Dame’s front sevenproved stout last week againstPurdue. Even in a sub-par game,sophomore linebacker Manti Te’orecorded nine sacks — matched byfel low inside l inebacker CarloCalabrese. With a rotation that couldgo as deep as seven, the Irish line-backers are the defense’s best threatat slowing Robinson.

Any missed tackles, or aban-doned assignments, will lead to abig play from Michigan, and sinceNotre Dame is only playing itssecond game under Diaco’s 3-4scheme, there will be missed tack-les and abandoned assignments —just as there were against Purdue.

EDGE: MICHIGAN

Rich Rodriguez is knownfor his offense, even if ithasn’t shown itself consis-tently at Michigan. WithRobinson at his disposal,Rodriguez’s playcalling tooka liberal step last week, andwill likely take another onethis week.Irish defensive coordinator

Bob Diaco will try toslow the Wolverineoffense with his 3-4defense, but slowing itlikely will not beenough to stopMichigan from pilingup points.

EDGE: MICHIGAN

Notre Dame seniorDavid Ruffer sent a kick-off through the end zoneagainst Purdue, an actnot performed by anIrish kicker in years.Even more impressive

was the play of fresh-man gunner BennettJackson, recording four

tackles on kickoffs in hisfirst Irish action.Michigan did record some

nice returns againstConnecticut, but NotreDame should present morecomplete return coverage,and stifle the Wolverines.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

MICHIGAN PASSING

MICHIGANSPECIALTEAMS

MICHIGAN RUSHING

MICHIGANOFFEN

SIVECOACHING

Michigan will pose a significantlytougher task than Purdue did lastweek, and Denard Robinson givesIrish fans a legitimate reason to beterrified. That said, expect the Irishto make a big leap between weekone and week two. Manti Te'o won'tmiss as many tackles as he did lastweek, and the Irish defense willimprove on the solid fundamentals itdisplayed last week to at least con-tain the elusive Robinson. TheWolverines will put up some points,but, against a depleted Michigan sec-ondary, so will Dayne Crist, MichaelFloyd and the Irish.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 31, Michigan 28

This time last year, I couldn’t imaginea scenario where Notre Dame wouldlose to Michigan — until it happened.This year, I can imagine many suchscenarios. Denard Robinson could runfor 300 yards. Notre Dame’s time ofpossession could slip under the 20-minute mark. Big 10 officials couldmake their presence felt. But this is a stronger team than last

year’s squad. Literally — they’ve prac-ticed outside in thunderstorms, whichare predicted for Saturday afternoon.An improved offense and defense willallow this year’s Notre Dame to find away to win.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 34, Michigan 28

Sam Werner

Sports Writer

Laura Myers

Sports Writer

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERpage 6 Friday, September 10, 2010

In its first game, Notre Dameheld Purdue’s Robert Marve, adual-threat quarterback, incheck, only giving up one playof more than 20 yards.In Saturday’s game against

Michigan, Notre Dame will faceanother dual-threat quarter-back, one who was involved inthree plays for more than 20yards — 383 yards total — in a30-10 win over Connecticut.Wolverines sophomore quar-

terback Denard Robinsonrushed for 197 yards and threwfor 186 more in his first careerstart. He will pose a uniquechallenge to the Irish defense,from the defen-sive line to thesecondary.“He’s proba-

bly one of thebest athleteswe’re going toface,” Irishdefensive linecoach MikeElston said.With a quar-

terback as ver-satile asRobinson, Irishdefensive coordinator BobDiaco said it is similar to play-ing against a team with anextra player.“It’s a real challenge,” Diaco

said. “He’s as talented as all theball carriers on their team andon our team with the ball in hishands. When you think of himas a quarterback and not as aball carrier, when he becomes aball carrier it is like they have12 guys.”That being said, Diaco does

not plan to alter his defensiveapproach in order to containRobinson on the ground or inthe air.“There are no new defenses

to put in, just a selection fromwhat we already have,” Diacosaid. “When a player shows upin an area with the ball, [ourdefense has] to be able to pro-duce and make the play.”A stable of swift receivers,

including Martavious Odoms,supplemented Robinson’s play-making.“It’s not just [Robinson],”

Diaco said. “I love [Odoms]. I’dlove to coach [Odoms]. He’s likea little tiger out there. He’s justan animal.”Odoms, Robinson and the rest

of the Wolverines’ offense reliedon speed toscore againstC onne c t i c u t .Diaco said heexpects to slowthe Wolverinesdown with histypical “gap-control.”“They’ll pun-

ish you. Everyone of theirplayers haselectric speed,”Diaco said. “We

try to be sure that everybodyhas their proper gap fit andthey understand their assign-ments. Each particular guy hashis job to do in each particularcall, and he has to do that job.[Nobody] can be looking for thefootball.”Irish coach Brian Kelly

expects Robinson to pose athreat, but he said he sees thatthreat beginning mostlythrough short-yardageattempts.

“Their offense, obviously, isset to run the football,” Kellysaid. “Now, [Robinson will]throw the ball and he’s veryaccurate. Most of his throws arecontained within five or 10yards of the line of scrimmage,but if you fall asleep on him hecan throw the ball over yourhead.”Indeed, against Connecticut,

Robinson completed only onepass for more than 16 yards.That one play, with sophomore

receiver Terrence Robinson onthe other end, went for 43yards and set up Michigan’sfinal touchdown of the game, an11-yard touchdown pass.“He has a strong arm, throws

a nice tight spiral and can makeall the throws,” said Diaco, cit-ing a game last year whenRobinson, who played sparinglyas a freshman last season,entered the game for one playsolely to throw a deep pass.The Irish defense will be able

to handle Robinson and theMichigan offense, on one condi-tion, Diaco said.“All we are going to do is do

the best we can in selectingfrom the menu of installationsthat we have and preparing theplayers mentally. Then, theyneed to clearly know theirassignment and do their assign-ment the entire time.”

Irish face ‘one of the best athletes’ in Robinson

Contact Douglas Farmer at dfarmer1@nd.edu

By DOUGLAS FARMERSports Editor

“When you think of himas a quarterback andnot as a ball carrier,

when he becomes a ballcarrier, it is like they

have 12 guys.”

Bob DiacoIrish defensive coordinator

AP

Wolverine quarterback Denard Robinson scores on a 22-yard rush against Connecticut Saturday dur-ing Michigan’s 30-10 victory. Robinson tallied 197 rushing and 186 passing yards in the victory.

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERFriday, September 10, 2010 page 7

Walk-on kicker finds way to top of depth chart

It was never surprising forcoaches to see a walk-on compet-ing with a recruited player for thestarting kicker spot. So it wasn’t a surprise when

senior David Ruffer won that spotand kicked three field goals onthree tries, including a 46-yarder,Saturday against Purdue.“We don’t treat guys as walk-

ons,” special teams coach MikeElston said. “If they’re brought into be a part of the team they’reexpected to help us improve ourfootball team.” Ruffer joined the Irish in 2008

as a backup to then-sophomoreBrandon Walker, and he spent2009 in a backup role behindthen-freshman Nick Tausch. He spent fall camp competing

with Tausch, and came outahead. “Coach Kelly and I had been

saying all week and all of fallcamp that it was going to be abattle down to the end,” Elstonsaid. “David was better with histempo, better with his timing andmore accurate in practice.” And though coaches weren’t

surprised, Ruffer never saw him-self as a starting kicker at NotreDame. “It’s kind of the back of the

mind, something you think aboutbefore you go to bed at night,maybe,” he said. Ruffer began his college career

at William & Mary in Virginia. Hewas a kicker for the Tribe, which

plays in the FootballChampionship Series, formerlyDivision I-AA. He transferred toNotre Dame after his freshmanyear and joined the SiegfriedRamblers for Notre Dame’s inter-hall season. “I played wide receiver. The

rosters are so limited in interhallthat they can’t have someone justbe a kicker,” Ruffer said. “So Ihad to try to be an athlete.” He was only a Rambler for a

short time, though, before hejoined the Irish. “I figured if I kept working on

it, worked hard over the summer,I thought maybe,” Ruffer said. Ruffer missed his only kick in

2008, an extra point attempt. Butin 2009, he was 5-for-5 in fieldgoal attempts. Tausch made 14-of-17 field

goals in 2009, with a long of 46yards. For Ruffer, who didn’t play foot-

ball in high school, the biggestthing he has had to improve wasthe speed between the snap andthe kick. “If it gets blocked, it doesn’t

matter how well you hit it,” hesaid. “So we work on that, justtiming, timing, timing.” Elston said Ruffer would be

used to attempt field goals up tothe low 50s in length. “Maybe 55 if the wind is right,”

he said. Being trusted in a 55-yard kick

situation at Notre Dame is a longway from where Ruffer everimagined he would be. “I never thought I’d be start-

ing,” he said. “You know, it would

be cool to make the team, be apart of the program.“I come to practice and some-

times when I walk out of here Ihave to be like ‘Oh my gosh, Iplay football for Notre Dame, thisis really neat.’” Of course, Siegfried hasn’t let

him go. “[Rector Fr. John Conley] tries

to recruit me back every year,”Ruffer said. “Like, ‘Hey David, we

could really use you!’”But Ruffer is committed to the

Irish and has been since he trans-ferred.“Maybe there’s a magnet in

that Dome that pulled me overhere,” he said. Elston said Ruffer’s hard work

trumped his status as a walk-onwhen the coaches put him on topof the depth chart. “Shoot, if you look over the

years at Coach Kelly and the spe-cial teams that I’ve been a partof, sometimes we’ll start six,seven walk-ons in front ofstarters,” Elston said. “They wantto be a part of something. So theywork a little bit harder, maybe, insome areas. Hard work beats tal-ent when talent hardly works.”

By LAURA MYERSSports Writer

Contact Laura Myers at lmyers2@nd.edu

DAN JACOBS/The Observer

Senior walk-on David Ruffer sends the opening kickoff down the field Saturday against Purdue. Ruffer’sNotre Dame football career began with the Siegfried Ramblers in interhall football.

page 8 Friday, September 10, 2010The Observer � PAID ADVERTISEMENT