Notre Dame and Michigan square off this weekend in a monumental contest for both programs. The team that comes out victorious will pick up another huge win in a long rivalry, and the direction of the respective programs will certainly take a turn.
For the Irish, they need a win over Michigan for a number of reasons. After starting the season off 0-1, Notre Dame needs a victory this weekend to keep their BCS hopes alive. Dropping to 0-2 against the schedule Notre Dame faces would be devastating. The Irish have yet to hit the hardest part of their schedule, which begins next weekend when Michigan State comes to town.
Notre Dame also needs to get back to winning against Michigan, something they have done only once in the last five meetings between the schools. Brian Kelly also needs a signature win for the 2011 season, and picking up a victory on the road in the first night game in Michigan Stadium’s history would be just that kind of victory.
For the Wolverines, first-year head coach Brady Hoke is looking to continue Michigan’s dominance over the Irish. Hoke is also looking for an early signature win, and beating Notre Dame would certainly be a signature win for the Wolverines. Hoke is looking to change the culture of the Michigan program, and a win this weekend would go a long way to making that happen.
This weekend’s contest is also a big recruiting weekend for the Wolverines, and they need a victory that will show the recruits at the game that Michigan is closer than people think. A Notre Dame victory, especially an impressive Notre Dame victory, would do similar things for the Irish program and slow down a bit of the roll Michigan is on when it comes to recruiting.
There is certainly much more than bragging rights on the line this weekend.
Here are the keys for Notre Dame to come out victorious this weekend against the Michigan Wolverines:
OFFENSIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. PROTECT THE FOOTBALL
This really isn’t that difficult to understand. Last week, Notre Dame out-gained South Florida by a 508 to 254 margin, but they lost the football game. The reason was simple, they did not protect the football. Notre Dame had three turnovers within five yards of the end zone. If they simply get two chip shot field goals on those three drives they win the football game. Notre Dame must protect the football this weekend against Michigan. When they get into the red zone they need points, preferably touchdowns. They also cannot give Michigan the football with a short field. If Notre Dame executes and protects the football it will have a great shot of leaving Ann Arbor with a victory.
2. START FAST
Michigan Stadium is going to be rocking Saturday night. This Notre Dame football team has played in some loud and hostile environments, but none will be quite like what they are walking into Saturday night. Hoke’s players will come out of the gate fired up and believing they can whip the Irish, and they will feed off the energy coming from the crowd. Every time Michigan’s defense makes a big hit, stops Notre Dame for a loss, forces a punt, or forces a turnover the crowd will only feed the energy of the Michigan football team even more. Notre Dame needs to come out of the gate smoking hot. Quarterback Tommy Rees has to protect the football and make good decisions with the ball. His receivers should be able to get open constantly against the Wolverines, and Greg Mattison knows his players will struggle running with the Notre Dame skill players. He is going to try to knock Rees off rhythm and force mistakes early. If Michigan is able to do that, this game could get out of hand quickly. If Rees can handle the pressure and make good decisions it should loosen up the Michigan defense and open up the run game. Getting balance out of the offense will allow Notre Dame to move the ball at will against the Wolverine defense. If this happens and Notre Dame can punch the ball into the end zone early, it will suck the life and energy out of that stadium.
3. BEAT THE BLITZ
A big part of starting fast is handling Mattison’s pressures. Notre Dame will have to beat the blitz in order to win the game. It all starts with the line and the quarterback. Identifying the pressures and making the right calls will be essential, and the line has to be quick and aggressive against the blitz. If they sink too much and allow the pocket to collapse it will throw off the timing of the Notre Dame offense. Ed Warinner’s unit has to play smart, fast, and hard. If they can pick up the Michigan pressures and allow Rees to make decisions off of only one unblocked player (his man), Rees should have a field day. Rees handled the blitz relatively well last season, so this will be nothing new for him. If he can recognize the pressures and make proper decisions he should be able to pick apart the Michigan blitz. Another way to attack the blitz is to run against it. Sometimes you run at the blitz and sometimes you run away from the blitz. Mixing up those looks will help keep the Michigan pressure off balance. A few well-designed and well-executed screen plays will also hurt Michigan’s blitz packages. Finally, there will be opportunities where Notre Dame’s talented skill players will find themselves in one-on-one situations against a Michigan defensive back. When those chances come, they must run good routes, Rees has to get the ball out to them, and they must come down with the ball for big plays. If Notre Dame is able to attack the Michigan blitz and force Mattison to get more conservative with his play-calling Notre Dame will roll the Michigan defense in a big, big way.
4. GET THEO RIDDICK GOING EARLY
Theo Riddick’s season could not have gotten off to a more disappointing start. As the fumbles and dropped passes began to rise a week ago, Riddick’s confidence dipped. Brian Kelly has to get Riddick involved early, and get his talented slot player’s confidence back up. Riddick is a crucial part of the Notre Dame offense, and for the Irish to become the unit it is capable of being, Riddick will have to play well and play consistently. He needs a boost of confidence early in the game, and Kelly needs to give that to him. The Notre Dame play caller needs to get Riddick the football early and often in a variety of ways, which will keep Michigan off balance. Handing him the ball on a reverse, getting him the ball in the wildcat, getting him the ball in the screen game, and getting him the ball in the quick game will be important parts of working him into the offense. If Riddick can get rolling early it will make the Notre Dame offense very difficult to stop.
5. TAKE SOME SHOTS
Kelly also has to take some shots early on in this football game. With Rees in the game the threat of the deep ball is diminished, and the result will likely be more aggressive play from the Michigan safeties. Rees is a relatively accurate quarterback on the short to medium throws, so Michigan will likely be more aggressive trying to take those throws away, daring Rees to go deep. Kelly and Rees have to make the Wolverines pay for that if they try to come down in the box to slow down the Notre Dame ground game and screen package. Rees is not going to drop straight back and throw the ball over 50 yards in the air, that’s just not his game. But as he has shown in the past, he can hurt teams down field out of the empty sets and off of the play-action pass. If Notre Dame can establish a solid run game early, expect to see Rees take a couple of shots deep. Attacking the deep middle of the field will also be important for Rees to loosen up the Michigan secondary. Finally, whenever he has a receiver in a one-on-one situation he has to make Michigan pay for that, especially with Floyd and Eifert. If Notre Dame can establish a legitimate deep ball threat early in the game it will force Michigan to back off their pressures, play softer deep coverages, and show more respect to the deep ball. This should open up the run game, the quick game, and the middle routes that Rees hits so effectively.
DEFENSIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. BE DISCIPLINED
They key to beating Michigan is slowing down quarterback Denard Robinson. The key to slowing down Robinson is not easy. One important aspect is coming up with a plan that allows a defense to cover its flanks (see point 3), puts defenders in position to make plays (see point 2), and controls the line of scrimmage. When Michigan went wild on Notre Dame last year the problem was not really the plan. The problem was a lack of execution, as Michigan rode a number of big plays to victory. If Notre Dame can limit the big plays and force Michigan to string together a number of long drives the Irish should have success. Diaco will likely limit the pressures against Robinson, instead choosing to control gaps and keep Robinson in the pocket. Any defensive coordinator would rather see Robinson standing in the pocket than getting out of the pocket. The key with this plan will be players staying disciplined within the scheme, which is not always easy against a player like Robinson. The tendency is to go towards him in hopes of making a play, but the Notre Dame defenders will have to allow Robinson to come to them. For example, if the Cat linebacker is being asked to play backside contain he cannot get wrapped up on what is happening away from him. He must stay home, eye his keys, and when Robinson comes backside he has to be in position to make the play. If the defensive end is being asked to hold his ground on the edge and get a push against the tackle, preventing the stretch, he has to execute this and throw off the timing of the play. If the inside linebacker is asked to run up the seam with the No. 3 wide receiver he has to stick with this responsibility even if he thinks Robinson is about to run outside (see last season). Discipline in this defense is key. If the Irish players can be patient (yet aggressive) and simply do what they are being asked to do within each particular call they should have a good chance at slowing Robinson down.
2. WRAP UP
Notre Dame missed too many tackles last weekend against South Florida. Notre Dame missed too many tackles last season against Michigan. Both games were losses, and the inability of the defense to make the fundamental play was a part of those defeats. The blame for the loss is not solely on the defense or the missed tackles; those plays are, however, a part of that losing formula. Robinson is the last player you want to allow to get second chances. He is the type of athlete that can turn one missed tackle into an 80-yard touchdown run. Robinson is not the only player on the Michigan offense capable of making plays in space and taking advantage of second chances. Kelly talked during the week about putting players in position to make plays, and Diaco will do that this weekend. Being disciplined is part of this, but the most important part is taking good angles to the football, staying under control, staying low, and wrapping up in space. Notre Dame must also be strong to the football and now allow the Michigan ball carriers to bull forward for extra gains. If Notre Dame can limit Michigan’s second chance opportunities its chances of slowing down the Michigan offense will be enhanced.
3. PROTECT THE EDGE
If Robinson and the Michigan running backs are able to get to the edge on Saturday they will gash the Notre Dame defense. Diaco has to prevent Michigan from out-leveraging his defense on the edge from a schematic standpoint. If he can prevent this, it will then be on the players to execute their assignments and make plays. The Notre Dame ends are vital to protecting the edge. If they can reset the line of scrimmage in their favor and throw off the timing of the Michigan run game (forcing more of a bounce), it will allow the outside linebackers, safeties, and inside linebackers to chase more plays down on the perimeter. If the Notre Dame ends get hooked the odds are a big play is going to happen. The outside linebackers also have to be physical taking on edge blockers, again throwing off the timing of the run plays. Darius Fleming and Prince Shembo will give given plenty of opportunities to make plays on the edge on Saturday. If they have a good game the Irish defense will have a good day. Notre Dame’ cornerbacks will also get a chance to make plays on the perimeter against the run and pass game. They must tackle better than they did a week ago, and they cannot allow so many plays to get to their outside. If they cannot make the tackle they must force the play back inside where all their help is. Finally, the Notre Dame safeties have to tackle well in the alleys. If they can make the initial stop in the alleys they will have a great chance to limit Michigan’s offense from making big plays in the run game. If Notre Dame can win the battle on the edge in the run game it takes away the best thing Michigan does on offense, which is always the goal of a good defense. One key for Diaco will also be mixing up who is responsible for the edge and the alleys in certain looks. At times it will have to be the outside linebackers. At other times it will have to be the safeties. At other times it will have to be the cornerbacks. Diaco cannot allow Michigan to attack the perimeter of his defense with the pass game as easily as South Florida did a week ago.
4. KEEP ROBINSON GUESSING
Diaco’s scheme has to be relatively easy for his football players to execute. He cannot allow his defensive players to guess or have any indecision about what they are supposed to do. Indecision against Denard Robinson usually results in a big play for the Wolverines. Having said that, Diaco must also be able to mix up the looks he shows Robinson. When Robinson is uncertain of what he is seeing he is far less decisive in the run game and the pass game. If he is indecisive he cannot play as fast as he would like. Mixing up the looks will be a part of this plan. Line movements prior to the snap will be a part of this plan. Mixing up the secondary looks will be a part of this plan. Smoking a blitz will be a part of this plan. Bringing pressures from base looks will be a part of this plan. Blitzing defensive backs will be a part of this plan. Dropping eight players into coverage at times will be a part of this plan. Diaco must keep Robinson guessing while also allowing his own players to be instinctive and fast. It is not an easy thing to accomplish, but if Diaco can do that on Saturday his defense will be able to slow down Robinson.
5. GET THE BALL BACK
Robinson will throw up at least one or two passes that will be ill-advised or off-target. When he does that the Notre Dame defensive players must come down with the football. Turnovers will be a big part of this football game. If the Notre Dame defense can give the offense the ball by turnovers, especially with a short field, the Irish will have a lot of success on Saturday. Michigan is also prone to putting the football on the ground, and again Notre Dame must come up with the ball when this happens. Michigan cannot afford turnovers, and if the Irish defense can force a couple of turnovers the team’s chances of winning this football game will greatly increase.
SPECIAL TEAMS KEYS TO THE GAME
1. ATTACK THE PUNTER
Michigan punter Matt Wile is not a punter by trade. He is simply filling in for starting punter Will Hagerup, who is suspended for the first four games of the season. Mike Elston needs to attack Wile on Saturday, which could open up a number of big play opportunities for the Irish special teams. Michigan’s punt formation is susceptible to giving up a block, and Wile takes enough time to allow that to happen. If Notre Dame is able to block a punt this weekend it could really turn the momentum in this football game and would be huge for the Irish. Even if they cannot block a kick, attacking the punter has other benefits. With Wile’s inexperience as a punter, a pressure package could force him into a shank or two, giving Notre Dame a short field on offense. Also, if Dan Ferrigno (special teams coordinator) sees that Notre Dame is going to attack his punter he is left with two options. Run a fake to slow down the rush, or max protect with his players at the line. If Notre Dame is prepared for the first option and can stop it, the Notre Dame offense would get the ball in great field position. If Michigan goes with the second option, it means less players running downfield at the Notre Dame punt returners. Notre Dame has been looking for ways to make plays in their return game, and this is one way to make that happen.
2. BIG RETURNS
Michigan’s kick return coverage was spotty last weekend, so Notre Dame will have opportunities for big plays in the return game. Elston’s blockers must play fast, physical, and execute properly. If they do, the Notre Dame return men will have at least one big play opportunity in the return game. In a game of this magnitude between two talented rivals, special teams can often be the decider, as Notre Dame learned the hard way in 2009. This time, Notre Dame needs to be the team that makes the big play in the return game. If Michigan makes a mistake Notre Dame absolutely must capitalize. If Elston is daring enough, maybe running a fake or a reverse fake could open up a big play opportunity, but doing that on the road is always a risky endeavor.
