Irish Insider for 9-17-10

Photo Illustration by Pat Coveney and Blair Chemidlin

I try to avoid comparingBrian Kelly to Charlie Weis,and I’d rather not reference“last year” after every win,loss, practice or press confer-ence.But the fact is, the Irish are

1-1 and coming off a heart-breaking loss to Michigan —just as theywere a yearago —which, ashard as wemay try,makes it dif-ficult toignore theparallels tolast sea-son.Your

individualdegree ofoptimism or pessimism willdictate how you view NotreDame’s first two performanc-es under Kelly. If your glassis half full,you mightargue thattackling hasimproved, theoffensive linelooksstronger andwith ahealthy DayneCrist undercenter, theIrish wouldbe 2-0. Ifyour glass ishalf empty,you’ll say that“improved”tackling allowed an opposingquarterback more than 500yards of offense, the linecouldn’t spring the run gamewhen Notre Dame needed itmost, and that whether Cristis healthy or not, thereshould be a quarterbackcapable of running theoffense.I’ve been staring at my

proverbial glass all week,and I’m still not sure how Ifeel, so I won’t argue foreither view. The truth is, wewon’t know how this Irishteam is different from thelast until they step onto thefield in East Lansing onSaturday night. There’s no doubt the

Michigan loss stung, espe-cially because of how eerilysimilar it was to last year’sshocking finish at the BigHouse. So while I’m hesitantto say the Irish will recoverthis season as they werelargely unable to a year ago,I must admit I have a com-pletely different feeling fol-lowing Notre Dame’s firstloss this season.I traveled to Ann Arbor to

cover the Michigan game last

season, and I was on thesideline for the Wolverines’game-winning score. WhenWeis walked to the podiumfor his postgame press con-ference, I didn’t want to lis-ten — I could barely evenlook up, I was so disgusted bywhat I had witnessedmoments prior. As we allknow, we saw similarmoments throughout lastseason, when every Irish lossseemed to come down to thefinal possession. After eachof those losses, Weis deliv-ered the same kind of mes-sage: he felt bad for his play-ers and was proud of themfor fighting until the end, buthe was disappointed theycouldn’t make one last playto secure a win.I’m not trying to blast Weis

here, as I can surely under-stand those sentiments andappreciate how difficult it isto stomach a series of gut-

wrenchinglosses. Butafter hearingKelly’s com-ments in lightof Saturday’sloss, I can’thelp but feellike this teamis much moreequipped toturn a toughdefeat into aspeed bump,not a road-block.“It’s not

good enoughto [say], ‘Well, Notre Dameplays hard for four quarters.’You have to play hard, andyou have to win,” Kelly said.“There won’t be any moresmiley faces around hereuntil we win.”Not exactly a revolutionary

statement, but when was thelast time we heard that pointmade so bluntly? Perhapsmore importantly, when wasthe last time you heard peo-ple commend teams likeAlabama, Texas and OhioState for “playing hard?”Shouldn’t that be a given?Isn’t it?It appears that now, at

Notre Dame, it is.Two weeks into a season

that began just as the last,it’s far too early to pass judg-ment on where this team isgoing. But if the vibe Kellygives off is any indication, I’dhave to say the Irish aren’tdone yet.

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

Contact Matt Gamber [email protected]

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERpage 2 Friday, September 17, 2010

Notre Dame couldbe on the right track

Matt Gamber

Sports Writer

COMMENTARY

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

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Notre Dame may have lost toMichigan Saturday, but the Irish stillimpressed three of the four visitingrecruits well enough that they com-mitted to Notre Dame within theweek. Two even offered their com-mitments before leaving campusover the weekend.George and Josh Atkinson gave

Irish coach Brian Kelly their verbalcommitments Sunday, followed bydefensive end Stephon TuittWednesday night, and in doing sostrengthened Notre Dame’s alreadystellar recruiting class, Irish recruit-ing expert Mike Frank said.“In landing the two quality caliber

of players in George and Josh, thatis the kind of player you are lookingfor,” said Frank, who heads theonline ESPN affiliate Irish SportsDaily. “Notre Dame needed some ofthose guys who can just makethings happen in space, and[George] is certainly one of thoseguys.”Also visiting last weekend, both

safety Wayne Lyons and defensiveend Stephon Tuitt were impressedby Notre Dame and their experi-ence during the weekend, Frank

said. Tuitt has since committed tothe Irish, calling Brian Kelly with hisdecision late Wednesday night.“If I had to guess, I’d say Notre

Dame probably leads for [Lyons]right now,” Frank said. “Moreimportantly, I think both of theirmoms are very excited about NotreDame, and that really is one of thebigger battles you have to face.”Tuitt, ranked as the top strongside

defensive end in the country byYahoo! Sports’ rivals.com, joinsAaron Lynch — No. 7 on therivals.com list — in strengtheningan Irish defensive line that haslacked depth in recent years.The commitments bring the tally

for the 2011 recruiting class to 19commitments. Frank does notexpect Notre Dame to take manymore, even if National Signing Dayis still five months away.“It’ll be interesting to see how

many more they’ll take after thispoint,” Frank said. “My guess is theyprobably won’t go for more than 22[commitments] at this point.”Among the candidates for those

final four spots, along with Lyons, isreceiver Davaris Daniels, fromVernon Hills, Ill., a Chicago suburb.Daniels has expressed interest inNotre Dame for awhile, but he maystill have work to do academically,

Frank said.“Based off of things that I hear, I

think [Daniels] is just a little bit shortof where he needs to be academi-cally,” Frank said. “If that is thecase, I think he could get it and getwhere he needs to be, and if hedoes, I really think Notre Dame willget him.”Daniels would fill one of Notre

Dame’s few holes in this class.“[Notre Dame] would probably

like to get another wide receiver, asafety, either a defensive end or anoutside linebacker and then anoffensive tackle if they could getone,” Frank said.Among the additional possible

targets, Frank listed outside line-backers Ishaq Williams, Ray Drewand Christian French, running backSavon Huggins and offensive line-men Antonio Richardson and JayWhitmire.“I would guess anybody on that

list, if they wanted to commit, NotreDame would probably take theircommitment at this point,” Franksaid. “This is certainly a top-10 classin anybody’s eyes right now, andthey have a good chance to close outwith some really strong players.”

Atkinsons, Tuitt commit to IrishFOOTBALL RECRUITING

By DOUGLAS FARMERSports Editor

Contact Douglas Farmer [email protected]

Two weeks into a season that began justas the last, it’s far tooearly to pass judgmenton where this team isgoing. But if the vibeKelly gives off is anyindication, I’d have tosay the Irish aren’t

done yet.

“You got my hat!” ArmandoAllen exclaimed as he enteredthe Loftus Center for a photoshoot with The ObserverTuesday. The senior runningback grabbed the small greenhat and placed it, at a slightangle, on his head, ready forhis close-up. Allen donned the leprechaun

hat in celebration after NotreDame’s win in the Hawaii Bowlon Dec. 26, 2008, and turned itinto a post-game ritual in2009. “We all laughed, since he’s

about 5’5” on a good day,” saids o p h o m o r ewide receiverTheo Riddick,a former partof the runningback corpswith Allen,who is actuallyl isted at 5-foot-10. “He’dget us al llaughing andcracking up. Itwas a goodjoke.” But two

games into hissenior year, Allen isn’t kiddingaround anymore. “Some people joke about me

being short, the size of a lep-rechaun,” he said. “But I do itin respect to Notre Dame.That’s my way to say I respectNotre Dame. I tip my hat to it.”

Going to workThat is not to say that Allen

hasn’t been taking his role atNotre Dame seriously up tonow. He was the leading rush-er for Notre Dame in 2008 and2009, with 585 and 697 yards,respectively. His mark of 697last season came in just eightgames, as he missed twogames with a sprained ankleand another two with a frac-ture in his hand. But Irish head coach Brian

Kelly admitted last week thathe wasn’t sold on Allen cominginto the season.

“The way college football isset up we can’t have contactwith him all summer long, soyou have a two-month periodwhere you don’t even talk tohim much,” running backscoach Tim Hinton said. “Ittakes a little bit to bring outthe real personalities whenyou just don’t know each othervery well.” Especially with sophomore

Cierre Wood coming up quicklybehind him, Allen had to provehimself all over again. “It was just practicing hard

every day,” Allen said. “Thatwas one of the concerns wehad, and I just took it undermy initiative to go out thereand work hard and give it all I

had every dayin practice.” The competi-

t ion onlyhelped both ofthem, Allensaid. “ T h a t ’ s

always posi-t ive,” Allensaid. “Whenyou look at ourgroup, fromme to Cierre toRobert Hughesto Jonas Gray,we all know

that we have a great amount oftalent and we all push eachother. We use it as motivation.We all know we’ve got greatbacks here.”But through his work ethic,

the coaches got to know Allenand made the decision to keephim in the starting spot.“He really does a good job of

understanding and learning,taking notes in the meetingroom, and understanding thegame plan when he gets on thefield,” Hinton said. “And he’spracticed hard. The young guyhas practiced tremendouslyhard.“He really has played the

game with a passion and phys-icality and he’s done a nice jobin practice of doing the samething,” Hinton said. “He’s avery consistent performer. Hebrings his lunch pail with himevery day and goes to work.”

Racking up yardageThrough two games, Allen

has had a heavy workload. Hehas run the ball 33 times for182 yards and a touchdown,has caught two passes for nineyards and has returned twopunts for 47 yards. Allen has shown the same

versati l i ty throughout hiscareer. With 104 career recep-tions, he is just four receptionsaway from eclipsing DariusWalker’s record of 107 careerreceptions by a running back.Ninth on Notre Dame’s careerlist with 3,638 all-purposeyards, a measure that includesrunning, receiving and returnyardage, Allen needs 312yards to take over fifth placefrom 1989 All-AmericanRaghib “Rocket” Ismail, and1,139 yards to take fourthfrom 1987 Heisman winnerTim Brown.

“I think it’s really just beingin the right place at the righttime,” Allen said. “Gaining thattrust from the coaches.”Hinton said there’s only one

way for Notre Dame to takeadvantage of Allen’s manyabilities. “Keep giving him the ball,”

Hinton said. “That would bethe best thing we can do iskeep giving him the ball, gethim in space as much as wecan. He’s been an elusive guy.He’s been making guys miss.We’re certainly going to workvery, very hard to get as manytouches as he can have. Andhis job is to hang onto the balland perform every time he getsthat opportunity.“I think he will.”Allen would like to get anoth-

er opportunity like the one hehad in Notre Dame’s 2009 winover Michigan State, when hetook the snap in the wildcatformation and connected withformer Irish receiver RobbyParris for a five-yard touch-down pass. “I wouldn’t mind,” he said.

“That’s definitely somethingthat’s always been in the backof my head. I’d like to get achance to do it.”In fact, Allen has just one

feat left to accomplish: a long,

breakaway run. Though heruns for a dependable averageof 4.6 yards per carry, hiscareer long is 29 yards, a markhe set Saturday againstMichigan. “It’s always good to have a

great breakaway run,” he said.“I think growing up, being asenior, you take everything forwhat it’s worth, but it alwaysfelt good.” That 2010 is his last time

through adds a sense ofurgency to his season. “I do feel like I’m running

out of t ime,” Allen said. “Iknow that I owe Notre Dameso much, for allowing me tocome here and take part insomething special, so I reallywant to go out on a good note.”

Leading by exampleAllen’s seniority has its

upside, though, in an increasedleadership role on the team.The coaches selected him to bea captain for Saturday’s gameagainst Michigan. “It was a great honor to go

out there and be a captain andlead this team againstMichigan,” Allen said. “It saysa lot about what I ’ve beendoing here and to me it was agreat honor to go out thereand show that I can do thisand I can be in the right placefor my teammates.”Despite his penchant for

wearing leprechaun hats, Allenis usually not showy, Hintonsaid. “He’s a quiet, unassuming

personality,” Hinton said.“Some guys are real flashy,with flamboyant personalities.Armando really doesn’t comeacross that way. He’s quietwith leadership behind thescenes.”

His early struggles to provehimself made the role evenmore special, Allen said. “I’m a more lead by example

type guy,” he said. “I startedoff shaky coming in with thenew coaches but right now Iunderstand that I’m here to dowhatever I can and just lead byexample.”Hinton assessed Allen’s lead-

ership in the same way. “Leadership comes in many

styles,” Hinton said. “His workethic and his on-the-fieldtoughness have been the thingshe’s really displayed.”Being a leader is even more

vital this week, Allen said, asthe team tries to shake off aheartbreaking loss and moveon to its first road game. “I think it’s very, very impor-

tant,” Allen said. “The biggestthing is just to go out there andmake sure that everybody hasforgotten about last week andis moving on to this week, thatwe’ve got a new challenge infront of us.” At this point, Allen is serious

about continuing in the sameway he has started the season,being an example for his team-mates with hard work in prac-tice and performance when itcounts. “We’ve been very pleased

with what he’s doing,” Hintonsaid. “Obviously his challengeright now is to do it consistent-ly for the next ten weeks. Thatright now is the biggest chal-lenge that Armando has aheadof him. He can’t be self-satis-fied. He’s got to be hungry tobe better tomorrow, the nextday and the next day until theseason ends.”

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERFriday, September 17, 2010 page 3

Now’s the time

Contact Laura Myers [email protected]

Senior running back Armando Allen is working hard to get the most out of his final seasonBy LAURA MYERSSports Writer

DAN JACOBS/The Observer

Senior running back Armando Allen runs through an arm tacklein Notre Dame’s 28-24 loss to Michigan Saturday.

“I know that I owe NotreDame so much, forallowing me to comehere and take part insomething special, so Ireally want to go out on

a good note.”

Armando Allensenior running back

WU YUE/The Observer

Senior running back Armando Allen makes a cut Saturday against Michigan. Allen has run for182 yards and scored a touchdown so far this season.

HEAD T The Observer � IRISH INSIDERpage 4 Friday, September 17, 2010

Irish Offense vs. Spartans Defense

Brian Kellyhead coach

First season at Notre Dame

career record: 172-58-2

record at ND:1-1

against MSU: 0-0

Notre DameFighting Irish

Record: 1-1AP: NR Coaches: NR

In barely more than two quar-ters, Dayne Crist amassed 277passing yards. While 95 of thosemay have come on a touchdownto Kyle Rudolph, Crist was goingto gain yards on that drive oneway or another. Facing an expe-rienced Michigan State second-ary on the road, Crist could con-ceivably have troubles.

But the Spartans have given up 247passing yards per game againstWestern Michigan and Flor idaAtlantic, two teams that do not haveanywhere near the same offensivefirepower as the Irish do.Thus, with the array of weapons at

his disposal — primarily MichaelFloyd, Kyle Rudolph and TJ Jones —Crist will find ways to lead the Irish

to touchdowns.The biggest obstacle to those

scores will be Crist avoiding sacks,as the three t imes he has beensacked this season were results ofhim holding onto the ball too long, alesson that he should learn quickly inEast Lansing.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

In their first two games, assoon as the Irish found successrunning the ball, they seemed toabandon the run for the pass.Nonetheless, they have had suc-cess running the ball withArmando Allen and Cierre Wood,and in the first drive againstMichigan, with Dayne Crist.That success could be tougher

to f ind against a Michigan Statedefense that has only allowed 65 rush-ing yards per game. The Spartanshave relied on big athletic linebackersto limit any rushing attempts, and, ledby 6-foot-7 Tyler Hoover and leadingtackler Greg Jones, those linebackershave succeeded.Yet the Irish pose a new threat to

Michigan State, a much stronger

threat than either Western Michiganor Florida Atlatic posed.If Allen and Wood can find any hole,

their speed should do the rest. After abig run or two, Michigan State’sdefense will likely tire, only allowingthe Irish running game to furtherdevelop.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Brian Kelly’s offense haslooked superb when Dayne Cristis leading it. Crist will likely leadit this weekend, barring any sur-prises.Thus, Kelly and Crist should

not have too much difficultyafter they have fought throughtwo tough opponents while theSpartans have rolled through

two guarantee gamesagainst Western Michiganand Florida Atlantic. TheIrish come into this gameready for Big Ten physi-cality, while the Spartanswill need to adjust fromthe Sun Belt style of play.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

David Ruffer continuesto pleasantly surpriseNotre Dame fans, havingnow converted all nine ofhis career field goalattempts.Helping the field posi-

tion battle, ArmandoAllen and Cierre Woodhave been impressive on

punt and kick returns, respec-tively.Michigan State does not look

able to contain both Allen andWood, and one of the two willlikely break at least onereturn into the open fieldSaturday.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

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 — L

@ Michigan St.

Stanford

@ Boston College

Pittsburgh

Western Michigan

@ Navy

Tulsa

Utah

Army

@ USC

2010 Schedule

ND PASSING

Statistical LeadersND OFFENSEQB DAYNE CRIST

32-51, 482 yds., 3 TDRB ARMANDO ALLEN

33 rush, 182 yds., 1 TDWR MICHAEL FLOYD

10 rec., 148 yds., 0 TDWR TJ JONES

6 rec., 114 yds., 2 TDTE KYLE RUDOLPH

13 rec., 207 yds., 1 TD

MSU DEFENSELB GREG JONES

7 solo, 20 total, 1 TFLLB ERIC GORDON

7 solo, 19 total, 1.5 TFLLB CHRIS NORMAN

5 solo, 13 totalSS MARCUS HYDE

6 solo, 8 total, 1 int.DL KEVIN PICKELMAN

2 solo, 5 total, 1 int.

Head-to-HeadND OFFENSEScoring: 23.5 ppg (81st)

Total: 446.5 ypg (29th)

Rushing: 153.5 ypg (70th)

Passing: 293.0 ypg (20th)

Turnovers against: 4 (66th)

Fumbles lost: 1 (19th)

Interceptions: 3 (89th)

Sacks Allowed: 3 (16th)

T.O.P. for: 25:23 (112th)

MSU DEFENSEScoring: 15.5 ppg (33rd)




Turnovers for: 4 (36th)

Fumbles rec.: 3 (13th)


Sacks: 3 (73rd)

T.O.P. against: 35:44 (114th)

Bob DiacoDef. Coordinator

Charley MolnarOff. Coordinator

ND RUSHING

NDSPECIALTEAMS

NDOFFENSIVE

COACHING

Big wheels keep on turning, anddespite a loss to Michigan, so willNotre Dame’s season.Presuming Dayne Crist is healthy,

and all indications say he is, the Irishshouldn’t have a problem scoring onthe Spartans. Michigan State willlimit Notre Dame’s ability to run theball, but Brian Kelly hasn’t relied onthe ground game yet, and there is noreason for him to in East Lansing.Kirk Cousins will cause the Irish

secondary a few problems, but in theend, the Notre Dame defense will riseto the occasion and show its doubterswhat it really can do.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 24, Michigan State 20

It doesn't get any easier for theIrish, who could use a fast start onthe road against a Spartans programthat always gives Notre Dame atough game. The Irish will face acompletely different offensive schemefor the third straight week, andthey'll need their athletic linebackersand talented, but injury-depleted,safeties to fly to the ball and be readyto stop the power run game. NotreDame keeps Dayne Crist upright,Michael Floyd continues to get moreinvolved, and the Irish defense stepsup late to prevent Brian Kelly fromfalling to 1-2.


Despite the loss, the Irish showedsigns of life against Michigan thatwere absent for much of last season.The offense, when Dayne Crist wason the field, showed definite improv-ment, scoring on four of six posses-sions when he was in the game. Thepassing game looks like it’s startingto click, and that doesn’t bode wellfor Michigan State’s untesteddefense.Granted, the Irish gave up 502 total

yards to one player last week, butthat one player is exceptional, andthe Notre Dame defense matches upbetter against a pro-style offense.


DouglasFarmer

Sports Editor

Matt Gamber

Sports Writer

Eric Prister

AssociateSports Editor

HEAD TO HEADThe Observer � IRISH INSIDERFriday, September 17, 2010 page 5

Spartans Offense vs. Irish Defense

Mark Dantoniohead coach

Third season at Michigan State

career record: 42-34

record at MSU:24-17

against ND: 2-1

Michigan StateSpartansRecord: 2-0

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

Western Michigan — W

Florida Atlantic — W

Notre Dame

Northern Colorado

Wisconsin

@ Michigan

Illinois

@ Northwestern

@ Iowa

Minnesota

Purdue

@ Penn State

2010 Schedule

Statistical LeadersMSU OFFENSEQB KIRK COUSINS

22-38, 328 yds, 2 TD

RB EDWIN BAKER

32 rush, 300 yds, 3 TD

RB LE’VEON BELL

20 rush, 190 yds, 3 TD

WR MARK DELL

7 rec., 100 yds,

WR BJ CUNNINGHAM

3 rec., 46 yds., 1 TD

ND DEFENSEMLB MANTI TE’O

12 solo, 22 total, 1 TFL

LB CARLO CALABRESE

10 solo, 19 total.

DL ETHAN JOHNSON

4 total, 2 sacks

CB GARY GRAY

13 solo, 14 total

CB DARRIN WALLS

12 solo, 15 total, 1 INT

Head-to-HeadMSU OFFENSEScoring: 34.0 ppg (t-39th)



Passing: 164.0 (97th)

Turnovers against: 4 (t-66th)

Fumbles lost: 3 (90th)

Interceptions: 1 (33rd)

Sacks Allowed: 2 (46th)

T.O.P. for: 24:16 (114th)

ND DEFENSEScoring: 20.0 ppg (56th)

Total: 427.0 ypg (102nd)



Turnovers for: 2 (t-85th)

Fumbles rec.: 0 (13th)


Sacks: 4 (42nd)

T.O.P. against: 34:37 (114th)

Don TreadwellOff. Coordinator

Pat NarduzziDef. Coordinator

Without safety Jamoris Slaughterlast week, the Irish coverage lapsedmult ip le t imes, inc luding onMichigan’s first touchdown, a 31-yard pass to a wide open receiver.In the season-opener against

Purdue, with Slaughter sidelined inthe second half, similar lapses almostcost Notre Dame dearly, but theBoilermakers could not quite con-

vert.Slaughter is expected to be back in

the lineup this weekend, but onlytime will tell how his sprained ankleholds up through 60 minutes of chas-ing Spartan receivers.If the Irish lapse even once in the

secondary, a veteran quarterbacklike Michigan State’s Kirk Cousinswill assuredly take advantage of the

mistake. With speedster BJCunningham on the outs ide,Cousins will eagerly await anyIrish mistake, and while he maynot rack up hundreds of passingyards, the few he does compilewill be opportunistic and willhurt Notre Dame.

EDGE: MICHIGAN ST

Michigan State has two runningbacks already with three touchdownsapiece. The Spartan offense averages261 rushing yards per game, 11th inthe nation.Considering the Irish defense has

given up an average of 195 rushingyards per game thus far, MichiganState will likely try to keep running theball down the field.

The main Notre Dame defendersstanding in the Spartans’ way will beinside linebackers Manti Te’o and CarloCalabrese, who have already combinedfor a total of 41 tackles.Thus, Michigan State will not likely

see much open space up the middle,but, following the path blazed byMichigan’s Denard Robinson, if theSpartans head to the outside, Notre

Dame has not yet shown the speedto keep up.Notre Dame’s best chance to con-

tain the Spartans will hinge on theplay of outside linebackers DariusFleming, Kerry Neal and BrianSmith. All three have only beeninconsistent this season.

EDGE: MICHIGAN ST

Brian Kelly and Irishdefensive coordiniator BobDiaco are familiar withMark Dantonio’s offense, asDantonio preceded Kelly atCincinnati, but the Spartanoffense has taken a turn forthe ground game this sea-son. No matter how Diacoalters his 3-4 “gap control”

defense againstMichigan State,Dantonio will send hispower runners straightat the Irish, likely giv-ing both Diaco andKelly headachesthroughout the game.

EDGE: MICHIGAN ST

Notre Dame kickerDavid Ruffer has beenimpressive on kickoffs,pinning opposing return-ers deep in their own ter-ritory, and punter BenTurk has had similar suc-cess in dropping his puntswithin the 20-yard line.If the duo continue with

that accuracy, Michigan Statereturners will be hard-pressedto find any running room onreturns before freshmanBennett Jackson, already withfive special teams tackles,tracks them down.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

MSU PASSIN

G

MSU SPECIALTEAM

S

MSU RUSHING

MSU OFFEN

SIVE

COACHING

We say it every week, but thisgame will provide the biggest test forBrian Kelly and the Irish thus far. Incollege football, there’s nothingtougher than playing in a nationally-televised, primetime road game theweek after a heartbreaking loss. Forwhatever reason, though, I can’tshake the feeling that the Irish willsqueak this one out. Michigan Statehasn’t played anyone of note yet,while the Irish have two gamesagainst quality opponents under theirbelt. That should translate into anearly Notre Dame lead, allowing theIrish to run the ball and get the win.


This game will be a test of NotreDame's mental strength and BrianKelly's motivation skills, as the teamhas to rebound from its first disap-pointment at a tough road environ-ment. Kirk Cousins and the Spartansoffense have yet to score less than 30points; Greg Jones and the Spartansdefense have yet to give up morethan 20. But the Irish should be the biggest

challenge yet for Michigan State. Itwill be a tight game throughout, butNotre Dame will prove to be a strongteam and will build momentum forthe tough stretch of games to follow.


Sam Werner

Sports Writer

Laura Myers

Sports Writer

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERpage 6 Friday, September 17, 2010

Prior to the start of the sea-son, Michigan State coachMark Dantonio said his line-backers would be thes trength o f the Spartansdefense. With senior l ine-backer Greg Jones leadingthe way, it’s easy to see why.For his part, Jones said he

was up to Dantonio’s task.“I feel that’s a pretty big

statement,” he said. “It takesa whole defense to wingames, not just linebackers …I’m very humbled by that ,being one of the leaders onthe linebacking corps, but Ifeel like we do have a lot ofguys that can step up andlead.”Jones will undoubtedly be

one o f those leaders . Healready ranks s ix th onMichigan State ’s a l l - t imetackle list with379, and hehas racked up20 in twogames so farth is season.Jones was alsonamed to thep r e s e a s o nwatch list forthe Wal terCamp P layerof the YearAward, theButkus Award(top collegiatel i n e b a c k e r ) ,the LombardiAward (collegelineman of theyear), the Bronko NagurskiTrophy (nation’s best defen-s ive player) , the Bednarik

Award (defensive player ofthe year) and the Lott Trophy(defensive impact player ofthe year).While that impressive honor

roll may lead some players tobelieve that they can do it allthemselves, Jones is quick todeflect praise to his team-mates.“I have guys to help me out,

like [linebackers] Eric Gordonand Chris Norman,” Jonessaid. “I’ll try and do what Ican do, but ultimately, I haveto s tep up i f my name i scalled.”Dantonio sa id he wasn’t

surprised by Jones’ growth,both on the field and in thelocker room.“Greg Jones has developed

into not just a great playmak-er, but a leader for us ,”Dantonio to ldmsuspartans.com. “He doeseverything a hundred milesan hour and wins with effort.

Whether i t ’sthe winterc o nd i t i o n i n gp r o g r a m ,s tudy ing f i lmor practice ona spr ing day,he ’s go ing tog ive every-thing he’s got— i t ’s impor-tant to him.”Ir i sh coach

Br ian Kel lyknows h isof fense has atough task fac-ing the con-sensus Al l -A m e r i c a n .

Notre Dame has shown flash-es of success rushing the ballthis season, averaging 153.5

yards per game on theground. The Spartan defense,led by Jones, will be taskedwith slowing down that run-ning attack.“Obvious ly, de fens ive ly

Jones, rightly so, is one of thebest linebackers in the coun-try,” Kelly said in his pressconference Tuesday. “Veryphys ica l up f ront .Experienced at the linebackerposition.”Just because the Spartans

have a player of Jones’ cal-iber on defense doesn’t meanthe Irish will alter their gameplan significantly. Offensivecoordinator Charley Molnarsaid while the Irish will beaware of Jones’ presence,they wi l l s t i l l run the iroffense.“They have 10 other foot-

ball players out there also, sowe can’t just put all our focuson Greg Jones,” Molnar said.“We know who he i s , we

know his number, we knowwhere he lines up. After that,every play that we run wehave somebody that’s sup-posed to b lock h im.Somet imes i t ’s a center,sometimes it’s a guard, some-times it’s a running back, andat the end o f the day weexpect our guys to get the jobdone.”

Jones leads strong Spartan linebacking corps

Contact Sam Werner at [email protected]

By SAM WERNERSports Writer

“It takes a wholedefense to win games,not just linebackers —I’m very humbled bythat, being one of theleaders on the line-

backing corps, but I feellike we do have a lot ofguys that can step up

and lead.”

Greg JonesSpartans linebacker

AP

Senior linebacker Greg Jones leads the Spartans in tackles so far this season, with 20. Jones was aconsensus first-team All American last season.

If you could play a road game in any

stadium, where would you play?

I’d say Florida. I heard it’s pretty loud, always

nice weather down there. Can’t go wrong.

You’re from New Jersey. Do you like Jersey

Shore?

Not at all. Not a fan.

Do you think they represent your state

badly?

You’re just looking at one person’s life. You

can’t look at one person’s life and summarize

New Jersey. Those are Guidos. I’m not famil-

iar with those.

Are there any reality shows you do watch?

“The Kardashians.” Because Kim’s on there.

That’s why.

What was your favorite adventure of Kim’s?

Hmm ... (pause) I can’t say. (pause) No com-

ment.

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERFriday, September 17, 2010 page 7

Freshman Jones finding his place in Irish offense

Before the season started, smartmoney would have been on eitherjunior wide receiver Michael Floydor junior tight end Kyle Rudolph tolead the Irish in touchdown catchesafter two games.Instead, it’s freshman wide receiv-

er TJ Jones leading the way with apair of scoring grabs.In fact, Jones even made some his-

tory in the process, becoming thefirst Irish freshman receiver to scorea touchdown in each of his first twocollegiate games.“I thought with all the great

receivers we’ve had here that some-one’s done it,” Jones said. “Findingout that I’m the first is a great feelingand a great motivator.”In his first game in an Irish uni-

form, Jones caught three passesagainst Purdue, including a 5-yardtouchdown reception to put the Irishup 20-3. Last week againstMichigan, Jones grabbed three pass-es for 73 yards. His final catch of thegame was a 53-yard scoring bombon Notre Dame’s third offensive playof the second half that swungmomentum back in the Irish favor.The freshman may have gotten a

little too excited, though, as replaysshowed that Jones appeared to flipthe ball out of his hand before hecrossed the goal line. The officialsdidn’t notice, and Notre Dame wasable to kick the extra point beforethe play could be reviewed.“All three of the coaches

addressed me — [head] coach[Brian] Kelly, [offensive coordinator

Charley] Molnar, [wide receivers]coach [Tony] Alford — and let meknow that I got away with one,”Jones said. “But if it happens againI’m going to have some big problemsand that it better not happen again.”While the coaches may have let

him off with a warning this time,Jones said the message got homeloud and clear.“I guess you could say they let me

off, not easy, but I didn’t get as harsha punishment as I thought I wouldfor dropping the ball before I scored,and that’s definitely something thatI’ll make sure to never do again,” hesaid.Jones also got some advice from

his father, former Irish defensivelineman Andre Jones, who playedfor Notre Dame from 1987-91. Jonessaid his father told him to “just handthe ball to the ref” the next time hescored.Jones said that he and his father

talk regularly, and that on theThursday or Friday before the game,they talk about what he can expectfrom that week’s game.“[He tells me] kind of what to

expect, since he’s been there before,”Jones said. “Kind of the atmospherethat I’m walking into and how to notpsych myself in and out of the gameand how to not let certain things thatI’m not used to in high school affectme before the game in college.”Saturday will definitely be a new

experience for Jones, who will bemaking his first collegiate appear-ance away from Notre DameStadium, as well as playing in hisfirst night game at the college level.Jones said he thinks he’s up for thechallenge, though.

“Playing every game in high schoolat night was a great feeling,” he said.“And playing my first collegiategame at night, I’m sure it’s going tobe a great feeling, a great atmos-phere.”Alford added that it’s all a matter

of how Jones prepares himself forthe new environment.“I don’t care if we’re playing in our

stadium or anyone else’s stadium,”Alford said. “Just put your pads onand go play. I’m not real into where Iplay. If you like to play ball, go play inthe parking lot. I don’t care.”While Jones has had success so

far, he recognizes that this is where

the hard part starts.“As time goes on and maybe I

catch a couple more balls, teams willstart to notice me more, whichmeans I’m going to have to workthat much harder to beat doublecoverage or find holes in thedefense,” he said.Usually, the one aspect of the

game that young wide receiversneed to improve the most is theirblocking ability. While Jones certain-ly has room to mature, he did issuesome thunderous blocks on unsus-pecting Wolverine players lastSaturday.“It’s a great feeling,” Jones said. “I

was a defensive player as well inhigh school, so I like cracking peoplewhen I get the chance.”While Alford was impressed with

Jones’ ability to provide a big hit, heissued a challenge to the freshman.“There were some broken plays

where he was peeling back on guys,and it just goes to show that he’s gotsome toughness about him and hedoesn’t mind throwing his bodyaround,” Alford said. “I’d like to seehim hit some guys like that whenthey see him coming.”

By SAM WERNERSports Writer

Contact Sam Werner at [email protected]

PAT COVENEY/The Observer

Freshman receiver TJ Jones snags a pass in Notre Dame’s opening week win over Purdue Sept. 4. Joneshas made an instant impact this season, catching six passes for 114 yards and two scores.

page 8 Friday, September 17, 2010The Observer � PAID ADVERTISEMENTS

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