Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Head Coach

Charlie Weis	4th year
07-08	3-9
Independent	0-1
FCR	98

Previous Season Wins

Head Coach - Where do you begin? The Irish were ranked last in the nation in total offense, they allowed 58 sacks, worst in the land, their run defense was ranked 96th and they needed to beat Duke and Stanford in the final two weeks of the season to get three wins for the season, three wins. Fourth year Head Coach Charlie Weis knows it can’t get worse, the Irish will be better; the schedule will take care of that. But the faithful don’t care much about an 8-4 record and an invite to the New Mexico Bowl; they want National Championships and undefeated seasons. Weis is well aware of the expectations and he’ll begin to feel the pressure from the Irish fans if this teams doesn’t show a big improvement when the games begin.

Quarterback - Sophomore Jimmy Clausen took a beating last year that no freshman quarterback should have to endure, the O-Line allowed 58 sacks and the defensive pressure was relentless. His numbers were reflective of the pressure; he threw for 1,254 yards with 7 TD’s and six interceptions. Clausen has added 20 pounds and looked much sharper this spring, he good a live arm and size but and mobility but isn’t much of a threat to run. The job of running the offense is his, look for Clausen to make big strides in his development this fall.

Running Backs - Junior James Aldridge led Notre Dame in rushing last season with 463 yards, he a big back with decent speed who needs to be a bigger contributor catching the ball out of the backfield. Sophomore Robert Hughes is another big back who came on late last season; he rushed for over 100 yards in the final two games and looked this spring like he’ll become a bigger part of the attack. At fullback is senior Asaph Schwapp, he’s human bowling ball who’ll lead the way for the running attack and also provide Clausen protection in the passing game. Regardless of who’s carrying the ball the men upfront must be better or the Irish will be struggling uphill once again this season.

Receivers - The Irish return an experienced bunch on the outside in senior David Grimes at the Z slot, and at the outside X junior George West and sophomore Duval Kamara. They combined for 80 receptions but their average yard per catch was less than 10, they have enough speed and need to do a better job of stretching the field. At the tight end will be sophomore Mike Ragone, he’s got the speed to be a force over the middle and could quickly become Clausen’s favorite target, his blocking though needs to improve.

Offensive Line - Four starters return upfront and it’s the area that took the biggest criticism last year and will need to be much better, considering the talent that the Irish get they must play better. The only new starter will be junior Dan Wenger at center who’ll be replacing last season’s leader, John Sullivan. On the left side will be seniors Paul Duncan at tackle and Mike Turkovich at guard and on the right side will be junior Sam Young at tackle and Eric Olson at guard. Improvement in all areas is needed, but if they can create space for the backs the defense will be forced to be more honest and the passing game will benefit.

Defensive Line - The Irish go with the three man front and returning is Justin Brown at defensive end, the senior was solid against the run but had but one sack and needs to become the leader of the unit. Look for junior Morrice Richardson on the other side and sophomore Emeka Nwamkwo and incoming freshman Sean Cwyer to be in the rotation at defensive end. Inside will be sophomore Ian Williams, he played well against the run as a frosh and had 45 tackles on the season, and senior Pat Kuntz had 42 tackles a year ago despite missing time and will rotate in the middle.

Linebackers - Notre Dame returns two starters led by senior Maurice Crum who’ll man the hybrid Jack position, he 84 tackles last season and a couple of interceptions. Returning on the weakside is sophomore Kerry Neal, he showed progress as a freshman and he’ll be do more in pass defense this season. In the middle will be junior Toryan Smith, he’s shown some skills in a reserve role and will need to contribute more against the run. On the strongside will be sophomore Brian Smith and junior John Ryan, Ryan led the team with three sacks and has the best pass rushing skills of the linebacking unit.

Defensive Backs - The strength of the Irish defense is their secondary where three starters return too the nations 2nd ranked unit, in truth they didn’t face a lot of great passing teams but when your 3-9 you have to look for some positives. On the outside will be returning starters Terrail Lambert, a senior and at the other corner is junior Darrin Walls, their both skilled but need to be better when the ball’s in the air. Senior David Burton returns at free safety, he’s got next level skills and he’s the teams leading returning tackler with 85 and he added three picks. Stepping in at strong safety will be senior Kyle McCarthy; he’s played in a backup role and on special teams and will now be asked to be a big contributor.

Special Teams - Another area that must be much better for the Irish this season, sophomore Brandon Walker returns as the placekicker, he was just 6 of 12 and has yet to show and deep range on his kicks. Junior Eric Maust will be the punter; he was used at times a year ago and did average 41.1 yards and good directional skills. The returns will be in the hands of junior Darrin Walls, senior David Grimes and sophomore Armando Allen.

Schedule - The schedule will insure that the Irish improve on the 07’ disaster, they open with San Diego St and then get a down Michigan squad in Week 2. They’ll beat Stanford and after that they get North Carolina and Washington on the road, this season success will hinge greatly on those two games. They should get two more wins against Navy and Syracuse and then they close the year at USC. Look for the Irish to be one of the most improved teams in the land it the W-L, but even with 8 wins this year the faithful want more and the 09’ season could be the make or break season for Charlie Weis.