I thought it would never come, but here it is. The College Football season starts tonight (officially), and we are just about 52 hours away from the kickoff of Notre Dame's new season. It feels like we've been waiting a lifetime to get back to Fighting Irish football. Of course, no one really knows what this Irish team (or any team, for that matter) is going to be like. Until we start seeing some action, we have no clue how the Brian Kelly era is going to take shape. Will Dayne Crist rise to the challenge? Could Armando Allen or Michael Floyd challenge for the Heisman? Will this be the year we finally beat USC? I, for one, hope all of those questions get answered with a resounding "Yes," and I hope they all start getting answered this Saturday against the Boilermakers ("Make it 4 Boilermakers").
First off, I thought it'd be interesting to look at ND's official depth chart for this week, and see what we think.
QB: Dayne Crist (starter) and Tommy Rees (backup)- The surprise here comes with Tommy beating out Nate Montana for the backup QB job. Rees is a true freshman from Lake Forest (LAKE FOREST!), Illinois (oh), and he's seriously underrated (even among us Irish fans). He had a 70% completion rating in his senior year with 2,572 yards thrown and 23 TDs. In a single game, he threw for 526 yards and 6 TDs. He's got the goods, and proves that Coach Kelly is putting the best out there, not just going with the Junior Nate because of his last name. See what that underaged drinking got you, Montana?
WR: Michael Floyd, Theo Riddick, and TJ Jones (starting 3) and Duval Kamara, Robby Toma, and John Goodman (backup 3)- The surprise her is TJ Jones getting ahead of Kamara on the chart. Now a Senior, Kamara has been spot on at times for the Irish. He had previously set the school record for catches and receiving yards by a freshman (since broken by Floyd). Meanwhile, TJ (who will rock Jimmy Clausen's #7, thus ending rumors of the number being retired thanks to Clausen winning us 4 straight National Championships) is a 5'11 freshman ranked as the 13th best receiver nationally to come out of high school, and was listed #35 on The Sporting News' top 100 players. Interesting that he's given the go, but it'll be fun to see the youngsters getting some. Billed as one of the fastest players on the team, and we saw that last year, Theo Riddick has been moved from RB to WR to replace the departing Golden Tate, and it's going to be a treat to see how he's developed in his new position. Also, Robby Toma is from the same hometown as Manti Te'o, so you know he's going to be awesome.
RB: Armando Allen (starting) and Cierre Wood (backup)- No surpsie here, as AA has solidified himself as a super star. Wood, a native of Oxnard and a sophomore, is ready to get himself some significant carries. Despite not getting in at all as a freshman, he was ranked the second best running back by the Sporting News when we got him, and with Riddick moving wide, he'll see tons of action on this campaign.
TE: Kyle Rudolph (starter) and Tyler Eifert (backup)- I'll just say that Kyle Rudolph will be right there with Michael Floyd as the most exciting receiver on the team. The "real" media seriously underrates his talent, despite all of us knowing what a true stud he is. Meanwhile, 6'6 Sophomore Tyler Eifert reminds me of a certain Cubs pitcher who used to excite here at the Golden Dome. He had a back injury after playing in last year's opener, but has returned 100% and should be the perfect guy to give Rudolph that rest every once in a while.
And for my offensive line loving buddies, the starters are:
Zack Martin (So., LT), Chris Stewart (Sr., LG), Braxston Cave (Jr., C), Trevor Robinson (Jr., RG), and Taylor Denver (Sr., RT)- Robinson is the stud of this group, but the good mix of veterans and youth should make a good combo for Crist and company.
Punt Returns: Armando Allen (starter) and John Goodman (backup)- It's going to be rad watching Allen run back punts for another season.
Kick Returns: Cierre Wood (starter), Theo Riddick (starter), and Armando Allen (backup)- Riddick is the obvious choice, and it'll be exciting to see just how good Cierre is.
Just a quick highlight of the defensive starters:
Manti Te'o (So., ILB): Man, he's so awesome.
Darren Walls (Sr., CB): Our version of a shutdown corner.
Jamoris Slaughter (Jr., S): The guy with the best name on the team, saving us from the big play.
Darius Flemming (Jr., OLB): Altogether now...UNDERRATED!
So, when you look at this depth chart, you have to feel at least somewhat confident, right? I mean, surely a couple of unproven guys are going to need to step it up, but don't you just feel like they will? Man, I'm pumped.
In my Notre Dame season preview back in January (can you believe it's been that long?) I called the Irish going 9-3 in Brian Kelly's first year (I know, I know, I'm that kind of Notre Dame fan). This season opening game against Purdue was one of my wins. Notre Dame busted Purdue last year 24-21, as the 'Makers worked toward a 5-7 season (4-4 in their conference). Despite shocking Ohio State 26-18 and squeezing by Michigan 38-36, the Boilermakers had a subpar campaign, and relied heavily on their now departed QB, Joey Elliot. Now they turn to Robert Marve, who is a Junior with no snaps taken since his freshman year. While I predicted a win, I didn't (and stil don't) think it'll be an easy one. ND will be working out the kinks of starting a new era with some new players, but it will come together enough to bust Purdue and start 1-0.
It's finally here Irish fans, let's pop open a Harp and kick this thing off.
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
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