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An old-fashioned grudge match Irish-Huskers comes down to who outmuscles the other
Updated: Saturday September 08, 2001 3:26 AM
CNN/Sports Illustrated's college football analyst breaks down Saturday's Notre Dame-Nebraska game, as well as sharing some other picks. When Notre Dame has the ball: The Irish offense is entirely based on their ability to run out of the power-I. Kevin Rogers has a pretty good scheme in that they establish the power running game, and everything else comes from that. They then run the option, Matt LoVecchio is enough of a passer to hurt you and they have good wide receivers. Nebraska understands that. The Huskers gave up 165 yards to Troy State and 189 to TCU, but the strengths of those teams weren't their lines. Defensive coordinator Craig Bohl believes the Huskers are going to find out very quickly whether they're going to be a challenger this season. Everything that happens from Nebraska's standpoint comes from its ability to get in second-and-9, second-and-8 situations. The Huskers love to blitz, they love to be aggressive, but you can't do that if you're sitting at second-and-4, second-and-5. Nebraska feels Keyo Craver is a real key. The Huskers think he's an NFL talent, and if they get him on an island, he can cover Arnaz Battle or any of Notre Dame's receivers. If he can't handle that, then the safeties get involved, and that allows ND to get its power running game going.
When Nebraska has the ball: The thing over the last few years that's been missing a little bit from Nebraska is the running back who can make more than the four-, five-, six-yard run. Dan Alexander and Correll Buckhalter, they could get you four, five yards. But the great backs at Nebraska spun off that guy and turned it into a 20- or 25-yard run. Dahrran Diedrick looked good, but it was against Troy State. ND's coaches told me Nebraska has one guy, Eric Crouch, and you literally base your whole defense around stopping him. Until Nebraska finds a way to beat people either in the straight passing game or with a back in the option game, Crouch is going to have to beat people by himself. So things don't look good for Nebraska if you're facing Notre Dame. The Irish front seven are all studs. Anthony Weaver and Grant Irons are especially important because they're defensive ends, and defensive ends are crucial in stopping the option game. Notre Dame defensive coordinator Greg Madison made no bones about it to me: This is by far the most talented Notre Dame team he's had. If there's a weakness, it's the defensive backfield, which may not even factor into the game. Special teams: This game will be won with special teams. Points will be at a premium, so field goals become important, and that's where Nebraska suffers a little bit. Josh Brown was suspended and since then they've been rotating two kids at kicker. There's no room for error in this game. It could be a blocked punt. Remember, Notre Dame had a couple of returns for touchdowns in their game last year. What will happen: I believe this is a defining game for both Frank Solich and Bob Davie. If you're going to be remembered as a great coach at Notre Dame, you have to win some of these games, you have to beat Nebraska on the road. And if you're Frank Solich and you want to get people off your back, you can't just beat Troy State and TCU. You have to beat Notre Dame. So the winner of this game comes out in a much better position. Is it fair? Probably not. But that's the reality. And I think both coaches realize the enormity of this game. For the casual fan, this may be one of most boring games you'll ever watch, but not to the true football fan. If you took away some of the ads around the stadium and on TV, the names off the backs, this could look just like a good old-fashioned 1920s football game. Both teams' lines on both sides of the ball understand it's going to be determined at the line of scrimmage. This is by far the best defense Nebraska is going to run into, and this is by far the best offense Notre Dame is going to face. This game is about as close to a toss-up as you're going to get. Nebraska is favored because it's playing at home and is higher-ranked. I don't see it. My prediction: Notre Dame, 14-10. The Irish return to the Top 10.
Other gamesMichigan-Wahsington: I like Washington. The nation is introduced to rodeo star/quarterback Cody Pickett, Michigan is down, and watch out for Reggie Williams, the next great receiver in college football. Fresno State-Wisconsin: Look out BCS, they're for real. Fresno State wins. Kansas State-USC: I like Kansas State. USC is the most overrated program of the last 10 years, and I'm just not sure about Pete Carroll yet. South Carolina-Georgia: I take Georgia beating the Gamecocks. The Dogs are much improved under Mark Richt. Tennessee-Arkansas: Casey Clausen has struggled, but Tennessee will be fine. The Vols just need to find a confident back they can stick with. Auburn-Ole Miss: Auburn's defense is very good. Eli Manning, welcome to an SEC defense. Akron-Ohio State: An easy game to pick, I know, but look for this Ohio State team to be much more disciplined under Jim Tressel. . No more silly turnovers. Trev Alberts is a college football analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated and appears each Saturday on CNN's "College Football Preview."
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