Staff Predictions: Notre Dame vs. Connecticut

Bill Brink, Managing Editor

I don’t believe determination, senior day excitement or the hope of hearing the Victory Clog one last time will factor into Saturday’s result. Notre Dame needs preparation and execution, two things it hasn’t had in recent weeks. Preparation to utilize its weapons and execution to slow a talented UConn run game. Notre Dame has shown itself to be a team that wins ugly. The Irish will win this one ugly too. They’ll get run on, the offense will splutter and the run game will be under-utilized, but the Irish have too much talent not to click. Golden’s a known commodity. Michael Floyd, Armando Allen and Theo Riddick make the difference in this game and the seniors chow down on leftover marshmallows as they celebrate one last win (barely).

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 16, Connecticut 13

Michael Bryan, Associate Sports Editor

I think it’s going to take another fourth-quarter comeback for the Irish to beat Connecticut, but I think this week they pull it off. Notre Dame hasn’t looked prepared and had a strong first quarter in weeks, and there’s no reason to think it will happen again this week. This game should be a lot like the Boston College game, with the defense selling out against the run and forcing Zach Frazer to beat them in his return to Notre Dame. The Irish defense will give up some big plays, but Clausen and Tate will come up with some highlights of their own at the end. It will be another ugly game, but the Irish are too talented to play to play two bad halves against the Huskies.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 28, Connecticut 24

Matt Gamber, Sports Editor

In two weeks, it’s gone from hard to predict a blowout Irish victory to hard to predict any Irish victory. It was no secret all year that Notre Dame was a flawed team, but since the Navy loss, it seems like those flaws have been exposed at an incredible rate. That being said, I think the last two weeks serve as a wake-up call for a tightly-knit Irish team that wants to send its seniors out on a high note. Notre Dame won’t play a perfect game, and chances are both defenses will look clueless against opposing offenses with big-time playmakers. It probably won’t be pretty, but for a group of seniors that has had a rough go of it over the last three years, that victory lap around Notre Dame Stadium will be sweet nonetheless.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 34, Connecticut 27

Sam Werner, Associate Sports Editor

Given the recent history of both these teams, this game should be a high-scoring one. Notre Dame will be challenged to stop Connecticut’s two-headed rushing attack of Jordan Todman and Andre Dixon. Fortunately, Notre Dame should be able to sell out and stop the run, daring former Irish quarterback Zach Frazer to beat them with his arm. Even though the Notre Dame secondary has struggled this season, Frazer has thrown seven interceptions to only four touchdowns. To win, the Irish will have to get up early and prevent the Huskies from running the ball down their throats. I’m not very confident, but Notre Dame just has too much talent to let this one get away, especially on senior day.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 35, Connecticut 30

12 comments

Steve

Sun Nov 22 2009 21:07

I'm so proud as an ND alum to find out that the morbidly-obese bag of gas who coaches (poorly) our football team makes 3x as much per year as the President of Yale...

So glad to see my alma mater with its priorities in order.

If ol' Charlie Tub o' Lard had any affection for his alma mater he'd quit and let it off the hook for the remaining $18 million of the moronic contract they gave him (as the coach of the Italian Serie A football team AS Roma did).

But like Lou Holtz before him, all of Weis's talk of integrity and loyalty etc etc is for other folks to follow.

Stock

Sun Nov 22 2009 08:55

Sadly, 6-6 is good enough for this team. And 6-6 is good enough to relieve the coach of his duties.

Rudy

Sat Nov 21 2009 19:19

Again, the Observer staff has proven that it greatly overestimates ND's footall talent.

John

Sat Nov 21 2009 18:18

"6-5 is just not good enough!" (CW, former ND football coach)

Jethro

Sat Nov 21 2009 00:08

Defense, can you get amped... LOL, it's late, Go Irish!

Jethro

Sat Nov 21 2009 00:06

Ahhhh. So many weapons, so little time.... O-line, can you get amped for this one? We can easily put 35+ on the board, if you just give them the time. Defense, get you get amped for this one! Hell, I don't know what to tell you, Manti can't play everywhere. Still bleed blue and gold for life, GO IRISH!!!!!!!

Jack

Fri Nov 20 2009 23:22

Tomorrow, November 21st, 2009 is the day that Notre Dame "...wakes up the echoes". These are proud kids and they are talented as well. I don't miss a single game and have been a ND fan since I was nine years old; sixty-one years. Tomorrow, I expect these kids, despite their coach, to take UConn to the woodshed. They have endured too much.

kjbags

Fri Nov 20 2009 23:00

While I certainly will not defend Charlie anymore, ND better not fire him before they have the next coached signed. A long drawn out coaching search will kill recruiting and set the program back another 3 years.

Bill in Virginia

Fri Nov 20 2009 19:32

I cannot fathom why ANYONE, at least anyone of "sound mind", would want Charlie to stick around. What makes anyone think it will be any different NEXT YEAR, ragardless of the so called "great talent" he brings in. Talent, if indeed it was REAL talent, has obviously not been utilized properly and let's face it, ND under Weiss will NEVER have a good running game. With Clausen gone (and maybe Tate also) will the Irish have a better team with the 1st 5 to 6 opponents being much better next year?! I doubt it. Swarbrick needs to get it right and it starts w Charlie gone.

Richard Irish

Fri Nov 20 2009 16:52

I wish all the ND players well, including the Seniors, on Saturday. A win over U Conn. would restore a sweet taste in our mouths.

TOM

Fri Nov 20 2009 13:48

you guys can pull this one out you owe it to yourselves!!! GOOOOO IRISH !!!

rick

Fri Nov 20 2009 12:37

LET'S PLAY OLD NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL ON YOUR LAST DAY AT THE STADIUM , PLEASE JUST ONE GAME BEFORE I PASS ON . AS ALWAYS GO IRISH, IF IAM STILL HERE BEAT STANFORD AS WELL SO CHARLIE CAN KEEP HIS JOB. NUFF SAID

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