hey everyone. Well its been an interesting week, to say the least - haha. Heres to a good game, hopefully both teams come out of their without injuries so they can have success the remainder of the season.
A lot of breakdowns have been done, alot of thoughts shared, feelings, emotions...hatred... etc.
Thought i would give some final thoughts and try to come up with a prediction. If anyone is still up for any discussions, id like some feedback. If everyone is in game mode and done with all this, no problem - have a good weekend.
When ND is running the ball, as stated 1k times, the left side is their strength. Nelson is an all american, top 10 pick, but they do have a surprising number of big plays to the right as well. I think it has to do with the defense overloading or trying to overstunt the left side (slants, twists, etc) and it leaves the right side a little more open. i am hoping to see 2 backs on the field at a time, i just feel like it opens things up. Wimbush helps keep everyone honest. Gotta give the checkmark to ND here.
When ND is Passing the ball - for as good as the left side is on run blocking, their LT has some issues with speedy guys on pass rushes. If you bull rush him, no biggie, but if you can hit a move on the outside, he tends to reach instead of move his feet, so i think wimbush tends to roll to the right more (plus his throwing side) Where ND lacks some dominance on the right side in run blocking, they are pretty solid at pass blocking. So the big question is can the receivers step up their game, learn to break routes when the QB is scrambling, and in general help the young QB out. The checkmark here goes to UM, i think their speed will make it tough to have huge sucess, but really, i think they just need to have enough sucess to keep the run game going.
When UM is running the ball - i feel ok about this, i think the speed of our dline makes up for some deficiencies. I think UM has good athletes at RB, but i think ND has seen better this year and practices with better. I wouldn't be surprised with some success, but i don't think this is where miami wins the game, checkmark to ND
When UM is passing the ball - ND's DB's are solid, but with a mobile QB, they aren't good enough to hang with receivers that long. They will have their fair share of pass break ups and good plays, but ultimately, this is where Miami can win the game. If your QB can stay somewhat in the pocket where he has views of the middle of the field, he will have a good day. Checkmark to UM
When ND is Punting - ND actually has a pretty good punter and that saves their poor coverage alot. As long as he has time, im not to worried, despite the solid return game of miami. However, we have had 1 block and a couple close calls. I fully expect miami to try and block one, especially early. - Checkmark - EVEN
When ND is kicking - ND kicks to the corner a lot, which either limits returns, or goes out of bounds, so either way, limits momentum and big returns. Checkmark goes to ND
When UM is punting - ND has a terrible return game for punts, no doubt about it. Checkmark to UM
When UM is kicking - Id say our return here is average, usually wind up between 20-30. Id call it even.
Reffing - i have noticed a lot of talk from people worried that ND would get favorable treatment from the refs. I haven't noticed that to be the case, i think its more of a case (in recent history) that everyone feels like they get shafted. I feel like you miss most of the penalties on your own team and point out everyone on the other team. I really feel like ACC refs aren't the best in general... ND has been screwed numerous times in recent years on targeting calls, both getting called for it unnecessarily and blatant hits not getting called, that trend is really the only one that concerns me. Either way, im not going to predict the refs playing a part.
Prediction by quarter (UM/ND):
1Q - 0/3
2Q - 14/14
3Q - 7/10
4Q - 7/7
Final score prediction ND 34 - UM 28, but UM winds up 12-1 after beating clemson in ACC CG.
