By Adam Bendiksen
Game Notes:
In what is to become a yearly tradition, the “home team” Fighting Irish hosted a game at a different stadium, in this case the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, Texas. The hapless Washington St. Cougars were the opponent, and were essentially out of the game by halftime when Golden Tate caught a Hail-Mary touchdown to extend Notre Dame’s lead to 30-7. The final score of 40-14 is only partially indicative of the Irish’s dominance; Notre Dame held the ball for 40 minutes and racked up an astonishing 33 first downs to only 12 for the Cougars. Washington State is extremely young, however, and played hard until the final snap, so better days may lay in the future.
College: Notre Dame -- Conference: IA Independents
OT - Sam Young, #74 - 6' 7.4" - 330 - 5.45 - 2010: Big right tackle rounding back into form after a somewhat shaky start this season. Appears to have lost weight and is lighter on his feet. Drops well in pass protection and plays with a wide base, but lacks the feet for left tackle. Mauler in the run game, who gets push off the line and fights until the whistle. Can run a bit and reach the second level. Occasionally plays too high and can be beaten by double moves, but is a legitimate NFL RT. Has some nastiness. GRADE: Positive
QB - Jimmy Clausen, #7 - 6' 2.0" - 223 - 4.90 - 2011: Most improved player in the nation is a legitimate Heisman contender and now may be ranked as the top QB prospect in college. Has tremendous physical tools, including a strong, live arm, excellent athleticism and fine footwork. Throws a great deep ball and has shown dramatic improvement on touch passes, and also has a quick delivery. Senses pressure and moves very well in the pocket and is fearless. Throws very well on the run, and is a threat as a runner when a play breaks down, but will stand in the pocket as long as possible waiting for receivers to uncover rather than taking off. Sees the whole field and spreads the ball around. Very smart and extremely tough; playing with a painful sprained toe which flares up each game, but does not take him out of the action. Natural leader. GRADE: Very Positive
TE - Kyle Rudolph, #9 - 6’ 5.0” - 260 - 4.7 - 2012: Awesome, graceful athlete with quickness and speed. Great balance and body control. Natural receiver with huge terrific hands and long arms. Makes all the routine catches and can adjust to the rare bad throw and make the circus catch too. Gets off the line quickly and down the field in a hurry. Runs very well after the catch and shows a combination of moves and power. Fights for yardage. More of a finesse blocker, but seems to enjoy the task and is steadily improving. Still raw; must continue to work on his ability to run precise routes. Has at least one more year to improve, and should eventually be a first round pick. GRADE: Very Positive
TE - Mike Ragone, #83 - 6' 4.0" - 251 - 4.80 - 2011: Overshadowed by Rudolph but is a very efficient blocking TE. Lines up all over the formation and generally controls his man. Gets some push at the line and can block in space. Barely used as a receiver; had his first catch of the season in this contest. Plays on special teams. Shows great hustle; ran down the return man following a blocked extra point and tackled him on the five, saving two points. Displayed surprising speed on that play, which may lead to him being targeted more in the passing game. Team player. GRADE: Somewhat Positive
WR - Golden Tate, # 23 - 5’ 10.5” - 195 - 4.4 - 2011: Terrific junior who could choose to come out in 2010 and will likely be a first round pick. Like Clausen, has made vast improvement from last season. Not big, but can jump through the roof and is a fantastic athlete with speed and quickness to burn. Great balance and body control and is one of the most dangerous run-after-catch guys in the country. Scored on a run as a “wildcat” QB. Can put on the moves and will lower his shoulder and power through arm tackles. Might have the strongest hands in the nation and never loses a jump ball. Occasionally will lose focus and drop an easy catch, but rarely. Used in the short passing game and on the deep routes. Great punt returner. Terrific upside. GRADE: Very Positive
WR - Robby Parris, #82 - 6' 3.0" - 205 - 4.60 - 2010: Injured and did not play in this game.
DE - John Ryan, #90 - 6' 4.0" - 260 - 4.80 - 2010: Smart, heady overachiever who has lost his starting job and is seeing his playing time steadily decrease. Built like a 3-4 OLB. Solid athlete with good instincts. Team player who accepts his new role and doesn’t rock the boat. GRADE: Somewhat Negative
CB - Darrin Walls, #2 - 5' 11.5" - 180 - 4.50 - 2010: No longer starting due to having been repeatedly burned this season, but did notch some time as a sub. Did not play in ’08 and is slowly working himself back into form. NFL caliber athlete who has the tools for bump coverage, and also attacks the run and tackles well. Closes well on balls thrown in front of him, but drifts in zone and will allow throws to go over his head. Gambler who will make some plays. Would help him greatly if he were to regain his starting job, but gifted enough to get a shot in someone’s camp. GRADE: Neutral
C/OG - Eric Olsen, #55 - 6' 4.0" - 303 - 5.10 - 2010: Nasty lineman who shifted from guard to center and has keyed the resurgence of the Irish’s offensive line. Has all the physical tools the NFL is looking for including size, power and quickness. Decent athlete who can run and get to the second level. Blocks pretty well in space and is good on screens. Quick into his blocks, and if he locks on with his strong hands, it’s over. Gets great movement as a drive-blocker but also can execute position/seal type blocks. Good in pass protection and can really stand up to a bull rush, but occasionally will be a bit late to adjust to stunts. Seems to have mastered the art of making line calls despite this being his only year at center. Plays to the whistle and sometimes beyond; must learn to temper his aggression and not commit personal foul penalties (two more in this game). GRADE: Very Positive
S - Kyle McCarthy, #28 - 6' 0.5" - 210 - 4.60 - 2010: Hero in South Bend and to Notre Dame fans everywhere. Super-smart competitor who already has his finance degree. Team captain whose intelligence translates to the football field. Makes big plays at crucial moments and has five interceptions this season. Not the most terrific athlete, but has more than adequate size, speed and quickness. Good hitter and a fine form tackler who squares up well and doesn’t miss. Attacks the run and smoothly covers his zone vs. the pass. Can cover backs and TE’s man-to-man. Great instincts and always seems to be in the right place. Plays on special teams. Will not be a first-round pick but will be drafted and will in time become a starter. GRADE: Very Positive
College: Washington State -- Conference: Pacific 10
C - Kenny Alfred, #69 - 6' 1.0" - 300 - 5.20 - 2010: Captain and undisputed team leader. Overachiever who succeeds with technique and intelligence. Fifth-year senior who is very successful in the classroom. Not big or powerful, but has some quickness and is a decent athlete. Plays with a wide base, and can reach the second level and block in space. Has trouble with bigger, stronger linemen and can be driven back. Was named offensive player of the game in 6 of 8 contests this season. GRADE: Neutral
WR - Jeshua Anderson, #85 - 6' 1.0" - 188 - 4.60 - 2011: Did not play in this game.
Other Players of Note:
Notre Dame was without starting tailback Armando Allen and WR Michael Floyd, but junior RB Robert Hughes had a terrific game powering through the Cougar’s defense and junior WR Duval Kamara appears to finally be capitalizing on his immense physical tools. The Irish’s most consistent lineman, RG Trevor Robinson, went down with an injury but the left side of the line manned by seniors Paul Duncan (LT) and Chris Stewart (LG) continues to get better every week. Washington State senior RB Dwight Tardy might be a sleeper possessing vision, balance and burst; while sophomore WR Jared Karstetter is a big target who scored both of the Cougar’s TDs in this contest. Senior LB Andy Mattingly had a very good game and played hard despite the score and RS senior safety Xavier Hicks Jr. consistently showed up in both the run and pass games.
