Taking the weekend off

So you may have noticed the lack of posts this week. Consider it a refueling before August begins to take shape.

I'll be out of town for the weekend, but will return with posts on Monday... or maybe Tuesday... or maybe....

Montana transfers, Radio golfs, and Cissoko yells at a cop (LOTD 7.25)

Big news of the day is obviously the transfer of Nate Montana. I don't think the importance is on the loss of the fourth string quarterback, though Montana was heading into the season as third on the depth chart. I think the biggest news is that this is a statement, though indirect, that Joe Montana doesn't really believe in Charlie Weis.

Think about it. Montana's kid, the one that's supposed to be the best in the family and a legitimate prospect, spurns the Irish for a team that didn't win a single game last year. Then his other son, who went to Notre Dame to play football AND go to school. So why would he transfer. Well, it obviously wasn't the academics, since Montana's daughter also went to Notre Dame, and Nate Montana transferred to a JUCO, not Harvard. So why did he transfer? Well, it might have been to get playing time, but don't you think a D1-A team, even if it were a mid-major, would have taken a quarterback with the name Montana and offerred him a chance to start?

I'm obviously speculating here, but you have to ask how much confidence has in Charlie Weis. And this isn't just any Irish alum, this is Joe F. Montana. The guy has some weight with the program. He saw the spring game up close and personal. And he knows football. Something is not right here, that much is obvious.

Moving on to another Irish coach who was fairly inept, Tyrone Willingham. Mike McLaughlin, who played under Coach Radio at Stanford, gives us an update on what "Coach" Willingham is up to:

When I talked to him he was out of town. We are going to get together and play golf. Amazingly, and I heard of this out of his own mouth, he kind of likes doing nothing right now. I told him ‘Coach that is not you,” and he said “yeah but I am getting really used to it.”

So what else is new? Coach Radio is out playing golf, only now he isn't getting paid millions of dollars to do it. He has to live the life of the average person, which is fitting, but must be a change of scenery for someone who once ran the football team for the most prestigious football program in the country.

The best player on the Fighting Irish in the Michigan game last year was none other than Wolverine Boubacar Cissoko. Cissoko was arrested for yelling at a cop, which is always a smart thing to do. Apparently Cissoko was a passenger in a 3-4 minute pursuit, and when the driver pulled over and was handcuffed Cissoko came out yelling, "Leave my boy the (expletive) alone.” Coach Rich Rod said he will handle the matter internally, which means Cissoko will be able to be burned by Golden Tate week 2. Seriously, why would anyone yell at a cop? Must be that Michigan "education".

Finally (and quickly), Florida State is taking legal action against the NCAA to get the 14 forfeits back for Coach Bowden. What FSU still doesn't understand, however, is that they are counting wins Bowden has from his time in D-1AA, so even if he ends up with more wins than Coach Joe Paterno, he won't hold the "all-time victories" crown. Seriously, just shut up Criminoles.

Alright, that's all for now. Go build something this summer.

Bye Bye TCU, Jimmy and the Heisman, and Timothy Freakin' Tebow (LOTD 7/24)

So it turns out TCU won't be on the 2010 schedule after all. The Horned Frogs are apparently already booked for 2010, so there's no room at the inn. This is all fine. TCU would have been a decent opponent, but it's one of those games that you can't really benefit from. If you win, you just beat a mid-major... whoop-de-do. If you lose, you got beat by an inferior team. And seriously, the 2010 schedule could use another top team. So, Mr. (Dr.?) Swarbrick, get us a real competitor instead of TCU... possibly Alabama or Miami, both of which have been rumored to have interest.

Or, I have another idea... how about Florida? I don't think Swarbrick has the cajones to schedule Urban Meyer's Gators, but what a game that would be. In fact, if by some luck we actually do schedule Florida, I think that game would surpass the USC game as the biggest on the schedule. This isn't the nonsense that some critics say of those who want a more challenging schedule, that we wan't a top 25 team every week. But would it really be so awful to have another top team on the slate besides SC and Michigan? I think not.

Superstar recruit Kyle Prater has narrowed his list of schools down to six. The six are Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, Illinois, Tennessee, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I think we still have a shot at Prater, but I wouldn't say we're the leaders at this point. Imagine a receiving corps with Golden Tate, Michael Floyd, Shaq Evans, and Kyle Prater. Good lord, that's a lot of points in the passing game.

HeismanPundit takes a look at the 2010 Heisman candidates, listing Jimmy Clausen as his third contender behing Terrell Pryor and Aaron Corp. I find this interesting because Clausen's production has far surpassed Pryor, who started about half a season last year, and Corp, who hasn't started a game. The bigger question is if Clausen will even be around next year, given a weak QB class and the possibility of putting up big numbers with a great group of receivers and a weak schedule.

Non-ND news: It appears that Steve Spurrier has decided to continue to poke the bear. Spurrier was the only coach not to vote for Tim Tebow as 1st-Team SEC QB. Spurrier says it was his assistant coach. The Ole Ball Coach apparently switched his vote, making Tebow a unianimous decision... so you can now exhale. Tebow didn't really respond to any of this, though he did tell Clay Travis that he's a virgin, which kind of removes a lot of the fun from being the Florida Gators quarterback.

That's all for today. And remember kids... don't poke the bear.

"I've got the good stuff that kids go for" (LOTD 7/23)

Real work has kept me from posting recently. Blogging is great, but very few have the skills to pay the bills, so the rest of us meddle our lives away doing other things, like contributing to the capitalist society we live in (usually by serving coffee and pouring the money back into the economy by buying PBR). Anyways, on to sports.

There's plenty of stories from the mini-hiatus. A lot of it revolves around scheduling. The Irish solidified a game in 2010 against Army at Yankee Stadium, a story I was the first to bring you among the ND bloggers (despite a commenters protests and claims of "irresponsible journalism"). The Irish are also considering matchups against TCU, Tulsa, Alabama, and Georgia Tech. Tulsa and TCU will be at home, as they should be, but do we really need more mid-major teams on the slate? Tulsa is a garbage team that might be decent with their current crop of coaches, but who knows. TCU is good right now, but Gary Patterson will probably get a look from some big programs with another big season (Texas A+M admins should be attending everyone of the Horned Frogs games this year).

The more interesting matchups are against GT and 'Bama. The plan is to have the games at neutral sites, with the GT game being played in the Georgia Dome and the 'Bama game posisbly being played in Texas. I like the idea of playing GT at the Georgia Dome; it's a bigger venue than Tech's stadium, and in a much bigger city. I don't understand playing 'Bama in Texas, or anywhere other than Tuscaloosa or South Bend. These are two of college football's most storied programs, and the game should be played on a college campus.

Sporting News' Dave Curtis tabs the Irish as one of the six teams he sees running the table in '09. Do I agree with him? No. But I wouldn't wipe the idea from the realm of possibilities. Seriously, the '09 schedule is a joke, and the USC game is the only one in which we will be playing a team with more talent than us. Michigan State and BC tend to beat us when they shouldn't, but both are replacing an awful lot this season. Michigan is usually a tough opponent, but they were terrible last year and are starting a true frosh at QB. Can you name a team, other than USC, that you EXPECT us to lose to? Me either.

Moving on, Chris Brown of Dr. Saturday has a breakdown of the 2009 opening opponent, the Nevada Wolfpack. Brown breaks down the pistol formation, Chris Ault's Frankenstein of an offense that has turned Colin Kaepernick into a mid-major star. It's certainly worth the read, if only to familiarize yourself with the kooky formation that we will be seeing from the start.

One of Brown's colleagues, Matt Hinton, assesses the Boston College quarterback situation heading into next season. To put it plainly, the SUPERFANS should be worrying. None of the candidates have taken a single snap from center. They have a JUCO, a few redshirts, a former baseball player, and a descendent of the Doug Flutie Hail Mary Family Tree. None of the names jump off the page, but BC always seems to play us tough, and we always seem to come out flat against them (though I don't have the slightest clue why). Just to reiterate a point I made earlier, I would not be surprised if we lost to BC, especially if we are coming off a win against USC, and certainly if we are undefeated heading into the game. Some times college football provides inexplicable truths, and that's just one of them.

Future Nobel Prize winner Myron Rolle continues to prove to the world that he is a better human being than most, if not all, of us. Rolle opened up a medical clinic in his home country of Barbados. Oh yeah, he's only 22 or 23. The guy has already accomplished more than I probably will in my entire life, and he's only lived about a quarter of his. I wouldn't be surprised if Rolle completely gave up on football to pursue other interests, despite the fact that he would have been a first round draft choice this past year. There are some things that are bigger than sports, and some athletes that understand this. Myron Rolle seems to be one of those guys that gets it.

Finally, Deadspin has a podcast with The Hold Steady guitarist Tad Kubler. I bring this up for no reason other than the fact that The Hold Steady is my favorite band out there right now, and they should be yours too. I've seen them play once already, and will be seeing them play again in Ithaca in a month and a half (anyone else going? We could have a TDS-THS tailgate). So give it a listen, whether you're a member of the Unified Scene or not. Gideon (said you're contagious) will be there, so will Hallelujah (she's been missing for years) and Charlemagne ('s got something in her sweatpants). So toast to St. Joe Strummer, build something this summer, and kick it at the chillout tent.

Hello! Anybody in there?

There's a real lack of news right now, so rather than make some up (which would be of poor quality and poor taste, but really fun), I'm going to hang on to a couple of stories for a Links post sometime tomorrow.

Apparently we're in the dog days of summer. And that has nothing to do with Michael Vick's new found freedom.

Class of 2010 Commit #13 - Spencer Boyd

CB Spencer Boyd will become lucky 13 when he committed to play for the Irish in 2010. Boyd is a 5'10", 175 pound corner who runs a 4.45 40. He hails from Cape Coral High School in Cape Coral, Florida.

Boyd had offers from Georgia, Michigan, Ole Miss, Stanford, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Miami. He is rated a 3-star prospect by Scout and Rivals, being ranked 29th at his position by the former and 26th by the latter. Some will complain about "another three-star recruit", but I think the offers list is fairly impressive.

Boyd had 30 tackles and an interception last year to go with 620 yards rushing and six touchdowns on 102 carries. Boyd follows the commitment of Lo Wood, giving the Irish two cornerbacks in this class, not to mention safety Chris Badger. I think we might take another cornerback if Cody Riggs jumps on board (which I believe will happen).

ND-Army is almost done, Lou goes to the HOF, Regis Benn can't find the end zone (LOTD 7/17)

Big news is the Spencer Boyd commitment (I'm sure you've heard by now). I'll have a commitment profile up following this post (promise), so consider yourself warned.

Lou Holtz will be inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame. Cheers to Lou (go ahead, say it with a lisp). Holtz is the only coach to lead six different schools to a bowl, but is more famous for being the last coach to get the Irish near a National Championship (not to mention actually GETTING that championship. Oh, and he led those six teams to bowl games by his second year as coach... everytime.

I think people tend to underestimate Lou based on the number of National Championships he owns in comparison to the other coaches considered to be "great". Lou did it in an entirely different era, an era with more disparity in talent than any time before. He got the Irish one kick from a National Championship game with a roster of guys under the new administration standards, finishing #2 that season. No coach has come close since. Our teams haven't come close to having the intensity and attitude of those Holtz led Irish teams. I hope the administration remembers this before running off a great head coach again in the future.

Moving on, the Notre Dame-Army game at Yankee Stadium is thiiiiis close to being final. It's all semantics at this point, which means that you would have to be in favor of the deal getting done if this was oddsmakers. It will be done in 2010, and it is still unknown which team will be the home team. Just to reiterate... bad deal if it's a home game, dandy if it's on the road.

Non-ND news... sorta. Arrelious Benn, who at one point was committed to play for the Irish (but shh... it was silent) and then pulled a Lorenzo Booker and went somewhere else, can't seem to get his feet in the endzone. Benn, who has had good receiving numbers with the Illini, only has 5 touchdowns in two seasons. His complaint?

"I catch the ball and I have to fight off half the defenders. It's going to be tough to get in the end zone when all the eyes are on you."

Well, Regis, I had a thought while reading your comments. Could it be possible that all the defenders' eyes wouldn't be on you if you were in a receiving corps that included Michael Floyd and Golden Tate? Perhaps you would have more touchdown receptions if you had a quarterback with a passing arm (Jimmy Clausen), instead of a quarterback that throws like Uncle Rico (Juice Williams). But hey, what do I know?

Finally, Eric Berry, the best safety in college football since Sean Taylor, is launching a Heisman campaign. Berry is the second DB to seriously consider the Heisman, following in Taylor "Ten Sacks, Ten Picks" Mays' lead. As HP says, Berry has a bit of a chance because of a) Being the star on a defense that will have to win games b) his freakish ability. Do I think he'll win it? No. But he could finish in the top 5 for sure.

Urban says never, losing $280 million, and really bad journalism (LOTD 7/15)

Back from my personal all-star break, where I wasn't selected by the team but still got three days off. News!

Urban Meyer told a bunch of Gator boosters that he was, "not going to Notre Dame. Ever. I'm going to be the coach at Florida for a long time, as long as they want me." It was a very emphatic statement, got the croud all riled up. As with most things Meyer does, it was loaded with dramatic praise for the messianic coach. So there you have it, no Urban Meyer.

Except I don't believe him for a minute.

Meyer once said Notre Dame was his dream job, and we all believed him. Now he says, essentially, the exact opposite and we're supposed to believe that, too. Truth is, Urban Meyer says and does whatever best for him at that moment. How does he get more money from Florida in the original job search? Parade around with the Irish and talk about how much you love it. And how would he get more money from Notre Dame, should the two parties eventually see eye-to-eye? Talk about how difficult, if even possible (gasp!), it would be to take a coach from a school with 20 years of history and 90 degree days to a school with 90 years of history and 20 degree days.

So let's play oddsmakers: Chances Urban Meyer will one day coach the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I'd say 51%. I would lean to it eventually happening, though I don't have as much confidence as I once did.

Apparently the Irish hijacked the 5-game series negotiations with UConn. A meathead looking bro named Rob Lunn, who apparently writes columns for the NESN website (isn't NESN a television channel?), is complaining that the Irish "bullied" UConn into signing the 5-year deal that provides two games in Gillette Stadium (as opposed to the dump at UConn), and no away game concessions for the Huskies. Lunn takes every opportunity he gets to rip on the Irish, a team he calls "a program in tailspin" despite a four-game improvement in the win column last year.

What Lunn fails to talk about (until the final graph!) is the fact that UConn signed a really terrible deal. The UConn AD, Jeffrey A Hathaway, took his hand, put a pen in it, and signed on the dotted line. If he didn't like the deal, or didn't think it would be profitable, then he shouldn't have signed the deal. If it turns out to be a bad deal, then that's a mark against him. The Irish, however, shouldn't be bashed for signing a deal that is of benefit to them. You would think that the current environment of the journalism industry, being in flux as it is, would preoduce a few good (unemployed) journalists to write quality stories instead of high school linemen who were named captain in 1988 but have no idea how to craft a (quality) column.

Moving on! A couple of quick hits, BGS has a great breakdown of the Irish running game, with a focus on the toss play. Also, BlueandGold has an interview with Brady Quinn.

Non-ND news: have you heard about the other team in Oklahoma, to OSU Cowboys? They've become the new "it" team heading into the season, and their reputation seems to revolve around T. Boone Pickens financing the whole operation. So how does a football program turn things around? Cha-Ching! Oklahoma State spent $335 million on facilities in the past decade. By comparison, OSU only spent $10 million on facilities in the three decades that preceeded that.

Oh, but then I read that they lost $280 million in two months.

Finally, Matt Hinton takes a look at the Michigan Wolverines, with the best case scenario being a winning season and a competitive game against OSU. Aim high!

Recruiting Recap: Where we stand as of now

Big news coming out yesterday was the commitment of linebacker Kendall Moore, the 12th recruit to commit to the Irish. So we're basically halfway done with this class, which provides a point to look back and evaluate what we have so far. Here's how the talent breaks down according to Scout and Rivals:
Scout- one 5-star commit (Martin), five 4-star commits (Lueders, Jackson, Welch, Smith, Lombard), six 3-star commits.
Rivals- one 5-star commit (Martin), four 4-star commits (Hendrix, Lueders, Moore, Welch), seven 3-star commits.

Rivals doesn't have a ranking out for the 2010 class yet, but the Irish are rated 9th at this point in the Scout rankings, with an average star rating of 3.58 and the second highest ranking of a team with 12 or fewer commits.

Weis had a few big challenges heading into this recruiting season, some of which have already been taken care of, some of which have not. We needed to get a legitimate quarterback in this class, and by all accounts, Andrew Hendrix is that player. We needed a top-notch defensive lineman, and Chris Martin is certainly that player. To further that point, we needed depth on the defensive line, and we got that as well, with the commitments of Martin, Lueders and Utupo. I would expect at least one more DL commit, but we are on a good path as of now.

That doesn't mean there isn't work left to be done. We need more depth at the running back position. Many believe Anthony Barr will be a key contributor to that current weakness, but every day Barr leaves his recruitment open is another day to worry. In all reality, Barr should have been wrapped up long ago, and you have to wonder why he hasn't been. Other than Barr, there really are no heavy ND leans at runningback, which is an issue.

Second, we need more depth at the offensive line position. As of now, we only have one offensive lineman committed in Christian Lombard. Lombard is a talent, but we need more linemen in this class. Seantrel Henderson seems like a longshot at this point, so that leaves us with some combination of James Stone, Matt James, Erik Kohler, Chaz Green, and Brandon Linder as offensive line recruits with offers from the Irish.

As far as the other positions go, we look pretty solid. We're set on wide receivers, only taking another if Kyle Prater wants to jump on board. Welch solidifies us at tight end. We'll need another linebacker or two, but Moore stops the gap for now. I'd like to see another top defensive back, but Wood and Badger provide the depth we need for now.

I'll close with the biggest issue, which at this point is the lack of top-notch prospects. Martin is our only 5-star prospect at this point, and as I look down the prospect list I don't have a lot of confidence in getting another at this point. We're in on Prater, though certainly not the leader. Henderson is presumably gone at this point. Malcolm Jones doesn't have a lot of interest. That leaves us with four 5-star guys (according to Scout): Justin McCay, Jeff Luc, Corey Lemonier, and Sean Parker.

There's been some criticism on the football boards about the number of 3-star guys we've taken. I'm not that worried about it at this point as long as we can add 4-star guys from this point on. Not all 4-star guys, but a good number of them. You can't fill a class with 3-star guys and expect to win a championship, you need difference makers. As of now, we have Martin and Lueders who are difference makers, with Hendrix and Welch as possible game changers (along with Lombard if an offensive lineman can qualify as a game changer).

So Weis has done a solid job so far, but is slowly backing up into a corner with the lack of top-notch players. Like I said, we're only half-way done at this point, so there's still plenty of time to make up the difference. Also, remember that many prospects are waiting to see how we perform in the upcoming season. So if the Irish can get some big wins early on, build some momentum heading into the SC game, and put on an impressive show then we will be fine. If we start slow, well....

Class of 2010 Commit #12 - Kendall Moore

Charlie Weis and the Irish made it a dozen today when Kendall Moore decided to play for the Irish and become the 12th member of the class of 2010.

Moore is a 3-star middle linebacker on Scout (ranked 17th overall) and a 4-star outside linebacker on Rivals (ranked 14th overall). He is 6'2", 229 pounds, and runs a 4.7 40. He attends Southeast Raleigh High School in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Moore had offers from Clemson, Florida State, Maryland, South Carolina, Wake Forest, West Virginia, and North Carolina among others. As a junior, Moore had 120 tackles and six sacks to go along with 30 receptions and seven touchdowns. As a sophomore, Moore had 110 tackles and an interception.

Moore is the first linebacker to commit to the Irish in the class of 2010, and continues a heavy wave of recruiting commitments that have come in recent weeks. He's been extremely productive in his last two seasons, and there's no reason to expect anything but the same as he heads into his senior year.

More Tommy Rees, Irish Triplets, and Nantucket (LOTD 7/10)

Plenty of Notre Dame stories to go around today, so let's get to it.

BGS has a story up regarding the Tommy Rees that is very encouraging. BGS notes that Rees has yet to be evaluated by many of the major sources, leading to his 3-star rating (and 82nd rating overall as a QB). ESPN recently added an evaluation after he committed to the Irish, rating Rees as a 78 overall (out of 100, I presume). The WWL also added some rhetoric about a sleeper candidate with a lot of upside, which may be true, but also may be what they put down when they really don't know what to do with a guy.

The more important point, which we mentioned before, is that Weis saw Rees through up close and in person, evaluated the kid, and decided he was good enough. That should matter more than what any recruiting service says. I would trust Charlie Weis' evaluation of a quarterback much more than I would trust one of the guys from Rivals or Scout. Do I think Rees will start over Hendrix? Not really, but they can fight for that on the field.

Moving on, Heisman Pundit has rated the best "triplets" in college football, featuring our own trio of Jimmy Clausen, Armando Allen, and Michael Floyd. HP's top trio is Okie State's Zac Robinson, Kendall Hunter, and Dez Bryant, and rightfully so. Allen isn't a star yet, and is the weak link for the Irish when comparing trios, but he could improve heading into this season. He'll have to stay in bounds a bit more, but he could improve.

Tickets are on sale for the Nevada and Washington games. It's a limited number of tickets due to a lack of sales by the opposing teams. Tix are $68 each and can be purchased at www.und.com/tickets, or by calling 574-631-7356.

Some non-ND news: Superfreak Taylor Mays is making a run at the Heisman. Mays announced his presence with authority, telling Rivals Dan Woike:

"I want to win the Heisman — 10 sacks, 10 picks and we go undefeated. (I won’t return kicks); I’ll just return my picks for touchdowns. I have to return three of them for touchdowns and maybe force a couple of fumbles on the sacks. I at least want to go to New York.”

It won't happen, especially if he isn't returning kicks or playing some offense, but it's an interesting thought. 10 sacks from a safety would be ridiculous, and Mays didn't have a single pick last season, so 10 might be a bit lofty. Nevertheless, he wreaked havoc on the Irish last year, when we couldn't pick up a first down.

Oh, and while we're talking about the Trojans... 2 of them got arrested in NANTUCKET. Everson Griffen and Jordan Campbell are the two players taking street cred hits, but I can't really blame them. I lived across from Expo Park and the Colliseum last summer, and it's not a nice place. You get accosted by bums, South Central is just a few miles south, and the traffic is really terrible. Nantucket, on the other hand... well, just look at the pictures.


That's all for today. I put up a couple of previews yesterday, so enjoy those if you need some added reading.

2009 Opponent Preview - Washington Huskies

The Tyrone Willingham effect: known as subtraction by addition; namely subtraction of any good qualities from your team by addition of a really, really bad head coach. Results in added divots to campus golf course, total void in talent on the roster, and a boost in recruiting efforts the year after he is fired. May be contagious, especially in the areas of lack of heart, laziness, and poor work ethic.

And so we usher in the Steve Sarkisian era, as the former USC coordinator takes over a once successful program and tries to re-establish it to prominence on the upper west coast. Willingham pulled an o-fer last season, leasing every single game on the slate, including games to Washington State in the Apple Cup, Oregon State by 21 points, BYU on a blocked extra point, and Arizona... by 34! Sarkisian definitely has his work cut out for him. Sark the Shark brings in former Fresno State offensive coordinator Doug Nissmeier to run things on offense and former Idaho head coach Nick Holt to run the defense. It's a good coaching staff, which is a start for the Huskies.

The Huskies have never beaten the Irish, losing all seven matchups by an average score of 38-11. Last year, the Huskies failed to get into Irish territory until there were 6 minutes left in the game. Somehow, they still mentioned to score seven points against us, though we scored 33.

So, let's commence with the positional breakdown of the Huskies in this Tyrone Willingham effect preview (All Ty, all the time).
Offense- Washington was terrible on offense last year, as you could expect a team that didn't win a game to be. They never scored more than 30 points in a game, which is going to spell trouble in the wild Pac-10, and they only made it into the 20s twice (against BYU and Stanford). U-Dub averaged less than 100 yds rushing/game last year, and only 263 yards total. A lot of their troubles were a result of injury, but you can expect these numbers to skyrocket under a competent offensive coach like Sarkisian.
Backfield: The Huskies return their starting quarterback, runningback, and fullback from last year's team. Jake Locker, the best athlete on the team, is the starting quarterback again as he heads into his senior season. I can't imagine anyone being more excited about the coaching change than Locker, who could see a lead in production similar to that of Brady Quinn when Weis took over (again, the Tyrone Willingham effect in action). Locker was 50-93 for 512 yards and a touchdown before injuring his thumb. Chris Polk, a redshirt freshman, will start at runningback. Polk had two starts last year as a true frosh before missing the rest of the year to a medical redshirt. Pail Homer is the starting fullback in his senior year. If this unit can stay healthy then they will give Sarkisian plenty to work with.
Receivers: Jermaine Kearse and D'Andre Goodwin are both returning starters at wide receiver. Kearse was a true frosh last year, bringing in 20 balls for 301 yards and 2 touchdowns. Goodwin was the leading receiver last season with 60 catches for 692 yards and one touchdown. Tight end Kavario Middleton had five starts as a true frosh last season, netting 12 catches for 82 yards. Again, Sarkisian has something to work with here.
Offensive Line: Three returning starters and two noobs. Center Ryan Tolar, left guard Ben Ossai, and left tackle Cody Habben all return as starters, protecting Locker's blindside. The right side of the line, comprised of sophomore Senio Kelemete and redshirt frosh Drew Schaefer, are both new sarters. Kelemete was moved from defensive tackle, where he had four starts as a true frosh. Washington only averaged 99 yards rushing per game last season, but they only had 263 total/game, so it was poor and poor in proportion. This unit can only get better, and will need to if the Huskies want to release some of their skill position weapon players.

Defense -
The Washington defense was as bad as their counterparts on offense. The Huskies gave up a whopping 452 yds/game last yera, with 241 yds/game coming on the ground. That's really an astounding amount, especially when considering the fact that the Huskies couldn't average more than 100 yds/game on their own. The Huskies gave up more than 40 points in five games last year and more than 30 in nine of their twelve matchups, which is really just pathetic. They return 10 starters, which could be a good thing, but then again they were really bad in those positions last year.
Defensive Line- All returning starters. Seniors Darrion Jones and Daniel Te'o-Nesheim are on the ends with junior Cameron Elisara and Sophomore Alameda Ta'amu in the middle. Te'o-Nesheim was a 1st team All-Pac 10 player last year, with 65 tackles, 8 sacks, and 11.5 tfl in 2008. Ta'Amu had 21 tackles in five starts last year, and the coaches think he can be a pretty solid player up front for the Huskies. They need to improve their performance against the run, having given up 5.7 ypc last year.
Linebackers- Also all back from last year. There's two seniors in the group, Donald Butler and EJ Savannah, and one junior, Mason Foster. Foster was the top tackler for the Huskies last year with 105 take downs, one sack, and 11 tfl. Savannah returns after disappearing from the team the year before. Trenton Tuiasosopo will see a lot of time at linebacker as well, returning from a 2008 season where he had 71 tackles. This unit will be greatly improved from last season, especially with the addition of Savannah.
Defensive Backs- Matt Mosley is the only new starter on the defense, stepping in at cornerback, though he did have three starts and 15 tackles last year. Quinton Richardson returns after starting as a true frosh last season, having started 11 games with 32 tackles in 2008. Nate Williams is the strong safety and Johri Fogerson is the free safety. Fogerson also started as a true frosh. The Huskies actually improved their pass defense by 50 yards from the 2007 season, though a lot of that had to do with the fact that teams were up on the Huskies and only needed to run in the second half.

Special Teams- Both kicker Eric Folk and punter Will Mahan are new this season. Folk is a sohpmore who hasn't kicked in college yet. Mahan is a JuCo kid who averaged 39.2 yds/punt at his previous school. The Huskies only averaged 19.2 yards on kick returns and 4.7 yards on punt returns, which is really craptastic.

Final Thoughts: There's two things I know heading into the 2009 season: 1) Washington will be much better, and 2) We will beat them. The game is in South Bend, so it's kind of unfortunant we couldnt have Ty return to campus, but the home-field advantage is almost an unnecessary advantage. Locker will keep them in games, but the Irish have too much talent against a depleted roster, and Washington's defense has too much room to make up. I don't think it will be a total blow out, but it will be a comfortable victory.

Washington has LSU, Idaho, USC, and @Stanford before taking on the Irish. They will get pounded against LSU and USC, though they should beat Idaho. I can't see them beating Stanford, but the Tree has been hard to be impressed by under Harbaugh so far. I can see the Huskies winning as many as four games this year, but not much more than that. And one of those games will not be against the Irish, you can book that.

Never Forget.

2009 Opponent Preview - Purdue Boilermakers

Playing Purdue is like fighting with your little brother. You're going to kick the snot out of him almost every time, but it never stops him from trying again. The Irish lead the series with 33 wins and 19 losses, which is impressive, but what is even more impressive is a 18-5 record in their last 23 games. Purdue did beat the Irish in 2007, but it was the rebuilding year 3 for Charlie Weis, and let's be real - everyone beat us that year.

The most memorable moment from Charlie Weis' tenure as coach against Purdue has to be Brock Spack's bewildered face in Weis' first year. It looked something like this:


Get's me every time. The two teams play for the Shillelagh trophy, not to be confused with the Jeweled Shillelagh (the USC rivalry) or The Daily Shillelagh (more of an unknown rivalry). The Irish beat ole Pee-You last year by a score of 38-21. This year's game is in West Lafayette, where the Irish lost in 2007 by a score of 33-19, despite outgaining the Boilers by more than 50 yards.

The Boilers have a new coach this year in Danny Hope, who was promoted after Joe Tiller (Wilford Brimley) retired. Hope was the head coach at Eastern Kentucky before joining the Boilers last year. He also spent time as the offensive coordinator for Louisville in 2002. Hope was an offensive line coach for the Boilermakers when Drew Brees was the quarterback, the same year the All-Pro Matt Light was at Purdue.


So without further ado, let's break down the Boilers
Offense- There's a lot of fresh meat on the Boilermaker offense this year. There's only five returning starters, with four of them coming on the offensive line. However, that's not to say there isn't experience. There are two sophomores (both returning starters), two juniors (one of whom is a returning starter), and SEVEN seniors.
Backfield- New everything. Curtis Painter graduated and his heir, Justin Spiller, was dismissed from the team. That leaves Joey Elliott, a senior, as the starting quarterback. Elliott is 8-15 for 81 yards in his career. Last year's leading rusher Kory Sheets is also gone, leaving the rushing duties to senior Jaycen Taylor, who missed last season with an ACL injury. True freshman Al-Terek McBurse is the backup runningback.
Receivers- Keith Smith is the only returning starter in this unit. Smith was third on the team in receptions last season, bringing in 49 balls for 486 yards and 2 touchdowns. Desmond Tardy and Greg Orton, who both caught over 65 passes last year, are both gone. Senior Aaron Valentine, who is slated in as the #2 WR, caught 11 balls last year for 224 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tight end Kyle Adams was injured last year, but has three starts in his three years at Purdue.
Offensive Line - Four of five return, with the lone new starter being Jaren Zwilling, a center. Ken Plue and Dennis Kelly started as true freshman, while Eric Hedstrom and Zach Jones started as juniors last year. Tiller once said that Dennis Kelly was the best lineman they've had since Todd Light, so you can tell he's a bit bullish on the left tackle. This group will most likely improve upon their performance last year, a year that saw Purdue's offensive production drop by more than 60 yards a game.

Defense- Again, a lot of seniors on defense, seven to be exact. And of three of the four who are not seniors are returning starters. Needless to say, it's an experienced group on defense. The Boilers were solid against the pass last season, limiting opponents to just 183 yards a game, but they also gave up 175 yards rushing a game, which is crippling in the plodding Big 10.
Defensive Line - Kawann Short is a kid at defensive tackle compared to his colleagues, Short, a redshirt freshman, is flanked by returning starter Ryan Kerrigan and senior Keyon Brown as his ends, with senior Mike Neal next to him in the middle. Kerrigan was a Big Ten Honorable Mention last season with 56 tackles, seven sacks, and 4.5 TFLs. Neal has 7.5 sacks in 34 games, which isn't bad for a tackle. This unit has to improve against the run for Purdue to be successful.
Linebackers - Chris Carlino and Joe Holland both started as freshman last year and were a pretty solid pair. Holland was third on the team with 76 tackles, including one sak, while Carlino came on strong, making 36 tackles over a year in which he started 5 games. They will be joined by Jason Werner, who is probably the most talented player Purdue has on defense, though he missed last season but is expected to return. This is a pretty decent squad that will only get better as the two sophomores gain experience.
Defensive Backs - All four are seniors, which is important when considering that experience is most valuable in the defensive backfield. SS Dwight McLean is the only non-returning starter from last year, with cornerbacks Brandon King and David Pender and free safety Torri Williams all returning for the 2009 season. McLean and Williams both had 2 interception last year, most among any Boiler. Pender was an Honorable Mention All-Big 10 guy last year, as was Williams.

Special Teams - Both kicker Carson Wiggs (a sophomore) and punter Chris Summers (a senior) return from last year's team. Wiggs was 8-11 last year as a true frosh, with a long of 53 yards and six touchbacks on 41 kickoffs. Summers averaged 38.4 yards per punt last season, with a team net of 29.6 yds/punt. Summers can also kick field goals if needed, as he has gone 31-52 in his career with a long of 50 yards. Aaron Valentine is their main return man, averaging 25.6 yards/kick return last year.

Final Thoughts: I'm actually a bit conflicted here, and I see this as a bit of a trap game. I can easily see the Irish overlooking Purdue, especially if they start the season with wins over Nevada and the two Michigan schools. Purdue has a lot of seniors, which seems to be an indicator of a surprise team. However, it's Danny Hope's first season as a head coach at this level, he's bringing in new coordinators, and is breaking in new skill players on offense. Tiller was never a great coach, but he was able to do some things at a school that has never really been great to begin with. Then you have to remember that the game's on the road, which shouldn't usually matter unless Purdue can manage to keep it close.

I see the Irish winning here, but I think the game will be closer than most will expect. We will learn a lot abotu Purdue when they play at Autzen Stadium against Orengon on September 12th, the same weekend that we will learn a lot about the Irish when they play Michigan on the same day. Purdue has Toledo at home in week one, the game at Oregon week two, and a matchup at home against Northern Illinois in week three. Then the Irish come to town before they head off to Big-1o play.

I really don't know what to make of Purdue, as they don't have a lot of talent and we usually put a beating on them when we have any sort of competent coaching, but it wouldn't surprise me if this becomes a trap game. The senior leadership is the only thing that has me on edge.

Oh, and before I forget:

Every time.

Irish to play Army at Yankee Stadium in 2010

Big news of the day is a reported matchup between the Irish and Army to be played at Yankee Stadium (The House That Ruth Didn't Build). A blog called Road to Game Day, which I have never heard of, is reporting that "sources close to RTGD" are saying that the game will be played in 2010. RTGD also says that an official press release should be coming from the Boogie Down any time now.

RTGD believes this will be the barnstorming game for the 2010 season, though he/they/it can't be sure. Notre Dame is aiming to have their "barnstorming" matchups at neutral sites, but Army plays close to THE city, so it could go either way. I will reiterate the point I made last time this idea was brought up. This is fine if the game is an away matchup, but it's a terrible idea if the Irish have to give up a home game for this to happen. I love the Yankees, but this is not THE Yankee Stadium, it's just another spaceship of a ballpark with too many luxury suites and not enough history. Furthermore, there is no better place to play a game than in South Bend, Indiana on a fall afternoon. Do you seriously want to compare the Notre Dame campus to the Bronx?

3-star recruits, Urban Meyer to ND (again), and secondary violations (LOTD 7/8)

Big news from yesterday is the commitment of Lake Forest QB Tommy Rees (I wonder if he's neighbors with Dave Eggers). Rees, a 3-star on Scout and Rivals, is rated the 82nd quarterback in the nation, which has caused some issues among the Irish faithful. The question is should the Irish be offering a recruit who is (according to the recruiting services) most likely going to be little more than a backup. The response from those happy about the Rees commit is something to the effect that Charlie Weis personally evaluated Rees, liked what he saw, and that Weis' evaluation should count for more than what Rivals or Scout has to say.

I don't think any bad can happen with the commitment of Rees. Best case scenario: He turns out to be a solid contributer for the Irish. Worst case: We take another quarterback next year, who isn't threatened by a 3-star freshman, and we are fine. The commitment speaks to a bigger issue: Charlie Weis missing out on his top targets. But the fact that we took a 3-star quarterback, who could very easily become a 4-star guy with a good senior season, should not be an issue.

Furthering the point are the guys from Her Loyal Sons take a look at how the 3-star commits benefit the Irish, citing the addition of depth, the ability to get selective with offers, and upside as viewed by the coaching staff. All good thoughts. The point is countered, however, by a very interesting post on the UHND boards looking at the 3-star commits ND has had in recent years. A look at the list shows plenty of backups, but not many starters, and even fewer players who started before their senior year.

While we're on the recruiting news front, Kendall Moore is set to announce his commitment relatively soon. So are Cody Riggs and Stephen Boyd. I would expect at least one commitment out of that group of three, with the possibility of getting all three.

Heisman Pundit takes a look at the big games in the month of September. He mentions the Michigan matchup, noting that a big game on the big stage could boost Jimmy Clausen into a Heisman darkhorse. HP makes it sound like it's the Irish's to lose, which I would sort of agree with. I don't think Clausen will end up a Heisman candidate, though he could set up a nice campaign for the following season with a good 2009.

Paul Finnebaum is stirring it up in the SEC again, with a column saying that he is almost positive that Urban Meyer will go to Notre Dame at the end of next season. Aside from the fact that I would love to see that happen, it's a really, REALLY bad column. Finnebaum, who luuuuuuuuvs Bama, will write anything to crush other SEC teams. He forgets the point that Charlie Weis will be around with a good 2009 season, or that Urban has repeatedly said he won't be leaving Florida. He does make a good point in comparing Urban to Billy Donovan, a coach who had a great squad with a really special player (Tebow-Noah), won back-to-back championships, and then kind of fell of the map. Donovan isn't considered the best coach in the SEC anymore, and though I don't think Meyer will fall off the map, Nick Saban is building a team that could be the USC of the next decade.

So Congress dealt with the BCS yesterday. I'm kind of done with the whole thing, so I'll just link to the Dr. Saturday story.

The Washington Huskies, who are currently dealing with the Tyrone Willingham effect, had two runningbacks declared academically ineligible for the upcoming season. Brandon Johnson and and David Freeman won't be able to play next year. Though neither were expected to start, it leaves a void in depth for Steve Sarkisian next season, leaving him with three freshman runningbacks on the depth chart. This works out nicely for the Irish, seeing as how defending the run will be the biggest challenge in 2009, though you have to feel bad for Washington.

Finally, Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks reported 14 (!) secondary violations ranging from improper text messaging to impermissable snacks. It sounds like Spurrier is toying with the NCAA, seeing as how secondary violations really don't matter to anyone in charge. Don't expect anything to come from this.

That's all for today. Until tomorrow Blarneys.

Class of 2010 Commit #11 - Tommy Rees

The Irish got their 11th commitment to the Class of 2010 when quarterback Tommy Rees announced that he would attend the University next year.

Rees is a three-star quarterback on both Scout and Rivals. He currently attends Lake Forest High School in Lake Forest, Illinois. Rees is 6'3" and 192 pounds. While his three-star rating is fairly average, Rees did have offers from Tennessee and Stanford to go along with interest from Colorado, UCLA and Wisconsin.

Rees threw for 2,200 yards last season and 22 touchdowns against 8 interceptions as a junior. He was awarded All-Conference and All-Area honors. He was offered earlier this week, and promptly announced that he would make his decision relatively quickly. Two days later he did, and now he's Irish.

The announcement means that the Irish are most likely done recruiting quarterbacks this year. Rees will join Cincinnati's Andrew Hendrix as quarterbacks for the Class of 2010. I view both as underrated prospects who could have their rankings bolstered with a good senior season.

Recruiting Stars, Fauria finds a new home, and Congress... oh, Congress (LOTD 7/7)

The big news from yesterday is obviously the commitment of defensive end Justin Utupo. Utupo becomes the tenth commitment to the Class of 2010, and his decision bumps the Irish into the top 10 of the Scout rankings. The Irish are currently ranked at #9 in the nation, but the highest rated school with 10 or fewer commitments.

The Irish currently are averaging 3.7 stars per commit, which ranks right up there among the highest averages by school. Currently, Texas leads the pack with an average of 3.79 stars/recruit, with Ohio State, USC, Oklahoma, and Penn State ahead of ND, though not by much. That's not bad company to be in, especially considering the fact that many top prospects who may be leaning to the Irish have not decided yet. I was worried about recruiting early on, but this recent wave of recruits has calmed some of my fears to this point.

Joseph Fauria has decided on a new locale, transferring to UCLA (as expected). In all reality, UCLA is probably a better fit for Fauria socially, which he admitted in interviews.

"It's a great atmosphere. It was my second choice coming out of high school, got a good coaching staff and the arrow is pointing up for the direction of the program.''

I'd make a cheap joke about Fauria being able to participate in the UCLA undie run, but I'm still kind of pissed at ResLife for mucking things up so badly. I hope Joseph kills it at UCLA, and hopefully he beats SC regularly.

Basketball news: Martin Ingelsby has been promoted to the empty assistant coaching position. Ingelsby is blue and gold through and through, so it's nice to see him progress in the Irish coaching staff. Ingelsby wouldn't be a bad coaching candidate to replace Mike Brey when the time comes, granted he gets some more seasoning as an assistant.

Non-ND news: there's a collection of stories of interest today, so let's roll them off.

Stewart Mandel has a nice story previewing the waste of time that is today's senate committee hearing of the BCS. Mandel comments:

"Yet with all that said, Tuesday's Senate hearing will almost certainly be a complete and utter waste of time. Not only will all these self-serving efforts by Sen. Orrin Hatch (who is orchestrating Tuesday's hearing on behalf of his disgruntled constituents back in Utah), Rep. Joe Barton (the big-talking Texan who oversaw a comical May 1 House hearing on the BCS) and Mark Shurtleff (the Utah attorney general who keeps threatening to sue the BCS) prove futile in terms of bringing about a major-college playoff, they may in fact hurt the sport's chances of ever adopting a true championship."

Mandel is spot on. This hearing has attracted negative attention at almost a 100% rate. If anything, the anti-congress reaction will result in some swaying to a pro-BCS reaction, simply to combat the nonsense going on in congress's halls. I'll have some sort of report on the hearings tomorrow, though I bet you can guess which side I will fall on.

Dr. Saturday's Holly Anderson takes a look at the eight (!) USC Trojans on the pre-season All-American watch list. Anderson points out that this is a result of actual talent on the roster and percieved talent of the ever-present USC "dynasty". Some players on the watch list, such as Aaron Corp and Joe McKnight, have barely had any playing time on a college football field and much more to do with the hype they collected out of high school. Nevertheless, SC will be a tough play this year, and undoubtedly the toughest team on a weak ND schedule.

Everybody's favorite type of nut, Houston Nutt, will apparently be getting his own reality television show this year. TruTV (which I believe used to be Court TV in the days of OJ Simpson) will host the show, titled Gridiron U, which will look at the Ole Miss program this year. I can't help but think of the second year in Ty Willingham's regime, where the Irish were supposed to be decent and then sucked it up. The show eventually moved from the primetime slots in the first couple of weeks to a 2:30 am time slot, before being cancelled before the end of the season.

Finally, former NCAA passing leader and NFL journeyman Timmy Chang is being investigated for robbery. Chang was allegedly involved in an altercation with someone, presumably outside of a bar (that's where these things tend to happen). A woman filmed the ordeal, and Chang took the woman's camera and (allegedly) used that NCAA record arm to toss it on top of a roof of a nearby building. It's good to see that he is still using the skills he learned in college in his post-collegiate life.

That's all for today. I was going to do a live-blog for the senate hearing today, but I think it would just result in my head denting the walls of my apartment, so I've given up on that idea. Until tomorrow Blarneys.

Class of 2010 Commit #10 - Justin Utupo

The Class of 2010 is rapidly filling up, and we haven't even hit August yet. Defensive end Justin Utupo became the tenth commit to the class when he announced he would play for the Irish yesterday.

Utupo is 6'2", and 250 pounds. Scout has him as a 3-star defensive tackle, while Rivals has him as a 3-star defensive end. Utupo had offers from Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Washington, Arizona State, Colorado, Missouri, and Nebraska. He becomes the third defensive end in the Class of 2010, following commitments by Chris Martin and Blake Lueders.

ESPN likes his desire and will to play the game, mentioning that he is a very "active" player on the field. Utupo had 70 tackles and 6 sacks in his junior season.

And sorry for the craptastic picture... it's all I could find online.

Semantics, Basketball news, and the blowhards on Capitol Hill (LOTD 7/3)

A bit of personal business to kick off the weekend, then we'll get to sports. First, yes, I have sold out. It's the 21st century, get over it (and visit our new sponsor, www.NotreDameTickets.com!). Second, shout outs to One Foot Down and Charlie's Nasties for some kind words. I love it when the Irish brethren point out TDS, and the favor is always returned.

Alright, on to sports. Yesterday we mentioned the ticket lottery, where you will surely miss out on getting USC tickets, instead getting tix to one of the other non-attractive home games (thank you, Kevin White). Ticket lottery results will be announced on July 8th, so I suggest you take all of those tickets you don't want, head over to www.NotreDameTickets.com, and trade them for USC tickets. You don't want to miss the game of the year, after all (alright, I promise I'll stop plugging now.)

More news from the official website: The Michigan kickoff time has been set. The September 12th matchup will be played at 3:30 pm, which is when it is always played, so I don't see the reason for building suspense. It will be an ABC game, and the only ABC game at that time slot, so it will be nationally televised. That gives every game on the schedule an official kickoff, with the exception of the Pitt game.

A couple of basketball notes: First, the Big East schedule has been released. We get Cincinnati, UConn, and South Florida twice, which is a pretty nice deal. Syracuse is played at home, as is Pitt, and West Virginia. Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, and Villanova will all be on the road. It's not a bad slate, certainly much better than last years.

Second, Notre Dame assistant Sean Kearney has landed the Holy Cross coaching gig. Kearney has been coaching for 22 years and has finally landed a head coaching job, getting to take on the Patriot League. Cheers to Kearney, I wish him the best of luck.

Okay, on to non-ND news. I was going to do a separate post on the whole BCS-Congress non-sense, but the holiday weekend is getting in the way. If nothing else, it gives me a chance to use my favorite label. So the political blowhards, led by Orrin Hatch, want to get some face time and are going to take on sports again. The distinguished moron from Utah is claiming is forming a subcommitted to look into antitrust issues, competition policy, and consumer rights.

As always, this is a huge waste of time (not to mention tax dollars). If anyone expects the BCS to change as a result... well, keep wishing. The problem is that I agree with Hatch - I'd love to see the BCS taken apart in favor of a playoff - but Congress shouldn't be involved in something so trivial when there are MUCH bigger issues at hand. Again, NOTHING WILL BE CHANGED, so the politicians get to parade around for sports fans, leading the crusade everyone wants to be fought, just not by them.

Oh, and how did the BCS respond? Lay off, or we'll go back to the totally wacked pre-BCS bowl arrangement system. So seriously, the BCS is better than the split-national champion system (where Michigan gets awarded a MNC). I want a playoff, but I certainly don't want the ridiculous system that was. A playoff will happen eventually, but Congress won't behind it, so.... SHUT UP CONGRESS!

Okay, I feel better now. Dr. Saturday's Matt Hinton has a story looking at the possibility that the NCAA will bring down the hammer on USC because, well, they haven't done it in a while. No major program has been hit with post-season bans since Cal in 2003, which is more than 6 years ago. TSN's Dave Curtis says,

"Watch out, USC. Some influential folks in the NCAA are yearning to hammer a school that has strayed from its rules on recruiting and/or academics... Circumstances have aligned, in official and unofficial contexts, for the NCAA to snap back at the increased rule-bending around the country. And what better way to send college football a message than to handicap one of the sport's flagship programs for the next few years."

I've been holding this position for a while. To reitterate, I think USC will get pounded; loss of post-season play, loss of scholarships, probation. This gives commenters a chance to lay down the cliched "I'll believe it when I see it," which is always fun.

Alright, that's all for today. There's a good shot there won't be any posting tomorrow, so have a great holiday weekend Blarneys.

Oh, and visit the great people at www.NotreDameTickets.com for all of your ticket needs. They really are stars of the internet universe, bastions of ticket haggling, the light on the proverbial scalping lighthouse, the apex of ........

Announcing a TDS Supporter: www.NotreDameTickets.com

Hello Blarneys, I've got a special announcement for you all today. TDS has an official sponsor!



Allow me to introduce you to www.NOTREDAMETICKETS.com. They sell tickets of all sorts, but specialize in Notre Dame football tickets (which is probably what you're most interested in). They buy, sell, and trade tickets, so when the lottery results come out (have they already?) and you're pissed because you missed out on the only good game this season (the Third Weekend in October) keep them in mind. And they've been in business since 1989, which means they were on the internets just shortly after Al Gore!

So thank you to the good people at NotreDameTickets.com for supporting our poverty-stricken one person staff, and thank you to the good people of TheDailyShillelagh for visiting our sponsor! Everybody wins!

Training camp schedule released, Zeller has a shot with the Bulls, and SCUM news (LOTD 7/2)

Another version of the Lightning Round LOTD. Here we go:

The fall training camp schedule has been released. Here's the breakdown:
August 7th - Weis and the assistant coaches meet with the media
August 8th and 9th - Single practice sessions. Select players will be available on the 8th, with the entire roster being available on the 9th.
August 13th - First double session of the year.
August 15th - First practice open to the media. The team will probably stretch, run some basic drills, and maybe an off-tackle play or two.
August 17th and 20th - Two more double sessions.
August 21st - Freshman media day. Manti Te'o will be swarmed, while everyone else will be looking for someone to talk to.
August 23rd - Student appreciation day. Practice is open to the student body.
August 24th - Preparation for Nevada
August 29th - Last pre-season day. Most likely some sort of scrimmage or walk through.
August 30th - Weis meets with the press again. The 2009 season kicks off.

It's very similar to what Weis has done in the past. Hopefully it will produce some real news, though Weis isn't the type of guy to reveal much in his practices.

A quick bit of basketball news: Luke Zeller has made the Chicago Bulls summer team. Zeller tried out for the Bulls alongside Luke Harangody in pre-draft workouts. Zeller will be one of nine rookies on the summer team roster who will get to showcase their skills from July 14th-19th in Las Vegas. Best of luck to Luke in trying to make the league.

Non-ND news: Michigan might try to schedule someone of relevance (though not an away game, of course). The Michigan Men are looking to get the Georgia Bulldogs on the schedule for the 2010 opener. I'd love to see this happen, as Michigan would surely get a beatdown at the hands of a superior SEC team (in Ann Arbor no less... imagine the Michigan fan reaction).

Moving on, it appears that Mitch Mustain, who transferred from Arkansas to be the third string QB at USC, is in fact eligibile to play this season. Pete Carroll announced that Mustain was cleared for play, saying that the issue "has been resolved." So Petey Poodle pulled a few strings, and ole Mitchy is back in the depth chart at the QB3 slot (though probably without his "Play Like A Champion Today" hand towel).

That's all for now. Further updates on the way.