The Aftermath of ND vs. Michigan: Did Officiating Cost ND the game?

In the aftermath of the ND vs. Michigan game, many Notre Dame fans were upset (including yours truly) with some questionable calls and non-calls by an all Big Ten officiating crew. All one has to do is visit the Four Horsemen Lounge on Irish Illustrated and read a few posts to figure that one out. Do the fans have a right to be upset about Armando Allen's TD being called back despite the lack of conclusive evidence showing him stepping out of bounds, Golden Tate being tackled while the ball is still in the air and no pass interference called when ND was trying to run out the clock, Sam Young being called for holding on what appeared to be a clean pancake block nullifying a 72 yard pass play, and other tough calls? Yes they do, but the officials did not lose this game for Notre Dame. Notre Dame lost this game.

In games of this magnitude, officials are going to make mistakes just like the players and coaches do. We are by our very human nature flawed, so it's impossible to think that the officials will get every call correct. Winning teams find ways to win games despite adversity and do not point the finger of blame at officials or bad luck. Sometimes the breaks go against you in football just like in life, but football teams just like people have to rise above the adversity that life throws our way.

"Upon further review", the officials had nothing to do with freshman kicker Nick Tausch missing a chip shot 28 yard field goal on the opening drive or Jimmy Clausen missing a wide open Golden Tate for a would be Touchdown just two plays before. Jonas Gray's fumble inside the Notre Dame 30 yard line which led to a Michigan touchdown wasn't knocked out of his hands by the officials. I wish I could blame Notre Dame's inept run defense on the officials, but unfortunately the reality is the poor run defense is a combination of inexperience in the ND front seven and great execution by Michigan and Nevada the previous week.

So where does Notre Dame go from here? There is still a lot of football to be played this season. many positives to build on, and some negatives to correct. Here are a few thoughts on some positive and negative trends to keep an eye on.

1.) Notre Dame's Offense is Dynamic: Jimmy Clausen and company are scoring lots of points and for the first time in the Charlie Weis era the offense is balanced. Sure Notre Dame's bread and butter is still the passing game, but Notre Dame is also averaging 4.7 yards per carry on the ground this season. Armando Allen looks great and who can cover Floyd, Tate, and Rudolph?

2.) Offensive Line and Coach Verducci: After two games, the addition of Frank Verducci to the Irish coaching staff as o-line coach and running game coordinator is paying off. Jimmy Clausen is the least sacked quarterback in the country so far after two games and the running game looks to be much improved.

3.) Run Defense: On the down side, every Notre Dame fan's worst nightmare is coming true. The inexperience in Notre Dame's front seven which includes two true sophomores, a red-shirt freshman, and one true freshman has resulted in opponents averaging over five yards per carry. As long as Notre Dame is playing with a lead, this weakness is neutralized somewhat, but as we saw against Michigan last Saturday playing from behind will be a tough challenge if Notre Dame cannot stop the run. Look for some lineup changes along the front four including Ethan Johnson to defensive end and some adjustments schematically in the next couple of games in an effort to slow down the opposition's running game.

4.) Special Teams: In the return game, there is a lot of promise with Golden Tate returning punts and Theo Riddick on kick returns. On the flip side, the kick coverage unit gave up a big return for a touchdown against Michigan last Saturday providing a huge emotional lift to the Wolverines. After watching the replay, it was clear that the Irish coverage unit did not stay disciplined in their respective lanes which allowed Stonum to run virtually untouched to the endzone. This was somewhat of a surprise considering Notre Dame was the number one team in the country last season in this area. Hopefully, Notre Dame can return to there elite form on kick coverage for the rest of the season.

One disturbing trend on special teams is a weak punting game by Eric Maust a senior punter. His 28 yard punt at the end of the Michigan game provided excellent field position for Tate Forcier to work with. An extra 15 yards of field position probably eliminates Michigan's opportunity to score a touchdown and instead leaves them playing for a field goal and overtime. Maust also missed opportunities to pin Michigan deep inside their ten yard line but instead kicked the ball through the endzone. Freshman kicker Nick Tausch was given every opportunity to unseat junior Brandon Walker for the field goal kicking job. Here's hoping Weis allows freshmen punter Ben Turk the same opportunity to compete. I'm sure he can do better than 28 yards and with such a poor defense Notre Dame needs all the help it can get in the battle of field position.

Overall, Notre Dame still has a great opportunity to turn in a strong season. There goals are still obtainable, and I'm expecting them to bounce back strong next week against Michigan State. If Notre Dame can clean up their special teams miscues and improve their run defense, they can still win 10 games this season and qualify for a New Years Day bowl game.